Toward the church; in the direction of the church.
From church + -ward (a suffix meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'). The -ward suffix comes from Old English -weard, meaning 'turned toward.'
The -ward suffix is why English has directional words like 'forward,' 'backward,' 'homeward'—it's one of the oldest adverbial patterns, but we mostly use it now only in poetry or formal contexts, preferring 'toward' and 'in the direction of.'
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