A
Brief History of The Federated Church
by
Donna Augspurger
In
the beginning...
On
July 2, 1914, The Federated Church of Columbus was
inaugurated at an evening meeting of two congregations
coming together. The two congregations joined by Articles of
Federation were the Congregational Church and the
Presbyterian Church. Both
had active memberships formed in the last half of the 1800s
and both continued to prosper at the time of the federation.
Successfully merging the cooperative spirit that the
two churches had established in the preceding years, they
joined in a united effort to serve as one congregation while
still maintaining the identity with their state and national
denomination affiliations.
The Federated Church continues its relationship with
the two denominations, now Presbyterian Church (USA) and
United Church of Christ.
After 90 years at the time of this writing, and with
the completion in 2001 of a newly constructed sanctuary and
extensive renovation of existing facilities, The Federated
Church of Columbus continues into the new century in the
Spirit of Christ, proclaiming God’s grace in word and
deed.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement
give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow
Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6
Much of the information presented comes from
documents and historical writings from the church and the
book, In Such Harmony,
written by William E. Christensen.
This writer has relied heavily on Mr. Christensen’s
writings, In Such
Harmony, for the historical account in the early years.
A more indepth study of these and other historical
supporting information, such as The Constitution, Mission
Statements, Vision Statements, and annual reports, will
provide a complete historical account for persons interested
in research. In
Such Harmony covers the first fifty years and provides
the reader with many anecdotal details of early church
successes and struggles as well as events taking place in
the community of which they are a part.
Similarly, another publication compiled by Betty
Grant contains the same and takes up years between the 50th
and 75th anniversary of Federated Church. They may be viewed at the Church Office located at 2704 15th
Street, Columbus, Nebraska.
The
year was 1866. Nebraska
was still a territory, the Civil War and the assassination
of President Lincoln had occurred the preceding year, and
the Union Pacific Railroad constructed westward from Omaha
reached Columbus. Amid
the accompanying struggles for survival and growth early
settlers had seen the need to establish religious
communities. The opportunity for children to have religious training was
provided, and one year earlier a nondenominational Sunday
school was formed and proved popular.
From this outgrowth the first Congregational Church
was organized on October 14, 1866.
The
Congregational Church began with a membership of six. It grew out of the meetings formed during the previous year
by the Congregational Society of Columbus.
Although similar in names, the Congregational Church
and the Congregational Society of Columbus were two distinct
entities. The
latter was strictly nondenominational and formed for the
purpose “to promote the cause of morality and
religion…and to provide suitable church buildings.”
Among its members were those who were not interested
in affiliating with a denominational church.
Mr. Christensen states in his book, “The
relationship of the two groups might best be described as
one organization within another—the denominational
Congregational Church within the nondenominational
Congregational Society.”
The two existed side by side after the organization
of the Congregational Church until the Society declined and
finally merged some twenty years later.
It
would be four months after the Congregational Church was
established that their first church building was dedicated,
February 3, 1867.
As in the formulation of early religious meetings,
the Society provided the impetus for the construction of the
first church building.
It was done so with the help of a donation to the
Society by the city fathers in 1865 of two lots for erecting
a building with the stipulation of January 1, 1867, for the
completion date. Construction
proceeded on what is now 22nd Avenue, between 9th
and 10th Streets.
The building came to be known as the Congregational
Church, with the Congregational Society of Columbus existing
alongside. For
over a decade this modest building served as the first home
to the Congregational Church.
Then early in the year 1879 as the membership
continued to grow and prosper, discussions began to consider
a new building on a lot east of the current structure.
Early
records of the Congregational Society and the Congregational
Church have been lost.
However, the Rev. E. M. Lewis served as the first
pastor for the Society in 1865. It is not known how long he remained. The Rev. Reuben
Gaylord, a Congregational pastor from the east who served an
Omaha church, helped to establish other churches in Nebraska
and occasionally came to Columbus to preach for the
Congregational Society.
He also made significant contributions in effecting
the construction of the first building by making trips from
Omaha to Columbus while work was under way.
It was with his assistance that the Congregational
Church organized on October 14, 1866.
Four
years after the Congregational Church was formed, the
Presbyterian Church came into being in Columbus in 1870.
The pioneering efforts of Rev. Sheldon Jackson in the
early beginnings of the Presbyterian Church paralleled those
of Rev. Reuben Gaylord in the Congregational Church origins.
Both men were pastors, missionaries, and builders of
churches. Rev. Sheldon Jackson’s work to establish a Presbyterian
Church began a year earlier in the spring of 1869 when he
was appointed Superintendent of the Presbytery of Missouri
River. His
assignment was to develop the mission field opening in the
west. The
territory he was assigned extended from Western Iowa,
Nebraska, Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado to Utah.
In the days of primitive transportation, carrying on
work over an area of such size might understandably pose
some problems. Nonetheless,
Rev. Jackson set out to undertake the task that lay before
him.
Within
three months Mr. J. N. Hutchinson, Licentiate, was engaged
by Rev. Jackson to provide monthly services during the
summer of 1869. Joseph M. Wilson was obtained to continue semi-monthly
services beginning in November of 1869, with Rev. Sheldon
Jackson preaching occasionally.
Private residences served as meeting locations since
there was no church building.
The number in this group of listeners is unknown, but
Mr. Christensen’s writings cite the homes “proved
adequate,” and preliminary discussions for organization of
the church took place at one such residence on August 13,
1869.
Pastors
Wilson and Jackson completed final organization of the
Presbyterian Church and the first service took place on
January 20, 1870. It is fitting to note that the formal inauguration of the
Presbyterian Church took place at the Congregational Church,
whose congregations would conjoin in a federation in the
next century. With
the election, ordination, and installation of Ruling Elder
G. W. Brown proceeding, services closed with the
administration of the Lord’s Supper.
The
Presbyterians were without a church building for several
years after their organization, unlike the
Congregationalists who had a building within four months.
Records of the church mention holding meetings in
different denominational churches who shared their own
facilities. Among
those listed were the Nebraska Avenue Church, the German
Church, the Methodist Church, and the Congregational Church.
The
spirit of sharing also extended to pastors.
When one or more churches were without clergy on a
temporary basis, congregations would attend a church where
services were available.
Thus, unity and cooperation were practiced among
churches in the community in their earliest foundations.
Five
years after its organization in 1875, steps were taken to
acquire a site at the corner of 14th Street and
28th Avenue for the first Presbyterian Church
building. However,
it would be three more years before an old school building
used by District 13 was purchased and moved to the lot as a
temporary place of worship for some months.
When necessary funds were secured to begin
construction of a new building, the school building was
moved again and ground was broken on the same location for a
new church in late 1878.
Although it was anticipated the building would be
completed in ninety days, it was the summer of 1879 before
it became occupied. Finances
and problems over a smoking stove caused much tribulation
for the building program.
Early
church records show membership growth was slow, but steady
through the early 1900s for both congregations.
Membership in the Presbyterian Church in 1876 when
building plans were taking effect was listed at 21.
By 1896 it numbered 90, and in 1909 the figure had
reached 122. From
the meager, but determined, six who founded the
Congregational Church in 1866, membership totals in 1898
were 114, and by 1907 they had reached 202.
Church
services, social gatherings, and carry-in meals provided
members of both congregations with happy occasions for
fellowship with one another.
Such stories attest to the good times members enjoyed
being together. Those
events must have been a source of satisfaction in their
social lives, as well as fulfilling their spiritual needs.
Church
life, none the less, was not without its struggles and
conflicts as early records indicate.
According to accounts written by Mr. Christensen,
both church denominations “assumed responsibility for the
moral lives of their members and did not hesitate to call
them to account for conduct which failed to meet the
approval” of governing bodies of the congregations and
their pastors. Reports
of charges, the rules of procedure used to determine guilt
and punishment, and the results of such trials are laid out
in the minutes for anyone wishing to view them.
As early successes and camaraderie of fellow
congregants brought much enjoyment and fulfillment, the
times of conflict both churches underwent during their
growing pains brought divisiveness and embarrassment.
Such accounts only indicate that growth “was not
always easy or marked by harmonious relations between
pastor, session, and laymen.” At times, troubled events
marked the end of service for a pastoral relationship and
the invitational call for a new pastor.
Mr.
Christensen describes the climate that existed when the
federation between the Congregational Church and
Presbyterian Church was on the horizon. In his book, In
Such Harmony, this description is found.
As the year 1913 opened, there
was no indication that it was to be an extraordinary one for
either the Presbyterian or the Congregational Church of
Columbus. Each
had called a new pastor early the previous year, the
Presbyterians the Rev. Dr. George F. Williams of North
Platte, Nebraska, and the Congregationalists the Rev. George
A. Munro of Grand Junction, Colorado, who had served the Columbus church, from 1900 to 1908.
Both churches were apparently happy with their
choices, and the work was going forward satisfactorily.
The Congregational Church was
in its forty-seventh year, the Presbyterian Church just
beginning its forty-fourth.
Each had grown slowly from its beginning and numbered
its membership well above the hundred mark. In both cases the increasing membership created growing
pains, and the church buildings which had been large enough
when first erected were proving inadequate for the enlarged
congregations.
Relations between the two
churches and with other denominations were cordial, although
there had been no concerted attempt to organize
interdenominational work.
And yet, if one browses through the records over the
years, there is a long tradition of close cooperation
between churches for specific purposes.
It has already been noted that prior to the erection
of their own church building in 1878, the Presbyterians met
in the Congregational Church, the Methodist Church, the
German Reformed Church, and elsewhere.
The Congregationalists, in turn, having sold their
old building in 1891, asked permission to worship in the
Presbyterian building until their new church was completed.
This sharing of buildings often
extended to the sharing of pastors, and a congregation that
found itself without a minister for a time would usually
solve the problem by worshipping at another church.
Some of the early members recall that it was the
accepted practice of a Sunday morning to “go where there
is preaching,” without too great a concern for
denominational affiliations.
Other
interdenominational ventures included special prayer week
plans and revival meetings where several churches in
Columbus joined together.
When the Congregational pastor suffered an illness
that necessitated his absence, pastors from the
Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal Churches each held a
Sunday morning service in the church.
Stated in the Congregational minutes this “makes us
feel that we are drawing nearer to Christ and forgetting the
slight differences that separate us here on earth.”
A
recurring illness suffered by Rev. George A. Munro left the
Congregational Church temporarily without his services in
October of 1913. Subsequently,
Rev. Dr. George F. Williams, Presbyterian pastor, suggested
that the two churches meet jointly until Rev. Munro’s
return. Both
congregations immediately approved the suggestion and it was
agreed Dr. Williams would undertake the task.
The plan
included seven provisions:
1)
that the congregations worship together as long as it
is mutually agreeable,
2)
that the services be held in the two churches
alternately,
3)
that the offerings in envelopes go to the church
indicated,
4)
that the loose offering be divided each day equally
between the two churches,
5)
that the Christian Endeavor Societies hold union
prayer service each Sunday evening in that church in which
an evening preaching service is to be held,
6)
that music be led by a union choir, and
7)
that the first services be held both morning and
evening in the Congregational Church on November 9th,
1913, and in the Presbyterian Church on November 16th
and subsequently alternate as long as agreeable.
With a
plan in place, the two churches went forward.
After three months of joint services and Rev.
Munro’s health seeing no improvement, discussions began to
arise concerning a permanent union between the churches.
The “mutually agreeable” conditions set forth led
to interest for making an “enduring basis” in the
effort.
Several
factors favored a merger of the Presbyterian and
Congregational Churches.
First, greater efficiency in solving normal
church-related problems would result with a larger
organization. Second,
youth would benefit in larger Sunday school classes and,
jointly, they would build a better “school spirit.”
Third, continuing problems of teacher shortages would
best be relieved by uniting.
Fourth, the ability to attract new ministers of
greater training and experience would be possible.
Finally, both congregations were addressing a need
for more space, and the appeal to provide fully adequate
building facilities favored joining together.
Work to
accomplish these efforts was set into motion, and less than
a year after serious discussions began, The Federated Church
of Columbus was born on July 2, 1914.
Steps had been taken during many meetings held
jointly and separately in the preceding months to draw up
Articles of Federation, work out details of governance, and
elect committee structures.
By a large majority both congregations had voted in
favor of the federation.
Initially,
it was reported there was some concern at the state levels
of both denominations, “neither of which particularly
favored the move to unite.”
Their opposition was soon put to rest when the
federation was functioning smoothly and “was here to
stay.” By
fall of that year, both state offices supported and adopted
the plan.
Credit
is given to Rev. George A. Munro and Rev. Dr. George F.
Williams, the two pastors serving the Congregational Church
and the Presbyterian Church, respectively, at the time of
federation. Rev.
Munro’s unfortunate illness led to an opportunity to
explore unification. Although his condition rendered that he was not actively
involved in the process, his service provided the
congregation he served with the preparation of
interdenominational cooperation. His sermons had “stressed spiritual values of universal
significance rather than a strictly sectarian outlook.”
Dr. Williams provided unselfish leadership.
His role in leading the congregations step by step
toward federation was significant, yet “there is no
indication that he sought to better his own position” by
his actions.
The
newly formed Federated Church was ready to call its first
pastor, since the two pastors serving had agreed to step
aside once the federation was completed and sufficient time
was allowed to select another pastor.
Dr. Williams remained in his position until the
congregation voted unanimously to call Rev. Thomas Griffiths
of Geneva, Nebraska. He accepted, and his work with Federated Church began in
early 1915.
The
Constitution sought to maintain balance between the two
denominations joined in the federation and “to prevent
situations which might lead to friction between them.”
To this end the Constitution required that the
pastorate alternate between the denominations, first
Presbyterian, then Congregational.
Other various ways to maintain balance were set forth
in the Constitution, including committee structures,
criteria for membership selection to boards and committees,
and activities that related to each denomination such as
election procedures and receipt and disbursement of monies.
The Constitution also provided policy for calling and
dismissing pastors.
As the
church grew in size and responsibility, social interests and
concerns called for change, and other situations bound to
arise needed adjustments, the original constitution was
revised. However,
“the concept of unity… without loss of denominational
identity has remained as it was at the beginning.”
One of
the primary reasons for joining together two congregations
was that each had outgrown its facility and needed a new
building. They
had hoped that by working together they might achieve a more
suitable building than by working alone.
The need for a new facility became more acute upon
uniting, and the search for a location began.
A site at the corner of Platte and 15th
Streets was found, and it was unanimously agreed to purchase
a quarter of the block for $8000.
The existing lots were sold which provided for a
building fund. Money
from the sale of the Presbyterian building provided
additional money. The
Congregational building was razed and its lumber used in the
new Federated Church building.
Services were held at the Y.M.C.A. until the building
project was completed.
Two years after the cornerstone was laid, the
Federated Church building was dedicated on Palm Sunday,
April 9, 1922.
Over
the years additional property was purchased, eventually
encompassing the entire block on which the first Federated
Church building sits. In
1924 a parsonage was built on the property west of the
church. It was
later sold and moved when plans to build a new sanctuary
were realized. In
May 1977 the congregation voted approval of an Education
Unit and it was built on the existing property.
By 1990
the Federated Church membership totaled 818.
In an organization of similar size disagreement and
discord are natural consequences on occasion.
The early 1990s saw the congregation experiencing
controversy. By
the end of 1994 membership had decreased to 716, the aging
physical plant needed improvements in the form of renovation
or building anew, and finance issues resulted in budgetary
obligations not met. Some
wondered whether the federation was still effective.
At a congregational meeting in May 1994 the issue of
affirming or disavowing the federation was called to vote.
The vote was resounding.
Over 94 percent voted to affirm the federation.
Discussions
continued on whether to renovate the current building to
make it handicapped accessible or embark on a new building
plan. Other
major building maintenance issues needed to be addressed as
well. An
architectural company presented plans for a new building and
a vote to consider those or renovate/refurbish the existing
building was presented to the congregation in June 1995.
The vote failed since neither option carried a
majority and plans were set aside.
However, the desire to make Federated Church a place
where all could enter did not rest, nor were the maintenance
issues resolved.
Determined
to end the stalemate on how to bring the facilities up to
date, the Governing Council passed a resolution in the fall
of 1995 to build new on the present site.
Acting on that resolution the idea was called to a
vote by the congregation.
In October 1995 the vote carried by 74 percent to act
on a new building. A building design committee was formed
and a new approach for building was presented.
Their work culminated in the following proposal: 1)
build a new sanctuary north of the existing building; 2) gut
the existing building, making way for a new fellowship hall
and kitchen on the lower level and a gymnasium and
additional classroom space on the upper level; 3) add space
west of the existing building to expand and consolidate
church offices; and 4) join together with a larger narthex
all of the existing and proposed facilities—a new
sanctuary, the renovated current building, and the existing
Educational Unit. In
a vote by the congregation on October 1999, a 92 percent
majority approved the committee’s proposal and voted to
enter into contract with Radec Construction Company to
complete the project.
A
little more than a year after groundbreaking, the first
services in the new sanctuary were held on May 6, 2001.
The dedicated work and diligence by the Building
Design Committee and the Capital Funds Committee to complete
the proposal was realized.
The individuals serving on these committees are
worthy of much credit in bringing the idea to fruition and
deserve mention. The
Building Design Committee was composed of Sam Scheidegger,
Chair, Roland Augspurger, Mary Hull, Ron Lambert, Laura
Porter, Jim Rosekrans, Tim Warren, and Rev. Don Wilson,
ex-officio. The
Capital Funds Committee consisted of William Grant, Chair,
Lloyd Castner, Gordon “Mac” Hull, Phyllis Scow, and Rev.
Don Wilson, ex-officio.
Heretofore,
more attention to the physical aspects and the foundational
origins is given to this historical account than to
individuals. Little
mention is given to the faithful congregrants, dedicated
clergy and staff who bonded together spiritually through
word and deed to carry out the ministry that Christ modeled.
They were many, and their contributions make up an
important part of the history.
Their stories are found in documents kept at the
church where they may be reviewed.
Likewise,
any history would not be complete without including
important events and programs undertaken during the course
of an active church body’s existence.
As the title suggests, this is meant to be a
“brief” history of Federated Church.
Therefore, events and programs are not lacking,
rather they are not included.
Federated
Church might be worthy as William Christensen’s example
“that the things that unite
us as Christians are so much greater than the things that divide
us, and that by focusing on essentials we may move forward
in harmony and fellowship.”
The idea supports a test for endurance.
Indeed, this unifying concept is a principle on which
our nation’s foundations exist.
For 90 years the federation of two churches uniting
has stood a test for endurance by carrying out God’s
ministry into the 21st century.
Federated Church continues it relationship with two
denominations, Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church
of Christ, and its purpose to carry on the work of the two
churches under one united effort and management.
May the God who gives endurance
and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among
yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one
heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
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