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 1800's 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.
Much of the information presented in this history, written by Donna Augspurger, comes from documents and historical writings from the church. Donna also relied heavily on the book, In Such Harmony, written by William E. Christensen, especially for the historical account in the early years.
A more in-depth 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 in Columbus, Nebraska.
