About Us

HISTORY OF FEDERATED CHURCH

The history of the Federated Church of Grass Lake is a record of two church groups of Christian people uniting to promote Christian fellowship, to be more effective in working for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ, to be more saving of expenditures, and to answer the prayer of Christ "that all may be one".

These two groups were the members of the First Baptist Church and the First Congregational Church of Grass Lake. Both had been organized in 1835. On April 14, 1918, the Articles of Federation were adopted by the two churches, and the name "Federated Church of Grass Lake" was chosen with the Congregational Church becoming their church home. Each church retained their own denominational identity and the privilege of separate membership rolls, separate officers, and benevolences. All contribute to a common fund for maintaining one pastor and all expenses of the church. This fund is administered by the Federated Church of Grass Lake. Through the years, this federation has proved to be a benefit to both churches.

On June 16, 1925, a devastating fire swept the Congregational Church and parlors along with several homes and the old Baptist Church. Only the four brick walls of the Congregational Church were left standing, and on these walls a new Federated Church was built along with the parlors. This building was dedicated on May 15, 1927. The bell placed in the belfry on this newly built church was the same bell that had pealed its silvery notes from the Baptist Church and had been salvaged from the fire. This bell once again called and invited people to dedicate themselves to our Lord.

Many improvements have been made since the fire, including the construction of two additions which enlarged the church parlors {1953}, added Sunday School rooms {1959} and a redecorated sanctuary {1983}.

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On January 6, 2016, the church parlor once again fell to fire, and the contents of the sanctuary were damaged by smoke and water. Our neighbors and friends at the Methodist Church graciously offered their basement for us to meet during our church rebuild. The parlor and the sanctuary was ready to hold the first service in the newly renovated sanctuary on March 12, 2017. Today we stand strong, still serving Grass Lake and the area around our village.