This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Congregational Church in Morris, which later was known as the United Church of Christ (UCC). Now known as the Federated Church, the UCC combined with the Methodist Church in 1928 to form a federation.

A celebration will be held at the Federated Church on September 8, beginning with worship at 10:00 a.m. and a potluck and mural dedication to follow at 11:00 a.m., with a community blessing at 12:15 p.m. The entire community is invited to take part in this celebration. 

The First Congregational Church was the first church established in Morris in 1874. Reverend J.L. Fonda, along with his wife, traveled to Morris by train from New York. At first, services were held in the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad station. After one of these meetings, nine people came to Rev. Fonda to formally unite, becoming the first formally organized church in the community. At this time, there were only 75 people in Morris.

The first church was built in 1879 on the corner of Nevada Avenue and West 6th Street. This site is located across the street from what is now the Stevens County Historical Society and Museum. 

Women have always played an active role in the church, and in 1874 when the church was formed, women were given the right to vote in the church by special proclamation – during a time when women didn’t have the right to vote nationally.

It’s not clear exactly where the idea of a federation came from between the Congregational and Methodist churches, but in 1919, the matter was raised to both congregations. The final vote in this matter was the Congregationalists for the federation and the Methodists against. In 1928, the question was again raised and the federation was formed, marking the beginning of The Federated Church.

​Today, ​The Federated Church still alternates between UCC and Methodist pastors. Presently, Reverend Matt Orendorff is a UCC pastor.