How it all started...
The Federated Church is a federation (union) of two churches in East Springfield, the Presbyterian Church, founded in 1804, and the Christian Church, founded in 1825. In 1931, under the leadership of the pastors of the two churches, the union was achieved, and East Springfield had one church.
In the middle 30s, the church called Dr. P.H. Augustine to serve as pastor. For more than 40 years, Dr. Augustine led the church through many stages of growth and ministry. This included the rebuilding of the church building after a fire destroyed it in 1938, the addition of offices and classrooms, and the expansion of the sanctuary.
Throughout the years, the church has had a strong commitment to reaching young people. This led to the establishment of youth groups, Sunday School, and children’s choirs in the early years, and the building of the WLD Ranch in the 1960s. Dr. Augustine also led us into a world vision, and we became a supporting church for many missionaries, including some of our own people.
In the 60s, the church experienced dramatic growth, and Dr. Augustine began to develop a staff of pastors to share the ministry, including preaching. One of those called to help was his son, Wayne, who later became the church’s pastor in 1977, upon Dr. Augustine’s retirement. Pastor Wayne maintained the strong ministries begun under his father, and took us further into both radio and counseling outreach, as well as seminars to strengthen families.
In the 1980s, our youth ministry began to take an aggressive approach to evangelism, and under Pastor Rick Plucknett’s leadership, an even stronger outreach to young people was established. At the same time, new efforts to minister to the elderly, singles, and children were begun. All this led to the need for a new facility, the Federated Family Center, which was built debt-free by the grace of God in the early 1990s.
In 1993, Pastor Wayne Augustine moved to a new ministry, and the leadership mantle was passed on to Dr. Ed Huntley, one of several homegrown pastors in our history. Dr. Huntley and his staff led the church into the 21st century to fulfill our purpose of rescuing, equipping, and mobilizing every generation to make disciples of Christ.
In the late 1990s, the sanctuary was expanded again, adding a new nursery, new classrooms on the basement level, and an elevator to access those classrooms and the church dining room. In the early 2000s, the Federated Preschool was opened across the street, and the church building and the Family Center were connected, creating a Welcome Center.
In 2014, Pastor Rick became our senior pastor (our fourth senior pastor in 80 years), and Pastor Ed returned to the associate pastor role that he filled before becoming the senior pastor. Under Pastor Rick’s leadership, the church is moving forward to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.
In the middle 30s, the church called Dr. P.H. Augustine to serve as pastor. For more than 40 years, Dr. Augustine led the church through many stages of growth and ministry. This included the rebuilding of the church building after a fire destroyed it in 1938, the addition of offices and classrooms, and the expansion of the sanctuary.
Throughout the years, the church has had a strong commitment to reaching young people. This led to the establishment of youth groups, Sunday School, and children’s choirs in the early years, and the building of the WLD Ranch in the 1960s. Dr. Augustine also led us into a world vision, and we became a supporting church for many missionaries, including some of our own people.
In the 60s, the church experienced dramatic growth, and Dr. Augustine began to develop a staff of pastors to share the ministry, including preaching. One of those called to help was his son, Wayne, who later became the church’s pastor in 1977, upon Dr. Augustine’s retirement. Pastor Wayne maintained the strong ministries begun under his father, and took us further into both radio and counseling outreach, as well as seminars to strengthen families.
In the 1980s, our youth ministry began to take an aggressive approach to evangelism, and under Pastor Rick Plucknett’s leadership, an even stronger outreach to young people was established. At the same time, new efforts to minister to the elderly, singles, and children were begun. All this led to the need for a new facility, the Federated Family Center, which was built debt-free by the grace of God in the early 1990s.
In 1993, Pastor Wayne Augustine moved to a new ministry, and the leadership mantle was passed on to Dr. Ed Huntley, one of several homegrown pastors in our history. Dr. Huntley and his staff led the church into the 21st century to fulfill our purpose of rescuing, equipping, and mobilizing every generation to make disciples of Christ.
In the late 1990s, the sanctuary was expanded again, adding a new nursery, new classrooms on the basement level, and an elevator to access those classrooms and the church dining room. In the early 2000s, the Federated Preschool was opened across the street, and the church building and the Family Center were connected, creating a Welcome Center.
In 2014, Pastor Rick became our senior pastor (our fourth senior pastor in 80 years), and Pastor Ed returned to the associate pastor role that he filled before becoming the senior pastor. Under Pastor Rick’s leadership, the church is moving forward to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.
