The First Congregational Church is a Congregational church located in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The building was listed on the

Columbus Register of Historic Properties The Columbus Register of Historic Properties is a register for historic buildings and other sites in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, United States. The register is maintained by the City of Columbus Historic Resources Commission and Historic Pr ...

in 1982 and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 2021. The church congregation was formed in 1852. It was made up of a group of

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

s, a movement that gained traction among Christians in the 1840s. The abolitionists decided to leave the Second Presbyterian Church in Columbus to found their own Congregational community. Thus 42 people transferred church membership on September 24, 1852. Their first church was a frame chapel at the northeast corner of Third Street and Lynn Alley. It was built using a $1,000 loan from the Second Presbyterian Church. The first service was on September 26, 1852, and the charter of organization was signed September 29, 1852. Initially known as the Third Presbyterian Church, the church was renamed to its current title in 1856. With membership increasing, the congregation dedicated a new church building on December 23, 1857, at 73 East Broad Street. Following further membership growth, the congregation dedicated its current Gothic Revival cathedral on December 6, 1931. The church is known for

Washington Gladden Washington Gladden (February 11, 1836July 2, 1918) was a leading American Congregational pastor and early leader in the Social Gospel movement. He was a leading member of the Progressive Movement, serving for two years as a member of the Columb ...

, minister there for 36 years. Gladden was an early leader of the

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean env ...

and Progressive movements. In 2018, the church led the creation of the neighboring

Washington Gladden Social Justice Park The Washington Gladden Social Justice Park is a public park in the Discovery District of Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The park was dedicated in 2018. It is considered the first social justice park in the United States. Attributes The park has . The s ...

, honoring Gladden and other social justice leaders of the city. The of park land was already owned by the church, which entered into a public-private partnership to create the space. It is considered the first social justice park in the country. Washington Gladden Social Justice Park 15

Washington Gladden Social Justice Park 15

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* {{Columbus Register of Historic Properties 1852 establishments in Ohio Buildings and structures in Downtown Columbus, Ohio Gothic Revival church buildings in Ohio Churches completed in 1931 Churches in Columbus, Ohio Columbus Register properties Religious organizations established in 1852 United Church of Christ churches in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Columbus, Ohio Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio Broad Street (Columbus, Ohio) John Russell Pope buildings

See also

References

External links