First Congregational Church

A brief history of our church:A good number of German families were attracted to the Yellowstone valley of Montana by the railroads and sugar beet industry. Many of these hard-working immigrant families came from the Volga region of Russia. One of the few things they were able to bring with them to this country was their faith. They met regularly as they were accustomed to in their homeland. As they became settled in this new land their desire for a church home grew. In 1908 they organized as a congregation and on January 28, 1908 the Charter Roll was signed by 103 members. The name given to the newly organized church was The German Evangelical Lutheran Reformed Congregational Church. This name was chosen to keep peace and harmony among the varied religious backgrounds of the members. Today it is known as The First Congregational Church.The first church building was erected on the corner of 3rd Street and Durland Ave. Each member contributed $5 to the building fund effort. Membership grew and by 1938 the rolls increased to 546. The congregation built two additions to the church, the first in 1924 and another in 1938. A new parsonage was built in 1956. In 1963 the congregation purchased seven acres of land at Durland and 5th Street, for future expansion. A new church was built on this site in 1970 and dedicated on May 16, 1971. In 1976 the church bells from the old church were installed in the church tower of the new church. Through the years the congregation has made other impovements and further additions to the church building.
Meet our Pastor: Reverend Pateng Makdoh -Pastor Makdoh was born and raised in a very strong Christian home in a rural community of Mawrong, Northeastern India. He is a third generation Christian, whose father was a Presbyterian Minister. Back home, his family is also blessed with half a dozen cousins and nephews who are currently serving in various pastoral capacities.Following the completion of his Bachelor's degree at a local Christian College, he went on to study at the United Theological College in Southern India where he earned his Bachelor of Theology, the equivalent of Master of Divinity degree. Subsequently, he taught at a local Presbyterian (undergraduate) Theological Seminary for 2 years. With a teaching career as his goal, he was accepted at Princeton Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Theology degree. Due to unforeseen hurdles along the way then, he was not able to pursue his Doctoral Research. Pastor Makdoh has served in various capacities as Youth and Campus minister as well as full time Pastoral positions in rural congregations in Montana, which are successively and denominationally affiliated with PCUSA and ABCUSA. Having completed most of the Ordination requirements with PCUSA and all of the mandatory steps pertaining to ABCUSA, the latter ordained him at First Baptist Church of Hardin, Montana in 2002. He is not only proud of but also grateful to his father for the legacy of conservative and evangelical theology that he inherited. Pastor Makdoh and his wife Teiskhem are blessed with a daughter Ilatei and a son Nongtei, in whom they both take pride.
We would like to invite you, your family, and friends to join us this Sunday to worship and praise at 10:30 am. Sunday School (Adult and Children) is also available September through May and starts at 9:15 am.