Early in the history of Carrington there were many different denominations. After establishing their homes they felt the loss of their home church. There were Congregationalists, Methodists, Catholics, Baptist, Dunkards and others. They gathered together and studied the different creeds of each denomination and finally agreed the Creed of the Congregational Church was acceptable to all.
On April 15, 1883 the first sermon ever preached in Carrington was delivered by C.H. Semmons in the dining hall of H.A. Soliday to an audience of about 70 people; mostly men. After the sermon the congregation voted without a dissenting voice to organize a Congregational Church in Carrington. A Sunday school was organized immediately with J. Morley Wyard as Superintendent. Rev. W.E. Sutherland supplied the congregation until May 27, 1883 when Rev. C.S. Lane of Hartford Seminary was sent by the American Home Missionary Society as a regular supply.
For a time the preaching service of this church was held in the Kirkwood Hotel. On October 28, 1883 the congregation was moved to the new schoolhouse which was used until the first church building in town was completed. Before that other places for the services were the saloons and the store buildings too.
They had their first service in the new church June 15, 1884. There was a small cottage organ and Lizzie Wyard was the first organist. The Ladies Aid had an oyster supper to raise money to buy lamps for the church. This church was used for 22 years. Later it was sold to the school district to be used for school purposes.
In 1902 Rev. Robert Paton was the pastor and he was interested in having a new church built as they had outgrown the small church. The building was just across the road and was built of concrete blocks under the direction of Joseph P. O'Leary.
In 1914 plans were made to purchase an organ for the church. Andrew Carnegie was contacted and he agreed to match the funds that could be raised which was $2500. The church was the center of community activities such as Commencement exercises, lectures, concerts, etc. Mrs. Thomas Cousins was the moving spirit in getting the organ. After the money was raised she went to New York City to a music college and consulted with the president who drew up the plans for the organ. As he gave her the plans he said, "Follow these plans exactly as they are here and you will have one of the finest organs ever made".
As the town grew rapidly the people gradually organized their own churches. The Methodists built their church in 1898, the Catholics in 1888.
Discussion started in 1914 about a federation of the Methodist and the Congregational. This came to be in 1938.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 231