Beginning (First Church in Alliance)

​the second phase of the building project included a high-beamed sanctuary with padded pews that will seat 300. adjacent to the sanctuary is a large, beautifully appointed parlor with an efficiency kitchen. Another attractive room is the library which occupied the space originally intended to house the choir and organ. after being in that area for several years, both choir organ were moved to the balcony at the rear of the church to make better use of the fine acoustics afforded by the arched ceiling.   

The church at Seventh and Box Butte continued to serve the congregation until its growing membership required a larger facility. the location chosen was the site of the Old Emerson grade school at Fifth and Emerson, which had been razed. Jay Vance, as moderator of the Presbytery, turned the first spade of earth in a ceremonial groundbreaking in early spring. on June 24, 1956, Peter F. Johnson laid the cornerstone for the first phase of the building project, Gorder was chairman of the building Committee, with Howard Curtiss chairman of the finance Committee of the building ($131,000).

1888 - 1893: H.J. Brown

1893 - 1900: Rev. J.B. Sloane

1900 -  2910 : Dr. H.P.V. Bogue (First Regular minister)

1910 - 1913: Rev. James Brown

1913 - 1914: Rev. William M. Seel

1914 - 1917: Rev. Lewis McIntyre

1917 - 1918: Rev. F.E. Black

1919 - 1922: Rev. A.J Kearns

1922 - 1924: Rev. David J. Ferguson

1924 - 1927: Rev. C.A. Burkholder

1927 - 1942: Rev. T.C. Osborne

1942 - 1951: Rev. Walter W. Hanne

1951 - 1959: Dr. John A. Magyar

1959 - 1960: Rev. Carl A. Sandberg

1960 - 1972: Rev. H. Franklin King

1970 - 1980 : The Yoked Parish with Hemingford United Church of Christ

    Rev. Howard Osborne (associate, 1970-1973)

    Co-Pastors: Robert and Dallas Brauninger

    (1975-1980)

1973 - 1986: Rev. James L. Green

1987 - 1994: Rev. John P. Wilson

1997 - 2005: Rev. Steven J. Voris

2005 - 2012: Rev. Stephen Roosa

2015 - 2020: Rev. Jay Kim

2022 -            Rev. Susan Spencer

Our History

​The First Presbyterian Church of Alliance was organized on September 1, 1887, before the name Alliance was used for the western Nebraska community. At the time, the community was known as Grand Lake, and the church took as its official title, the church of Grand Lake, Niobrara Presbytery. After the town's lot sale in 1888, the town was renamed Alliance.

The congregation of twelve charter members began services in the homes of the members until a permanent home for the church was acquired at Fourth and Sweetwater. Later, services were held in Bell's Hall, located on the upper floor of the Old Fourth Street Market at 114 1/2 West Fourth Street.

The first regular pastor of the church, Rev. H. J. Brown, assumed his duties on October 3, 1888. When Rev. Brown left the Alliance church, the congregation was temporarily left without a minister to conduct regular services until the arrival of the Rev. J.C. Sloan in 1893. The church purchased a lot at 623 Cheyenne Avenue in 1901, under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. H. J. V. Bogue. A sanctuary was erected on the site and was dedicated on July 17, 1904. In 1908, the Building Committee reported that all the bills had been paid, and the mortgage on the church was burned.