File:Morton.jpg Morton Church.
Branches:	ACCA
Date Founded:	1867
Attendance 2025:	432
Address:	2177 Veterans Road
Website:	Mortonacchurch.org

History

The first settlers came to the Morton area as early as 1826, and primitive cabins soon began to dot the area. From 1830 to 1836, a steady stream of immigrants arrived in Morton. By 1837, names like Ackerman, Belsley, and Hartman began showing up in the general vicinity. Families arriving in Morton in the late 1850's and early 1860's had names such as Voelpel, Welk, Rapp, Beyer, Getz, Hauter, Frank, Miller, Balzer, Dauchert, Reuter, and Freidinger.

The momentum of the early assembly at Morton had advanced to the point of building a small church in 1867. A small white frame building was built on the corner of what is now Jefferson and Third streets. The church was lighted by kerosene lamps that hung from the ceiling.

George Welk became the first resident Elder of the Morton church about 1865. After serving as Elder for almost three decades, he met an untimely death on March 17, 1895. A few days before this, he was standing beside his buggy when the horses inadvertently backed up and pinned him between the buggy and the wheel, leaving him badly crushed. The mantle of church leadership subsequently fell on Andrew Rapp, who was the husband of Welk's daughter, Katherine. He served until his death on May 2, 1911, and was succeeded by his younger brother (by two years), Barthol. Barthol was ordained in 1911 and served until he died on January 24, 1924. Eli Winzeler and Emil Schubert of the Tremont and Peoria churches served the Morton congregation until a resident Elder was ordained.

Carl Rassi, a native of Bavaria, Germany, was ordained as Elder in 1932. He died July 4, 1952 and was succeeded by Joe A. Getz, who served from 1948 to 1966. He was the first American born Elder to serve in Morton. Russell Rapp was ordained Elder December 11, 1966 and served until 1974. Joe J. Braker was installed as Morton's seventh resident Elder on September 8, 1974 and served until 2001. Ted Witzig, Sr. was ordained on April 22, 2001 as Morton's eighth resident Elder.

By 1891, the first little church building became too small, so a larger one was built on the same site. To the rear of the building was a row of stalls which accommodated the horses, as well as the hearse used for funerals. On the twelfth month of the twelfth year - December 12, 1912, this church was burned to the ground by an arsonist.

Construction of a new church building began in 1913. This building was completed a year later, at a cost of $50,000 with a seating of over 700. Many physical improvements were made over the years. A large expansion project was initiated in 1957. Air conditioning, an elevator, canopy, and other improvements were added in the 1970's and '80's.

On June 9, 1988 the church was again burned by an arsonist. The actual fire damage was restricted to the dining room and kitchen, but smoke and heat caused damage to nearly all parts of the church. A vote was approved to restore the church with an expansion to the kitchen on the east side. The heating system was replaced, and the center stairway to the Sunday School was moved for better traffic flow. During the restoration, church services were held at the Fellowship Hall, and Sunday school classes were held on the lawn and the rear parking lot. In the Fall, the classes were moved to Apostolic Christian Timber Ridge. Services were resumed at the church on Good Friday, 1989.

After 103 years of worship in the brick church on the corner of Jefferson and Third, a new church facility was built at our present location on Veterans Road, adjacent to our Fellowship Hall and Apostolic Christian LifePoints. After moving into the new church, the old brick church downtown was torn down and the land sold to the city. The last service at the old church was held on October 2, 2016, with the first service at the new church conducted on October 9, 2016. The new church was dedicated on November 13, 2017.

Ministers

Ministers
Name	Born	Baptized	Minister	Deacon	Elder	Retired	Wife	Notes
Samuel Rapp	12/7/1860		?			4/1/1942	Friedrika Bechtel
? Bechtol						?
Mathias Hager	1/9/1905					1/1/1895	Maria Bauman
John Hager	8/8/1864					1/1/1900	Pauline Schick
Johannes Hoffman	9/28/1811						Catherine Gaugler
Gottlieb Kurz	3/3/1844				1885	8/24/1930	Katherine Koch	Harper Burlington
? Martin
Henry Merchantaler	8/7/1849						Anna Staker
Barthol Rapp	8/15/1855				1911	1/21/1924	Julia Welk
Andrew Rapp	2/25/1852				1895	5/2/1911	Katherine Welk
Carl Schick	4/20/1869						Magdalena Fischer
Jacob Stieglitz	12/21/1809					1/1/1877	Christina Schiferer
Henry Stieglitz	6/2/1853					1/1/1930	Katherine Hofmann
George Welk	12/1/1829					3/17/1895	Hanna Getz
Nicholas Wanner	8/11/1834		1/1/1876			1/1/1905	Elizabeth Andres	Fairbury South Side
Jacob Baer	10/26/1857		1/1/1912			2/7/1932	Marie Hoerr	Fairbury
Benjamin Heiniger	2/11/1880		1/1/1926			1/1/1966	Emma Jane Steiner
Edward Yoder	4/19/1877		1/1/1926			7/15/1944	Annie Kaufman
Carl Rassi	5/26/1877	1894/1895	1/1/1928		1932	1/1/1952	Mary Musselman
Joe A. Getz	11/20/1889		1/1/1938		12/19/1948	2/15/1966	Elizabeth Altorfer
Henry Sr. Grimm	2/2/1900	1/3/1922	7/29/1945	3/12/1967		1/1/1980	Kathryn Steiner
Russell Rapp	9/17/1920	11/1/1948	12/13/1953		12/11/1966	1/1/1979	Verna Birkey
Francis Rother	8/18/1918	1/26/1947	12/13/1953			1/1/1985	Verna Belsey
Joseph C. Zimmerman	9/14/1921	5/5/1946	11/26/1967			9/22/1991	Mildred Getz
Joe J. Braker	8/10/1932	4/12/1959	5/21/1972		9/8/1974	4/22/2001	Shirley Schmidgall
Ralph E. Garber	9/2/1939	6/8/1975	9/4/1977			1/1/2008	Lynn Warner
Robert A. Pflederer	2/5/1937	12/29/1957	9/4/1977	3/9/1980		9/9/2012	-Zimmerman
Ted, Sr. Witzig	4/1/1948	9/10/1967	10/23/1983		4/22/2001	8/30/2020	Cindy Rassi
Jon F. Zeller	9/16/1950	5/17/1970	8/9/1989			6/22/2020	Christine Meyering
Ted Hirstein	4/8/1955	6/18/1972	12/1/1993			11/22/2018	Joyce Belsley
Fred Funk	5/14/1962	9/11/1977	9/26/2001				Diane Fischer
Jeff Neihouser	7/31/1962	8/20/1989	10/7/2001	2/24/2013			Sue Zeltwanger
Ted, Jr. Witzig	1/23/1973	4/30/1989	3/10/2004		3/21/2020		Donna Tanner
Jeremiah Psinas	2/28/1984	11/23/2003	6/5/2013				N/A
Andrew Rassi	10/2/1976	10/19/1996	11/8/2017				Sandy Mott
Kent Levy	6/26/1985	10/23/2005	10/7/2020				Holly Plattner
Todd Sauder	10/11/1976	4/14/1996	1/7/2024				Wendy Witzig

Attendance

Attendance
Year	Total	Members	Sunday School	Year	Total	Members	Sunday School
1953	-	532	309	1996	750	509	187
1956	-	542	330	1998	750	554	170
1959	-	587	395	2000	750	510	105
1962	-	616	387	2002	750	524	105
1965	-	594	345	2004	772	503	111
1968	-	598	363	2006	750	473	120
1971	-	608	325	2008	730	456	120
1974	-	655	309	2010	707	441	124
1977	-	665	250	2012	575	401	93
1980	-	655	250	2014	521	368	75
1983	-	655	250	2016	492	340	66
1986	-	610	160	2018	512	320	76
1989	-	547	150	2020	514	321	59
1992	827	547	150	2022	477	325	69
1994	800	527	160	2024	432	329	72