Washington Church.
Branches:	ACCA
Date Founded:	1976
Attendance 2025:	353
Address:	432 E. Cruger Road
Website:	Washingtonacchurch.org

History

The Washington Apostolic Christian Church began in 1976 as members in surrounding Apostolic Christian congregations were living in the area and several of the nearby congregations were filled. The start of our congregation not only helped relieve overcrowding in neighboring Apostolic churches at the time, but also provided a location for others searching for a home church in the Washington area.

As background, in 1975-1976—through several surveys of Apostolic Christian families living in the Washington vicinity—there was substantial interest in establishing a new local congregation. Several organizational meetings were held at the Lincoln Grade School in Washington and the first song service was held Sunday, April 25, 1976.

In September, 1976, we conducted our first regular worship service, and the new congregation held several gatherings/picnics to help members cultivate deeper relationships. We were also greatly encouraged by four baptisms in the first year of worship, welcoming new members into the church family. Volunteers helped work on a new church building and the first worship services in the current location were held on March 12, 1978.

In the first year, the worship services were conducted by visiting members of the church ministry. In October, 1977, the congregation established one of our Washington members as a local minister for the congregation. As the church family grew, several others were enlisted in the church ministry. The church family was blessed and attendance grew to over 100 within the first 10 years.

As Washington Church grew, occasions arose for various opportunities to help within the community. While living and working in a community provides many day to day possibilities to share the joy of the Gospel, our church family also seeks to engage as a group in various areas. A few of these include annually decorating the Washington Square with a Christmas Nativity Scene, conducting monthly singings with the residents at Washington Christian Village, partnership in the annual Mennonite Relief Sale, and participating in WHIP (Washington Helps its People).

Although all of these examples have helped us get to know many people in the community and become acquainted with the needs surrounding us, something that dramatically brought the Washington people together occurred after an F-4 tornado that devastated the town in November of 2013.

During the months that followed, Washington Church served as a focal point for volunteers needing food, supplies, and support in the clean-up and repair projects. Churches, businesses, and residents from all across the Midwest joined the effort to help the Washington Community, and we will never forget the amazing people who came through our doors.

Ministers

Ministers
Name	Born	Baptized	Minister	Deacon	Elder	Retired	Wife	Notes
Carl Wyss	2/24/1925	3/14/1949	9/29/1977	3/25/1990		4/5/1998	Lydiann Metzger
Marshall Heinold	1/7/1938	11/24/1957	8/23/1978			1/1/2015	Janice Martin
Don Wagenbach	1/19/1936	10/16/1955	8/23/1978			11/1/2000	Marie Stickling
Ed Fritz	2/22/1943	5/23/1976	1/3/1988			3/4/2018	Barbara[17] Banwart
Ron Messner	12/7/1954	5/19/1974	8/18/1993		9/3/1995		Pam Frank
Fred Witzig	11/26/1968	10/28/1984	5/14/1995		2026		Nancy Martin	Altadena
Randy Mogler	8/22/1951	1/20/1980	10/19/1997			12/17/2023	Evie Blunier
Jeff Thames	4/13/1963	5/25/1980	10/19/1997				Brenda Kiefer
Justin Koch	1/31/1960	2/8/1981	8/18/2004				Marcia Stieglitz
Scott Aberle	12/27/1969	1/20/1985	12/17/2014				Dorine Kurkowski
Kaleb Beyer	5/24/1979	3/14/1999	8/8/2018	8/15/2021			Edelman Angela
Isaac Wofford	12/4/1976	8/18/2013	8/8/2018			7/17/2024	Rachel Jordan
Daniel Leman	6/25/1992	8/13/2007	10/30/2022				Wendi Pfaffmann

Attendance

Attendance
Year	Total	Members	Sunday School	Year	Total	Members	Sunday School
1977	-	78	52	2004	362	193	125
1980	-	98	62	2006	372	210	133
1983	-	98	62	2008	402	238	131
1986	-	115	52	2010	405	244	127
1989	-	127	62	2012	375	226	106
1992	293	137	77	2014	384	233	100
1994	308	148	72	2016	366	233	83
1996	300	147	81	2018	372	242	83
1998	328	162	100	2020	352	230	122
2000	340	171	104	2022	379	251	87
2002	375	190	142	2024	353	235	88