History

The Washington Apostolic Christian Church is a congregation of the Apostolic Christian Church of America. 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.