Morrison Mennonite Church (Morrison, Illinois, USA)
The Morrison Mennonite Church, four miles northwest of Morrison, Illinois, was the second Mennonite congregation in Whiteside County (Science Ridge was the other). William Gsell, from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, settled in the Morrison area in 1864. After a few other families arrived, they organized the Morrison congregation in the West Clyde schoolhouse in 1868. It did not have a local minister until Bishop Henry Nice moved to Morrison in 1869. Nice was a strong promoter of Sunday schools and had been part of a General Conference Mennonite congregation when he lived in Wadsworth, Ohio.
Morrison was a charter member of the Illinois Mennonite Conference when it was organized in 1872.
The Morrison congregation built a red brick meetinghouse in 1872, holding the first service in the building on 1 January 1873. Some locals referred to it as the Red Brick Church.
During World War I, Minister John Nice asked local authorities how to avoid having the church painted yellow. When told this would mean buying war bonds, the congregation, including ministers and deacons, did so.
The congregation closed after Aaron D. Nice retired in 1984.
Bibliography
Smith, Willard H. Mennonites in Illinois. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, 24. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1983: 45-46, 193-194, 198-199, 219, 357, 548.
Additional Information
Address: Morrison, Illinois
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Illinois Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Morrison Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Henry Nice (1822-1892)(Bishop) | 1869-1892 |
| John Kornhaus | 1871-1887 |
| John Nice (1858-1931) (Bishop) |
1887-1895 1895-1931 |
| John M. McCulloh (1860-1923) | 1893-1916 |
| Daniel H. Deter (1852-1943) | 1902-? |
| John Kore Zook (1894-1984) | 1933-1937 |
| Aaron D. Nice (1909-2009) | 1938-1984 |
Morrison Mennonite Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1873 | 30 |
| 1913 | 34 |
| 1920 | 33 |
| 1930 | 26 |
| 1940 | 15 |
| 1950 | 19 |
| 1960 | 15 |
| 1970 | 20 |
| 1980 | 14 |
| 1984 | 10 |
Original Mennonite Encyclopedia Article
By Aaron D. Nice. Copied by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 754. All rights reserved.
Morrison Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church), also known as the Mennonite Brick Church, located about four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Morrison, in Whiteside County, Illinois, belonging to the Illinois Mennonite Conference, was organized in 1868. The meetinghouse was dedicated on 1 January 1873. The membership in 1956 was 16, with Aaron D. Nice as pastor.
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2024 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Morrison Mennonite Church (Morrison, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2024. Web. 18 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morrison_Mennonite_Church_(Morrison,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178562.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (March 2024). Morrison Mennonite Church (Morrison, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Morrison_Mennonite_Church_(Morrison,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=178562.
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