Morrison Presbyterian Church

Morrison Church Votes Merger With Reinbeck

The annual congregational meeting was held at the church on Thursday evening. A vote was taken on a planned merger with the Reinbeck Presbyterian church. The vote carried in favor of merging and the results were relayed to Presbytery on Tuesday. A final service will be held at the Morrison church the first or second Sunday in February with a Communion service the following Sunday in the Reinbeck church.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 28 January 1965

Morrison Pres. Church History

In the month of September, 1877, Rev. J. W. Hanna, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Grundy Center began to preach at the school located three quarters of a mile west of Morrison.

Services were held once every four weeks at 3 p.m. on Sunday. In December he began to give Morrison every alternate Sunday afternoon. In June 1878 a paper was circulated and numerous signatures obtained asking for the organization of a Presbyterian church in the village of Morrison. Thereupon calling to his assistance Rev. A. K. Baird, the Synodical Missionary, Rev. Hanna assisted by elders R. W. Pitkin, G. A. Shurtleff and A. J. Thompson of the Grundy Center church, did on Sabbath the 23rd of June 1878 organize the Presbyterian Church of Morrison consisting of fifteen members as follows: David Grant, Mrs. Agnes Grant, Alexander Rait, A. C. VanCleeff, A. J. Thompson, Mrs. R. Thompson, Peter Thompson, Mrs. Sarah E. Thompson, John A. Thompson, Cassie Thompson, Anna Thompson, Mrs. Sarah E. Snow, Mrs. Sarah Munn Jensen, David H. Wallace and Mrs. M. M. Wallace.

The services were held for about six months in the school house and then for about four months the meetings were held in the depot. On the day of organization the meeting was held for the first time in the Stivers Hall being then only enclosed and ready for lathing. The first Communion of the church was held on February 9, 1879.

The land for which the Church was to be built upon was given by Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson Morrison in 1886. The church was built and was dedicated on December 26, 1887. The church was rededicated on April 23, 1950 after some remodeling had been done.

Following is a list of the pastors and the dates of their installation and release.
Rev. J. W. Hanna, June 23, 1877 to April 3, 1881.
Rev. William Bryant, April 29, 1883 to Dec. 25, 1887.
Rev. D. W. McQuane, April 1, 1888 to July 15, 1888.
Rev. William Gay, Oct. 16, 1888 to April 30, 1892.
Rev. Evans, May 1892 to Oct. 1, 1892.
Rev. Lewis McIntire, Nov. 7, 1892 to July 15, 1893.
Rev. W. H. Jordan, March 25, 1894 to Feb. 1, 1896.
Rev. H. B. Dye, Sept. 27, 1896 to Oct. 1902.
Rev. A. Rederus, Jan. 4, 1903 to April 29, 1906.
Rev. W. H. Wood, Aug. 25, 1907 to April 19, 1908.
Rev. Walter Baker, 3 months 1909-1910.
Rev. A. W. McNeal, April 17, 1910 to Dec. 24, 1911.
Rev. F. A. Heizer, Jan. 28, 1913 to May 16, 1915.
Rev. Calvin Hayenga, March 2, 1916 to Sept. 9, 1917.
Rev. Ernest Tetwiler, Aug. 26, 1918 to March 2, 1919.
Rev. C. H. Purmort, May 11, 1919 to Sept. 28, 1919.
Rev. John C. Orth, Oct. 15, 1919 to April 19, 1921.
Rev. L. K. Smith, April 1, 1922 to March 22, 1926.
Rev. George Wickwire, April 28, 1929 to Dec. 1937.
Rev. N. Frerking, April 30, 1938 to April, 1943.
Rev. Virgil Smith, Nov. 1943 to June, 1946.
Rev. C. C. Haupt, Oct. 26, 1947 to Jan. 29, 1956.
Rev. E. A. Huebner, Feb. 26, 1956 to Dec. 1, 1962.

Besides this list there has been many student and supply pastors that have helped with the services through the years. In concurrent annual meetings held on Thursday evening, January 21, 1965, the Morrison and Reinbeck Presbyterian churches voted to effect a merger. The location of the merged church will be in the present location of Reinbeck's United Presbyterian Church. Special services are planned to mark the merger.

A Commemorative service will be held in the Morrison Church this Sunday, February 7, at 2:30 p.m. with Rev. Norman Frerking, a former pastor, presently of Des Moines, giving the sermon. Other former pastors, Rev. E. H. Huebner of Waterloo, Rev. E. H. Buschman of Grundy Center and the Presbytery Executive, Rev. Fred J. Langenberg of Storm Lake, will also participate in the service. A reception has been planned following the service for former members and friends of the church.

A communion service will be held in Reinbeck on Sunday, February 14, 1965, at the morning worship at 10:30 a.m., which will be the first service of the merged congregation.

The Moderator of the Presbytery, Richard Farquhar of Garner, will participate in this service.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 4 February 1965

Special Services Morrison-Reinbeck Presby. Church

Special services have been arranged for next Sunday afternoon, Feb. 7, to observe the merger of the Morrison and the Reinbeck Presbyterian churches. Services at Morrison will be discontinued after Sunday, and members of the church at Morrison will now be affiliated with the Presbyterian church at Reinbeck. The sermon next Sunday will be given by a former pastor of the Morrison church, Rev. Norman Frerking, now of Des Moines.

Another former pastor who will be present at the service next Sunday is the Moderator of Presbytery, Richard Farquhar of Garner, who will participate in this service.

The Morrison church was founded in 1877, in a schoolhouse west of Morrison. Fifteen members made up the first congregation, which was organized by Rev. W. H. Hanna, pastor of First Presbyterian church in Grundy Center at that time. The church was officially founded the following year at a service in Stivers Hall.

The present edifice was erected on land given to the congregation by Jefferson Morrison.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 4 February 1965

Church Building At Morrison is Sold

The only church building in Morrison has been sold. The sale was made on competitive bids received thru the mails. High bidder was Henry Schick, who is now serving in the U.S. Navy. The sale price was $1005. The purchaser expects to remodel the building and make a home after he returns from the service.

The contents of the church were auctioned off and brought $227.

The congregation of the Morrison church decided to affiliate with the United Presbyterian church in Reinbeck. The congregation at Morrison was too small to support a minister.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 22 April 1965

List of Ministers

Name	Years Served
Rev. J. W. Hanna	23 Jun 1877 to 3 Apr 1881
Rev. William Bryant	29 Apr 1883 to 25 Dec 1887
Rev. D. W. McQuane	1 Apr 1888 to 15 Jul 1888
Rev. William Gay	16 Oct 1888 to 30 Apr 1892
Rev. Evans	May 1892 to 1 Oct 1892
Rev. Lewis McIntire	7 Nov 1892 to 15 Jul 1893
Rev. W. H. Jordan	25 Mar 1894 to 1 Feb 1896
Rev. H. B. Dye	27 Sep 1896 to Oct 1902
Rev. A. Rederus	4 Jan 1903 to 29 Apr 1906
Rev. W. H. Wood	25 Aug 1907 to 19 Apr 1908
Rev. Walter Baker	3 months 1909-1910
Rev. A. W. McNeal	17 Apr 1910 to 24 Dec 1911
Rev. F. A. Heizer	28 Jan 1913 to 16 May 1915
Rev. Calvin Hayenga	2 Mar 1916 to 9 Sep 1917
Rev. Ernest Tetwiler	26 Aug 1918 to 2 Mar 1919
Rev. C. H. Purmort	11 May 1919 to 28 Sep 1919
Rev. John C. Orth	15 Oct 1919 to 19 Apr 1921
Rev. L. K. Smith	1 Apr 1922 to 22 Mar 1926
Rev. George Wickwire	28 Apr 1929 to Dec 1937
Rev. N. Frerking	30 Apr 1938 to Apr 1943
Rev. Virgil Smith	Nov 1943 to Jun 1946
Rev. C. C. Haupt	26 Oct 1947 to 29 Jan 1956
Rev. E. A. Huebner	26 Feb 1956 to 1 Dec 1962