The Goodfield Apostolic Christian Church meets in a small village of the same name in Woodfield County, central Illinois, where the rail line between Peoria and Bloomington was laid in 1888 and where a small group of Apostolic Christian families began gathering for worship a generation later. Today the congregation at 218 W. Fisk Street draws roughly 650 people on a typical Sunday - about 350 members and 180 children - from farms and small towns across the rural stretch between Peoria and Bloomington. The church is one of about ninety Apostolic Christian congregations in the United States that share a common doctrine and a common pattern of worship, and it belongs to the broader Apostolic Christian Church of America, with sister congregations in Japan, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and the Rural Gospel Mission in India.
The fellowship is known for a steady, traditional worship style that has changed little over a hundred years. Singing is a cappella, four-part harmony lifted from the pews without any instrumental accompaniment. The version read from the pulpit is the King James Version. Hymns come from the Zion's Harp hymnal and from Hymns of Zion and Tabernacle Hymns combined. Women wear a head covering during the service, members greet each other in the biblical holy kiss, and men and women sit on separate sides of the sanctuary. Visitors are warmly welcomed and invited to sit wherever they are most comfortable.
The Shape of a Sunday at Goodfield
The Sunday schedule at Goodfield turns the day into a long, unhurried gathering that begins in the morning and runs into the early afternoon.
- 9:45 AM - Worship service and Sunday School begin together. Children from age three through high school are dismissed to their classrooms, while adults remain in the sanctuary for the sermon.
- 11:15 AM - A church-served lunch is laid out in the dining room below the sanctuary. Volunteers from a rotating list of families prepare the meal, and visitors are warmly invited to stay.
- 11:55 AM - The afternoon worship service begins in the main sanctuary and typically runs into the early afternoon.
The services are led by ministers from within the Goodfield congregation, with visiting ministers from other Apostolic Christian churches stepping in when they are present. Sermons are not written out in advance; ministers spend the week praying, studying, and meditating on the Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct their preaching during the service. Before the service begins, the congregation pauses with heads bowed to ask for God's presence. When prayers are offered, the entire congregation is invited to kneel if able. Hymns from Zion's Harp are sung a cappella from the pews in four-part harmony.
What a Service Sounds Like
Goodfield describes itself as a fundamental Bible believing church that interprets Scripture literally and seeks to follow the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles as outlined in the Bible. Several practices are visible to anyone walking into the building for the first time, and each is rooted in a particular New Testament text.
Women who are members wear a head covering or veil during the service. The practice follows 1 Corinthians 11:5. Men do not wear a covering (1 Corinthians 11:4). Members greet each other in the holy kiss - the biblical kiss of charity or agape love - referenced in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, and 1 Peter 5:14. Brothers greet brothers; sisters greet sisters. The greeting is offered only between members of an Apostolic Christian church, and visitors are not expected to participate.
Men and women sit separately in the sanctuary during regular services - men on one side, women on the other. The seating is described as a way of building friendships and helping the body feel at peace, whether married or single. There are exceptions: at weddings, funerals, and certain yearly programs, families sit together. Visitors are invited to sit wherever they feel comfortable, with family, spouse, or friends.
There are no musical instruments in the service. The four-part a cappella harmony is intentional; the phrase a cappella, the church notes, originally meant as in church before it came to mean simply without instruments. Voices are lifted together as an offering from the heart.
At the close of the service, after the closing prayer, a minister returns to the pulpit and asks if anyone has Greetings. Members stand and offer greetings from other Apostolic Christian churches they have visited or come from. The minister repeats the names so the congregation can hear, then asks the visitors to take the congregation's Christian love back to their home fellowships. The tradition reaches back to the early churches of Christ that traveled from place to place offering greetings, and helps keep the global brotherhood close in spirit.
Most people in the pews dress formally. Women typically wear skirts and dresses; men wear dress pants and dress shirts, many with ties or suits. Anyone is welcome regardless of attire.
A Hundred Years of Building
The Goodfield Apostolic Christian Church dates its local history to 1888, the year the Lake Erie and Western Railroad was built between Peoria and Bloomington. The village that grew up at the new stop was then called Guthville, in honor of John Guth, a large landowner in the area. The Apostolic Christians in the vicinity worshipped at the Slabtown (Mackinaw Dells) Church on Sundays and in the home of Brother Gottlieb Hohulin on Wednesday evenings. Travel between Mackinaw Dells and the surrounding farmland was hard enough that the small group decided to build its own house of worship in Goodfield.
The Goodfield Church was completed in 1918. Much of the labor was donated. Fewer than ten families and about twenty members attended the first services. Those who carried the new work were Brothers Samuel Hohulin, Peter Birkey, Joe Dreyer, Sam Goetzinger, Charlie Knapp, August Knapp, and John Plattner. Brother Barthol Rapp of Morton was the first elder; Brother Samuel Hohulin was the first minister, having served at Mackinaw Dells. Brother Frank Woertz was the first local elder, ordained in 1948.
From 1918 to 1961, the assembly grew until the original building was too small. Ground was broken on February 28, 1961, for a new assembly room with seating for 330. A basement dining room was added onto the existing structure. The dedication of this expanded house of worship was held on June 17, 1962, with Brothers Edwin Hohulin and John Rokey serving as ministering brothers. The dedication followed the loss of a fourth ministering brother, Simon Wiegand Sr., who passed away on April 1, 1962.
Weddings, receptions, and hymn singings still needed a dedicated space, so in 1973 the Goodfield Apostolic Fellowship Hall was built just north of the church, using the existing parking lot. It seated 300. Brethren again donated a great deal of labor, materials, and money, and the fellowship hall was dedicated on September 23, 1973.
The biggest challenge came in 1980, when the facilities had become inadequate again. In March of that year, ground was broken for a major building program that would provide a church with 525 seats in the assembly, a dining room for 190, and Sunday School space for 250. Many tears were shed as the wrecking crew tore down the original 1918 building that had been so lovingly built by those few brethren some six decades before. The 1961 addition was retained and used as the basis for the new structure erected to the west and north of it. Volunteer labor from many members and friends carried the work forward. The new sanctuary opened for an open house on June 14, 1981, and was formally dedicated on June 28, 1981.
Two additions followed. In 1983 the outside ramp was enclosed, giving the west side of the church a canopy and a lounge for the elderly and handicapped. In the spring of 1993 the fellowship hall was expanded to the east, adding 3,500 square feet and bringing its seating capacity to about 500. The former structure was completely remodeled with a new entrance and canopy to the south. The expansion was especially timely because the congregation hosted the 1993 Brotherhood Conference.
Today the main sanctuary seats 525, the dining room 190, and Sunday School 250. The fellowship hall can hold about 500 people and is used for hymn sings, weddings, receptions, and other gatherings.
Sunday School and Vacation Bible School
Sunday School meets during the morning worship service for children from age three through high school. The younger students work from Bible Story books, and the older students work directly from the Bible. Each class opens and closes with a time of singing. Outside of Sunday worship, the students participate in food packing, clothes packing, scripture memory classes on some Wednesday evenings, an annual picnic, and practices for the Annual Christmas and Easter programs. They also stay connected with students in Mexico and Haiti through the church's Child Sponsorship Program.
High school students belong to ACYF, the Apostolic Christian Youth Fellowship. They take part in evenings of singing with other Illinois Apostolic Christian high school students, mission trips, and local service projects.
Vacation Bible School is held every summer for one week. Children age four through eighth grade meet Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. The evening opens with group singing, then breaks into classrooms for a Bible lesson and a hands-on craft. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings the whole church gathers for a service in the main sanctuary led by a visiting minister, with a focused topic for the week. The service runs about an hour and is followed by a twenty-minute song service, often a singing group, and refreshments. A special collection is taken up during the week of Vacation Bible School; the offering has gone to the En Gedi House in Jamaica where Sister Erin Davis serves.
Mentoring, Small Groups, and Wednesday Evenings
Discipleship is built into the life of the church in several smaller settings alongside the large Sunday gatherings. A mentoring program pairs members one on one so that each can grow in a deeper relationship with Christ. Mentor and mentee set the structure and goals together; those interested in being a mentor or having a mentor can connect through Kent Wiegand.
Each winter, anyone interested is invited to work through a selected topic in a small group setting, coordinated by Nate and Brittany Zeltwanger. Past studies have included Sermon on the Mount, Made for Friendship, The Bait of Satan, Respectable Sins, Sharing the Gospel, Integrity, Walking in the Teachings of the Holy Scriptures, Prayer, Philippians, Images of God, Fruits of the Spirit, Your Spiritual Gifts, Esther and Ruth, James, and Crown Financial.
On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, the church gathers for a special Wednesday evening service at the Fellowship Hall. These evenings include topical Bible presentations and testimony nights, often led by visiting ministers or members from other Apostolic Christian congregations.
Monthly Singings and family hymn sings at the Fellowship Hall bring the congregation together for an evening of hymn singing, often followed by ice cream. The next-door sister congregation at Congerville and the congregation at Eureka join Goodfield for some of these evenings.
Missionaries and Work Trips
Sister Erin Davis has been serving at Knockpatrick, Manchester, Jamaica for over fifteen years, connected with the En Gedi House, a children's home and outreach there. The Goodfield congregation supports her work through prayer, financial gifts, and visits. The Bible Class of high school students has been on work trips to Jamaica, Mexico, and Tennessee, and adults in the congregation have traveled on work trips to other parts of the United States and abroad. Mission trips are a regular rhythm of the year for both students and adults.
The Local Outreach Web
Goodfield's outreach is rooted in long relationships with both Apostolic Christian organizations and local charities in Woodford County. Members serve regularly with:
- Eureka Nursing Home - visits and Sunday morning services led by Goodfield ministers for residents during designated weeks of the year.
- Gateway Woods - a children's home in northeast Indiana offering Christ-centered residential care, on-grounds schooling, foster care, and adoption services.
- Apostolic Christian LifePoints - volunteer opportunities in the local community.
- ADDWC - a community organization supporting those with developmental disabilities and their families.
- Meals on Wheels - delivering meals to those in need.
- Heart House - emergency shelter for women and children, financial aid, and referral for residents of Woodford County and Washington, Illinois.
- My Sisters' House - support for women in need.
- Woodford County Housing Authority - housing support.
- Local Food Pantry - members unload deliveries on the first Tuesday of each month at 12:30 PM, with fresh produce delivered by Wednesday 9:00 AM.
- Midwest Food Bank - food distribution.
- Local Red Cross - disaster response and blood services.
- Haiti Hospital Lumiere - a children's hospital in Haiti.
- Loving Shepherd Ministries - international orphan care and adoption support.
Personal support ministries within the church include housekeeping for those who need a hand, transportation for those needing help getting to appointments, meals for those who are sick or recovering, meals for new mothers or mothers on bedrest, and nursing visits. Members have also responded to neighbors in need close to home - gathering twenty to twenty-five workers on a summer Friday evening and Saturday morning to roof a neighbor's home, then providing meals and giving to support the work.
The Sunday School supports a monthly collection item, which has included personal care items for the Heart House shelter. The church has contributed 105 packed high school backpacks to Woodford County Heartline's Operation Backpack campaign, serving more than two hundred children with school supplies. GriefShare, a thirteen-week faith-based grief support program that helps those grieving the loss of a loved one, meets in thirteen-week sessions at the Fellowship Hall. HarvestCall sewing mornings bring women together to sew for missions, and baking teams provide homemade goods for the Heart House.
The Fellowship Hall and the Building Today
The Goodfield Apostolic Fellowship Hall is the gathering place for most events that fall outside the Sunday worship services. It hosts hymn sings, the annual Family Fest (a fundraiser for the Eureka Nursing Home with food booths, children's activities, and a silent auction), wedding receptions, showers, the second and fourth Wednesday topical Bible presentations, GriefShare sessions, and HarvestCall sewing mornings. The hall is also available for reservation by outside organizations; guidelines, a calendar, and a cleaning checklist are kept at the church office, and reservations are coordinated through Nate and Emily Sauder.
The church and fellowship hall sit just off Route 117 in the village of Goodfield, between Peoria and Bloomington. Parking is on site. Services are livestreamed through the Apostolic Christian Central platform, and listen live by phone is available for those who cannot attend in person. To listen by phone, dial toll-free 1-866-939-8416 and use access code 5142853#, then press mute so other callers cannot be heard. Recordings of recent services are available through the Sermons page. Online giving is available through the church's donation portal, where donors can specify which collection they wish to support.
Leadership and Beliefs in Their Own Words
The current elder is Jeff Wiegand, ordained February 23, 2013. Nathan Wiegand serves as ordained deacon. The active ministers of the Goodfield congregation are Matt Grimm, Kurt Plattner, Cody Schumacher, Ty Taufer, Erik Wiegand, and Kent Wiegand. Earlier ministering brothers from the church's history include Simon Wiegand Sr., Chris Bucher, Leo Grusy, William Hermann, Fred Hermann, John Rokey, Edmund Kloter, Willis Wiegand, Nate Wieland, Wayne Wiegand, Jaye Rinkenberger, Mike Grimm, and Jedd Rocke.
The congregation has been served by several local elders over the decades: Brother Frank Woertz (1948), Brother Edwin Hohulin (1967), Brother Bob Grimm (1982; passed away 1992), Brother Wes Knapp (1993; retired 2002), Brother Bruce Hohulin (2002), and the present elder, Brother Jeff Wiegand.
In its own words, the church teaches that Apostolic Christian beliefs are rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible, and that the Bible's teachings are applicable to all times and all cultures. The denomination maintains a Statement of Faith, a doctrine page, and an explanation of its model of church governance. The plan of salvation, the church teaches, is revealed in the Bible and is available to all who come and follow Jesus: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).
For a first-time visitor, the church invites questions and welcomes the curious. Its mission, in the words of its own materials, is to teach the gospel, nurture the believer, preserve sound doctrine, and to serve others in humility and love.