A House Built on the Word
The Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park, known affectionately to its members as "the Park," has gathered on the south side of Chicago for more than a century. Its most distinctive tradition is older than its current building: when the sanctuary at 11401 South Vincennes Avenue was constructed in the early 1970s, founding pastor Herbert Clyde Moore took the entire Bible and distributed its pages into the foundation. Old Testament books, Prophets, and Psalms went along the west and north walls; the Gospel of Matthew through the Book of Revelation were laid around the remaining sides. The church did it again in 1993 when the edifice was expanded, and the saints still describe their home as a church "literally built on the foundation of God's Word." The tradition has become the defining image of the congregation, and a data board outside keeps passers-by informed of what is happening inside.
Three Shepherds, a Century of Faith
The story of APC Morgan Park begins in 1922, when a handful of saints began gathering for worship at 1718 W. Wesley Street, now Edmaire Street, in the home of Sister Anna Southern. Among those early worshipers was Sister Gilmore, mother of Evangelist Marion Williams, who would go on to found the Dixmoor House of Prayer Church in Dixmoor, Illinois. In February 1923 the group was legally organized as the Morgan Park Assembly Church and received into the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Brother Herbert Clyde Moore of Indianapolis was selected as pastor and took office over a flock of about 25 in May of 1923. He and his wife, Sister Maude E. Moore, who proved herself "time and again to be truly a first lady of the church and the surrounding community," would lead the congregation for the next half century.
The lean years of the Great Depression tested the little church. The storefront building was plagued with financial difficulties, and a businessman and friend, Mr. J.T. Yerkes, took over the mortgage in 1934, cutting the payments and promising to forgive the final $500 once the balance reached that figure. On October 18, 1938, that promise was kept and the mortgage was retired. By then the storefront had been replaced in 1940 with a dedicated church building next door, dedicated by Elder R. Tobin of Indianapolis. As membership swelled past 400, the church purchased adjacent lots to expand on its own grounds rather than relocate. On January 16, 1972, the saints marched from the old church at 11413 South Vincennes to the new sanctuary next door at 11401. Bishop John S. Holly dedicated the new church home. In 1973 the saints marked Elder Moore's fiftieth pastoral anniversary, but the joy of the annual convention that September turned to sorrow when Elder Moore passed on October 1, 1973.
Assistant Pastor Robert A. Baggett, who had been serving since 1962, was installed as the second pastor on February 16, 1975. Under his leadership the church burned its fifteen-year mortgage after only five years and renamed itself the Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park in 1982 to distinguish it from other neighborhood congregations whose doctrine was sometimes questioned. Membership grew to roughly 1,100 by the mid-1980s, and the long-discussed building expansion was finally completed in 1993, after nearly a decade of fundraising, construction delays, and disappointment. A symbolic groundbreaking had taken place on June 26, 1983, with the Honorable Mayor Harold Washington among the honorary groundbreakers. On June 6, 1993, a portion of Edmaire Street was renamed Dr. Robert A. Baggett, Sr. Drive in his honor. The original sanctuary was named for founding pastor Herbert C. Moore, and the new prayer room was named in memory of beloved Assistant Pastor Elder Andrew Davis, who had passed on January 7, 1990. The dining hall was named for Bishop Baggett, who was elevated to Suffragan Bishop in January 1995 before retiring to Las Vegas in 1995; he passed on September 21, 2001.
In December 1995 the congregation elected Bishop William A. Ellis of San Antonio as its third pastor. A graduate of King's Academy in San Antonio, Bishop Ellis holds a certificate from the Los Angeles Recording Workshop and the Musicians Institute of Technology, and has studied at Trinity International University and Moody Bible Institute. A "PK," or preacher's kid, he grew up watching his late father Elder Charles Ellis found the Indiana Avenue Pentecostal Church of God on 35th Street in Chicago and his older brother Bishop David Ellis pastor Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. Bishop Ellis was the Chief Prelate of the 15th Episcopal Diocese of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and pastor of Greater Lincoln Park Temple in San Antonio before coming to Morgan Park. He was formally installed on March 17, 1996, in a service that included Bishop Arthur M. Brazier, Suffragan Bishop Horace Smith, District Elder Edward McGhee, and Bishop David Ellis, whose anointing of his brother just two days before passing made the moment especially poignant. He and his wife Lady Kellen and their daughters Eden and Amry now lead APC's some forty-five ministries. Bishop Ellis has introduced an Annual Leadership Conference to govern the ministries and ensure unified administration, refreshed the sanctuary with new carpeting, reupholstered pews, redesigned the pulpit, replaced balcony rails in brass, expanded the kitchen and equipped it with updated appliances, purchased additional parking and landscaped it, and upgraded the audio and video systems that now feed a regular radio and television broadcast.
Sunday at the Park
Worship at APC blends in-person gathering with online reach. Sunday mornings open at 8:30 a.m. CST with a dial-in prayer line (978-990-5000, access code 385001#). At 9:00 a.m., Bible Application classes meet over Zoom (meeting 955-749-8534). The main worship service convenes at 12:30 p.m. in the sanctuary and is broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook for those joining from home. A weekday dial-in prayer line is also available Monday through Friday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., giving members a daily rhythm of intercession no matter where they are.
Wednesdays in the Word
Midweek programming carries the spiritual center of the church's week. From 10:00 a.m. to noon the sanctuary is open for Prayer Services. At 12:00 p.m., Word on Wednesdays meets in person for a midday Bible lesson, and the same teaching is offered again at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom (meeting 955-749-8534) for those who work during the day. Wednesday worship is a fixture of the calendar alongside the Sunday service.
Bible Application and the Teaching Ministry
Christian Education, now known as Bible Application, is APC's teaching arm. Its mission is to develop a curriculum, taught by competent teachers and equipped to serve effectively, using up-to-date materials and approaches that support all ministry levels. Its vision is to ensure that people of all ages, from children to adults, gain a personal relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior, practice godly living, and learn the principle of service to Christ and the church. Bible Application classes meet every Sunday morning via Zoom, and Bible Application books are available through the church office.
Forty-Five Ministries, One Family
Bishop Ellis established an Annual Leadership Conference to coordinate the church's forty-five ministries and ensure unified administration. Several of those ministries shape the daily life of the church:
- Children of God (C.O.G.) develops children holistically, promoting spiritual growth, personal development, and community involvement, with a vision to prepare future leaders as productive Christians.
- Legacy reaches young adults, helping them find God, grow their faith, discover their purpose, and make a difference in their communities. Its tagline: "where faith and real life come together."
- Women of Virtue (W.O.V.) educates, empowers, encourages, and engages women ages thirty and up, seeking to become a community of productive women who demonstrate God's love.
- Member Care Ministry (M.C.M.) meets the needs of APC members during the most critical times of their lives, expressing the love, care, and concern of Pastor Bill and Lady Kellen.
Lights, Camera, Faith: APC Theater and Media
APC has its own theater ministry, a distinctive outlet for a congregation its size. APC Theater produces original stage works, with recent productions including "A Fall from Royalty" and "When Silence Screams." Beyond the stage, the church's media ministry broadcasts services on local radio and television, records each service on audio and video, and reproduces compact discs for listeners and viewers upon request. The investment in broadcast equipment is part of Bishop Ellis's wider vision to take the gospel beyond the sanctuary walls.
Reaching the Community: Faith in Action
Faith in Action is APC's outreach arm. The ministry is committed to building relationships, sharing the love of Christ, and creating a civic awareness of events that concern community residents. Its vision is to build relationships within the surrounding neighborhood, complementing the church's longstanding identity as both a spiritual and a civic presence on Vincennes Avenue.
Welcome to the Park
APC Morgan Park stands in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood, with paved, landscaped parking on site. The campus includes the Moore Sanctuary, named for the founding pastor; a prayer room named in memory of Elder Andrew Davis, who served as assistant pastor from the 1960s until his passing in 1990; and a dining hall named for Bishop Baggett. An outdoor data board keeps passers-by informed of the church's activities and invites them in.
Visitors can connect with the church by calling (773) 881-6900, faxing 773-239-9586, or emailing apcmcaremin@gmail.com. The mailing address is 11401 South Vincennes Avenue, Chicago, IL 60643. Sunday worship begins at 12:30 p.m. CST in person and online; Wednesday programming runs from morning prayer through evening teaching. Giving is available through the Givelify app, and the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel carry ongoing updates and live broadcasts. A dial-in prayer line is open every day of the week, and APC welcomes new guests, existing members, and e-members through online forms available on the Connect page.