UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP (X) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person MOLL, JON H. 2610 WEST BERWYN ROAD MUNCIE, IN 47304 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION FRME 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) ###-##-#### 4. Statement for Month/Year July 1997 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) First Merchants Bank, N.A. 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,393.3956 (1) |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,350 |I |IRA Self-Directed | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,709.9506 (2) |I |Spouse | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Non-Employee Director |31.25 |07-01|A |V|600 |A |01-01|06-30|Common |600 | |1,800 |D | | Stock Option (Right to| |-97 | | | | |-98 |-07 | | | | | | | Buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) Includes 11.2792 shares acquired in March 1997 and 10.9861 shares acquired in June 1997 under the First Merchants Corporation dividend reinvestment plan. (2) Included 13.8416 shares acquired in March 1997 and 13.4818 shares acquired in June 1997 under the First Merchants Corporation dividend reinvestment plan. (3) Effective midnight, December 31, 1996, reporting person resigned as a director of the Corporation. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON Jon H. Moll (Confirming Statement on File) DATE July 31, 1997