SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D. C. 20549

                                   FORM 10-K/A

                Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Fiscal year ended December 31, 2000       Commission file number 0-17071

                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION

             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           Indiana                                               35-1544218
(State or other jurisdiction of                               (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                               Identification No.)

       200 East Jackson                                         47305-2814
        Muncie, Indiana                                         (Zip Code)

(Address of principal executive offices)

        Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (765) 747-1500

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section
12 (g) of the Act:

                   Common Stock, $.125 stated value per share

                                (Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant(1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes [X]  No [ ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405
of Regulation S-K is not contained herein,and will not be contained, to the best
of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K.  [X]

The aggregate  market value (not necessarily a reliable indication of the price
at which more than a limited number of shares would  trade) of the voting stock
held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $ as of March 6, 2000.

As of March 15,2001 there were 11,588,443 outstanding common shares, without par
value, of the registrant.

                       DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

                                                       Part of Form 10-K
        Documents                                  Into Which Incorporated

2000 Annual Report to Stockholders            Part II (Items 5, 6, 7, 7A, and 8)
Definitive Proxy Statement for
  Annual Meeting of Shareholders
  to be held April 11, 2001                       Part III (Items 10 through 13)


Exhibit Index:  Page 24

<PAGE>

                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
                                200 EAST JACKSON
                           MUNCIE, INDIANA 47305-2814




The  undersigned   registrant  hereby  amends  the  following  items,  financial
statements, exhibits or other portions of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2000:

Exhibits:

    23       Consent of independent certified public accountants

    28       Annual report on Form 11-K for First Merchants Corporation Employee
             Stock Purchase Plan (1999) and  report of Plan's independent public
             accountants with respect to the financial statements

The above amendments are being filed to include the information required by
Form 11-K.

                                                FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
                                                (Registrant)


                                                By   /s/James L. Thrash
                                                     ___________________________
                                                     James L. Thrash
                                                     Senior Vice President and
                                                     Chief Financial Officer


Date:  October 18, 2001
<PAGE>

                                   EXHIBIT 23

               CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS


We consent to the incorporation by reference in a Registration Statement on Form
S-8 (File Number 33-28900) of our report dated October 18, 2001, on the audit of
the financial statements of First Merchants  Corporation Employee Stock Purchase
Plan (1999) for the year ended June 30, 2001 included in exhibit 28.


BKD,LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana
October 18, 2001
<PAGE>


                                   EXHIBIT 28


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 11-K


                   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                     For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001


                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
                       EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN (1999)
                            (Full title of the plan)


                           FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION
          (Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan)


                             200 East Jackson Street
                              Muncie, Indiana 47305
                     (Address of principal executive office)



<PAGE>

                        Independent Accountant's Report

Compensation Committee of the
  Board of Directors
First Merchants Corporation
Muncie, Indiana


We have  audited the  accompanying  statement  of  financial  condition of First
Merchants  Corporation  Employee Stock  Purchase Plan (1999)  (formerly the 1994
Plan) as of June 30,  2001 and 2000,  and the  related  statement  of income and
changes in Plan equity for each of the three years in the period  ended June 30,
2001.  These  financial   statements  are  the   responsibility  of  the  Plan's
management.  Our  responsibility  is to express  an  opinion on these  financial
statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted
in the  United  States of  America.  Those  standards  require  that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement.  An Audit includes examining, on a
test basis,  evidence  supporting  the amounts and  disclosures in the financial
statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant  estimates  made by  management,  as well as evaluating  the overall
financial  statement  presentation.   We  believe  that  our  audits  provide  a
reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion,  the financial  statements  referred to above present fairly, in
all material  respects,  the financial  position of First Merchants  Corporation
Employee  Stock  Purchase Plan (1999) as of June 30, 2001,  in  conformity  with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.


BKD, LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana
October 18, 2001
<PAGE>

                           First Merchants Corporation
                       Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1999)
                        Statement of Financial Condition


June 30                                             2001              2000
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- ----------------

Assets
   Investments--interest-bearing deposits         $505,482          $484,769
                                              ================= ================

Plan Equity                                       $505,482          $484,769
                                              ================= ================


See notes to financial statements.


<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


                           First Merchants Corporation
                       Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1999)
                 Statement of Income and Changes in Plan Equity


Year Ended June 30                                                        2001               2000               1999
------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------- ------------------ ------------------
<S>                                                                <C>                 <C>                <C>

Investment income--interest                                              $  10,720           $  11,119         $    9,074
Contributions from participants                                            528,573             511,644            449,852
                                                                   ------------------- ------------------ ------------------
                                                                           539,293             522,763            458,926
                                                                   ------------------- ------------------ ------------------

Withdrawals and terminations paid in cash                                   37,037              47,148             32,578
Purchase and distribution of stock                                         481,543             422,421            384,386
                                                                   ------------------- ------------------ ------------------
                                                                           518,580             469,569            416,964
                                                                   ------------------- ------------------ ------------------

Income and changes in Plan equity for the year                              20,713              53,194             41,962

Plan equity at beginning of year                                           484,769             431,575            389,613
                                                                   ------------------- ------------------ ------------------

Plan equity at end of year                                                $505,482            $484,769           $431,575
                                                                   =================== ================== ==================


See notes to financial statements.
</TABLE>
<PAGE>


                           First Merchants Corporation
                       Employee Stock Purchase Plan (1999)
                          Notes to Financial Statements


Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization-The  Plan was originally adopted by the Board of Directors of First
Merchants  Corporation  (Corporation) in February 1989, and commenced operations
in July 1989.  Effective  July 1, 1994,  the Plan was amended by the adoption of
the 1994 Employee Stock  Purchase Plan (1994 Plan),  and effective July 1, 1999,
amended  again by the adoption of the 1999  Employee  Stock  Purchase Plan (1999
Plan). The 1999 Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in
February 1999 and approved by Corporation stockholders in April 1999. A total of
250,000 shares of the Corporation's common stock are to be reserved for issuance
pursuant  to the 1999  Plan.  The  purpose  of the Plan is to  provide  eligible
employees of the Corporation and  participating  subsidiaries the opportunity to
purchase  Corporation  common stock through annual offerings financed by payroll
deductions.

Investments,  consisting of interest-bearing deposit accounts at a subsidiary of
the Corporation, are carried at cost which approximates current value.


Note 2 - General Information

The Plan provides for the purchase of up to 250,000 shares of the  Corporation's
common stock by eligible employees through a maximum of five offerings of twelve
month durations. Prior to each offering period, eligible employees elect to have
up to 20 percent of their  compensation  deducted from their pay and accumulated
with interest until the end of that offering  period,  but not to exceed $25,000
per offering period.

At the end of each offering period,  the balance of each  participant's  payroll
deduction  account is  applied to the  purchase  of the  largest  number of full
shares of the Corporation's common stock possible. The price at which the shares
are deemed to have been purchased is determined by the Compensation Committee of
the  Corporation  and is equal to 85 percent  of the  lesser of the fair  market
value of the  Corporation's  common stock at the beginning or at the end of that
offering  period.  Shares to be purchased  under the Plan may be obtained by the
Corporation from its authorized but previously unissued shares, from open market
transactions or from private sources.

In July 2001 and 2000,  the  Corporation  issued 28,466 and 26,778 shares of its
common stock for the offering period ended June 30, 2001 and 2000, at $17.69 and
$17.98 per share.

At June 30, 2001, the Plan had 315 participants.


Note 3 - Income Tax Status

The Plan is not and will not be qualified  under Section  401(a) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended  (Code).  The Plan is intended to qualify as an
employee  stock purchase plan under Section 423 of the Code.  Consequently,  the
difference  between the  purchase  price and the fair market  value of the stock
purchased under the Plan is not includable in the participant's gross income for
federal income tax purposes, unless a disqualifying distribution occurs.