South Bend City Church

Each year on Good Friday, we gather at noon to give witness to Jesus as he willingly gives his life away. This simple gathering includes songs, a brief reflection, a Gospel reading of the story of Jesus' death, and invitation to the table for Eucharist. 

Jason Miller - When the crowds rally around Jesus as he enters the city of Jerusalem, what expectations did they bring? Did they hope for a vision of power that He had given them, or did they simply hope that He would occupy the same, tired visions of power that keep breaking the world? What’s Happening RSVP to our next New to SBCC Table, happening on April 26 at 12:15p. Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year, including Baptism. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund or signing up to volunteer. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - As Jesus prepares his friends to deal with his departure, he warns them to not have troubled hearts. But what about all of the things that are so troubling in the world? How do we allow ourselves to be moved by brokenness and suffering while remaining rooted in a deeper peace?  What's Happening Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year, including Baptism. Register for South Bend Pilgrimage or join the waitlist Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund or signing up to volunteer. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Becky Ykema - Today's teaching comes from John 13, when we see Jesus choose to wash the disciples' feet in one of his final remaining acts before he goes to the cross. We explore what Jesus has to teach us in both giving and receiving an act of embodied love.  What's Happening Join us for Stations in the Street. Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year, including Baptism. Register for South Bend Pilgrimage or join the waitlist Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.  

Jason Miller - In John 10, Jesus is concerned about people who may try to lead his sheep astray. 2,000 years later, we're still learning to discern the sound of his voice from other voices that may claim to speak for him or represent his agenda, especially at a time when warfare is portrayed as the means by which God's kingdom will arrive.  What's Happening Register for South Bend Pilgrimage or join the waitlist Register for Baptism Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - In John 9, Jesus's disciples ask a question that so many of us ask when someone suffers or something goes wrong - whose fault is it? But rather than satisfy our desire for an answer, Jesus seizes the opportunity for healing and glory, and the man's healing disrupts the expectations of the people around him.  What's Happening Register for Baptism Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Becky Ykema, Zach Gillis, and the SBCC Team - During this first Sunday of Lent, our community entered into a liturgy that reminded us of what this season is about and offered us the opportunity to respond through the practice of singing.  What’s Happening Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year. Check out our volunteer opportunities. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus' identity and authority are challenged by others and reasserted by him. But maybe the important question isn't simply whether Jesus has authority, but what he does with it.  What's Happening Join us for some special gatherings and practices during Holy Week this year. Find the text version of our Quarterly Financial Update on our website. Check out our volunteer opportunities. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

David Armstrong, Daniel Saunders, John Herron, Jason Miller - From the beginning of SBCC’s story, a friendship has been growing with the people of Redeemer Central Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This weekend, we had the privilege of a visit from seven of Redeemer’s leaders who made the trip across the pond to be with us. In our gatherings, we explored the ways Redeemer holds space for doubt and faith; the power of Redeemer’s practice of prayer; and the wisdom they’ve gained in the context of a post-conflict society.  What's Happening Join us in reading James Cone’s The Cross and the Lynching Tree and RSVP to the roundtable discussion. Head to our website to find a list of Black History Month events happening in our city. Register for our Lent Workshop or listen to our conversation with our guide, Dr. Macie Sweet. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct f

Jason Miller, Karen Grant, Zach Gillis, and team - In this special gathering, we celebrated the vulnerability and power of love and the meaning of family, with some of our parents coming before the church to dedicate themselves as they raise children.  What's Happening Register for the St. Margaret's House Winter Walk. Join us in reading James Cone’s The Cross and the Lynching Tree and RSVP to the roundtable discussion. Head to our website to find a list of Black History Month events happening in our city. Register for our Lent Workshop or listen to our conversation with our guide, Dr. Macie Sweet. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.  

We continue our series in John looking at John chapter 6 where Jesus declares to the crowd that he is the bread of life.  Together we explore what it means to fed by the one who calls himself our daily bread, and how this feeding forms us. This teaching references Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. What's Happening Join us in reading James Cone's The Cross and the Lynching Tree and RSVP to the roundtable discussion. Head to our website to find a list of Black History Month events happening in our city. Register for our Lent Workshop or listen to our conversation with our guide, Dr. Macie Sweet. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Dr. Macie Sweet and Jason Miller - This year during Lent, we're offering a workshop with Dr. Macie Sweet, a scholar of medieval theology at the University of Notre Dame. For two thousand years, depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus have been portrayed through art. Age by age, artistic relics have given historians a glimpse into both cultural and theological focuses by how the cross and Jesus are represented. To register for the workshop, head to our website. This episode includes a discussion of three historical depictions of the cross. Check out the images for yourself with these links: Palatine graffito 4th century sarcophagus with scenes from the passion Man of Sorrows, Geertegen tot Sint Jans

Jason Miller - As we face the world with all of its pain, fear, and violence, we might feel some common ground with the disciples of Jesus who find themselves in dangerous waters. The Gospel of John, with its interest not merely in the events of Jesus' life, but the meaning of Jesus' life, invites us to a practice of the presence of God that can help us bring peace to others. The Substack written by Nadia Bolz-Weber, and referenced throughout today's teaching, can be found here: Dear Nadia, I'm struggling with the world's weight. What's Happening Find more info or register for our Lent Workshop, “The Cross Through the Ages: Artistic Shifts that Inform Our Faith” guided by Dr. Macie Sweet. Join our Discord! Join us for Family Dedication on February 8th at our 9a + 11a gatherings. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - When Jesus and his disciples face a situation of scarcity, Jesus ratchets up the tension with a question to Philip. The scene is set with important details, and the action has some surprises.  What's Happening Save the date for our Lent Workshop "The Cross Through the Ages: Artistic Shifts that Inform Our Faith" guided by Dr. Macie Sweet. This workshop will happen on Thursdays (2/26, 3/5, 3/19, 3/26) from 7-8:30p. Join us for Family Dedication on January 25th at our 9a + 11a gatherings. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - When religious leaders confront Jesus and Jesus condemns them, is their failure a failure of doctrine? Should we easily condemn them, too? Or are they showing us a liability we share with them, and inviting us into a braver posture in the world?  This weekend, in response to the grief that we carry in our own lives, the lives of our neighbors, and after the events of the past week, we spent time in the practice of Prayers of the People. What’s Happening Register your family for Family Dedication happening on January 25th RSVP to our New to SBCC Table happening on January 11th Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller - We're returning to our walk through the Gospel of John, with the story of a man in search of healing, a community that failed to help, and the resistance he faced once he had been healed.  What's Happening RSVP to our New to SBCC Table happening on January 11th Register your family for Family Dedication happening on January 25th Give to our Christmas Offering. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miller, Zach Gillis, and team - The arrival of God comes not with shock and awe, not with the overwhelming power of morning, but with the subtle, even vulnerable presence of a candle flame in the darkness. But together, as we carry that light, may it fill the world. We pre-recorded our Christmas Eve gathering so that, wherever you are, you can sing, pray, celebrate and reflect, lighting candles with us as we welcome the advent of Christ this Christmas.  What's Happening Give to our Christmas Offering. Reminder that there will be no gatherings or podcast this weekend, December 28th. RSVP to our New to SBCC Table on January 11. Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Becky Ykema - On the shortest day, or "longest night", of the year, our local and long-distance community joined together on Zoom for a guided time of reflection, song and prayer as we held space for grief and longing, in a season often marked by joy and celebration. This liturgy was also pre-recorded for those that couldn't join us and for those that want to revisit it throughout the year. You can find the digital liturgy guide in our website library.

Jason Miller - As we begin our Advent path, walking together toward Christmas, we’re celebrating the good news that God’s love isn’t love in the abstract; it’s love in the neighborhood. This last week of Advent, we're looking at a subtle feature in Luke's story of Christmas, one with powerful implications for where and when we expect to meet God.  What's Happening Join us on Christmas Eve at 4p or 11p. Give to our Christmas Offering. Find the rest of our Holiday schedule on our website! Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. South Bend City Church is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to select the correct fund when giving.

Jason Miler and Dave Armstrong - As we pursue a vision of love in the neighborhood, we've been continually inspired by a kindred community in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The people of Redeemer Central Church are following Jesus and stewarding a sacred space in the heart of their city, and as we've taken on the call to reactivate the Tribune as a place for the people of South Bend, their story is encouraging us in ours. Our lead pastor, Jason Miller, was with Redeemer in Belfast this week, and he and David Armstrong from Redeemer sat down to share the story of how these two communities are walking together.  To give to the Christmas Offering, which will, in part, go to Redeemer Central Church, click here.