South Bend City Church

Mark Waltz, Grace Baker, Pam Blair, and Marty McIntosh - 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 week, we're hearing from members of SBCC's American South delegation who recently traveled to New Orleans, Selma, and Montgomery to learn more about our complicated and often unjust history, and to be challenged and inspired by modern day peacemakers who are working for something better.  What’s Happening Give to our Christmas Offering. Join us for The Longest Night Liturgy on Zoom (December 21 at 6p) Register your family for Family Dedication, happening on January 25, 2026. 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.

Beth Graybill, TaKisha Jacobs, and Corrie Commisso - 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 week, as we light the Advent candle for peace, we're sharing the story of TaKisha Jacobs and her work to intervene in the face of gun violence in South Bend, and the way that Corrie Commisso came alongside Takisha to turn that story into a memoir. To learn more about TaKisha's forthcoming book, visit takishajacobs.com.  What's Happening For more info on the South Bend Pilgrimage, or to sign up for the waitlist, head to our website. Give to our Christmas Offering. View our Advent Art Guide online, or stop by in person for a physical copy. Find 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 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. What's Happening Give to our Christmas Offering. View our Advent Art Guide online, or stop by in person for a physical copy. Find 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 Miller - To celebrate Thanksgiving, we took a few minutes to consider the reasons it’s good to give thanks, and then members of our community shared some of the things they’re thankful for.  What's Happening View our Advent Art Guide online, or stop by in person for a physical copy. Find our Holiday schedule on our website! Reach out to Karen Grant if you need more information about Kids Sing. 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.

Michael Hidalgo - Many of us struggle with the faith we were handed earlier in life. We find it too narrow or exclusionary or harmful. But how to do we pass on something better. Michael is a trusted friend of SBCC, was the pastor of Denver Community Church for 18 years, and joined us this week to share a teaching on how we can give something better to the world.  What's Happening Join our Discord! If you need help getting your account set up, head our website for video and text tutorials. Check out and sign up for our Listener Map. Check out our Advent Art Guide with art and reflections from SBCC community members, friends of SBCC, and historical sources. Or join us in person to pick up a physical copy. 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 - Jesus chooses to enter Samaria and meet with a Samaritan woman in an act of cultural subversion. While there, his strange conversation with the woman illuminates the surprising ways God might be speaking to us as we seek the beautiful life to which God calls us.  What's Happening View our Quarterly Financial Report (Q1) Check out our conversation with Becky Ykema, our new full-time staff member with a focus on worship and formation. Join our Discord! 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 and Becky Ykema - As SBCC's staff leadership grows, we're excited to welcome Becky Ykema to our team full-time, focusing on the areas of worship and formation. Becky sat down with our lead pastor, Jason Miller, to share some of her story, and for the two of them to think out loud together about the ways SBCC worships and is formed.

Sean Palmer - John the Baptist is confronted with the growth of Jesus' ministry and baptisms, raising questions about John's significance and our relationship to humility.  Sean Palmer is the author of Speaking by the Numbers: Enneagram Wisdom for Teachers, Pastors, and Communicators (IVP 2022) and 40 Days on Being a Three (Enneagram Daily Reflections). He is also the Teaching Pastor at Ecclesia Houston, one of America’s most innovative and vibrant multi-site churches, serving a predominance of Millennials and young adults. Sean and his wife, Rochelle, have been married for over 25-years and are parents to two adult daughters. He is also a long-time friend of SBCC, and we’re thrilled to have him back. We were also joined by Sharon Irving, a new friend of SBCC. Sharon Irving is a singer, songwriter, worship leader, poet, rapper, actress, and voice over artist. She is an inspiring ‘voice for the voiceless’, a passionate wordsmith spewing truth and inspiration, singing songs of life and love motivated by her per

Jason Miller - A religious leader whose world has just been threatened by Jesus' cleansing in the temple comes to Jesus in the night in curiosity and confusion. Jesus has a lot to say to Nicodemus, including that he must be "born again". What might Jesus have meant, and what does it mean for us today?  What’s Happening RSVP to the next New to SBCC Table, happening on November 9th at 12:15p. Get tickets for INKSTORIES at Stockroom East on November 8th at 7p or submit your storyteller application RSVP to Student Friendsgiving on November 2nd at 5:30p (for students in grades 6-12 and their families) 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 - We are continuing the sermon series looking at the life of Jesus through the gospel of John. Today's teaching is from John 2:13-25 where Jesus turns tables and opens doors.  What's Happening Get tickets for INKSTORIES at Stockroom East on November 8th at 7p or submit your storyteller application RSVP to Student Friendsgiving on November 2nd at 5:30p (for students in grades 6-12 and their families) Join our Discord! Having trouble? Head to the following links for a video tutorial or a text tutorial on how to get set up. 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 what the gospel writer calls the first sign of Jesus' glory, Jesus responds to a shortage of wine at a wedding. It's a beautiful story with plenty of meaning at the basic level, but what happens when we also understand its symbolic levels of meaning?  This week's gatherings also featured an interview of Prashan De Visser, founder and president of Global Unites. To learn more, visit globalunites.org.  What’s Happening RSVP to our Student's Friendsgiving happening on November 2nd. Submit an application to share your tattoo story at INK STORIES, happening on November 8th at 7p at Stockroom East. Join us for our Fall Picnic at Leeper Park on October 12 from 11a-1p or sign up to donate blood at the SBMF mobile unit. 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, Beth Graybill, and team - This Sunday, we took an intentional pause from diving into one particular passage in the book of John and hosted a DTR or “define the relationship” with Jesus. The sermon includes three reflection points: noting when we first encountered Jesus in our own lives, when it got complicated, and finally what what we are seeking after in our relationship with Jesus now. We used 3 songs in our reflections, which solely belong to the artists below: Atlantic - Sleeping at Last Moon - Sleeping at Last Ascent, Pt 1 - Hymns for the Architect What’s Happening Submit an application to share your tattoo story at INK STORIES, happening on November 8th at 7p at Stockroom East. RSVP to our upcoming New to SBCC Table on Sunday, October 5 at 12:15p. Join us for our Fall Picnic at Leeper Park on October 12 from 11a-1p. 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 s

Jason Miller - Our journey through the Gospel of John continues with the question of John the Baptist and the calling of the first disciples.  What’s Happening RSVP to our upcoming New to SBCC Table on Sunday, October 5 at 12:15p. Join us for our Fall Picnic at Leeper Park on October 12 from 11a-1p. Register for the South Bend Pilgrimage happening October 31-November 1. 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 - As we enter the fall season, we’re also beginning a new project together: following Jesus through the gospel of John. We begin with the prologue to the gospel, where the writer re-tells the creation story and includes within it a vision of the Word of God that calls us forward to our own best selves.  What’s Happening Register for the South Bend Pilgrimage happening October 31-November 1. Join us for our Fall Picnic at Leeper Park on October 12 from 11a-1p. Find more information about, or register for, Raising Kids With a Faith of Their Own While Working Out Your Own Faith with Karen Grant. 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 - As we enter the fall season, we're also beginning a new project together: following Jesus through the gospel of John. Before we begin in earnest, we took a week to explain why this text might be important for our community right now.  What's Happening Find more information about, or register for, our two Fall Workshops: Recovery from Distorted Images of God, Self and Others with Dale and Juanita Ryan and Raising Kids With a Faith of Their Own While Working Out Your Own Faith with Karen Grant. Check out this year's annual report. 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.

Kierre Bjorn Lindsay and Karen Grant - On Sunday, August 31st our community took some intentional time to pray for the start of the school year.  This is a two-fold community prayer that begins with praying over students of every age and stage as they begin their studies.  It concludes with an intentional prayer over all educators, administrators and other support staff within the education system as they enter into a new year of teaching, leading and supporting. We had the opportunity to welcome back our friend, Kierre Bjorn Lindsay, as he led us this weekend. Kierre is the Central Worship Pastor at Celebration Church and a singer-songwriter who has worked with Common Hymnal, Housefires, Maverick City Music, and more.

Jason Miller and Karen Grant - Many of us grew up in one faith tradition or another, and some of us with no church background at all. We have ideas of what we don’t want our kids to hear or experience as it relates to God, church, or the Bible. Yet, we want our kids to know God and develop a faith in God. We just need some help. Karen Grant, our Director of Kids and Families, is here to help! Karen has served in a variety of children’s ministry settings over the past 18 years and has a B.A. in Bible & Ministry from Bethel University. She is also a freelance artist and has called SBCC home since 2019. In this episode, you'll hear some of Karen's story, and you'll learn more about the vision she leads for kids and families at South Bend City Church. It's an approach that centers the character of God, ensures kids feel seen, safe, and loved, and that sends them home with curiosity and a growing faith.  Karen is also offering a fall workshop for parents, beginning Thursday, September 18. This workshop will in

Jason Miller - Is your spiritual life too spiritual? If the incarnation of Jesus means anything, it’s that we don’t become holier by being less human. And the abundant life that Jesus came to share with us is one that involves our whole selves as we heal, grow and learn how to flourish. This series will explore some specific examples of a real world spirituality, shared from the experiences of our teachers who are working these things out in real time in their own lives. In our final week, we're talking about bringing those real world experiences back to our intentional spiritual practices.  What's Happening Find more information about, or register for, our two Fall Workshops: Recovery from Distorted Images of God, Self and Others with Dale and Juanita Ryan and Raising Kids With a Faith of Their Own While Working Out Your Own Faith with Karen Grant. RSVP for the Student Kickoff, happening September 7 from 6-8p (students in grades 6-12 only) Support the ongoing work of SBCC by giving to the general fund. Sout

Jason Miller and Dale and Juanita Ryan - The biblical story, including what we see lived out in the life and teachings of Jesus, is this: God is love, we are loved, we are capable of loving others and we are called to a life of love. Participating in this story is, however, not always easy for us. Instead of welcoming the love of God, we sometimes find ourselves afraid that God is angry, distant, displeased, uncaring, or impatient. Instead of celebrating that we are loved, we sometimes fear that we are not lovable, not enough, or not measuring up. Instead of rejoicing in our calling to love others, we sometimes see other people through the distorting lens of our fears and judgments.  This fall, we'll be hosting a workshop led by Dale and Juanita Ryan to explore these dynamics in community. Whether you're able to join us in person for the workshop or not, this episode will help you get to know Dale and Juanita, and to hear the heart behind their work.  Until his retirement, Dale Ryan was a member of the facult

Jason Miller - Is your spiritual life too spiritual? If the incarnation of Jesus means anything, it’s that we don’t become holier by being less human. And the abundant life that Jesus came to share with us is one that involves our whole selves as we heal, grow and learn how to flourish. This series will explore some specific examples of a real world spirituality, shared from the experiences of our teachers who are working these things out in real time in their own lives. This week, we're talking about money.  What's Happening Find more information about, or register for, our two Fall Workshops: Recovery from Distorted Images of God, Self and Others with Dale and Juanita Ryan and Raising Kids With a Faith of Their Own While Working Out Your Own Faith with Karen Grant. RSVP to our upcoming New to SBCC Table on Sunday, September 7 at 12:15p. 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