South Bend City Church

9.7 [TEACHING] Gospel of John (wk 1) - Introduction

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.

9.4 [LITURGY] A Prayer for the School Year

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.

9.2 [CONVERSATION] Raising Kids With a Faith of Their Own While Working Out Your Own Faith

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 include a variety of contemporary voices, a little bit of paint, and group conversations, to explore how to talk about God, and to God, with kids. We’ll explore ways to celebrate Christmas and Easter that are meaningful for the whole family. We’ll learn ways of reading the Bible that are appropriate for kids of all ages. We’ll also talk about SBCC’s approach to communion and baptism. You’ll go home with some simple tools and reminders -created with your own family in mind- that can encourage a child’s faith journey.

8.31 [TEACHING] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 7) - Bringing the Real World Back to Our Spirituality

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. 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.

8.26 [CONVERSATION] Recovery from Distorted Images of God, Self, and Others

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 faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary where he taught pastoral care classes about addiction, abuse and trauma. Currently Dr. Ryan is the executive director of the National Association for Christian Recovery, which he founded in 1990. He has earned a PhD (UCDavis, Biochemistry) and an M.Div. (Bethel Theological Seminary, St. Paul, MN). Juanita Ryan is a mental health clinical nurse specialist. She has had a private counseling practice for over 35 years. Because she writes and speaks about spirituality and trauma, many of the people she works with are seeking help in these areas.  To learn more about her you can visit her website.
Dale and Juanita have been married for 55 years. They have two sons and four grandkids. Most of what they know about distorted images of God, of self and of others comes from personal experience.

8.24 [TEACHING] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 6) - Finding God in our Finances

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 select the correct fund when giving.

8.17 [CONVERSATION] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 6) - The Embodied Journey of a CEO

Beth Graybill and Duane Wilson - 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 learn from the embodied journey of Duane Wilson, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Indiana Corridor (BGNIC). Duane and his team at BGNIC share physical space with SBCC in the Tribune Building as an afterschool club and summer camp site.
Beth Graybill, who facilitates this conversation, is not only a part of the South Bend City Church community, but is also a collaborative consultant and storyteller that currently works as the Director of Academic Advancement for Mendoza College of Business & Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate at the University of Notre Dame.
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.
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. 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.

8.10 [TEACHING] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 5) - Hearing the Word in Nature

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 consider the power of nature to help us connect. 
What's Happening
RSVP to our upcoming New to SBCC Table on Sunday, September 7 at 12:15p.
Keep an eye out for more information on our Fall Workshops, happening on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 later this fall.
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.

8.3 [TEACHING] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 4) - Finding God, and Ourselves, in a Container Garden

Dr. Angela Logan - 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. Through the use of the Parable of the Sower, along with quotes from Pope Leo XIV, Thomas Merton, and Octavia Butler, Dr. Angela shares how she, and we, can reconnect with our spirituality, and God, through a container garden.
What's Happening
Join us on Discord! Make sure that your display name is your first+last name and add an “avatar” (profile picture). If you can’t see the collective and forum channels, you have not been verified. If you need help, email mariah@southbendcitychurch.com.
Check out our volunteer opportunities, ranging from hospitality to communion to Kid’s Ministry to safety and everything in between.
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.

7.27 [TEACHING] Spirituality for the Real World (wk 3) - Protecting Our Attention

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 consider the power of reclaiming out attention in the digital age. 
This teaching included some reflection questions:
How would you describe your current relationship with your smartphone or other digital devices?
Are you happy with the amount of time you spend on your phone or other digital devices?
Do you think others ever feel that they’re competing with your devices for your presence and attention?
What’s one structural change you could make this week to make it easier to disconnect from the digital crowds and reconnect with God, others, and yourself? 
Benediction:So, beloved friends—May the Lord bless you and keep you, and may the Divine’s face shine warmly upon you.
In the same way that you have been a refuge for me—a place of safety and truth.May you know that same safety in one another’s arms, and may you offer it freely to all who enter through these doors.
In the same way that you gave me the freedom to be wholly myself—questioning, becoming, belonging. May you continue to be a place where freedom is not feared but nurtured, and where becoming never ends.
In the same way that you showed me the goodness and faithfulness of Love—embodied, mysterious, divine.May you carry that good and faithful Love into the world.
And may you know this:I have seen the face of God in each of you.I have seen more of God in myself because of you.I leave more healed and whole because of you.
May grace and peace be with you,Amen.
What’s Happening
Join us on Discord! Make sure that your display name is your first+last name and add an “avatar” (profile picture). If you can’t see the collective and forum channels, you have not been verified. If you need help, email mariah@southbendcitychurch.com.
Check out our volunteer opportunities, ranging from hospitality to communion to Kid’s Ministry to safety and everything in between.
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.