A fair number of our regular attenders live near the church, on the south side of South Bend. But we also have neighborhoods with quite a few members in the northwest and central parts of South Bend. Others live scattered in the surrounding regions. Folks attend from LaPorte, Bremen, Granger, Lakeville, Elkhart, Goshen, Mishawaka, Osceola, Bristol, and points in between. The farthest travel from near Angola and Valparaiso. A handful of households drive from Michigan--from Niles, Edwardsburg and Berrien Springs.

In other words, though some live in close proximity, many live a distance from the church facility. We sense people are willing to drive to be part of a church like ours for various reasons. The most often named reasons are our sense of community and our family and peace and justice and service commitments. These are areas that we understand to be central to living out and into the gospel of Jesus Christ on a daily basis.

As a geographically scattered congregation, we seek ways to be a gathered community. Some events, conversations and activities intentionally occur regionally (area or regional groups) as a way to encourage closer connection with and to others who live nearby, saving energy and building intergenerational community connections in various regions of Michiana. These welcoming groups also provide input to congregational leaders and are part of the congregation's decision-making process.