Church of the Savior was established in 1956 as an outpost of the Christian Reformed Church denomination. Soon to join the denomination Reformed Church in America, church members have lived out their Reformed heritage by engaging with their neighborhood and the world while engaging theology and scholarship in accessible ways. Having come through trials and crises, we are a community deeply committed to doing life together without requiring that we all be the same or think the same way. Church of the Savior got its start in 1956, with thirty-one members and $28.07 in the treasury. The following year it broke ground for a sanctuary on East McKinley Avenue. Originally a church plant of the Christian Reformed Church, the South Bend CRC became an organized church in 1959. Over the next decade, SBCRC formed an evangelism committee, began hosting summer Vacation Bible School, and welcomed neighborhood children to Sunday school. In 1969, the property on McKinley was sold and a new property purchased, at the corner of Hickory and Hepler. In a process that took a month, the church sanctuary was lifted up off its foundations and moved to its new location. There it was remodeled and an education wing was added. At the laying of the cornerstone, the congregation spoke these words, making a promise for years to come: “For a church with an open door for all people, rich or poor, homeless or desolate, who need the help of God through us, we lay this cornerstone.” SBCRC quickly settled into its new neighborhood, continuing VBS and other evangelistic efforts. Wanting to extend a helping hand even further, in the 1970’s SBCRC began its long tradition of sponsoring and supporting refugee families resettling in the Michiana area. Over the years, we have welcomed refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, Liberia, and, most recently, Afghanistan. The 1980’s saw SBCRC growing and sharing its facilities with Covenant Christian School and several other area ministries, leading to another building expansion to house it all. At the beginning of the 1990’s, the Christian Reformed denomination was in the midst of a fierce debate on women’s leadership in the church. SBCRC took the position that women should be able to hold any office for which they have suitable gifts, leading to the departure of a significant minority of members who did not agree with that policy. Even so, the congregation continued to grow, adding staff, and, in the early 2000’s, constructing a new sanctuary. In 2014, SBCRC changed its name to Church of the Savior, and in 2020, at the end of a time of intentional renewal, CotS adopted a new vision statement: To be a safe and authentic community where we are known and loved as we experience and share the healing grace of Jesus Christ. In the late 2010’s and early 2020’s, another denominational debate sprung up, ending with the Christian Reformed Church taking an uncompromising position against full LGBTQIA inclusion in the church. A season of discernment began at CotS, inspired by our long-ago commitment to be “a church with an open door for all people.” In May of 2024 we adopted a policy of welcome for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Within a month we were asked to leave the Christian Reformed denomination. At present we are in the process of leaving the CRC and joining the Reformed Church in America. Meanwhile, we continue to do what we have always done: support our local community, care for one another, break bread together, learn together, grow together, worship together - and keep the door open for all who want to come in.