Sunday Worship at 9:00 and 10:30 AM
South Union Christian Church is on South Rockport Road in Bloomington, Indiana, and it is known for two things that shape its character: comfortable, contemporary worship and a Sunday morning built around families. Two services are held each Sunday, at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM, and there is no difference between them. Each lasts about an hour and moves through musical worship, a Bible message intended to bring transformation, prayer and communion. People describe the atmosphere as comfortable and relaxing, and the church is clear that no particular style of clothing is expected.
That welcome is practical as well as verbal. Greeters stand at the doors and at the welcome center in the foyer, and the children's ministry uses a secure check-in system so teachers can care for children and reach the right family quickly. Visitors who do not have a Bible need not worry, since Bibles are kept under the chairs in the sanctuary and are available for anyone to use or keep. Between the two services, the breakfast team puts out coffee and breakfast items during the fellowship time, a natural place for regulars and newcomers to talk.
Communion is celebrated every Sunday after the message. Small crackers represent the body of Christ and juice represents his blood, and the elements are picked up from tables at the front of the sanctuary when directed. Everyone who professes Jesus Christ as Savior is welcome to take part, whether or not they are affiliated with South Union, and the invitation includes kneeling at the altar to pray or simply returning to a seat. The message itself is meant to prepare people to serve as ambassadors for Christ at home, at work, in the community and in the world.
Kids From Newborns Through Sixth Grade
The children's ministry states its purpose plainly: to develop foundations that set children up for God's very best. Weekly lessons are designed for each age so that kids can meet Jesus on their level, with age-appropriate application, worship and fun built into class time. Classes run during both Sunday services for newborns through sixth graders. The ministry team is made up of caring adults who teach God's word and make the hour enjoyable, and the check-in system helps teachers locate a child's classroom and keep important health and contact information close at hand.
There is also a class for families who want to talk through baptism. Joining God's Family runs three to four weeks and answers parents' questions about baptism while helping explain to a child the importance of accepting Christ as Savior. Families also have free access to RightNow Media, which gives members and attendees more than 2,000 Bible-based entertainment and educational episodes made for children.
Vacation Bible School is another recurring part of the church year, held on weeknights for children age 3 through 6th grade, with 3-year-olds required to be potty trained. Volunteers are needed for crafts, games, registration, snacks, crew leading, singing, safety and decorating, and dinner is provided for volunteers and their families each night. Childcare is available for volunteers with children under age 3, and middle and high school students are welcome to help.
Children's Minister Jackie Goss has been on South Union's staff since 2001, first serving as treasurer before moving into children's ministry in 2012. She graduated from Hanover College with a degree in psychology, and she is known for pouring herself into the children's program.
Connect at 10:30 and SUS on Sunday Nights
Middle and high school students have their own programming during the second Sunday service, where Connect gathers 9th through 12th graders to talk about the Bible, play games and laugh at their own jokes. The stated goal for South Union Students is to help teenagers grow closer to God and into their callings together.
South Union Students, or SUS, meets on Sunday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for students in 7th through 12th grade. Evenings include games, worship, food and discussion that addresses the real issues teenagers face day to day. Trips and special events are part of the year, and the student ministry shares those details through its own social media accounts.
Small Groups, Next Steps and the Baptism Class
South Union describes itself as a small group church, and it explains why with three convictions: life is better when people do it together, connection to people strengthens connection to God, and transformation happens best in circles rather than just rows. Groups exist for men, women, couples, students, hobbyists and athletes, among others, and the church sees groups as the place where people grow, find tools for growth and discover their place to serve. The women's ministry gathers women around God, his Word and one another, and the men's ministry is organized for the same purpose of shared life and service.
For those ready to move further, the Next Steps class is a five-week course for people looking to take the next steps in their walk with Jesus. People who are new can fill out a short connection form so the church can reach out and help them find their place among the groups and teams.
Teams That Keep the Sunday Rhythm Running
Much of South Union's life is organized around teams. The worship team welcomes vocalists, instrumentalists and sound technicians, and the audio and visuals team runs the sound board, the cameras that feed the online video stream, the live broadcast and the projector slides for both services. Greeters work the doors and the welcome center, the breakfast team handles coffee and breakfast between services, and volunteers maintain the building so it stays clean and safe for those coming and going. A security team serves during regular Sunday services and at special events such as the annual Fall Fest and Vacation Bible School.
The Prayer Team gathers in the large group room every Sunday morning at 8:00 AM, before services begin, and also prays for special events through the year and takes part in prayer walks. A care team focuses on offering hope and support to people walking through difficult seasons, including help with memorial services and visitations. Giving to the church can be made online, by text or through the church's giving system, which the church treats as a stewardship priority alongside time and talents.
Missions in Bloomington and Around the World
South Union supports a long list of ministries and charities financially and through prayer. Local partners include Christian Student Fellowship, CRU at Indiana University, The Hannah Center, Bloomington Campus Life, Distinxion, which offers sports training aimed at building character and family relationships, Hilltop Christian Camp and the Wheeler Mission. The missions giving also reaches national and international partners, including Team Expansion, Adventures in Missions, World Gospel Mission and Transform Asia, along with several families serving cross culturally through Team Expansion. The missions team organizes that support and the church prays about what comes next as it plans locally, nationally and internationally. A South Union Scholarship is also part of the missions picture, and students and adults alike are invited to join the missions team.
What South Union Believes
South Union holds to unity in doctrine, freedom in opinion and love in all things. Its mission is to win and commit people to Jesus Christ in unity and to train them for service in his kingdom. The Bible is held to be the inspired word of God and without error, and the church teaches the clear teachings of that word, which it says will mean encouragement on some days, instruction on some days and rebuke on some days. God is confessed as eternal Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the only true God and sole creator, and it is said that because of his great love, God sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners by his atoning death on Calvary.
The church holds that Jesus was both God and man, born of a virgin, living a sinless life, crucified and raised bodily on the third day, ascending to the Father as head of the church, and coming again personally, bodily and visibly. Salvation, it teaches, is restored only through the sacrificial blood of Christ and can be received only by grace, never earned, with repentance, confession and baptism by immersion given as the biblical pattern. The Holy Spirit is described as the pledge and seal of salvation, and members are encouraged to stay connected to Christ as the true vine, since only that connection produces fruit for the kingdom.
The value statements that guide the church are equally specific: committed to unity and prayer, transformed by biblical truths, all about the next generation, spiritual contributors rather than consumers, focused on spiritual growth and generous with time, talents and treasures.
Messages, Worship Music and Bible Study for the Week
Sermons are audio recorded and released as podcasts, and Sunday messages are also available on the church's YouTube channel, with a dedicated Spotify podcast for listening on the go. The worship playlist gathers the songs sung during weekend services on both Spotify and YouTube so families can keep singing them all week long.
RightNow Media access is free for members and attendees, drawing on more than 250 Christian publishers and ministries for Bible studies and shows covering small groups, families, kids, students and leadership development, with more than 15,000 Bible studies and 2,000 children's episodes in the library. It is one of the tools South Union uses to equip the church body beyond Sunday morning.
The Staff, Elders and Deacons
South Union's leadership includes staff, elders and deacons, and they are described as committed to helping people build relationships with God, family, friends and the community through the variety of ministries within the church.
Jeremy Clark is the senior minister, joining the staff in 2021 as executive minister before taking his current role. He holds an undergraduate degree from Faith International University in Christian Management and Leadership, grew up in southern Indiana and has been in full-time ministry since 2005. Anjie Cain serves as women's minister and hospitality director; she has worked at South Union since 2004 and attended Cincinnati Christian University, and she is known for a servant's heart in serving others. The elders are Adam Goss, Kurt Streepy, Rick Cowden, Eric Gilpin and Andrew Christianson, and the deacons are John Blacketter, Tim Stull and Abe Redden.
A Sunday morning at South Union tends to look the same from one week to the next: an hour of worship, a message grounded in Scripture, communion, and a place for every age, from newborns to sixth graders to teenagers. Around that rhythm sits a network of groups, teams and mission partners that gives people a way to serve, to study and to share the life of the church with others in Bloomington and beyond.