Neighborhood Churches

The Near West Side Neighborhood is well known for the many beautiful and historically important churches located within it. Following are brief descriptions of several of them. Many other places of worship are also conveniently located near the neighborhood; see the Information for Neighbors page for additional details.

Ambassadors for Christ, 302 W Washington

Built in 1889 as the First Presbyterian Church by the architect J. P. Bailey, this is an outstanding example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Ambassadors for Christ has the finest stained glass windows in South Bend.

Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, 117 N Lafayette

The parish, founded in 1867, completed the construction of the present Gothic Revival-style church in 1894. It is noted for its four Tiffany stained-glass windows. Since 1990, the parish has run St. Margaret’s House (a day-center for women and children) in the adjacent Petersen building.

Episcopal Cathedral of St. James

Emmanuel Church of Deliverance

Emmanuel Church of Deliverance, 415 W Lasalle

Originally called St. Peter’s Church, this Late-Gothic Revival style building was designed by the architects Freyermuth & Maurer and built in 1927 . It now houses a non-denominational congregation.

First Presbyterian Church of South Bend, 333 W Colfax

First Presbyterian was founded in May 1834 and has been housed in five different buildings since then. The current Georgian Colonial Style church was erected in 1953.

First Presbyterian Church of South Bend

St. Augustine's Parish

St. Augustine's Parish, 1501 W Washington

Founded in 1928, St. Augustine’s was the first fully integrated Catholic Church in South Bend.

St. Hedwig's Catholic Church, 331 S Scott Street

Founded by Polish immigrants in 1877, the parish built this Renaissance Revival style church in 1881. The nave is graced with an impressive series of stained glass windows. In 2001, the parish merged with St. Patrick’s parish.

St. Hedwig's Catholic Church

St. Paul's Memorial United Methodist Church

St. Paul's Memorial United Methodist Church, 1001 W Colfax Ave

This Gothic Revival Style church was built between 1901 and 1903 and was given to the congregation by Clement and Ann Studebaker. The nave is dominated by a large stained glass window of St. Paul preaching that was ordered from Mayer & Co. in Munich. The two levels of rooms off the Great Hall have stained glass windows representing scenes from the life of Christ.

St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 309 S Taylor

The parish, founded by Irish immigrants to South Bend in 1858, built this Renaissance Revival style church in 1886. Its organ is a three-manual Austin built in 1929. In 2001, the parish merged with St. Hedwig’s Parish.

Berean's 7th Day Adventist Church

Berean 7th Day Adventist Church, 601 W Colfax

Built in 1928 on the site of the home of Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, this church originally served as the home of the Progress Club, a group of area women that worked to promote the arts.

Sweet Home Baptist Church, 410 S Taylor

Built in 1923 as the Hebrew Orthodox Synagogue.

Sweet Home Baptist Church

Pilgrim Baptist Church, 116 N. Birdsell Street

Established in 1890, this is the oldest African American Baptist Church in the city. It was originally the Mount Zion Baptist Church, whose small wooden frame building was donated to the congregation by the Studebaker brothers. In 1941, the church was renamed Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 310 W Monroe Street

This Church was built in 1917 by the Olivet AME Zion Church (now on Notre Dame Avenue), replacing a smaller Norman structure built in 1870 shortly after the congregation was founded. It was the first African American congregation in the area. Its rose window was donated by the Powells. The Church is now the home of the Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Community.

Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church

Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 101 N. Adams Street

Organized in 1922, the present building dates from 1981.