History

The main source of Second City Church’s history is the broad river of Western, catholic and Reformed Christianity.  But two streams from that tributary have shaped our particular story. In 1864 several members of Salem Reformed Church, Harrisburg’s oldest Christian church, organized Second Reformed Church to worship and serve what was then the rapidly expanding northwestern frontier of the city. That congregation acquired our present location at the corner of Green and Verbeke Streets in 1876. This stream contributes a historical depth to our community and firmly anchors our desire to love our neighbors geographically in Midtown.

City’s Gate Presbyterian Church was formed in 1997 when several men and women united around a shared desire to live and worship as a church in and for Harrisburg.  The church was characterized by a missional zeal to live out their faith in Jesus in the context of daily life and culture in the city. Not owning a building fostered in them a relational depth. They were flexible and limber, and committed to cultivating a community of grace. Their vision was to love their neighbors and allow Christ to work through them to revitalize the city. Though their focus broadened over time, there has always remained an emphasis on pursuing God through friendships and ‘incarnating’ our faith by paying loving attention to the actual places God has called us to live, work and worship.

In April, 2009 through some twists and turns these two streams came together and Second City Church was formed. This is both exciting and challenging for us. God is fusing us together, writing a new chapter that we pray will continue to surprise us, change us, and be a blessing to our neighbors.