SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The joyful inspiration and fun of the Christmas holiday doesn’t have to just be once a year. On Sunday, June 14, the Kern Road Mennonite Church will host a “Christmas In June” concert and cantata by the new community-building vocal group, “The Ripple Effect.” The 4 p.m. performance will include a Christmas carol sing-along and be followed by an ice cream social. The church is located at 18211 Kern Road.

The event will also benefit the Christmas Commandos organization, which will receive 10 percent of the free will offering for the concert. The Christmas Commandos (www.christmascommandos.org ) are a non-profit group that provides emotional and financial support to families who have lost a child or a parent with children still at home. Attendees can also contribute to the organization with gift cards to local restaurants and attractions.

The Ripple Effect will perform a variety of Christmas favorites as well as Pepper Choplin’s masterful cantata, “The Heart of Christmas,” with a complete orchestra. The Ripple Effect most recently performed May 30 on IUSB’s main stage as part of a benefit concert for the new Memorial Children’s Hospital. The concert’s finale, “Lift Your Voice, Children,” was composed by the group’s director, Shery K (music), and baritone, Delshawn Taylor (lyrics).

The Ripple Effect was started last fall as an inclusive and varied group of performers who describe themselves as an unique ensemble-in-residence at Southside Christian Church (DOC), South Bend, “dedicated to the unification of community and transformation of social awareness,” placing “much emphasis on diversity, hope and healing, as well as mega-doses of fun!”

The group has performed at a number of venues since the fall, and expects to continue to perform a challenging repertoire that includes everything from hymns and spirituals to jazz and musical theater (including “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the South Bend Cub’s game June 16).

Its aspiration is “to influence and encourage others to make a difference by building bridges, promoting kindness, and ‘rippling’ out in their own lives … not just a group of voices, but a collective truth-speaking voice in the community, by way of the enormous power of music.”

The group’s founder and director, Sherry K (Sherryk.com), is a professional musical director and musician who has directed and performed at venues as varied as Florida dinner theaters and Opry Mills in Nashville, Tenn., to the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Music Mart.

“Our music is meant to reach out to a variety of groups and perspectives, to share the common joy we all find in music,” said Sherry. “We’re looking to grow in numbers and in support from others who like what we do, and who share our vision of building the kind of connections that make us a stronger community.”

More about The Ripple Effect may be found on Facebook.