I started attending here last year and was immediately welcomed with love, friendship and open arms. The sermons are very well structured and presented wonderfully. Best of all the teachings are understandable! This is something that is huge for me - and that I had a hard time finding at other churches before I came to BFCC. The messages are easily applicable to today's world and our lives and still 100% bible based. Credit to Pastor John who is phenomenal at what he does. God has given him a gift. I also like that there are two overhead projectors with the text as well as the music lyrics for the day. So you always know what is going on and don't feel out of place. Plus the chairs are so comfy. I especially love the upbeat and contemporary music that we sing and listen to. The music is so uplifting and wonderful each and every time. The young couples group (which meets weekly) offers relevant bible teachings and a heartwarming family community. I very much encourage you to try this group if you are interested; sadly our schedules did not coincide with the meeting which is why we no longer attend. I hope to return to the group in the future. I have never loved attending church as much as I do until I started attending BFCC. I have zero complaints. Five of five. read more

Bay Farm Church - Churches Near Me - Alameda, California

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Arrive at 9:30 for the pre/church social time, parking is easy which is important to me since I am bringing my grandma with me. Donuts and coffee and smiling friendly people greet you... It is very cheery! They provide earplugs for grannies and all who have audio sensitivity. Worship bands are often a tad louder than sensitive ears like, so the volunteers are prepared with ear plugs. My first time there, the pastor was baptizing before preaching and there was so much love and community in the room. At this time in our USA history (2016) there is a lot of division in the country due to the presidential election, and we also have experienced some terrible shootings on our own soil, and witnessed horrific tragedies abroad. The message from the pulpit at Bay Farm is what you would hope.. I have heard no hints of party politics, and what I do hear is a message of love, respect, peace, strength, and courage to follow Jesus. God's Word is used throughout the pastor's messages, and he brings the timeless stories to life with information about the historical context and geography, and the meanings of words and phrases as they were used throughout scripture. For instance in a recent teaching on the story of the Good Samaritan, he helped the audience picture the road, terrain, danger, the relationships between the different types of people, and why it was such a big deal that the injured traveler might not have wanted to have to rely on a Samaritan. A "bible based church" means to me that you can trust that you are hearing the word of God, and is so much clearer and easier for me to understand than trying to sort through the individual human bias of a different style of church. No prosperity theology here. I can't yet speak to the feel of BBQ's and community events but there is every indication that socials will be welcoming; in August they were having their big picnic on a day we were there, and pastor encouraged everyone to reach out and meet someone new that afternoon (I could not attend.). My advice to anyone new, don't wait for people to approach you, be friendly and you will find people who will be friendly back! In all things, you will grow most when you join things, so attend regularly, join a LifeGroup (small group that meets weekly), and volunteer, is my advice for being known. read more

Many of the people at Bay Farm Community Church are quite friendly and welcoming... However the pastor was not. The three Sunday services we attended, I found the Pastor to be a bit "cold" towards my family after services. The pastor definitely isn't a shy man on stage, and has no problem at all preaching a good 50+ minutes (and could probably preach another few hours if you let him). My husband and I introduced ourselves but felt a bit brushed off at each attempt. I still encouraged my family to come to the church and worship with me and give it second and third chance. At best we get a weak smile and handshake from the pastor. His beautiful wife was a bit more genuine. The 10am service begins with a young male singer, covered in tattoos, who starts the day with a few worship songs, as lyrics are projected overhead so everyone can sing along... however I feel the singer would prefer to simply perform his own little concert. I get it, he has a good voice, but hearing him perform makes me miss the churches I grew up in, where people sang along harmoniously. They have one background singer in the back, but it just looks so awkward because she sings into a microphone that isn't even on?!! Well, we tried to make the best of our visits and the pastor does a good job on stage delivering an obviously well educated interpretation of scripture. Just not a "warm" church to come to every Sunday morning. Thank you. read more

I love this church - it is hidden away behind the Safeway shopping center. Don't miss out on this hidden gem. Great contemporary, Bible based, Christian church. Excellent, up-beat, worship music; a very relevant message from Pastor John; very friendly people. They also have an outstanding Children's Ministry. Once you attend you will want to go back!! read more

I don't know about this church. I have really learned the lesson to look deep into churches before making a commitment to them. If you look under the hood, you find out all kinds of buyer beware facts. First of all, I would more than agree with the other reviewer who notices that this is a cold church. It is very mechanical and unfriendly. I went to a picnic and not one person talked to me while I was there, even though I was surrounded by the same people all day. They didn't so much as look in my direction. The pastor is a good speaker, but not a pastor type. Pastors are supposed to be warm and friendly. A shepherd over the flock who cares and takes an interest in people. I have never said more than two words to the guy. I think he would be great being an itinerant pastor instead of managing a flock. The next thing is they never invite people to receive the Lord at the end, or at anytime during the service. Nope, this is not a church where you will see people getting saved. There are also no crosses in the church. It is almost like it is not cool to preach Jesus anymore. I don't get it. He is the coolest part of church! People do come up and shake your hand during "turn and shake someone's hand" portion of the service. It is just not a genuine caring feeling at this church. I think church should be really simple. Preach the Gospel, teach the people, love and help the people, reach out to the community to show the love of God to them in a real way, worship God and not just sing cool songs, love each other. That's it really. No super cool methodology to any of it. I get the feeling that this pastor is desperately trying to fit into today. He is trying at any cost to be cool and appeal to the masses and pop culture, but what it reads is shallow and empty. The next issue is the Republican drivel you have to listen to. It is definitely not cool to be anything other than a repub here. I personally think politics has no place in religion. I also do not think God is a republican, as so many middle of the country Christians do. God is so far above politics. Again, look to Jesus for your politics. Love others, even when they are unlovely. Do good. Look for places to do good all day long. Show people by example who God is, don't just talk about it. The rest is just drivel and I don't care to hear about it at the pulpit, or in churchy conversations. Here is a personal example. I needed prayer for a very real situation and it was just not even offered. I was kind of floored by that. That is not what a church should be. It is not a feel good social club, after all. The church has an interest-only loan on the building. I think that a church should not have debt. This one does, and lots of it. So get prepared to be used for free stuff. They no longer show the financials openly, the old pastor used to be open about it. Shame. This alone makes me not want to go there anymore. It's all very hush hush. There are many issues that are too big to ignore. I think people are tired of the church game. This is the reason churches are dying out in America. What people are looking for is the Word. The Word of God and the Word as in Jesus. Both those things need not to be cool, they just already are. You can't wrap them up in music or cool programs and graphics. No, this is just a shallow church without any depth and meat of the Word. Move on. Keep looking. Or better yet, start a church in your home and just read through the Bible together and pray for each other. Have a good meal both spiritual and the real thing! Just like the early church was in homes of the saints. Let's just all do that until a genuine church is planted here in Alameda. Keep praying! read more

I moved to Alameda from Georgia last January and was anxious to find a replacement for the church I joined once I got serious about committing my life to Jesus. Oh my. Did I get blessed! This church has everything and more that a Georgia-based church-goer would want. The worship music is actually the best I have encountered. The pastor is a serious follower of Christ and his messages are just the right mix of theology and practical application. He has a very dry sense of humor and lots of experience in the pulpit. He knows the Bible inside and out--the greek word roots, the less obvious interpretations of passages I have read many times--I have never been anything but mesmerized by Pastor John's messages. The membership is growing and the core is there every week--friendly but not fawning. Focused on worship and community. I am just very grateful. read more

Bay Farm Community Church is a dynamic non-denominational Christian church with lots of community outreach, a great kids program, and diverse small group offerings. I would highly recommend checking out Bay Farm Community Church in Alameda. Bay Farm Community Church is a warm, caring, and comfortable environment. The people are genuine and friendly and the pastor is an interesting guy and a gifted teacher. He teaches from the Bible, like it or not, but does so with compassion and in a way that is relevent to people today. The music is great and contemporary and I understand that beginning in 2010 they will be offering different worship service styles. There are classes from infants up through High School, all well organized and taught by dedicated members with lots of energy and caring. Although it has a diverse community in terms of ages there are plenty of 30-somethings like me who have young kids as well as groups such as a moms group and a small groups for people of all ages and stages. The church has tons of super fun events including an awesome summer camp for kids, a great halloween event with big name performers, and other great events like Mystery Theater Dinners, Apoligetics Conferences and on and on and on..every weekend there is something fun going on. It's great...you gotta check it out! read more

Visited once, sleepy crowd ,nothing like church back home. Still looking for southern style church here.

I love this church! I just moved here from Washington state, and I immediately felt welcomed by the people here. Solid Bible teaching with lots of community focus, I am proud to call this my home church. read more

This church has an accurate perspective about God. If you want warm, Bible based services, this is a good place. There is also a good Mom's group. Because they are good, they get 4 stars. They don't get 5 stars, because my daughter is special needs, and she is sometimes treated as an outcast. She is solidly "normal" in every way, but just larger than the other kids. Overall, we like it an would recommend it to anyone searching for a good church. read more

The music is rather disturbing. Their performers are messy with their work and don't seem to care too much for the well being of others as the lead singer sings several octaves too high to where I feel as if I can hear the braincells bursting in my head. The pastors are judgmental and do not look at the alternatives of the problems that they choose to address. Through this judgment, they play favorites and are neglectful to fulfill the ideal duties of a church. Some people who attend this church are so brainwashed they believe that they are holy while others live double lives between church and their daily social life. They use guilt as a mechanism to keep families returning. I've been attending with my family since 1989 and never have I felt as if I were welcome. They need to embrace change and the new ideas that emerge rather than addressing only the old problems that are no longer of importance in today's society. read more

I've been going to this church for around a year now. There are a lot of young families so it has a lot of fun things for the kids to do. There are also small groups and Bible studies. Ever so often they have events to go to. There are all different kinds of people who go there, so that's great. The music, while contemporary, all sounds exactly the same and is extremely repetitive and boring. You never feel like you are worshipping God, but letting the worship minister live out his band dreams. The pastor teaches from the Bible, which is good. I am giving it only three stars due to the coldness I have felt from the people. I have been at church events where everyone sits in their groups and I felt like I wasn't even there. The pastor is a good speaker, but is extremely cold and unfriendly. Not a good quality for a pastor. A little warmth and a real genuine conversation goes a long way to share the love of Jesus in a tangible way. The pastor's wife is a doll and what the pastor lacks in warmth and caring, she has in abundance. She has a lot of energy and is a fun type of person, especially with the kids. While there is probably no such thing as a perfect church, I have been to some awesome ones in other places I've lived. I know it's possible to feel welcomed and part of a family in a church, just not in this place. The name of the church is actually perfect because it feels more like a cold community center than a lovely church family. read more

I love this church. People are very nice, music is great, and the Pastor delivers very good sermons. Ever since I went to this church, I'm always looking forward to Sundays. It gives me such a great feeling attending their service. read more

I am new to the area and went to this Church twice. The reception I received was subdued and I always felt like an outsider. The minister gave me the impression he was trying to build one of the "mega-churches", and not the close family religious atmosphere that I am looking for. I personally do not want to be a part of a religious "business". The messages were not inspiring, and the music was lack-luster at best. Lot of potential but no clear path toward our Lord's teachings here. read more