My wife, 2 kids and I have been attending Ben David now for almost 5 years now (the kids are now 12 &13). If you are looking for a Messianic congregation to attend, then Ben David is not too bad of a place to start, but it depends on what you are looking for in a church / congregational experience. Some Messianic congregations tend to behave like an orthodox or Jewish conservative "like" traditional synagogue experience. I have found that others have a more typical church like service with aspects, celebrations and teaching of Judaism. Ben David is in the middle with a leaning towards a church "like" routine a little bit I would say. As you know, you'll never find the perfect church or congregational experience that checks off all the boxes you're looking for unless you start in place and design your own church :). As far as a kids Shabbat school (like Sunday School) they have something for the different ages/grades for your children. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, their Shabbat school curriculum teaching leans more towards teaching mostly from the Old Testament and about the Jewish culture, Jewish life and holidays and all the Jewish aspects of the Messianic movement (***BUT, this totally depends on who's teaching on that day, since the teachers rotate). Being a Messianic congregation, where is the "balance" of Jesus (Yeshua) in the teaching? Without the Messiah Jesus (Yeshua) there would be no Messianic movement. If this "elephant in the room" became obvious to our family, we think it's a problem. But if you want to get your feet wet and see what a Messianic service is like, come check them out. Like a lot of places, you could find the services online to watch if you don't want to go in person yet (which I would recommend with any place you want to visit). Ben David is a medium sized congregation, not large enough to get lost in but not small enough for everyone to know your business either. Come check them out for a month and you be the judge and see what you think (don't take my word for it). Consequently, my favorite orange county Messianic Congregational experience has been "Shuvah Yisrael Messianic Jewish Congregation" in Irvine, their website is https://shuvahyisrael.org/. You can watch them online also to see what you think. Like I said at the beginning, you can't find the perfect church or congregational experience that checks off all the boxes you are looking for unless you decide to start your own church :) So, if you are happy stay and grow, but if you find you are not completely happy to plant yourself and grow roots here, you can move on elsewhere in your spiritual journey of course. Whatever works for you. Just always keep it in prayer and listen for the Lord's direction. read more

A wonderful little congregation that sings praise songs in Hebrew (translations in English are provided), celebrates Jewish holidays and festivals (e.g., Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot), and has two sermons (one from the Torah and another from the New Testament) every week! They have a nursery with a flat screen TV so nursing mothers can hear the sermons. Shabbat School Classes are available for ages 3-17 during the service. My wife and I have been attending this congregation for almost a year now and find it to be a wonderful place for our family to hear God's word, enjoy the richness of the language in which most of the Bible was originally written, and serve in a congregation that practices what is preached. Highly recommend this place. A++ read more

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I've found this group of believers to be passionate, caring, and having a great attention to detail when it comes to the Old and New Testaments. The worship is rich and lively, and I'm only 22 years old. There's a rich variety of Hebraic root songs and dance that really has been some of the most fervent worship I've seen. Rabbi Doug and Rob are elite elders who study the Scriptures endlessly. This congregation is a good fit for young and old and everyone in between! They want you to get involved and learn your name, because they want you to have the strongest possible relationship with Yeshua. Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus, because as we know; he was Jewish! read more

What a wonderful congregation! The people here were so very friendly! I loved the message given by the Messianic Rabbi. They celebrate the Jewish appointed days. I'm going back! read more

A very sweet Sabbath keeping Messianic congregation with songs of worship in Hebrew and translations in English. Wonderful fellowship all year long including celebrating Jewish holidays and festivals. read more

While they might get an E for effort, I think that it would not seem very Jewish except compared to churches. More of a dance club than a synagogue service. B'rakhot said at the wrong time. Leaders bareheaded, etc. read more