The nicest and kindess Rabbi and Rebbetzin. Truly wonderful people. Needed to say Kaddish. So I…read morestopped in for Shabbos Day. The Rabbi insisted that I and my wife stay for lunch. Wow the Rebbetzins challah/ salads / chulent and deserts all homemade and amazing. A fantastic center. Thank you for everything.

Why, one may ask, would anyone choose to respond to a review dated 10/08/2013?…read more That Steven M. chose a public form, such a yelp, to launch a defamatory and personal attack on Rabbi Johnson and his wife as well as on the mission of Austin's Chabad Jewish Student Center, is the reason. One must question the motive of such a youth and those who chose to vote with him to post such a diatribe. Whatever their motive, I invite you to consider the tale "Feathers in the Wind." A nineteenth-century Jewish folktale tells of a man who went about town slandering the rabbi. One day, realizing that many of the things he had said were unfair, he went to the rabbi's house and begged for forgiveness. The rabbi told the man that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house and scatter the feathers to the wind and after he had done so to return to the rabbi's house. Though puzzled by the request, the man was happy to get off with so easy a penance. He quickly cut open the pillow and scattered the feathers to the wind and returned to the Rabbi's house. "Am I now forgiven?" he asked. "Just one more thing," the rabbi said. "Go now and gather up all the [disbursed] feathers." "But that is impossible. The wind has already scattered them." Precisely," the rabbi answered."And though you truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers. In all fairness, I call upon yelp to include the second (not currently recommended) posting by Chana S. Her posting is an alternative view to that of Steven M. et al. Personally, my interactions with Chabad-Lubavich centers have been welcoming and positive. Charlotte C.

17 year members. 10 years attending weekly Torah Study (Limmud). Engaging, honest, funny, done…read moreweekly with care and love. Not dry or by rote. Each week, lines of Torah are read and collectively debated with help from Rashi. Growing community thoughtfully.

TL;DR: If you're searching for your Jewish home, you've found it. Congratulations…read more I have belonged to Agudas Achim from birth. I have gone to well over a dozen synagogues in multiple states, and I have yet to find one that holds a candle to CAA Austin. That includes all the famous ones in NYC. Whether it's Friday night, Saturday morning, High Holy Days, Passover, or Shavuot, the services are musical and meaningful. The congregates are deeply kind and friendly. The Rabbis are warm and wise. Be prepared to make a real friend. The religious school is high quality, and the sanctuary's beauty doesn't have an equal. Agudas Achim stands as the Austin Jewish Community's response to the modern day scourge of loneliness and apathy. The only thing this synagogue is missing is you. Welcome home.

Worship, Friendship, Arts, Family, Community, Outreach....and so much more…read more HIGH RESPECT for Gideon, his family, and staff. They live what they teach and I can't say that many people can do that. I'm not writing this post because of one person or thing...but I truly believe that anyone who comes here will be blessed and can bless others in ways they never knew.

I keep coming back Everytime I am in town for this little piece of heaven! I love the essence of…read morecommunity and creativity! I love the depth and intellect that has made this place so special in my heart. Definitely a church that makes you feel that you need to move out to Austin just for it! Love the diversity and the crowd who are well traveled!

I visited the beautiful Trinity Lutheran Church this Sunday during my week long stay in Austin, it…read moreis confessional Lutheranism at its finest. If you want to commune get there early so that the Pastor can vet you make sure your positions are sound

The music, the message, the people; the Holy Spirit is most certainly doing incredible things here!…read moreWe've been attending The Sanctuary for a little while now and have been welcomed warmly by the congregation- some who drive quite a distance to hear pastor Mike. The sermon is always meaningful and keeps us engaged with funny or heartwarming stories. We visited many churches around Austin and could tell pretty quickly something special was happening here. They have childcare during service so our little guy is playing happily while we get re-energized for our week ahead. We're excited to be a part of this church family and know great things are ahead at our new church home!

I have been a member of The Sanctuary for over 20 years! It is home! We are a smaller…read morecongregation, a more casual setting that is filled w love and God's Holy Spirit! Our pastor, Mike Robertson, delivers profound messages that i can use in my daily walks through life, leaving my heart full of love and goodness nothing like the hellfire damnation guilt sermons I've experienced in my life! Mac Byrum is an exceptional pianist/vocalist who delivers passionate messages through traditional hymns and contemporary music! It's a warm, welcoming place to begin your week. Come join us!

My family and I have been attending this church for a few months, and we love everything about it…read more The pastors, their deeply researched and highly relevant biblical messages, the feeling of community, their kids program, and more. Having attended other churches and finding them either too preachy or too aggressively pushing for donations, Austin Stone West is refreshingly authentic and feels like their priorities are in alignment with what a church should be.

Our family loves The Austin Stone West Campus. We love the way they dig into the Bible and what it…read moresays, and how that should impact the way we live. Our daughter (6th grade) loves to go every Sunday and Wednesday night to the students group. They have groups for all ages and stages of life.

Ok -- one might wonder why I would be reviewing a church for their parking lot, but when you have…read moreto embody the spirit of the Hunger Games for parking when visiting South Congress, you too will be ecstatic when you discover the secret hack. The Church On Congress Avenue is an acting church for the community but they have actually teamed up with Home Slice Pizza for additional parking with reserved parking spots and those are complimentary. Now if you decide to take advantage of these and can have a clear conscious of taking a spot but not dining, that's on you lol. One little hack is to go enjoy the Home Slice Window and have a slice to go for a bit, but I personally recommend their parking donation structure where you can make a donation to the church and utilize their parking lot (when capacity permits). The staff here has always been super friendly and on the weekends they even have a volunteer working and standing ground. Can't recommend this hack enough!

I have attended half a dozen services. The services are very well planned, drawing on…read more the Lutheran tradition. The music is majestic, with traditional hymns. The pastor's sermons are exceptional. The church members are friendly and welcoming. My background is in the Lutheran and Episcopal church. I find this church very comfortable, supportI've and nourishing. SC

I feel like I need to be a little stricter with my stars....this one I would give a 3.5…read more The star rating would probably be higher if I were a wife and had children and a husband...as this seemed like a church that would be considered a "family church". We walked in to the small chapel on the campus of Concordia as they were unfolding a few extra chairs as the room was packed out. Liturgical singing came over us from upstairs (you couldnt see the formal choir, but you you could hear them). It was a very Caucasian congregation. I was a little turned off by the pastor/rector in the beginning. Although, as I continued to listed to his message, in the end it had a strong impact on me and I walked away with a fresh understanding and viewpoint on the topic. He was an older man, with lots of fancy words, but after swallowing our generational differences...I took his words to heart. Communion was open to all who claim Christ whether Presbyterian or not.