I cannot thank Father Shaver and the Church of the Incarnation enough for the incredible kindness…read morethey showed my family during one of the hardest moments of our lives. My brother-in-law was suddenly dying, and in a moment of distress, we reached out to a couple of local churches, hoping against hope that someone might be available to come pray with him. Because it was completely unplanned--and a Sunday right before Memorial Day weekend--we honestly didn't think anyone would be able to make it. To everyone's absolute surprise and relief, Father Shaver came. He was incredibly kind, gentle, and comforting from the moment he arrived. He took the time to truly make an effort to get to know my brother-in-law. My mother-in-law, who attends an Episcopal church in Washington State, was so touched when Father Shaver even recognized and knew about her home parish. His presence brought an immense amount of peace to the entire room, and our whole family was deeply moved by his compassion. We are endlessly grateful to Father Shaver for showing up for us when we needed it most. This is a truly special, loving community.

Warm, welcoming, relvant sermons and excellent traituonal music... lots of families and people of…read moreAll Ages!

This Unitarian Universalist community is a loving and vibrant group. I have been part of their…read morecommunity off and on for over 12 years. So happy to see them in their new church home. This is a place where social change for the good of all people is the prayer. They don't just talk about change but have real impact.

We love this community. We were looking for a church that would be a great place to raise our kids…read morewith progressive values and help us show them what it means to truly live those values in a multi generational space. UUP is that place. Wonderful people, exploring faith and service to the community in an open and brave way.

Truly moving worship experience. Friendly people and lots of activities. Saturday evening Sacred…read moreSpace service is spiritual and uplifting.

The Presbyterian Church of the Roses is an impressive modern church in the Montgomery Drive…read moreneighborhood of Santa Rosa. It has its own beautiful rose garden, with lovely landscaping. What makes the Church of the Roses even more amazing is that it was built in a day- https://www.churchoftheroses.org/history/ That's remarkable. Santa Rosa has both a church made from a single redwood (Church of One Tree), and the huge Church of the Roses was constructed in a single day. A breathtaking feat. In 2006, it was the site of another rarity, a heresy trial- https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SANTA-ROSA-Church-panel-clears-pastor-2540412.php The Presbyterian Church of the Roses is a spacious, welcoming church. Plenty of hospitality for newcomers, guests, and longtime parishioners.

Great little community church! There's usually 100-150 on a Sunday morning. There's heartfelt…read moreworship with great lyrics. Pastor Tim does a wonderful job preaching faithfully from the Word. This is a healthy church. It's a good place to be and a good place to grow. There's truth and love. There's a lot of grace here!

There are some caveats in writing a review of a house of God. There are some precautions that…read moreare... advisable. First off, you don't want to judge, in the biblical sense, others. Now usually I'm a pretty funny guy, but on this one, due to the nature of the subject matter, pardon me if I'm a little more circumspect. This review, and all the other ones I'll be doing as I search out a "HoW", (House of Worship), in Santa Rosa, are and will be aimed at believers. If you don't "get down" with the whole "Jay-Zuhs" thing, move along, there's nothing to see here. My churchy reviews are to be viewed through the prism of a) my faith and b) what I have been used to in the realm of congregational experiences. A little background: I was raised an Episcopalian overseas, which was probably closer to British Anglican than anything else. Think Roman Catholic lite. (All the ceremony with only half the guilt.) Then I went off and was a really crappy human being for about 15 years and then became active in a Presbyterian (USA) church in California, (and tried real hard to not be a crappy human being). Ah, the Presbys, masters of the potluck, though Lutherans and Methodists can give us a run for the money any day of the week and, of course, twice on Sundays. But I digress. So here are the criteria that I think may be useful to you to be able to gauge whether this church is the place for you and maybe your family. 1.) Congregation size: Based on number of people present the day I attended. 2.) Warm Fuzziness: This is how welcomed did I feel. Did people come up and introduce themselves? 3.) Demographics: Age spreads, % of young families, children, racial mix, etc. 4.) Facilities: Seating, layout, AV, etc. 5.) Bulletin/Program/Service Structure: How well the flyer they hand you reflects what goes on during the service. Like the old baseball adage goes, "You can't tell the players without a scorecard." 6.) Preach-a-fyin': This is highly subjective, but it will tell you a little about the pastor who is giving the sermon. I'm of the mindset that says I don't care what else a church has going for it, if the pastor is a gasbag I'm not going to be happy there. 7.) Music ministry: Shout to the Lord, baby! (But do it on key!) 8.) Minutiae: Were the cookies good? Was the offering request heavy-handed? All the other things that can be relevant. Okay, there's the criteria. Now that I've set these down, let me now rate Foothills Community Church. 1.) Congregation size: 60? +/- 10 people. For me that's about right as I'm from a slightly smaller church, though I'm not freaked by a congregation twice that size. No star rating per se, as this is a personal preference thing. 2.) Warm Fuzziness: Five stars! Greeted twice coming in, twice by people in the pews. There's a lot of genuine love going down here. 3.) Demographics: 60% Anglo, 30% Asian & Pac Islanders, 10% other. Good mix of young families, middle aged couples and seniors. 4.) Facilities: Parking in the rear, lots of space. Building and grounds in great repair, church clean and newish, AV platform, good sound, good acoustics, excellent lighting, in general, five stars. 5.) Bulletin/Program/Service Structure: Okay, this is where I may lose some of you. If you are used to having a mix of praise songs and traditional hymns, scratch that. It's strictly praise songs and there is no sequencing in the bulletin. I showed up 10 minutes before the service began. People seemed to drift in slowly over the next 30 minutes w/o any apparent particular logic. Nobody seemed tweaked about it. 6.) Preach-a-fyin': This I'm going to have to split. Five stars: Pastor Tim Swanson, who was not doing the sermon, but running the service. Five stars: Pastor Mark Stone, on content, one star: on time management. Pastor Mark must be ADD or Robin Williams's twin brother. He's funny, intelligent and a brilliant, inspired proselytizer. That said, he ran an hour, an hour into the service. Ended up being a two hour service. It didn't bother me, but if you're a clock-puncher then maybe Foothills ain't for you. Tough? Deal with it. 7.) Music ministry: Solid. Praise songs that were new to me but very, very singable. 8.) Minutiae: Cookie time - One star, no cookie time that I could see. That part of the "fellowshipping" was in my opinion a little weak, but not the end of the world. Offering hit: The bulletin had a nice piece that said: "If you're a visitor don't feel obligated to participate in offering." Very cool. I dropped a sawbuck. For a guy who ain't working right now, it was an act of faith. Yeah baby, I believe. Also, their finances are in the bulletin for all to see. Very Protestant. Note: If you are planning to attend July 25th, 2010, don't. They will be holding their service elsewhere that day. Come back next week. Otherwise, disregard.

Friendly people. Most over 70. Went to join and found that most were atheists, even the pastor that…read morewas there. I was the only one who believed in prayer. I won't go to a Christian church, but I also don't want to go to a mostly atheist one. The Center for Spiritual Living is similarly mostly over 70 and very unfriendly. I give up. I'll just go in nature.

If you are looking for a sense of belonging and inspiration in a community of progressive…read moreactivists, this is a great place. Joining this congregation has been transformational for me. I am not a religious person; what I believe in is community. I have gotten a stronger sense of community from this congregation than from anything else in my adult life. There are so many ways to participate, be of service, learn, and just have fun. Members are deeply caring and fascinating people. I feel so appreciated and valued for everything I contribute to the congregation. There is a strong child and youth program for families with children. Extremely LGBTQIA-friendly. It's a good size - about 230 members, so you can get to know a lot of people but not feel like just part of a crowd. Come for a visit any Sunday at 10:30 and see what you think. You'll be greeted warmly.

I adored visiting St. Stephens. I tend to give 5 stars to any church I don't take any issue with,…read morebut this one stood out to me. The outdoor services in the summer and apparent environmental stewardship in the congregation is lovely. The congregates are very friendly and love to chat with visitors. Pastor Christy is an amazing speaker and the music was amazing. I loved that they supported an interfaith food pantry and, last time I checked, they were working on making a cafe not just for church goers, but for the entire community to come have a social space to enjoy. It is churches like this one that give me faith in the value of religion as a binding force in our lives and in the importance of in-person fellowship (even transcending faith boundaries). I look forward to visiting again!

Love this church! Great for families. It even has a play section in the rear of the church with…read morerugs and toys for small children rocking chairs for nursing moms. Having Christy, a priest with 2 small children of her own, as pastor gives the community a special feel. Her sermons are also thoughtful, challenging and inspiring. Very strong community with engaged members of all ages

Great church! The pastor has an awesome singing voice and real easy to listen to when preaching or…read moreteaching. He is a very transparent man! Also, he really seems to genuinely love each person in the church. Music is lively! People are friendly; like a family. This church seems to have lots of fun activities going on! There is a real focus on church for the children. Last, but not least, one can really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in this church during the service!!

I have been attending Calvary Life Church now for over a year, I have been to many other churches…read moresince I moved here five years ago from Hawaii and to tell you the truth,I have never felt the Holy Spirit so strongly then I have ever felt here at Calvary, the people are very kind and thoughtful, nothing but Gods presence overflows through the ministry and the pastor , and the brothers and sisters here...There truly is the moving of the Holy Spirit here...you can feel His love and goodness and mercy. I was filled with the Holy Spirit in Nov.2013 and was baptized in Jesus name on Jan the 6 2014. Gods word is so powerful, and I have chosen to be a follower and not a fan.. The Lord surely speaks through our Pastor and gives us only Gods truth for our lives...Pastor White truly cares for the flock that he has been given, our future is his commitment,to see that we all be lead to eternity with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. All things are possible to those who believe. A big Mahalo to Calvary Life Church and all they are doing to bring JESUS Glory for His Kingdom.. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1peter 2:9.... Anyone seeking His truth and hungry for His love or just needing to surround yourself with true Christians are welcomed... Bring your family or friends... In Jesus name , to Him we give thanks and praise.amen

Very welcoming church.Thiscwas my brother church who passed away several months ago and they had a…read morecelebration of life for him Everyone was caring and very helpful

Incredible church, my family introduced me to this church when I was young, and even when I moved…read moreaway I love coming to visit, the people spread God's love and genuinely care to check in on me and see how I've been. The biblical teaching is very scripture based and solid. I 100% recommend if you are looking for a firmly founded church with a strong community of humble people seeking to live their lives according to God's word.