By far the Best Church in the Downtown Portland area. Especially for 20-40 crowd. Very friendly…read moreatmosphere. Great music and vibe. If you live Downtown Portland and looking for a new home I would for sure check out this church.

Finally a Christian church that accepts EVERYONE! Bravo!read more

Three times I have visited this church and three times I was disappointed. I went for Christmas…read moreservice and the congregation sang one song and the rest was a concert with no sermon at all. My other two visits were the same...no service, just musical people singing. the only time the pastor spoke was when he was asking for money, even on Christmas eve; reminding the congregation that they accept debit and credit cards. My advise, if you want to see a concert, go to MCC, if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, find somewhere else to go.

I like it - it's not perfect, but it's good and getting better, in my opinion. I can't compare it…read moreto many other churches because there's not a lot of churches out there for atheist pagans for obvious reasons. But that does mean I can say, from personal experience, that they really are sincere about welcoming people of any faith. While it welcomes Christians as much as any other and Unitarian Universalism did spring from Protestant Christianity originally, it's very much its own thing. Congregation-wise, yes, it is absolutely an aging white boomer church; I am probably thirty years younger than the average and I am not young. However, one thing I will say is that within the year I've been (admittedly somewhat irregularly) attending, which happened to coincide with the investiture of a new minister who I greatly respect, I have seen noticeable improvements about working to attract new people and retain them, and I feel like I'm starting to see the results of that in a few more younger people and maybe a few more people of color? They are definitely conscious of it and they are working to not just be that, but also yes, they are still that. It is sincere in its progressiveness and does a lot of real work in that regard. Entirely LGBTQ friendly, probably not as good at being POC-friendly just because I'm pretty sure there's a lot fewer people who aren't white in the congregation than there are people who aren't straight and in the end there's only so much well-meaning people can do without the affected population there to give them feedback, but certainly intends well. Services, eh. I think they give very, very good sermons. Regardless of which minister, I have never not liked their sermon. The music program does seem like it would be very rewarding to be a member of - they have multiple thriving choirs they are very proud of, and there are clearly many people there who absolutely love the music there - but frankly I'd be happier if they cut it short. But this is very much a personal taste thing, and it just is not particularly my taste. Community-wise, you're simply not going to make long term relationships with people just by showing up to service every week; it's too big a church. They have a huge number of programs running for people to join, and they're what you have to join to make community within the church. There is a weekly newsletter, and you pretty much have to keep an eye on that for the things that you want to be involved in. I know they're working on redesigning the website to be more user-friendly, so hopefully eventually it will be a little less extremely dependent on you getting a giant email once a week and carefully reading it for the sub-groups relevant to you, but right now if you want to get involved in this church I would strongly recommend that you do precisely that. Like most things, what you get out of it is dependent on what you put into it. But it is a good place to put the effort into it.

Soon after my son moved to the Rose City from the East Bay, I asked him what he liked about…read morePortland. His first and immediate answer was "No Blacks!" That unexpected answer was entirely inappropriate and I immediate told him so. His mother was glad that I corrected him, but added that she frankly echoed his sentiment. That conversation came to mind as Gayle and I attended a service last Sunday at the First Unitarian Church of Portland. My son's mother mentioned that this Congregation is perhaps the biggest Unitarian one in the World, and I don't doubt it. The Church grounds take up almost an entire city block and their Elliot Chapel is perhaps larger than most main sanctuaries that I've previously visited. And there's lots of people, progressive programs, and at least 3 Ministers to match. But you would think that a Church with so much going for it in terms of diversity and social action wouldn't be so overwhelmingly (~98%?) Caucasian. Perhaps their new Senior Minister (Rev. Bill Sinkford), the African-American and former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) will help solve this riddle. My ex-wife (a member of this Church) is certainly excited about it, specifically mentioning his Obama-like charisma (with or without any perception of any tokenism UUs themselves abhor). I have been attending Unitarian services since my Grandparents took me to the Nora Church in Hanska MN when I was a child. This Congregation has many of the familiar Church trappings, but of course without any religious symbols outside of the Chalice. Unitarian Churches are also known for their music and I was not disappointed as the Chorus last Sunday was fabulous. The service itself flowed well, and the sermon by the Intern Minister about her adventures in the Transylvanian Mother Church countryside was fun to listen to and insightful. I still have issues with the depth of UU theology and some occasional pedantic psychobabble flareups. However, the atmosphere here at the First Unitarian Church of Portland is comfortable, accepting, and non-proselytizing. This Congregation is also ready to welcome any religious seekers or renegades who care to walk through the door. And as my son follows both his mother's and his father's early UU footsteps, I'm sure I'll drop by when I'm in town to see how he's doing.

Greater Portland Bible Church, a Christian church, has a wonderful food pantry which is open to the…read morepublic on Saturday afternoons. It is frequented by those in need of a little assistance. Quality food is brought straight from freezers and refrigerators from local grocery stores, and is directly deposited into the church freezers and refrigerators. It is only removed shortly before being dispersed among food pantry visitors. There are many happy individuals and families returning each week. This church is committed to doing God's work in the local community.

A Jesus-centered community that is active in their neighborhood. Jesus is the source, the reason,…read moreand the hope of everything we do. To be Jesus-centered means we are a community that points people to Jesus, allowing Him to gently call people to Himself and allowing Him to be the agent of transformation in our lives.

St Andrews is a welcoming community of loving families that care about the bigger community outside…read morethe church walls. The executive director of the local social service agency, Neighborhood House, has declared St Andrews as a key leader in the community supporting the agency's work. The church led the faith community in creating an annual food drive for the Neighborhood House food bank. Members also volunteer with children in transitional housing or Headstart. Every member participates in helping the Portland community in some way as volunteers or donors. This church is open to all and visitors will find a friendly reception. The sermons are thoughtful, provocative, and educational. You don't have to leave your brain at the door, as one of our prior pastors stated. The basic message is one of love and commitment to the words of Jesus.

A loving and welcoming church family that is committed to serving its' neighborhood. Has a very…read moreactive partnership with Neighborhood House, a local service agency.

Everything!! This is my place for friendships. Praise and Worship. Prayer. Living out and seeing…read morereal people living real lives and finding God is with us in all our steps. We are truly one big family. We are the Body of Christ -the real deal. Living the ups and downs of Life and growing with Jesus -the Real Deal. Come check us out. Learn about God. The Truth. The Way and the Life

Really great addition to the neighborhood. Visited All City on Easter and again last Sunday. Very…read moreopen & welcoming including an every Sunday pancake breakfast at 9:30 for everyone, whether a part of the church or just the part of the community. Wonderful music and lots of kids activities. Glad we found it.

First time visiting with the new congregation. I had been to the former church at the same building…read moreas a guest of my father before he passed away in 2019. Coming back to check it out today was a pleasant surprise to see the lot was near capacity, and after staying through the service it was easy to see why. There was enthusiasm I haven't seen since my days in Bible College at CFNI in Dallas, Texas in the early 1990's. Would highly recommend, and they may have to start a second service soon.

Amazing down to earth everyone accepted. Very welcoming very accepting very friendly.read more

Just to let you know, our archdiocese changes pastors in parishes every six to twelve years. So,…read moreyes, there are new priests now. All our pastors are and have been wonderful, caring people. The current pastor, Fr. Niall O'Riordan, brings a bit of Irish tradition and a strong sense of Catholicism. He cares deeply about St. Joseph the Worker and gives his heart and soul to the well-being of his flock. This is a friendly, welcoming parish with a congregation that works together to bring God's message of love and unity into our daily lives.

Beautiful intimate small church outside of downtown Portland. Confessions done on Wednesdays from…read more6-7.