finding a church where I felt comfortable was really important to me, and City First has been such…read morea positive experience. From the moment I walked in, everyone was kind and welcoming, and there are so many opportunities to get involved no matter what stage of life you're in. I appreciate how much they invest in helping others and creating a meaningful impact beyond Sunday services. Every message is relatable, encouraging, and gives me something to reflect on throughout the week. I always leave feeling uplifted, challenged in a good way, and excited to come back. Highly recommend!

We love City First Church. It's a very large church with a big congregation…read more They hold events and are very welcoming. They also do so much for the community. And the sermons are touching and to the point and genuine. I always leave with a feeling of gratitude and can apply the message to my daily life.

The Pastor preaches the gospel truth. Small church is nice and gives you a sense of community,…read moreBilingual service of a bonus.

Best church I've ever been a part! We've been attending over 10 years. Love the women's Bible study…read moreand my children love the youth group. Of course, Sunday mornings is amazing with 2 services to pick from. Christmas Traditions is such a wonderful experience and a blessing to the community. We renewed our vows here for our 10th wedding anniversary and my husband was baptized here. So many loving people and staff!

This church is the reason I became an atheist. So maybe I should thank them. But in all…read moreseriousness, I have only recently begun remembering all the seriously messed up stuff they would make us do in youth group. Vividly remember adults making junior high kids of the opposite sex lick peanut butter off of opposing sides of a piece of plexiglass while the 'adult leaders' watched. Making kids drink soda through other kids socks. Blowing raw eggs through a tube into each other's mouths. What a screwed up youth program, hopefully this place shuts down soon.

This is a great place. Their main goal is to do "life together" which translates into everything…read morethey do. It's multicultural and spans a lot of ages as well, so you can find your fit no matter your walk of life. The leaders of the church are wise, kind, have integrity, and most importantly, they teach what's in the Bible. In addition, the other staff couldn't be better people. They go above and beyond in showing love and support. They are very transparent about important church topics like the direction of the church and the budget, and I think the more transparency there is, the better. Definitely recommend checking this place out!

I hate having to write this review, but after the last many years of many people, including myself,…read moreworking with this church to become a safe space for queer people, they ended up doubling down on being non-affirming. It's honestly embarrassing I spent so much time with them and I feel defeated. So I feel it is my fiduciary duty, to warn any queer people thinking about attending here that you will not be safe or affirmed. This church will not have your back in the end. I spent the better part of the last decade trying to work with them, only to have the leadership that seemed to be receptive to me forced out, one after the other. And let's not even start about the financial situation of this church, which is a mess and has been their cardinal sin for decades now as their numbers continue to dwindle due to financial mismanagement and many other things. It's sad to have to write this about a place that had at one point been a very significant part of my life. But sometimes, you just can't go home again. I find spending Sunday mornings at home playing cozy games or going to gay brunch much more spirit filled than church, anyway.

Really nice non-denominational Christian church on the shores of the Rock River. Was invited by my…read moregirlfriend to attend services. Everyone was very friendly, made you feel welcome. Was astonished at how many charity events/drives they have scheduled. Very tight knit group.

This review has taken awhile to write, but I was recently talking to someone about weddings and…read moreremembered I wanted to review them. We were supposed to get married at Riverside on 10-17-15. We booked 9 months in advance and paid in full. My uncle was a member there and we had also met the paster, Bobby, through various family funerals and events. Everyone always spoke very highly of him. The church needed to meet with my fiancé and I to discuss details and a little about ourselves. We scheduled this meeting 6 months prior to our wedding. During this meeting, we discussed (as we had done when booking) our wedding plans and how we'd like to have a very close friend do part of our wedding (mainly the vows). We were told numerous times that it was our wedding and they had no problems with it. Fast forward to a month before the wedding. We were in contact with Bobby about the details of the wedding and how we'd like everything to go. All of a sudden, Bobby decided he had an issue with our friend doing the vows. We had planned this for almost 9 months and had our hearts set on it. The only reason we booked with them was because we were told it was okay. We were basically told that our friend could do a reading and that was it. Needless to say, my fiancé and I were pissed. After informing the church of this, we were basically told to take a hike and we'd be losing our $250 deposit. We had sent out invites and purchased decorations specific to this church. It was now 2 weeks before our wedding and we felt very uncomfortable with this church and felt that Bobby would somehow ruin our wedding if we chose to have the wedding there. He all but told us that he didn't want to marry us. We ate the deposit and cancelled when we found another church available willing to let our friend do vows. We were unable to use half of our decorations, and it caused a great deal of stress. The last thing we wanted to worry about two weeks before our big day was finding a new church. Because of this, we had to send out emergency notices letting everyone know about the change in venue. Two of our family members missed the wedding because they had moved and didn't get the update. After all this, I urge everyone to avoid this church. They're rude and unprofessional. Bobby is very pushy and the woman who handles weddings there was very standoffish and unwelcoming. Not very Christian-like if you ask me. My uncle has since left the church because of it. Stay far away from these guys and save yourself the stress if you're looking for a wedding venue. We ended up getting married at Fischer Chapel at Rockford University and we had a great wedding.

Beautiful church, congregation was so friendly. Pastor Steve gives a wonderful spiritual service.read more

Went to a beautiful Christmas Day service here when we visited my inlaws this weekend. The entire…read morecongregation, the pastor, and the entire staff were so welcoming. I think we literally shook hands and met every single person at the service. Such a warm and welcoming community, we will definitely come back for a service next time we are in Illinois. The church itself looks like something out of a postcard, absolutely beautiful stain glass all over and gorgeous Art Deco lighting through out.

This church really is a family. They are warming and welcoming. They are also not afraid to…read morepreach on difficult subjects with a christian perspective and attitude that reflects the truth of the gospel and not based on the current cultural climate. The worship service includes the whole family Kids, Teens, Adults, and older adults. Singing and learning from the message. I appreciate the care they take with the young kids by having a quick breakdown of what is going to be preached and how the kids might see application in their lives while encouraging families to talk about the sermon together.

It's been a long time that I can say I have felt extremely welcome in a church body. Everyone that…read moreI met had a smile on their face and their hand extended out to shake mine, from the moment I walked through the doors. Every Sunday since my first Sunday, I have felt like I am truly part of a family! The musicians and vocalist are very talented, but most important, the lead pastor there is great at preaching so that it challenges the mind and heart, while speaking a language than anyone can understand by making his sermon relevant to our present day & age. If you've been contemplating about whether or not you should try out of church, I highly recommend this one. You will not be disappointed! #awesomeWayToDoChurch #authentic #RealFamily