I'm the first to review MY church! :) LOVE this church. Everything about the people and what they…read moredo is amazing. Beautiful church and an amazing congregation led by the best pastor, Rev. Newberry! If you're looking for a church to try, come visit us! We love everyone and are way too nice :)

From hearing 100+ sermons from the pastor- Poor preaching, not very theologically sound, more fluff…read moreand stories than actual meat and biblical teaching. Sadly have heard the pastor complain publicly (to the people whose tithes pay his salary) about his wages on numerous occasions. He gossips and talks poorly about people behind their backs. Does not practice what he preaches. Massachusetts is tough to find a good church, but there are better.

I love this church. The preaching is wonderful. The preaching team has been preaching through the…read moreBible starting with Genesis for over two years. It's biblically sound. Not based on politics. Very diverse. A reflection of the Kingdom.

Some context: My wife and I have been attending this church since last year so I have a reasonably…read moregood perspective on the church and its people. I hope you find something useful. Last year, my wife and I went on a serious local church search, partly because we want to have a regular place to worship and be involved, but to be completely honest, even more important to us, we wanted our yet unborn son to grow up with strong Christian influence and a youth program. We tried about five churches in Hudson and Marlborough, then based on a relative's recommendation, drove a bit further and tried Grace Baptist in Shrewsbury. We wanted a multicultural environment, especially for our son and we had a hard time feeling really comfortable anywhere until we visited Grace Baptist for the first time. I appreciated the traditional worship. Although it is a mix between praise songs led by a worship team and traditional hymns, it still has a reverent vibe that I appreciate. The pastor's wife, Monica sings with the worship team that is lead by Jonathan, a young man with a great voice. Usually, before individual song selections are announced, Jonathan will quote a Bible passage relating to the song's message. As a special treat, another John plays the euphonium, a mellow brass instrument that sounds a lot to me like the trombone. The church has an excellent regular pianist that plays on an electronic keyboard with a decent simulated piano sound. Her solos during the offering are often quite moving. Pastor Conway Campbell and his wife are originally from Jamaica. Their two boys are both starting to participate in the worship and are seemingly very musically inclined. One sometimes subs in on the piano and one plays drums via an iPad. Their daughter, along with most of the children, sing in an ensemble for special music programs. We hope someday our son can be a part of this, but for now he is only 4 months old. The church seems to have thriving youth program called Awana. The pastor is a warm, gentle man that preaches directly from the Bible. After every sermon, he invites anyone who may be inclined to invite Jesus into their hearts. I have seen this done from time to time in church, but never every week. To me, this clarifies the pastor's intentions. He wants people to be saved. He has been exceptionally welcoming to my wife and I, and even visited our newborn son at our house a few days after he was born. We missed his hospital visit because my wife and baby were discharged early. The church has Sunday School, morning service, evening service, and different youth and adult programs throughout the week. Our son has been well taken care of in the nursery by one of three different caring people that rotate every week. One woman, Jean, knitted him a beautiful winter outfit complete with hat. A personal highlight to me has been the 4 times that different people have become official church members during different Sunday morning services. The candidates share their testimony in front of the church body and each time has been moving. I hope I've touched on some of the different aspects of the church that you may have wondered about.

What a fabulous place to go and worship. We have only been attending church here for about 8 months…read moreand already feel like we have been members for life. The sermons are relevant and inspiring, the clergy are approachable and engaging and the parishioners welcoming and friendly.

Best Church on earth. I've been a part of staff for 5 years and have never felt more loved.read more

From the owner: We're a gathering of imperfect, real people that aim to love anyone and everyone. Life is messy…read moreand rather than running away from the mess, we run towards the mess because we know that all of us either were a mess, are currently a mess, or are one dumb decision away from becoming a mess. And when we were our messiest version of ourselves, we didn't need someone to judge us. We needed someone to take us just as we were. That's what Jesus was about and that's what we're about. So in our church, it's okay to not be okay.

Was day tripping in Worcester & we stopped in for 7:15pm Saturday mass & they were doing a lovely…read morenovena to St. Francis Xavier. I was feeling anxious & depressed for a few days prior but this lifted me, beautiful music/sermon & felt welcoming & inclusive. Had to use bathroom & realized they have a homeless shelter downstairs. This made me feel they were serious about Jesus's love of those in need & helping them out. I really felt the love of God here...

This is truly a word church,which is awesome. The Spirit is…read moreElectrifying. God bless the leaders of this church Because,it's a spectacular place for worship.

I love this church. It's non denominational and the people are so friendly. They are non judge…read moremental and accepting of everyone. It's worth going to at least once. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed

Wonderful inclusive welcoming community. I miss my church having hard time finding one in Florida…read moreto take its place.

1 st UU of Worcester is one of the larger UU churches in the area. It's size may play into feel…read morethe visitor experience. First of all the role of greeting visitors appears to be assigned to the greeters and pastor. Expect polite nods from everyone else. The music was professional and soothing. The readings helped me put the experiences of my week in perspective. The sermon was both intellectually and emotionally engaging for me, providing a mix of philosophical underpinnings and illustrative real-life stories. This is not typical of a UU sermon so this might not be a regular feature of sermons at this church. Afterwards at coffee hour, people gathered in lively conversation. My I-am-sort-of-lost-here look did not work to get me into any of these circles. However, most of the little exchanges were polite and friendly. Finally, I found the welcome table. Had a great conversation and was introduced to other people. Overall, I enjoyed my visit. I like to me able to observe before meeting people, so this formal approach to visitors worked for me. I plan to return to enjoy a few of the many activities offered to adults.