I love going here!!…read more It's a great church with loving and truly caring leadership and volunteer team. The church goers here are from all walks of life. It's not your ordinary church and I do agree with Brandy on a few things however the most important aspect of Christianity is to love like Christ loved us. I love the fact that the church dose not play politics, in fact it's refreshing to me. If your looking for a strike and flavorless church this is not the one for you. You will need to put in what you want out of the church. This church is self is open and very welcoming. These a coffee and tea bar. If it's your 1st time let them know and you get a drink on the church. You also will have your own parking spot. They also have an amazing child care/Sunday School. There's different rooms for different ages. My daughter LOVES it. It's very joyful to me when I ask my daughter what she learned today and she's mentioning the Bible and showing me what she made. The lady who runs the Sunday School is not messing a round one bit. I feel extremely safe dropping my child off. The teachers are amazing. HOH currently has 2 very knowledgeable, very talented and down to earth pastors. The church has a few different elders that are at the church but not very known unless you ask to speck to some one about faith or something else The teachings are easily relatable to any one person no matter what's going on in your life at that moment. The teachings can easy be applied into your daily life and make you feel good about your self facing Monday mornings and that week. The music is not boring old people music at all. The music is very upbeat and sounds more like a Christian rock band at times. I really LOVE the music, I'm sure we can thank the fact that both of the pastors are extremely musical inclined and are part of the band itself. The church has a great website that is updated regularly and you can watch weekly teachings and see what's new online you can also give you weekly tides online as well. HOH is filled with a very nice people that are willing to help you no matter who you are or what your facing but you need to take the 1st step and ask as the church is not pushy and is very relaxed. The services are: Saturdays-5pm (no during Summer months) Sunday- 9:30 & 11:00 am If you come by ask for me Mick I volunteer for first impressions team and Compassionate Care I would love to meet you and show you around and get you that free drink.

This church is way underappreciated. I can't believe if doesn't have 25 five star reviews by now!…read more My husband and I found this church community in early 2009 and were so happy to have a relaxed atmosphere, good teaching, fun music, and some technology in the service that isn't attention grabbing but gets the job done. People dress cool but not pretentiously, and if you walk in a little late there are still plenty of comfy chairs to go around and no one will make you feel bad for those ten extra minutes of sleep. I am inspired by the church vision -- "live fully, love deeply, give freely." That pretty much says it all to me in a world where people often live as if tethered to fear. Freedom!!! The pastoral team is intelligent and talented, but without over-intellectualizing a topic. I like Jed's real, conversational way of speaking and I always took a few points away from me on even the most hackneyed of themes. The team that does the programming and design for the publications and slides during the service are highly talented. Set design changed with the different teaching themes (why yes, they *did* suspend a bed from stage during the series on sex last year!) and I was always happy at the way Harbor unselfconsciously integrates the arts into their programming and services. I also appreciate that the church has a wide range of people, from young families to teenagers to more "experienced" folks.... and for a place as seemingly white-bread as Chelmsford, there's a bit more than the normal ethnic/cultural diversity as well. I can't remember why we had a bit of an issue when we first tried to attend; I think the mailing address listed on their website is different from the actual street address. They're located in the Chelmsford Mills across Princeton Street from Bainbridge's Restaurant. There are always good signs pointing the way on Sunday mornings before the services (Sundays 9:30am, 11:00am). An extra hat-tip to Tom, this guy on staff who teaches a "Financial Peace University" course on Dave Ramsey's financial material. Cheesy name, but fantastic information. The class is 13 weeks long, 3 hour classes once a week and it's a big commitment but your life will be totally different after taking it. I think they typically host this class once or twice a year. Big thanks to Harbor of Hope for being real, honest, and unafraid to talk about some uncomfortable things with aplomb.

Grace is a Missouri Synod Lutheran church in Nashua NH. The pastors are empathetic, and know the…read morecongregation. New people are warmly welcomed. There are programs from small children through young adults and adult education. Daycare during services is available for young children. Youth group activities include service outings. There is a Full Time and Part time pastor. If you're thinking about Christianity, they are open to discussing it, and have classes to teach the Missouri Synod Lutheran flavor, and how it plays out in services. Services are blended (traditional and contemporary). Two services during most of the year, 8:30 and 10:45am.

I have been at this church for 31 years. This church is my family and I know you would feel the…read moresame. So please join us and see that we are family oriented and God focused.

Yiassou! I really enjoyed the October 2008 Greek festival at St. Vasilios in Peabody. It was the…read morefirst time that I made the effort to drive to St. Vasilios for any reason. The enormous white-clapboard church definitely looks WASP New England, which it formerly probably was. There is a huge social hall/community center attached to the church. The community is active, loving, family-oriented and welcoming to newcomers. Unfortunately, the church was already locked up for the evening so I didn't have a chance to see the interior and light a candle. Next time. I was happy that the festival was indoors, with a good dance floor, not broken-up parking lot asphalt. I also liked the fact that it was in October after most of the other Greek festivals were over. The food and pastries were terrific, made by the parishioners. The Makredes Ensemble has got to be the best Greek-American dance band in New England. I enjoyed their variety of dance music as well as the fact that they didn't drag on for 20 minutes with each kalamatiano, the Greek national folk dance that gets everyone up and moving. The Pontian Dance Group (from the Black Sea area) and their musicians were great. Their dance performances and native costumes were really well done. I appreciated the fact that they came back to the floor and taught their native dances to the festival goers. I also really appreciated seeing so many dancers (mostly non-Greek) from the Dance New England folk dance group--they really were some of the best dancers on the floor! They give such energy to the festival. I was only sorry that the dancing began so late (8:00pm) and that I had to leave at 10:00pm. I swear that some of the dancers who are Italian have Greek blood from their southern Italian ancestors. I was also impressed at how many people, especially men, were dancing and packing the floor! So much kefi! At too many of the festivals this year, there were very few people dancing, and even fewer men of any age. Only one thing annoyed me: the greasy smell of frying loukoumades (Greek fried dough which I love) permeated the air and made my clothes smell dreadfully for a couple of days afterward. THAT is one of the advantages of an outdoor festival--the frying loukoumades can be situated far from the action. It was a great festival overall and a wonderful way to end the 2008 Greek festival season. Kai tou xronou!

Beautiful church- Father Chris is friendly, warm and kind. We enjoy decorating the church every…read moreyear.

I am torn because for the reception hall - 2 stars, for the church -5 stars. This is a very quaint…read moreNew England church where the pews are boxed and very intimate. It was very reasonably priced and you can bring your own officiant/justice of the peace to marry you. They do not care what kind of ceremony you have which is great and it is extremely reasonably priced. They have been doing renovations on the church and there is a new room right next to the altar where the guys can stay. They have a reception hall adjoined to the church so your guests can either walk through an indoor hallway to get to the reception hall (if it rains) or walk outside down through the church steps (if it is nice and sunny). Again, this is very reasonably priced and where I had my reception since I was allowed to choose my own caterer and there is a full kitchen (this is so key if you're going to hire your own caterer, it makes it so much easier for them and less extra things you have to rent). The reception hall has beautiful wood floors and provides tables and gray conference chairs (another cost gone). They have both round tables, which fit 8 people each and rectangular ones. Now for my 2 stars... Only allowed beer and wine - no hard liquor. That's ok, because I still had an open bar even though I was not allowed my favorite St. Germaine, I said ok. Not allowed to hang anything off the chandeliers - ok, I understand that. Not allowed to affix anything to the walls - ok, that is in generally how it is with most places. Laurie (church coordinator) - She is, how shall I put this delicately, quite a difficult person to understand. I had an issue where I hired a photo booth, a perfectly safe one, and rather than call me, she immediately called my caterer (Two Chefs) and complained that she knew nothing about it. She didn't even know what a photo booth was. Now, I didn't realize that I needed to tell her about the photo booth, there was no stipulation in the contract that said I needed to tell her all the details of the wedding, also, I felt like most of the time, I was the one taking the initiative to tell her about my wedding. Basically, if you want to work with her, be prepared to feel like you're tiptoeing around glass. I didn't enjoy that feeling, especially since she kept making snide comments about things to me. I have enough stress as a DIY bride but I just gritted my teeth and smiled through it all and was extra nice to her. And at least she always got back to me and kept all of my notes organized. Linnea (sexton) - She is a very nice lady, but some of her comments rubbed my wedding party and me the wrong way. She is not used to the different kinds of ceremonies yet, so she has a very cookie-cutter way of doing things and seems to resist a bit when we suggested other ways. David Evans (event coordinator) - 5 stars. I wasn't introduced to him until the day of my wedding and not only is he handsome and kind, but he genuinely wanted my wedding to be perfect. I was so happy that he was appointed to be our event coordinator. Frankly, I wished that he were the person I was dealing with the ENTIRE TIME. While we were there he spoke to the cops and a random lady who tried to come into the reception. Oh, and be ready for the cops to show up because the FPCU is right next to an ex-police chief's house and he hates noise, flashes and fun. He definitely has a giant stick up his bum. So when you are having your reception or any event, he will always call his buddies in the police force and try and shut it down. Luckily, Dave explained the situation to them. Seriously, ex-police chief, get some pliers and get that stick removed asap. My honest suggestion - have your ceremony in the church because it is beautiful and there is a nice park area across from the church for outdoor pictures, but have your reception somewhere else. There are neighboring hotels that will host your reception and treat you much better than I felt I was treated here.

Can you really write a review of a church? I have to give this church 5 stars by default, it's the…read moreone that raised me. But I'm not going to comment on the services -- that's entirely too personal and, honestly, I don't think that ever should be "rated." If you're interested in mystic Christian traditions, Greek Orthodoxy might be appealing to you. If not, then it's not. Here's the thing about my home church. It's located in The Acre, once the stronghold of immigrant labor working in the mills, now arguably one of the worst areas in Lowell (basically it's the projects). But as this is Lowell, the people are really quite nice and the neighborhoods aren't that bad. The Transfiguration Church (aka The Trans) is smack-dab in the middle of all of it, very unassuming yellow brick on the outside. But it's one of the best-kept secrets in the world. It's like sparkling geode of a place -- you crack the shell of its bland exterior and outside architecture to reveal one of the most amazing and ornate monuments to religious art in America. The entire interior of my home church, floor to wall to ceiling to dome, is totally covered in real glass and gold tile mosaic in traditional Greek Byzantine style. It took something like 30 years to complete, all spearheaded by the late spiritual father of the community, the Very Reverend Father John Sarantos, whom the street is now named after. (We all called him Father John.) He was a man of extraordinary vision who believed that the highest religious experiences should be matched by heavenly art -- made entirely and painstakingly by hand by the best artists. The art of the church was the extraordinary work of one man, Robert Andrews. In his work, everything shimmers and sparkles, the walls and ceilings breathe and ache with human hopes of heaven and eternity. I am not exaggerating when I say there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING in America like it. The church's website is very old and hasn't been updated in forever, but it does have some (rudimentary digital) photographs: http://www.transchurch.org/mosaics/mosaic.asp Click the "east view" for an idea of what it's like. As I said earlier, I grew up in this church. Every Sunday I would gawk and stare in awe at the mosaics surrounding me, it never ceased to amaze me, even now. Every time new people come to the church -- visiting for whatever reason -- there's this phenomenal silence and amazement that comes over them when the church comes into their view. Their jaw just drops. It's a complete sensory overload -- art and religion melding in ways that are not normally seen in the Christian world, or in the US in general for that matter. Folks are just shocked that something this ornate and otherworldly exists in a Christian sphere--most people think of stained glass windows and white walls when it comes to churches, it seems. If you're ever in the area for the Transfiguration Church's Greek festival in the summer, they often give tours of the church. If you're not familiar with Byzantine art and Eastern Orthodox Christian symbology, such tours will help you understand what you're looking at (why certain images appear in different places, the function and purpose of the placement of certain icons -- absolutely everything has meaning, believe me). If mystic traditions of the East intrigue you, the Trans will give you a lot to think about. The Transfiguration Church is the pride and joy of Greek-Americans in Massachusetts and of the Lowell community. I feel extremely honored and humbled that I grew up in a place as extraordinary as the Trans, and that it was my second home for all my formative years.

Absolutely gorgeous church with incredible mosaic iconography. This parish is located in the heart…read moreof Lowell and serves the community as best as it can. They recently opened a community center where they serve meals to people in need. It's a great community with an incredible priest at the helm.

We felt right at home in this warm, welcoming parish, and especilally by the Reverend Kate. We were…read moreexcited to see our first grandson being baptized in this beautiful church with the kind of love and support from the Trinity Episcopal Parish. My husband and I wish we lived closer so we could attend the services every week. Highly recommend checking out this wonderful community of welcoming people. The world needs more kindness and this is the place to find it.

Welcoming parish and wonderful events including the annual Festival of Trees the first full weekend…read morein December, and the yearly Silent Movie Night featuring live organ music. Trinity also hosts Artist in Residence Theatre To Go which produces three plays each year.

Very welcoming Catholic church. Beautifully restored and expanded church and parish hall…read more Wonderful, down to earth pastor and priests. Combined with St Anne's Church in Littleton, MA in collaborative process. Plenty of onsite and street parking. Restrooms in parish hall. Handicap parking near parish hall.

This church is spectacular - engaging sermons, friendly and welcoming staff, good music and timely…read moresocial justice initiatives. I recommend this church without reservation.

After our children were born my wife and I began looking for a spiritual home. We had drifted…read moretheologically from our Congregational upbringing and thought Unitarian-Universalism might be a good fit. We had visited several area UU churches, but hadn't found quite the right spot until we walked through these doors. Folks were just the right amount of friendly and we loved the culture of thoughtful respect for everyone's individual perspective and spiritual journeys. We'd found a home for thinkers and dreamers, believers and skeptics, and both Red Sox and Yankee fans, although probably not too many of the latter. I often joke that I didn't have to invent a religion that respected me and my values, it had already been done. Simply put, the UU Church of Nashua has become the home we were seeking in our quest for our best selves.