I was very moved by what Chris D. wrote. I really don't know where I would be if I hadn't started…read moremy practice of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo out in California years ago and continue to this day because it helps me to change for the better so that I can have a better day - every day which adds up to a better life. Problems now help me grow, learn and become stronger. It's a completely different way to live. I'm happier when I search for the Buddha Nature in everyone - including myself. It's an inspiring way to live.

There are many paths we follow in life and there are always obstacles and difficulties along the…read moreway. When the door of the SGI Kansas City Buddhist Community Center are open you are always most welcome to step inside. However, you should be prepared to change your life for the better if you decide to check it out. In the spirit of full disclosure I should note that I am a member of the SGI. I will never forget the night I walked in to the community center as a permanently angry, broken and spiritually bereft human being. An hour later I walked out knowing what had been missing from my life. I shall never regret first hearing the phrase: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

I just started to understand the Hindu religion and community. I've been fortunate enough to know…read moresomeone who knows the caretakers here and we got a personal tour when we went. The woodwork and design is just gorgeous. Even if you don't practice it's still a beautiful to look at. I plan on coming back for an actual service on a Sunday.

I had visited quite a few churches in the Liberty area but I just didn't feel satisfied. Finally, I…read moreput a post on Next Door asking if anyone knew a pastor whose teachings were comparable to Charles Stanley. One respondent mentioned First Baptist Church of Kearney. I have been going for a couple of months now and I love it. The respondent was spot on. I love the sermons. They are full of teaching and meaning, and give you something you can use in your everyday life. The pastor stays solid on biblical TRUTHS and when the sermon is over, you have no doubt in what he is conveying.

I had never met the senior pastor Ken before. When my family met in his office to discuss my…read morefather's funeral, at one point, as things sometimes do in times of mourning, the conversation got tense. Instead of helping us take a step back and be a peacemaker, he made me (at 49) feel isolated, alone and chastised like a 12 year old boy. In addition, in his message for my father almost the second after he said, "I don't mean to be political" he followed it with two politically charged statements in is remarks. Unprofessional, unpastoral. Would not recommend. Will also make sure to share this message to others. Thank you to the many who after speaking to them about this were brave enough to tell me they have either experienced the same, heard of the same or worse left the church because of a similar experience. Will not attend again.

Our family (husband, wife two kids under age 10) are members of this growing church. It's been a…read morewelcoming church home for us. The pastoral staff provides meaningful worship, the members are friendly and the church offers an extensive variety of activities for all ages of adults, seniors and children (both social and Christian education activities). There is a lot of social interaction in this congregation - including an online social network for members called Unifyer. On Unifyer, groups post needs and prayer requests as well as meeting info. The pastoral staff and members blog about sermons, new ideas, etc. A new website is in development for spring 2010. Pine Ridge has a great praise band and contemporary worship at the 9:15 service. If you prefer traditional (organ, bell choir, etc.) you can find that at the 11 a.m. service. If you want just the basics, the 8 a.m. service is meaningful but keeps it simple. Sunday school is held at 9:45 a.m. for all ages. The new sanctuary, built in 2007, is very comfortable and offers outstanding acoustics. The church hosts free music concerts (professional musicians, choirs, organists, etc.) several times per year called the Pine Ridge Concert Series. The social hub of the church is a wonderful coffee shop on the main floor called "Holy Grounds." Members and visitors can grab a latte or smoothie between services. It has been a great place for members and visitors to meet and socialize. Pine Rige has great community outreach and mission partnerships (and volunteer opportunities) with Hillcrest Ministries, local food pantries and soup kitchens, Disaster Asistance, Harvest Gleaners (we harvest leftover food from local farms and donate to Harvesters). The church also sponsors Living Waters, a mission in Guatemala to provide clean water to a small village community. Babies and preschool aged children enjoy our cry room off the sanctuary, angel choir, Parents' Day Out and the new Pine Ridge Preschool. Elementary aged kids enjoy Sunday School and Logos on Wednesday evenings. Middle school through high school youth enjoy excellent TAG and SOS programs, which meet on Sundays for Christian education and social activities and outings, as well as mission trips across the country to help those in need. Visit www.pineridge.org for information or call the church at 741-5118.

The Parents Day Out daycare program is awesome! (We do not attend the church, although it seems…read morelike a nice, welcoming community with a lot of activities.) Initially I took my daughter to a different drop off daycare, but she started getting clingy and crying at night. Obviously not a good fit, so we took a break for a few months until I decided to try again at Pine Ridge. Since day one (Jan 2015) the only crying is when I show up to take her home. She is so happy here. All of the children are happy here, eager to go to "school." It a very loving and nurturing environment with a good balance of activities, including recess, crafts, music class and story time. They are very patient, even with a little one who is a handful and earns frequent time-outs (that would be mine). But she is learning to share, take turns, sit down and listen to instructions, etc., while having fun with her peers. Next year she will attend the pre-school in the mornings (same building, separate program), but will come back to Parents Day Out for the afternoons.

This place was awesome! Very retro and fun. The bowling alley is very cool and we all had a blast!read more

The St. John Catholic Club is like stepping back in time and finding yourself in a hidden treasure…read more Yes, it is part of the church and is used for church-oriented events, but it's also able to be rented out for whatever situation you think you want to have and believe me, what you want to do you can do it in glorious fashion. In my situation, a friend decided to rent the club for a New Year's Eve celebration, which went smashingly. The club itself is stuck in the 1970s. You walk in the door to old church league posters, trophy / plaque winners, etc... After walking through a small hallway you find yourself in a mini bar complete with wood panel walls, old neon, fold out tables and chairs. There are a couple of tvs in the corners that you could tune to whatever your heart is set on and a decent system that can pipe in some tunes. We chose to listen to an old classic rock radio station because it seemed to go with the theme. The club does offer some small bar snack-type food for sale, but does allow and recommends that you bring whatever food that you want to serve. Also of note, he club's liquor license allows it to sell beer (they had a decent selection, Bud, Coors, Boulevard, Heineken and some obscure Bosnian beers because the church is an old Bosnian church,) however since they're not allowed to sell hard liquor they did allow us to bring it in. The crown jewel of the club though has to be once you're inside and you look to your left... there's a six lane bowling alley. Yes, you read that correctly. We basically transported ourselves into an old 1970s bar and bowling alley and since we rented the hall we could play unlimited games. Feel free to let all the Lebowski quotes fly because we did and I/we would willingly do so again. The St. John's Catholic Club is a perfect small event space for your celebration needs and I simply cannot sing its praises loud enough.

Our family feels at home at the New Reform Temple. We were married there and our daughter attended…read morereligious school at NRT. Our Friday night Shabbat services are wonderful, featuring Becky and Nathan Bliss' music. New Reform Temple offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere.