LOVE this church. Nice people and very welcoming. A nice ELCA church. Sermons on Saturday night,…read moreand 2x Sunday morning. They are especially known for their Easter services.

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.

To judge a church (thanks Yelp, for a platform to judge not just businesses, but a whole group of…read morepeople, for all time, by the building they meet at) is unjust. Temple Baptist, for the 15 years i went there, has had lots of loving, caring people. Hypocrites attended regularly, too. The attendees at large churches will always range from genuinely loving and caring, to superficial, judging and self-important. Members come and go. Some change for the better, in Christ, and some just stay stuck in self-righteous mode. God says the tell-tale for who loves him is who loves, cares and invests their lives in the poor. It's not a suggestion, but a command. Jesus did it, and Christ lovers and followers are meant to be like him. I really think the Yelp concept is not applicable to social groups. It's not fair to judge a constantly changing collection of individuals.

To Syngin: Your post made me very sad. My father was the senior pastor from 1956 to 1970 when we…read moremoved to Minnesota, so I grew up in TBC. I'm assuming your experience is much more recent than that. I sent your review to the senior staff at TBC. What happened can not be undone, but I hope that it never happens again. I have not been to the church in many years, but I do know the current pastor and his family. I know that both the Pastor and his wife love the Lord and are caring people; but are not perfect people. I hope you can forgive Pastor for getting your name wrong, especially if it is difficult to pronounce. I can not comment on your parent's experience. I don't know what happened, but I do know that the Pastor would never condone anyone being mistreated. I hope your parents will contact the Pastor and share their experience for two reasons: The first is to heal the wounds. As Christians we are not to carry grudges or old hurts. It not only makes our own lives miserable, it damages the cause of Christ. The second is to help the pastor be aware of the problem, and if it still exists, he can take steps to make changes. Kids can be very mean. Unfortunately Christian kids aren't always any different. I hope your note is seen by Sunday School teachers and youth leaders all over this country to teach our children from a very young age that we are to be different. We are to share the love of Christ with everyone. I taught my children that Christians (young or old) are not only supposed to be witnesses for Christ, but we ARE witnesses for Christ. The only question is what kind of a witness, good or bad? Many people will never come to any church, we are the only "Bible" they will ever see. Your review is a good reminder to us all to be sensitive and caring for those outside of our little groups - at any age. Our purpose as Christians is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ's love for us and to share the good news of our salvation. Have a joyous and blessed Easter.

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

About a year ago I wanted to become actively involved with the Temple, but because I am not Jewish,…read moreI cannot be a member. As they're reform, this surprised me because I had been a member of a Reform Synagogue elsewhere. I guess Temple Beth El doesn't have to be that accommodating though, they can choose to follow their own guideline.. But they were nice enough to let me come to Shabbat Services from time-to-time.

Thank you for a easy, quick and friendly pick up!!! I have been coming to…read morefood-a-Rama several years and really found this year a great improvment.

Amazingly beautiful church, accessible as church should be, the church I was raised in. The detail…read moreand quality of the craftsmanship will stand for a long time to come.

This is a wonderfully friendly church. The pastor always has great sermons, and he is faithful to…read moreGod's word. But the Connections Minister is sadly lacking, at least that's been my experience. He is very lacking as far as knowing how to communicate well and productively with the parishioners. He seems to want to put others in their place instead of actually having a desire to hear them or help them. He really doesn't seem to have a heart for serving the Lord in my opinion. This is still a wonderful church for many reasons. But this man needs direction and skills.

Central is one of the best churches in the Rockford area. it's helpful…read morein your spiritual journey and there are classes for everyone during disciple hour. everyone there is super nice and they care about you and what your life story is. I have been going there for 15 years and I love it here! it feels like i have a family of believers to care for me and my journey. If you are looking for a church to go to on Sunday this is a great option for you! there is also a great childcare system for if you have some young ones. Central is amazing and I think you should check it out

Christ Lutheran Church truly embodies the phrase "Where Faith Makes Family." From the moment we…read morefirst attended 15 years ago, people welcomed us with kindness and warmth. Because I did not grow up attending church with my family, I especially appreciated how comfortable I felt learning and growing as an adult within the CLC congregation. We began attending as a newly married couple, and over the years our family has grown to include four children. Our kids look forward to Godly Play (Sunday School), Kids Camp each summer, the weekly Children's Message, and milestone classes such as First Communion and Confirmation. As a family, we also enjoy the programs connected to Pathways, which invite us to explore wisdom, wholeness, and beauty. In addition, we love spending time at the stone labyrinth and watching the pollinator patch bloom each year.