I have been in the young adult ministry of grace church for 6 months, but recently I decided to…read moreleave. There is a toxic culture of reporting each other in the YA. Many YA members say bad words of others to the leader and make the leader revenge the persons who had feud with them. Some volunteer workers also abuse power to retaliate other YA members, such as kick them out of messenger group or exclude them from group events. Last time I had a conflict with a YA member and he said bad words about me to the leader. The leader sent a threatening email to me and scolded me and said if I dare to do it again, he will ban me from grace church. I was chocked of his partial judgement. He even did not know the truth and the whole process of conflict. He just made an arbitrary judgement based on the slander. I have reported his misconduct to the senior pastor and hope he will handle it properly. But anyway I will not go to this church expecially its YA anymore. They are even not real christians. Their minds are full of hatred and malice. I feel it's not like a church, it's more like a police station or jail.

I came to this church as part of my church hopping endeavour in finding meaning in life and a…read morecommunity to do life with. It's been by far one of the most enriching, knowledge satisfying and kindred churches I have ever been to in my life. Would definitely recommend to friends and family who are curious to know more about the Christian faith. Location The church is located on a busy intersection of college and Jarvis. There is a Tim Hortons across the street and Allan Gardens right next door. Getting to the church is somewhat convenient if you are talk the street car (stops right in front of the building) or if you live nearby (what a wonderful stroll). It is also just a few minutes to walk to from college subway station (although in winter the few minutes seems much more longer). Since I live uptown, I have been driving down to this church through Yonge street. Not as convenient as if it were located off the highway, however, there is plenty of free street parking on Sunday mornings nearby off the streets. Did I say parking was free?? Service Service starts at 10:30am and goes until noon. There is free coffee and cookies afterwards and an open gathering session for further dialogue with the pastor after service. The service start time is pretty ideal for me, not too early and not too late. The sermons are also not too long, which is great for someone who is unable to focus for too long. What stands out for me with service here is: first the worship band and music - the musicians here are quite talented; and the focus on the bible teachings within the sermons - this church is quite theologically advanced in comparison to some other churches I have been to. There are a few different pastors who preach which gives a great variety on the sermon styles. The main pastor is Pastor Dan MacDonald, who was previously a lawyer, so you will see his logical and rational style reflected in his sermons. What I love most about the sermons here, is that they always end with practical messages of how we can apply what we have heard into our lives. I also love the fact that the pastors are open to having Q and A sessions with the congregants, which is not typical of many churches. Atmosphere The atmosphere of this church is semi-relaxed, open and communal. They focus quite a bit on building communities with a number of small groups you can sign up for after service and regular social events that connect people with each other. There seems to be quite a large population of Young professionals who go to this church and diversity of church members is somewhat mixed. There is a sense of a strong structure in terms of the backbone to this church as they have an elders, diaconate groups and discipleship and membership town hall meetings. I think the fact that is Presbyterian is probably what gives a somewhat formal feel to this church. Building This location was first opened in October 2017 after what looked to be significant renovations to the interiors of the building to the original Old St. Andrew's Presbyterian church. This building is absolutely beautiful and was originally built in the 1800s by the same architect who built the other three churches in that same block of land that surround the Allen Gardens. The interiors include simple-yet-elegant features of stained-glass windows and the main sanctuary has absolutely beautiful arched ceilings. This building is a real work of art.

Grew up at this church, this church has grown so large. Huge sanctuary. Have a multifunctional gym…read more- thy do host some sport events such as badminton or volleyball that is open to all. Lots of activities for all ages. Toddler care available. Sunday school programs for all ages. Sometimes it is difficult to meet people since it is such a large church but they do encourage you to join a small group to get connected! Parking can get a bit hectic. There is new comer parking available at the church but they do encourage people to park at the nearby GO stations where they have bus shuttles to the church.

We visited the church on Wednesday afternoon, when we came back from an event. We only caught the…read moretail of the mass. The church was like cathedral, really European style. We came in the church with my baby's stroller, we needed to use the elevator,but we didn't get to know how to control it, a stuff was pretty nice to help us. We had a quick visit, and got the father's blessing as well for my baby.

I am a Roman Catholic and was able to talk to Father Gerard but he's so Rude and Racist, even not…read morefrom the church but I was taught to be respectful by my parents especially to elderly but he said " I can tell from your tone and accent that your not from the local area " I'm not sure what's he's problem but this the kind of priest that you're not allowed or entice to believe every word of god that comes to his mouth.

This review is more nostalgic than anything. I blame the pandemic…read more This summer, I have visited practically every educational institution that I attended in Toronto, except for where I took Cantonese classes. I drove by St. Matthew's Anglican Church a couple of Sundays ago and decided to pull over. I spent my Saturdays at this church from when I was in grade 3 till grade 10. I had asked my mom if I could enroll in Chinese school. I was quite the kid growing up. I always wanted to learn and I haven't changed much. In a local Chinese newspaper was an ad for Cantonese classes on Saturday afternoons at St. John's Anglican Church, which was a part of St. Matthew's. St. John's was aimed at Chinese-speaking folks. St. Matthew's had services all in English. My mom signed me up and I was so happy. My parents had it easy in this regard. I loved learning that they never had to push me into it. I probably aggravated them in other areas... haha! From the outside, St. Matthew's looks the same. It's picturesque with old trees surrounding it. It was nice to learn that it was deemed a heritage site in 2008. The church was first built in 1890. The architecture is Gothic Revival. I made my way to the entrance at the back of the church, which is the main entrance. I was thrown back to when I was eight years old, heading to school. The difference is that there's a badge system installed. Since I had missed Sunday service, I could not go inside. I did take a look through the window. Memories flooded in. It looked the same from my vantage point. The church office was across from me. To the left were stairs going up to the gym. We had recess for fifteen minutes. Each Saturday, a parent had to volunteer to serve drinks. Between my mom and my dad, my mom always fulfilled that duty. The drinks weren't fancy -- orange Tang is what we got. When I do have Tang once in a blue moon, it throws me back to being here. The gym was also where we had special occasions, such as an award presentation at the end of each semester, Halloween contests, and more. I remember getting a knife cutter as an academic award in my second semester with the school. It was odd giving a sharp object to a kid, but it was a nice gesture. Classes were first held all over the church. Eventually, the basement was renovated to house permanent classrooms for Cantonese and Sunday classes. I ended my time at St. John's in a classroom at the far right of the basement. Good times. We did have fifteen minutes of church every Saturday. Service was conducted in Cantonese in easy-to-follow concepts. I enjoyed the hymns and singing along. A few of us were musical and we were asked to play Ode to Joy during one of the services. I ended up doing it on the recorder. I spent many years here and have fond memories. St. John's eventually grew so much that it moved out of St. Matthew's and is somewhere in North York these days. St. Matthew's is still thriving with services throughout the week. The sign outside the church has the old St. John's part hidden. Although the Chinese is still there, it's a bit misleading because no services are offered in Cantonese at St. Matthew's. Next door to the church is Matthew-John Daycare, which formed just after St. John was a part of St. Matthews. It was nice to see it still alive and kicking, with a cute playground. I ditched taking private Cantonese classes for getting high school credit for them instead. My foundation for high school Cantonese was thanks to Cantonese classes held at this church. It was great dropping by to reminisce. (365)

The most beloved sacred spiritual inspiring oasis of Toronto, with the greatest authentic…read moreiconography and hymnology as well the great genuine Pastor

The first Church Greek Orthodox in Canada painted iconography by monks from Mount Athosread more

Came here for the candlelight concert with a friend. It was a lovely experience and I definitely…read morerecommend trying it. I think section D is good enough. We sat on left side of stage but I think I would recommend right side next time. If there is a piano piece then sit on the right side so you can see it as left side will be on top of them. It was really well done and perfect to enjoy with friends, family or a date. Just get there early to secure your seat as it's first come first serve.

Beautiful church, went here for a candlelit concert. Has 2…read morefloors, balcony and main floor. Audio travels throughout the church very well.

I find this to be a warm & welcoming church with solid biblical teaching. Rev Drew and Rev Anne are…read moreboth wonderful and talented speakers who have helped me grow in Christ. Sermons are on YouTube. The 5 pm service on Sundays is casual...if you are new and hesitant, I would recommend trying this to start.

Be in the church, always make me feel peaceful, regardless I am a Catholic or not. Each church is…read moremore than an art or knowledgeable architecture.

Is it odd to review a house of worship? Is it more odd to write a review since I'm not exactly "the…read morebest catholic" and my church attendance lately seems to be limited to Christmas, Easter and weddings? I think, maybe? At any rate, this review is less about the priests and the services and more about my long affiliation with this church. I was a member of this parish from around 1990 until sometime in my late teens, early 20s. The building was always beautiful and a younger more ADHD Kris U always had something to distract him between the intricacies in the ceiling, the beautiful upper balcony and the massive stain glass windows. Truly a beautiful and HUGE church and ahead of its time for the late 80s /90s. The main reason we came here for years was the services, the music and the amazing pastor (Father Bill). Father Bill (now retired) was the heart and soul of this parish, commonly including jokes and references to Toronto sports teams successes and failures in his homilies and during end announcements. There wasn't a mass you went where you didn't think "I wonder what he'll say this week?" Plus his dog walked down the aisle by his side each week and sat on the alter with him. So cool! And remember this was the 80s/90s, both dogs and jokes were super new for the church. I had my communion here, my sister was baptized here and the Christmas nativity scene each year was of all of Bethlehem, not just the manger. Lots of great memories here and that's why this church will forever be 5 star in my heart!