My family belonged to a great church in Chicago. It took us about a year to find and decide to join…read morethat church. So we were dreading having to start that process all over again when we moved to Rockville. After a year and a half of sporadically checking out at least 7 different churches in Maryland, we heard about GCCC expanding to Tysons. Initially, we thought it would be too far since we're coming from around Shady Grove Hospital. But taking into account the lack of traffic on Sunday mornings, it only takes us about 20-25 minutes. Why was it so difficult for us to decide on a church? My husband is a non-believer who's curious to learn more about Christianity. We needed Pastors that we can relate to, connect with, be inspired by, and most importantly, be people who would make us WANT to go to church and listen to them every...single...Sunday. Pastor Steve, Pastor Sam, and Pastor Phillip are all quirky, funny, and relatable in their own ways. They have been so welcoming to all the newcomers to the Tysons location and you can really see the heart that they have for God, His people, and the mission of the church. We have 3 young kids (age 5 and under) so we needed a great children's program for each of their age groups. Believe me, there isn't a shortage of kids at this church. But despite the volume and what I would have expected to be complete chaos, the Children's Ministry has everything under control. Security is very important to them and they have a great system in place where every child is accounted for and no child would be released to someone who shouldn't be picking them up. My two older ones will have their days of not wanting to be separated from Mom and Dad, but they come out of their classrooms every Sunday with a big smile and so excited to share with us what they did in class that day. It's exciting to see that our kids would be growing up and becoming (hopefully) lifelong friends with the kids in their classes. My husband and I wanted to meet people who are in the same life stage as we are, families trying to survive the early years of child-rearing, and we have met so many great families with kids the same age as ours. But I realized that it's important to get to know the other folks with older kids too (they will be our mentors on how to handle and teach our kids as they grow older) as well as the younger/single folks (who plan fun activities outside of church where we can pretend we're young again.) I've never been apart of a church where there are so many official and unofficial events for people to bond outside of church. I can see that this is a place where your friends become your family, and we want to be a part of that. Now that we have become regular attenders, we are really enjoying getting to know everyone on a deeper level and opening our palates up to all the different restaurants in VA that we Marylanders never venture out to try! And I know we'll never have to dine alone because the people at this church love to eat!

Been at this church from the beginning... There are definite unique things about the church so I'd…read morepoint them out. 1. The church is mostly transplants from other areas. I think that helps to enfold new comers. There's really no "old timers", so everyone feels like they can fit right in even though they just moved to the area. 2. There's strong ownership of the church by the members and regular attenders. The standard 80/20 rule doesn't apply. More than 50 percent are involved in some sort of ministry... And many in multiple ministries. 3. The leadership truly demonstrate humble servanthood. You will see them in serving in children ministry, moving equipment, setting up each service week and week out ... 4. The church still feels 'small' and where newcomers can still find space and place. 5. There are strong desire and practice to serve the community... 6. Of course, there are plenty of fun folks!

St. Joseph's is a close-knit community, which started us off with wanting to know who we were. We…read moretold the congregation, and they welcomed us. From there, inside their lovely church, the Mass began and we were all given a homily we won't soon forget- engaging, moving, thought provoking. This is a wonderful Catholic parish.

Fabulous! Brought us back to attending on a regular basis. Wonderful choir, uplifting music,…read morenice, welcoming and inclusive.

What a cool experience here today Ms Maggie was wonderful and is filled with all the history of the…read moreepic landmark! From the selling and renting of the pews to, General Lee and his wife worshiping at this church! Her stories were wonderful and I could have listened to her all day. The church on the inside was so beautiful and truly a sight. My hubby and I really enjoyed the impromptu private tour we were blessed with today. Amazing is an understatement:) if you are visiting old town Alexandria this place is a must see!! If you are lucky Ms. Maggie is your tour guide

One of America's oldest sacred worship spaces is located right in the heart of old town Alexandria…read more This was the church where George Washington and Robert E. Lee were members of, as well as other historical figures. It is still a place of worship today, and it has been beautifully restored to its 18th century look. The tour guide was very informative, as he was answering everyone's questions about the details of the church. Gift shop was not open during my visit. What I found very interesting was how dated this place was. A lot has remained untouched, with of course the exception of electricity and such! I was not familiar with small pulpits and box pews (you know, the ones with doors). There is also a small graveyard in front of the church, including a mass grave of Confederate prisoners-of-war who died in nearby hospitals during the Civil War. The church served as one of the few places to worship for U.S. Army chaplains during that war. Several early U.S. Presidents have worshiped here on occasion, mostly during the 19th century. I was part of a Gray Line Bus tour from DC (which also went to Arlington and Mt. Vernon), and this was our only stop in Alexandria. I'm glad I had the opportunity to come in to this amazing piece of history. Hopefully, you too.

Pastor Wesley is amazing! What a blessing God has bestowed on him. He is great and involved in the…read morecommunity. He is approachable. A great orator!

It was nice attending Easter sunrise service today here. Dr Judy Williams gave the sermon "After"…read moreand was truly a good word. If you ever want a seat in the sanctuary I would imagine you'd have to get there 1.5 hours ahead of time. We were in one of the many overflow rooms. The ushers were very helpful and the congregation very nice. For the massive about of people, it was well organized. Parking is hard, we were able to find a spot a couple of blocks away.

The Basilica of St Mary's has established a museum inside its lyceum. The lyceum is where the…read morechurch offices are. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is a permanent exhibit on the history of the oldest Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of a Virginia. The museum tells a wonderful story of the history of the Catholic church in America , Virginia, and Alexandria. Many famous (and a few Infamous) people have been members or visitors to St Mary's. Notably, George Washington donated money to St Mary's parish to help establish it. George Washington believed and supported religious freedom of all faiths. George Washington's aide-de-camp, John Fitzgerald, was an early member of St Mary's. Fitzgerald was an Irish Merchant who has a great place in history of the Revolutionary War and the founding of the city of Alexandria. Recently, the city tried to erase the memory of John Fitzgerald by removing his name from the now renamed Waterfront Park at the foot of Prince Street because Fitzgerald owned three slaves. The history of Alexandria is undeniably the history of America. No bureaucrat is going to diminish or distort Alexandria's fascinating and complicated past. The museum spends a fair amount of time explaining how the Catholic colonists brought Catholicism to Maryland and how it spread throughout the 13 colonies. It also discusses its past church leaders and the many different buildings where the church and school were housed. In the 1920s, St Mary's leaders created a black Catholic Church, St. Joseph's, which is in North Old Town. Alumnus of St Mary's will appreciate the exhibit on the school, which shows photos of former students and teachers, especially the Holy Cross nuns who operated in the school until around 1990. The Basilica of St Mary Museum is suited for all ages and faiths. If you're a history buff or a local Catholic, you will learn a lot about the history of the United States and Catholicism in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Please visit and stop by the museum and church.

I'm not Catholic, but I had the chance to worship with friends here. It was wonderfully friendly…read moreand the building beautifully maintained. Definitely worth a visit.

The Chapel Center is an amazing ministry with committed staff of ministry professionals. During a…read morememorial service, they were compassionate and diplomatically kept visitors in compliance with mil regulations. There was no cost to use their chapel.

JBAB's religious center is a gem for this base. There is a large multi-use chapel church space for…read moreboth protestant and Catholic services (possibly others, I did not inquire). A gathering space, classrooms, and pastor/staff offices on-site too. I asked my host if the Blessed Sacrament was on-site and they thought that it wouldn't be. I was pleasantly surprised to find a small chapel room titled "Blessed Sacrament" within the facility and was ecstatic when I found the door unlocked and the Blessed Sacrament -- Jesus! -- within. It appeared by the multiple information tables that the community on Bolling is quite robust, especially St. Michael Parish (part of the JBAB). Daily Mass (except for Monday) and reconciliation available. Religious education, Bible Study, homeschoolers group, and more too.

This church is one of a kind. It's one of the most diverse churches I have ever been to and the…read moreabsolute best thing about it are the people! They are all so genuine and sincere. Everyone treats you like family without that common "recruitment" feeling. You leave this church feeling refreshed and renewed. I also forgot to mention, we have a friendly fellowship meal every Sunday after church. It fills your spirt and body. Come visit and you'll see. They also focus on individuals on Temporary Duty Assignment and First Responders. Nice website too!

I was going through a tough time in my life. The pastor would walk behind me and hit me on my…read moreupper back real hard as he said " hi how are you? " I felt that It was malicious and out of some kind of anger that was unknown to me. Every Sunday that I showed up, I would get a real hard hit on the upper back. I had a meeting with the pastor in an effort to try and find a conclusions or Bible verses to help. After I calmly shared my story the pastor stated " that never happened to you." " I was then dismissed. What pastor treats a parishioner in that manner?

I stumbled across this church while taking a community related class in its basement. After hearing…read morechoir rehearsal a couple of times, I decided to pay a Sunday visit. If you like that small, reach out and touch your Pastor and Congregation, this is the place for you. Folks are welcoming. The 1st Lady can "sang". The Word is alive and presented with applicable analogies.

Living Word Church is a wonderful church in SW DC to Worship! The members were very kind and…read morewelcoming and made my daughter and I feel like family from the first day we walked through the doors. This church have opened their doors to the members of the community with spiritual food as well as natural food and every day needs. I Love this place of worship, the Spirit of God dwells there!