This church is truly incredible. The sermons are grounded in truth, the people are kind and…read morewelcoming, and the pastors genuinely care. I joined their small group and have gained so much insight into emotionally healthy spirituality. You can feel the church's sincere commitment to the well-being of its congregation. I came and stayed during an incredibly painful season of my life and God has used this church to heal me in ways I never even knew I needed.

A truly welcoming place with a strong sense of community. The messages are inspiring and rooted in…read morescripture, and the worship is heartfelt. Finding this church has been a blessing. We have been attending services for the last couple years and it has helped my daughters (10&6) and I find Jesus. Whether you're new to faith or looking for a new church home, this is a great place to grow spiritually and connect with others.

I have been attending this fellowship for several years now and always feel at home…read more The people are very welcoming, and I especially like the fact it is a liberal church and is involved in social justice issues. The services are held outside in a peaceful grove and the music's nothing less than amazing. It feels so good to finally find a group of like-minded people in this big fast-paced city of ours.

As agnostics, we were really intrigued to recently learn about the existence of Unitarian…read moreUniversalism. And, I can say with certainty that we would like to visit again. It seems to largely fit what we are looking for. As new parents, our desire to make the world a better place, even in small ways, has grown... We are also in search of additional positive influences to help guide our son as he grows. Outlets for community outreach is also something we want to do, and there seem to be many opportunities for that at UUFSD. The notion of being given a topic (sermon) to reflect on, even act on, is something we are attracted to as well. Learning more about the UU at the orientation was a real highlight for us. To be honest, we are still a little uneasy with some of the characteristics of a traditional sermon (words like faith and religion, prayers, and hymns -though from a musical standpoint we were impressed with the talented musicians and vocalists). But, both my hubby and I found the entire experience to be positive, the people welcoming. Our son also enjoyed the child care from what we could tell. After, he was chatty and smiley... Even with missing his nap. As an ICU nurse, unfortunately, my husband has only one Sunday off in the next 9 weeks. So, another visit might be some time from now. But, I thought it was well worth writing this review. I don't think many people our age know about this type of organization... This type of "church." This agnostic was drawn in by the principles and FAQs outlined on UUFSD's webpage. And now the experience today has us looking toward the future and how the UUFSD might fit into our lives (and hopefully our awkward schedule).

1. music is far too Loud. We've now met several others who have complained of their ears ringing…read moreor hurting. If hearing loss didn't make life so much harder for people, I would not have brought this up. 2. prefer more Gospel songs rather than only Praise music 3. Pastor Bob is phenomenal, but sermons far longer duration than any church we've been to across the US.

I love that fact that now we have a 9 am service. Not 8 which is sometimes a struggle to get to,…read morebut perfect at 9. Love grabbing a cup of decaf after I drop my lil guy in class and curling up and settling in to what I know will be a needed message. Enjoy the cucumber water on a hot day. Love the smiles and friendships and the way the Children's ministry cares about our children. My son loves his Sunday donut after class and it's a great way to start off the week to come and to remind me of what is truly important and real.

My wife and I were looking for a small Bible church, so that we could get to know people and avoid…read moregetting lost in a large crowd. This is the perfect church for our family! The church we went to before was so big that the pastor could never remember us, even though we talked to him many times. At Beacon's Bible church, we have found a true church family, with solid Bible doctrine and Christian fellowship. Pastor Mike and his wife Starla go above and beyond to get to know all of the church members, and provide exceptional pastoral care. They have services at 10am on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesdays at 630pm with dinner served. They also have Men's Bible study, Women's Bible study, and Children's and Youth Ministries.

The pastor mentioned in the previous review passed away about one year ago. A new pastor, Mike…read moreChaves, has filled nicely as interim pastor. The messages are inspiring and the music is uplifting. UPDATE - Mike Chaves is now the full-time pastor. Services have been outside on the lawn for a year. But, they will soon be taking place in the newly remodeled sanctuary soon. Online services are also available.

Calvary Lutheran is such a welcoming and uplifting church! This is a place where you can grow…read morespiritually. I highly recommend visiting!

Wonderful Christmas Eve service! Not over done and the love of Jesus was in this church. The…read morecongregation was very welcoming and and the pastor was very kind.

This is a very welcoming church. I love that they are a community of diversity with a deep passion…read moreto serve the lord and others. I think it's important to make not that this church is located in a school! I think people can get confused when arriving & seeing a school rather than a church building

First, I should note the following: I am agnostic and think Christianity is bullocks. Given that,…read morewhy did I attend a service at Ethnos today? I was duped. Somewhat. A friend of mine started attending Ethnos over the summer. She claimed she was atheist, and that she went for curiosity's sake. I internally groaned and thought, "Noooo, they're going to get to her too! Damn it!" Yes, I fully admit I'm a bigot when it comes to one or two things in life. Anyway, last week I asked her if she was still going to the weekly services. MK indeed was, and told me all about the previous sermon; it seemed pretty interesting and had little to do about religion. She claimed that the pastor rarely touched upon religion and usually just philosophized for an hour or so. When MK told me this week's topic was sex, I thought, "Hmm, maybe I should check this place out." And I did. As we were approaching the entrance this morning,she gave me some surprising news: "Uh yeah, for the first hour we sing." Uh, thanks for letting me know that in advance. Singing and me have a rather unpleasant relationship. Thankfully the lights were turned low and not everyone was singing along. A non-singer such as myself could feel quite comfortable just listening to the music. I should also note the music was very lively. And my friend was wrong- the music session was 30 minutes at most. Following that was a prayer session for 10-15 minutes. We were supposed to get into groups of 3-4 people. Given the fact I only pray during sporting events, I just chatted to MK and her friend. No one seemed to mind. So props for that. Finally came the pastor and his talk on sex. He chose to focus on Proverbs 5:1-23. I thought it was a pretty sweet passage and even us heretical agnostics could apply its lesson to our lives. I liked the sermon until the pastor's solution in handling sexual frustration: turn to God. When he elaborated, he actually chose some Pslam that said "right hand" and I thought that was appropriate. Unfortunately he wasn't making an innuendo to masturbation; had he done so, I would have immediately decided to make a return visit. The pastor wasn't as liberal as me, and still insisted that one should wait for sex until marriage. Yeah, that's when I remembered why I'm not a church goer, and the "Give me a freaking break" line started to run over and over through my mind. So overall, it is a pretty nice service. It isn't SUPER liberal, but it ain't Pat Robertson territory either. And lastly, if anyone tells you about Ethnos, and claims religion is downplayed here, DON'T BELIEVE THEM! (just to make it clear, last line was a joking reference to my friend, and not anyone directly related to Ethnos)

Was looking on the net for somewhere to go with my weekend visitor on Saturday night, and came…read moreacross a performance of Orchestra Nova's performance of "Masterpiece Messiah" (with the Hallelujah chorus) at this lovely large church in Solana Beach. What an immensely friendly crowd. Everyone was full of Christmas spirit and big smiles and the church had lights and decorations and well-dressed people and, well, it was just what I wanted for a Christmas event. The church grounds are enormous, with very modern buildings, and their masterplan was displayed inside, showing their future projects. The chorus was bright and cheery and the soloists (soprano, tenor, countertenor) were very good. The audience was appreciative and we all joined in the Hallelujah chorus. At the intermission they served coffee and pastries and cookies and everyone stood outside on the upper patio and froze in the 40s temperature until time to go back in . (Actually a nice break cause it can get a little stuffy when a church is jam packed full.) So hooray for the Presbyterians and their presentation of Handel's masterpiece. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

I was married here 28 years ago and just recently attended a memorial service. When I was married…read morethis church kind of resembled an office building. Nothing too spiritual or enlightening about the décor at the time but boy has it changed. Beautiful grounds and open airy church with a little chapel for smaller services (such as the memorial I attended) They have many programs and activities for those who want to become active in the church. They even have a shuttle to pick you up if you are unable to drive. The minister at the service I recently attended was lively, interesting and progressive. It really takes a special occasion to get me in a church but after revisiting Solana Beach Presbyterian I may rethink that.

My first visit to this church was for Mass on a Sunday evening (5:30pm). The building and grounds…read moreare nice, and a statue of St. Therese "welcomes" you on your way into church. When I entered the church before Mass, a hospitality minister greeted me warmly and made me feel welcomed. The church interior is bright and well lit. The wall behind the main altar is all glass, with a south facing. Overall, the architectural feel is a contemporary interpretation of a California mission. I was impressed by the music ministry at this Mass, as well as the diversity of the congregation.

ST THERESE OF CARMEL @ DEL MAR…read more Parking was easy to find throughout their entire lot, and my friends and I had no trouble finding a spot on a Sunday during the 9 AM mass. They offer several masses throughout the week and on weekends, which are easy to find on their website. The church itself is beautiful, and the staff and community were incredibly friendly. We were greeted warmly, and there were lots of kids, which made it feel welcoming and lively. The priest was kind and inviting, and I really enjoyed the service. I also loved the architecture, which it's stunning and adds to the peaceful, spiritual vibe of the church. Conveniently located in the Del Mar area, I would highly recommend visiting if you're looking for a welcoming Catholic church.