on fire for Jesus! These folks are the real deal. May God richly bless them and their mission!read more

This church is truly a beacon of accountability, which is essential for the body of Christ. We're…read morenot meant to walk this journey alone--our purpose is to help and support one another. There's so much to learn here, not just about life as the world teaches us, but about living according to the Word of God. I've personally experienced spiritual growth, and I no longer behave the way I once did. If you're looking to grow not just in your faith, but also spiritually, mentally, emotionally--learning how to manage your time, practice self-control, speak wisely, and know when to be silent--this is the place for you. Here, you'll be held accountable, challenged to become a true disciple of Christ, and equipped to walk in obedience to His calling. If you're ready to step into your purpose, this is the church that will help you get there.

We had our costumed Halloween wedding reception at Second Unitarian, and it was the perfect venue…read morefor us. The admin Kate was very friendly and responsive, and best of all, she was totally cool about rescheduling our reception to an entire year later because of covid. I also found the venue extremely affordable for its size and how nice it is; of the three we saw it was the cheapest but also our favorite. In terms of the space itself, the beautiful church windows lend a gothic aesthetic and look great for any wedding (especially a Halloween one). We had about 100 people and that number comfortably fit in the sanctuary seated at long rows of tables. I'm very glad we found this venue, and would recommend it to anyone.

Having lived in Madison, Wis. during my freelance musician career days, I was a frequent performer…read moreat the Frank Lloyd Wright Unitarian church there. I remember being inspired by the welcoming embrace of the Unitarian congregation, and would never turn down the opportunity to play a service. It's been many years since I've stepped inside a church on a Sunday, but this past weekend my friend, EW, was the preacher for the lay-led service at "2U", so I decided to check it out. There's a welcoming coffee hour, so get there 15-mins. early and you'll be greeted with some friendly faces before the service. There was very little that was traditional about the service, overall, as it was dedicated to "Facing Your Fears"- something I've made a pact with myself to do in 2011. Within the first five minutes the preacher said "feel free to shake what your momma gave you" with someone saying "shake it don't break it" in reply. This is not your parent's church! (Unless your parents literally go here). There is a real sense of humor here, an openness to all people and faiths, and it was easy to feel at home, even as a newbie. My friend EW did a reading for the kids from "the Monster at the End of this Book", then launched into her sermon on facing her fears. This was a lay-led service, that church volunteers may lead. The whole service tied in incredibly well, and afterward I felt more grounded than I had in a long time. I hate to generalize, but "self-actualization through faith and community" might be a good boilerplate phrase for Unitarianism. When times are tough, a faith community can help get us through even the roughest patch. You don't have to go it alone. Since this is the year of Transformation for me, I will definitely be back from time to time for community support. And the welcoming atmosphere at Second Unitarian can help me along my path with a smile, a song, and a Hallelujah. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOoEYxt0PPA

The pastor is very nice and the sermon for Easter was great! Would definitely recommend to anyone…read morelooking for a new church.

Crossroads provides a great place to worship, grow in my faith and enjoy a community that supports…read moresharing Christ's love with the neighborhood we are a part of. The focus of the church is Christ and the what the Bible teaches. That said, its definitely not my parents' church, with the guitar-led songs and the fact that I am totally comfortable wearing jeans on a Sunday. There are lots of ways to check it out or get involved beyond attending the service on Sunday morning, such as tutoring refugee kids, rec league volleyball, small group Bible studies, or fellowship events like karaoke. If you are looking for a place to learn more about Christ and His love for all of us, I couldn't recommend Crossroads highly enough.

Lutheran churches are becoming all to scarce - my home church and the one following that have gone…read morethe way of many and been sold to other denominations. Have visited many others but recently attended a service at Edgebrook and found it comfortably warm and inviting. Will definitely visit again.

Such a great congregation and beautiful church. Pastor and staff are supportive. My son and I enjoy…read morethe family oriented service with the band.

How do you begin a review for a place and a group of people that have changed your life? Having…read morenever been much of a church-goer before, I started coming to Redeemer Chicago when it was just a fledgling congregation meeting once a month. Now, they have two contemporary services at 9 and 11:15 a.m. I was initially attracted by their three stated goals: following Jesus, empowering 20 & 30-somethings, and changing lives. This church actually practices what they preach! This is a diverse congregation in every sense of the word and that diversity is welcomed and embraced. The sincerity with which Redeemer does most everything is endearing and inspiring. This is a place to grow spiritually, emotionally and socially with others who are interesting and interested in knowing you.

I've been coming to Redeemer Chicago since it first opened. There are so many cool people I've…read moremet, and it's been really exciting to see lives being impacted through this church. This is a 2nd site planted by Redeemer Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL. You can tell because it is similarly welcoming and friendly. This is a cool "middle" church, drawing folks from both the conservative and progressive ends of faith, folks of differing means and ethnicities, and folks on every stage of exploring faith and who Jesus is.

My husband and I love First Free, I have been attending since I was single back in 2003. I had…read morevisited quite a bit even prior to that when I was in college. The people are real, that is one thing that stood out to my husband. It is a diverse group of people, the arts and music are good. For me Pastor Bill is real, humble and not just someone up on the stage. I have always found First Free to be a safe place. I appreciate the ways they reach out to all of the community.

Well, I hate giving a church anything less than a 4 or 5 star rating, but I have some personal…read moreobservations that are very important to me that keep me from rating this church any higher. My one really big concern is one that I'm sure some will find equally important and some will dismiss as a non issue. First I'll start out with a minor observation that although it's not very important to me others may find it fairly important so I'll mention it. What I'm referring to is a pretty lukewarm welcome. There was a nice young lady at the door when I entered the church and a couple men just inside the entryway who smiled and said hi and that was the only welcome I received from anybody. Personally I don't go to church to make friends and am there almost exclusively to hear the Word of God through the sermon that the Pastor preaches. For other people who do want a warm welcome when they visit a church this may be an area that this church wants to consider making some changes to accommodate those peoples feelings. Now on to the reason I don't feel I can rate this church any higher. When I visited a few weeks ago the Pastor was preaching on family and at one point he read a verse from the Bible that stated along the general line that if a person divorces and remarries they are committing adultery. At that point he did acknowledge that yes that verse is an uncomfortable one for many people within the church and then he quickly moved on to other points. I'm not coming at this point from a holier than thou attitude since I am divorced and I'm sure if he'd have expanded on the subject I'm sure I'd have been kind of uncomfortable and squirming in my seat some, but hey I'm there to hear the Word of God not what I necessarily want to hear so I couldn't have complained if he had discussed this verse that could affect so many people, myself included. My problem is I honestly believe the churches of our society are almost becoming more like social clubs instead of places we go to hear the Word of God preached. Nowdays pastors seem to want to preach the parts of the Bible that give their congregation those nice warm fuzzy feelings, but won't take a stand and preach on the parts of the Bible that make their congregations really think about where they may really need to adjust their beliefs or actions. I do believe it is appropriate to preach those warm fuzzy parts of the Bible, but I also believe that ALL of God's word needs to be preached even if it makes the people in the congregation or the preacher feel uncomfortable. Maybe this was just a one time thing, but to me it really reminded me of so many other modern churches who are unwilling to preach about sin since people don't like to hear that. Hopefully I'm wrong in my assessment of this church, but this is my honest feelings on this church. I think a person could do worse than attending this church, but I can't help wondering if maybe this is just another "social club" like so many of our other churches. I honestly hope my impression of this church is wrong and I wish them well, I just don't feel that I'll be returning.

Love the in-person preaching. It's not in-person every Sunday, but more and more often it is. Love…read morethe singing and praise time before and after the service. The leadership appear to be trying hard to increase the frequency and intentionality of the communication as well as community engagement and opportunities for others to get involved. I have observed a youthfulness in the congregation and although a transient group (related to university and college attendees), there is also a contributing membership made up of young professionals and seasoned city dwellers. Handicapped will struggle to get up the stairs to the main worship area as there is not an elevator or lift. There are often people who can assist. They are welcoming to all. We found this church within walking distance of our apartment soon after moving downtown. It is fundamentally solid with contemporary praise and worship.

Seriously disappointed by this place, especially amid all their scandals...and they've only been…read morearound a few years! I'm glad that after having bee raised in a church that has survived 2,000 years, I can always go HOME to the Catholic Church.

I was a newcomer here and I was very warmly welcomed into their community. A small-ish church…read morearound 40 people. I loved it! Highly recommended to try this church.

At a very significant time in my life, the Church of the Epiphany was there for me. Several years…read moreago, the very friendly and spiritual congregation/parish members opened their hearts to me. And I am much appreciative to each one personally. Additionally, I was able to sustain happiness, peace of mind, faith, and Jesus's neverfailing love from my periodic visits especially on Sunday worship services. Personally, I am always touched by the people of God everyday. The Church of the Epiphany effectively provided my soul with nourishment as a practicing Christian and spurred me on to the true and eternal life our Father in heaven has promised to us. I also appreciate the abundance of Kingdom wealth just from the few strategic people that I met at random during a short time. The partnerships were very fruitful and genuine I believe. Truly the Lord was with me during those hectic and lonely times. You are loved. Lastly, your faithful service and ministering is a beautiful blessing to the community.