While the church and grounds are absolutely lovely and the history is beyond noteworthy, this…read morereview has to do with renting the church and hall for a funeral/celebration of life. I would also like to note that I am a meeting and event planner and have been for over a decade, so this review comes with industry experience and knowledge.
We were extremely disappointed in our experience with Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church during one of the most difficult times for our family. We rented the space ($700) to celebrate the life of our loved one, who was tragically murdered, and at our very first meeting, the onsite manager, was rude and condescending, which immediately made the process more stressful than it needed to be. It seems that he and the coordinator do not speak or have meaningful communication regarding on-site events. She did the initial emailing and coordinating, and he was the individual that we had to deal with the day before and the day of our event. Despite that, we had to move forward in good faith, believing a church would approach a memorial service with compassion and care. The day before the service, we visited so we could understand the layout and finalize details like seating, flowers, AV, etc. We were there for around 15 minutes. Given this was all done over email and we had never seen the inside of the church or event hall, a visit prior was needed. This is very standard practice in the event industry, and anyone would be remiss to not have a walkthrough prior. A few days after the service, we were astonished to receive an email from the Reverend himself (who was NOT even onsite the day of our service or the day prior during our visit) requesting an additional $200 for additional cleaning and wanting to see the hall the day prior. This was especially upsetting considering the care we took: we scoured the kitchen counters that were used (not required to do so), put back every single object that was moved as exactly as it was, returned all chairs and tables to their respective places (we were told that would not be necessary), donated all of the remaining catered food (~$100 worth), and donated the altar flowers (~$195 worth) for next day's services. The only cleaning needing to be done was mopping of floors, and with snow and salt being tracked in because of the time of year, the level of cleaning needed would be the same whether there were 12 people or 60; mopping would be required no matter what, and frankly, standard for any room rental. It should also be noted that the church is open to the public so cleaning would happen no matter if there was an event or not. The only issue I saw was more trash, we started gathering the bags to help and were told no.
In the midst of grieving, our family acted respectfully and responsibly. To receive a bill ($200) afterward for what felt like very minor matters, like showing up the day before during open hours, was both shocking and callous. A church should lead with grace, especially when serving families experiencing loss, and sadly, that was not our experience here. Based on how we were treated, I would not recommend this church for any paid services. In our opinion, they would be better served using the benefits of their tax-exempt status to improve staff training, staff etiquette, and overall approach so that grieving families are met with compassion rather than condescension, fabrications, and additional charges.
It should also be noted that the on site manager came into the hall during our reception and was taking photos of our mingling guests. That was off-putting for many reasons. He did not ask, and it was highly inappropriate.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4), but only IF you don't ask a single question for clarity, clean up after yourself, and give $200 more.
10/10 DO NOT recommend.
