Everyone needs a safe harbor from the daily grime of life or struggles presented to us. I came to…read moreknow the congregation of St. James CME through their Sunday School hour. The people are so genuine in their faith and honest in their worship. Coming from a background of Baptist doctrine, I actually felt at home! The first time i witness their affirmation of faith brought tears to my eyes! If you need a safe harbor in the midst of your storm, take it from an ex Chairman in a Baptist Church, you are welcome here.

I am not a member of this church but I had the good fortune to meet Senior Associate Pastor Ken…read moreWarren of this church. He provided a powerful eulogy at a funeral that I attended and I was very moved by his heart felt presentation of the deceased. He was eloquent, compassionate and moving and really provided the support the family needed at that very trying time. I am not sure reviews are necessarily appropriate for religious organizations but I felt something needed to be said.

Fantastic place to worship and hear God's Word taught. The staff, lead by Pastor David Dykes is…read moreawesome.

Had the pleasure of speaking with TOM on the phone who is at the Lindale location (there's a couple…read morelocations so be careful you're calling the correct one). Tom was super kind and respectful. I look forward to visiting both locations in the near future.

Pastor Allen Townsend and his beautiful wife Julie are sincere,…read morepassionate and committed in their faith and relationship with God. They have a heart for God and for the people they serve. I truly believe that there is so much more to come out of this church, the amazing leadership team. Some of the best teaching you will find.

Great music. Pastor appears good. BUT No Grace. Seems…read morefriendly and accepting. But if you sin, which everyone does, you are basically snubbed by leadership. At that point, the pastor will become a different person. GRACE is not practiced there. Which what Jesus was all about. I've never been so devastated, betrayed and hurt at a church as I was here.

This was the nearest Church of Christ congregation to my place of work when I got off on Sunday…read moreevening. They do meet on Sunday evenings (some in small groups in various homes), but some of them do meet for a Bible study at the church building. They also offer "make-up communion" on Sunday evenings for those who may have missed it Sunday morning. The people here are very friendly & welcoming, & I recognized a few faces from other churches in other towns. I will probably be visiting here again in the future!

Hmm, disclaimer! I'm actually qualified at this point to write about Brewtones, which is from what…read moreI can tell, the Vineyard's congregation-hall-turned-small-venue for concerts. After troubles from Googlemaps in getting there -- some craziness involving that U-turn at Rice, but oh wait the directions totally flip you around and it's at the other corner of the intersection -- we grabbed a bite to eat at Jason's Deli and headed over. The first thing we noticed was the mass of Indiekids gathered around the front. A different breed from their hair-in-face cousins the Emokids, the Indiekids are armed with mullets and gently used, fashionable-again apparel from Goodwill. It's ok though. 'cause the crowd was nice: lots of manhugging going on around here. There's a foyer area with couches and a beverage bar. It feels comfy. Beyond this area is the main hall. More couches. Pleasantly dim, though I'm hoping that's a little different on Sundays. I have to say this was the most personal concert I've ever attended. I had thought that Emo's inside stage in Austin was great, but this one takes honors. Sure it was a church concert, but I definitely got my money's worth. Acoustics were spot on for the space the sound had to fill, and you could sit or stand and feel close to the band. An aside, the lighting fixtures were awesome. What I thought were vines strung about the dull, 30watt chandeliers were actually Christmas lights filling the shades. Totally a home project I will never get around to. Cheers, Vineyard! Be fruitful!

Old school meets new school. Traditions for Today. A church grounded in the area and Biblical…read moreteaching with a heart to reach out to the community. In a world that is so uncertain and ever-changing, this church is working hard to be a place that makes disciples and welcomes all those who want to seek and find. Worship styles are a positive. They have a top notch old school style in the amazingly gorgeous sanctuary and a state of the art worship center which rocks the house with local musicians and worship leaders.

There is a place for everyone at this church. There is a traditional and contemporary service…read more There are opportunities for Bible Studies and small groups. The youth and children's programming is excellent. Most important, the members are welcoming.

I am retired and was getting bored not having something to do on a regular basis. A friend…read moresuggested that I volunteer at the East Texas Food Bank. I decided to give it a try and found it to be such a positive and pleasant experience that I have been back every day since starting. The people there are wonderful, friendly and helpful. The really big bonus is the way that I feel in giving back to the community and helping kids get some good nutrition in the process. The folks who work there have actually begun to feel more like family than anything. Do yourself a favor and volunteer. You will Enriched by the experience!

Me and the family we volunteered and work Saturday to help and everybody was wonderful and great…read moreexperience