It was my first time going to St. Cecilia's. I couldn't believe this church is 99 years old!…read moreThey've definitely kept this place in good condition! St. Cecilia's is located in the heart of Beaverton, sorta near the Beaverton Library and Ava's Roastaria. St. Cecilia's church also has an elementary school. You can find parking along the street or their own parking lot. Masses: SAT = 5 PM SUN = 7:30 AM, 9 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:30 PM, and 2:30 PM Sermons were short, sweet and straight to the point. The piano player and choir are quite lovely. Not too shabby to check out if you're in the area. PDX 30 Day Yelp Challenge #10 of 30

We as those who are Christians are supposed to bring people to Christ, not make them want to turn…read moreaway. I had a truly horrible experience contacting St. Cecilia for assistance. And to be clear, this wasn't simply about whether the church could help pay my rent. I am isolated, going through a very difficult time, and struggling with things as basic as getting to the store or communicating with others in my community due to brain surgery. I reached out to my church believing I would at least be treated with some compassion and basic human dignity. Instead, while I was speaking, the older male "volunteer" he literally put the phone down and left me talking for approximately two minutes before disconnecting the call without any resolve nor compassion. Who treats another human being that way--especially someone calling a church because they are struggling? I called back to complain about how I had been treated and was transferred to the parish manager. Unfortunately, instead of showing genuine concern and trying to rectify what had happened, the response felt like passing the buck and minimizing the experience. The most disturbing part wasn't being unable to receive any particular form of assistance whether food, financial and/or social. It was the complete lack of compassion and care. The volunteers representing this church need some serious heart-scrubbing and a much deeper understanding of Christ-centered compassion. What I experienced was definitely NOT an embodiment of Jesus Christ or His teachings. You cannot bring people to Christ while treating people who come to you for help--and people who tithe and support the Church--as though they are an inconvenience. Sometimes helping someone means money. Sometimes it means resources. And sometimes it simply means listening to another human being for five minutes and treating them with dignity. Jesus didn't hang up on struggling people. St. Cecilia can and should do better.

this church changed my family's life for good, and they make me believe that there is no better…read moretime than god's time

A recent article stated that the states of Oregon and Washington were the most "unchurched" in the…read morenation. I lived in PDX for 3 years and I can honestly say that with all the tree huggers, women with hairy armpits (just kidding..women with hairy armpits deserve love, too), bicycle nazis, radical protesters from Eugene and bong shops on Hawthorne that I ran into I do not disagree. (As for Washington State, well, the Seattle Supersonics have led to a lot of unanswered prayer...ha!) However, if you are in Portland and are looking for a church I would recommend VBC. It's 15-20 minutes west of the city and has multiple services on Sat and Sun to choose from. The pastor generally tells it like it is and is not afraid to take a stand on issues that most prosperity doctrine and don't-offend-any-tithers pastors will not. (This is rare for a church that borders on megachurch status.) Worship is also led by a worship pastor on a grand piano. (How often do you see that?) Despite being in a homogenous city, the church does have a Korean-speaking congregation under its umbrella as well as a largely Asian American fellowship group (among its many groups). In fact, an Indian American used to help with worship leading on Sundays when I was there and he was definitely blessed with talent. There is also a gym where I used to play hoops and volleyball at. Not that this should matter, but I also met my wife there. ;) For a great place to worship and fellowship this place gets Franksabunched with 5 stars!

Overall: The church brings an urban and contemporary feel when you enter which is refreshing and…read moreexciting. I think its coffee-shop atmosphere is great as it breaks away from a traditional atmosphere. What seems to be a forward-moving church, City Sanctuary is worth checking out. Welcomeness: Though there were a few people standing and talking as I entered, it did not appear to have an official greeter, as it felt like a random person welcomed us. Toward the right side when we entered, coffee, snacks, and drinks were available and free! Environment (what it looked like): The church was well-lit with natural lighting. It was a non-traditional setting as the service was held in a factory building and had a business-feel with large windows out to the street. The wall had creative writing decor which added a contemporary feel. The sanctuary was open and had cushioned, individual seats arranged in an auditorium style. During this week the sound system was rather soft and quiet and a projector was used for words and announcements. Atmosphere (the shared feelings from the building): It was rather fresh as the windows were open and allowed the cool air to ventilate the sanctuary. It felt quite comfortable in temperature and in a contemporary church feel. The decor created a down-to-earth feel and the building also felt like it transitioned the participant from a business office/ coffee-shop lobby and moved toward a raw, warehouse room feel when I sat in my seat for the service. Time of Service: 11:20am-12:48pm Worship Music: The musicians radiated positive energy. Though there were a couple hiccups, overall the music was good. It was a mellow set with contemporary music. However, the divided segments felt slightly disrupted in the participation of the singing part of the worship experience. - category: contemporary worship - instrumentation type: two guitars, keys, drum box - quality: good - crowd engagement: high - duration: 7 songs divided in 3 segments (see order of service) Sermon The pastor's message was on a New Testament story and was delivered in a to-the-point and matter-of-fact way. The pastor's style of preaching is quite serious, but passionate and comes from a very convicted place. What was great about the message was that it was informational and educational, while also being Biblical and Bible commentary driven. His message was definitely geared towards a Biblical-knowledgeable as the audience needed familiarity with scripture in order to understand context. It was also slightly tedious in moralizing, long, and felt lectured-at during various times of the message. Service - Order of service Opening (2 songs) Welcome & Scripture Praise and worship (3 songs) Definition of Church Mission Sermon - 1 hr Closing songs (2 songs) The service felt a bit abrupt as the praise & worship segments were interrupted by announcements and church explanation of purpose and mission. Though it is important to announce such things, it felt like it disrupted the flow of worship. At times, it felt commercialized as the pastors announcements felt like an infomercial segment. Demographics - ages: majority young professionals to 70 yrs of age - attendance: 70-90 in attendance - ethnicity: majority Caucasian - dress / attire: casual, shorts and t-shirts acceptable

This "church" is not your traditional Christian or Seventh-Day Adventist church. Rather, they…read moredescribe themselves (and accurately i might say) as an Urban Mission Outpost. They hold services on Saturday morning that include a breakfast bar, great socializing time, opportunities for discussion, great music, and a brief sermon. They are also HEAVILY involved in the community, sponsoring local low-income highrises, regularly feeding the homeless, and so much more. Definitely a warm and friendly place to check out if you're looking for a place to worship! And you don't have to be a Seventh-Day Adventist to worship there. In fact a large part of the regular attendees aren't!

By far the most welcoming, caring church I have ever been to. When we moved from out of state, I…read morereached out prior to our move to see if the church could connect us with some families that had children of the same age/stage as ours. We made connections and quickly became part of a community group. This church welcomed my family with open arms and supported us, every step of the way. The worship is top notch, the kids ministry is stellar, and the overall teaching staff is phenomenal. Way to go WCC!

Willamette is decent. The auditorium is humble, yet nice. The pastor is a great speaker. He is…read moreengaging, reads from the bible throughout the sermon and encourages the congregation to open the bible (hard to believe, everyone is so tech biased these days). They have three weekend services so it's convenient for you to attend. They don't beg for money three times in one service (like I have seen at some) but have donation boxes set up so that you don't feel put on the spot and can give freely as you wish. EDIT 12/9/2014- I still like Willamette but I think they are afraid to shake things up a bit. It seems to me that they need to provide more direction and not be afraid to tell it like it is. There are things that Christians should be doing and should NOT be doing and it seems like they are afraid to spell them out. The pastor says things like "we should be careful about what websites we're visiting" and then moves along. Jesus wasn't dancing around the issues and neither should we...just sayin'.

Visiting here for the first time for Sunday morning service, it's very welcoming they have a…read morewonderful children's program for all ages. If you're a first time visitor you fill out a form and you receive a little gift box that has a coupon in it for free coffee and they just seem to have a lot of options for everybody no matter what stage of church experience you're used to

I attended a service with my 4 mo. old son for Ash Wednesday, it was a great service and felt very…read morecomfortable. Recently moved to the area and this church is walking distance from home. I was very much looking to being part of this community and possibly meeting young families in the area. Until..... service was over and I approached a yellow haired old lady who was ushering and passing out pamphlets The weekly news for the parish, feeling how comfortable I felt thought out the service I perhaps though she maybe warming and helpful oh, was I wrong! I simply asked her if Spanish Mass was offered on Saturday, or Sunday? She looked at me and Shook her head with a short "No" and immediately looked away from me as if my son and I didn't exist. I truly felt she was even a little disgusted that I had the nerve to as such a question. Needless, to say I haven't returned to this Church. Because, if this is any indication of people at the bottom of the totem pole are running this community. I know my son and I will never be welcomed. I found another church to call home Definitely no racist old bitter women volunteering their time and truly following the path that Jesus paved where people are not above you, or below you, and we are all side by side.

I found this church on Yelp, as my parents and I wanted to find a Saturday mass that was after our…read morewineries and outlet shopping and on the way back to town. Unfortunately, the air conditioning unit was broken and it was very warm inside the church. Father Dave did his best to make light of the situation, wishing he could blame the deacon but promised that it should be fixed soon. He even made sure to make the homily short and sweet so us parishioners didn't have to stand the heat for too long! You could tell the congregation was very friendly, from the moment you entered the church to when it was time to say "Peace be with you." I wouldn't hesitate to come back again if I was ever lucky enough to re-visit Portland. God bless you, Yelp!

A great place to Worship. It's in Brown Jr. High and meets at 11:30 Sunday morningread more

I've only been coming to Grace for a little over a year now but overall I've quite enjoyed the feel…read moreof the congregation. Every one I have met while attending has been very friendly and all the preachers are genuine in the message they deliver. Pastor Mike has been my favorite so far as he has a way to really encapsulate you in his message.

This church leaves a great deal to be desired. The church reminds me of Rolling Hills church…read morebefore it became a mega church. For those looking for a close knit community I recommend looking elsewhere.