This place of worship has a beautiful sanctuary, you would never expect to find such a historic and…read morebeautiful church nestled in the heart of Solano-area North Berkeley. The main sanctuary has beautiful stained-glass lining both side walls, and the interior is all original still I believe (wood decor). In fact I believe the church is on the national registry of historic places; it was designed and built many years ago by one of the members. A beautiful place! Some of my friends had weddings here, and while the sunlight streaming through the stained glass made some of the shots challenging, I also photographed some of them.

I love this church and I highly recommend you check it out!…read more I'm a deacon at this church, and here's some background info about us: Christ Central's East Bay campus is the 2nd campus established by Christ Central Presbyterian Church in the Bay Area. The first campus is in Daly City. We opened our East Bay campus in Berkeley in September 2021, and this campus has about 100 people made up of various life stages (infants, children, college students, singles, married couples with and without children, etc.). Some info about Sunday worship services: Service starts at 9:30 AM and goes for about an hour. There's no dedicated parking lot, but there is ample street parking because metered parking on nearby Solano Ave is free on Sundays. When you arrive, you'll want to find someone in a blue welcome t-shirt, who can answer any questions you have and help you get plugged into the church. Then you can enjoy worship service, which includes praise songs, prayer, bible reading, and a sermon from one of our pastors. We have a fantastic children's ministry, directed by professional educators. We have a children's check-in station to ensure that your child is appropriately cared for during Sunday school. Your children can join you for praise, and then you can help them find an appropriate Sunday school class once the cue is given by the pastor. You can ask someone wearing a green children's ministry t-shirt for guidance on where to go. If you have an infant and want privacy, there is a cry room in the sanctuary. We have coffee, bagels, and donuts available before and after service. You can enjoy refreshments while finding out more about our church and how you can get involved in our communities. In particular, an important aspect of our church is our mid-week community groups. We have multiple groups spread out in different locations throughout the Bay Area and different days of the week. Since it is hard to get to know 100 people, community groups are important so that you can meet a smaller number of people and get to know them personally while also growing in faith. We currently have a couple campus pastors dedicated to serving our East Bay campus with counseling, spiritual guidance, etc. Thousand Oaks Baptist Church graciously enables us to use their facilities on Sunday mornings. Christ Central is a member of the Korean American Presbyterian Church denomination. It is also part of a network of Christ Central churches in Southern California and Virginia. This network of churches is known for reformed theology, biblical teaching, Christ-centered community groups, and being part of the Presbyterian denomination. You can learn more about our mission statement, core values, etc., staff, etc. at our website at https://www.christcentralsf.com/ We encourage you to check out our church, and may God bless you as you find a spiritual home!

If you're looking for a church to check out, look no further! Christ Central has a good mix of…read morecollege, young professionals and you families that will make you feel at home right away! If you're looking for solid beliefs, warm community and good fellowship come on over!

No childcare or kitchen staff today. How is that serving the community? The holidays are the most…read morestressful times of the year and the staff decides this is the appropriate time to take vacations. What is the message to parents and people who need to have a respite, who look forward to sitting down and eating together without family, housemates and work associates? Also, the staff and volunteers need to be educated on Hostile Work Environments, Food Handler Certification, Anti-Harassment policies, Data Privacy and the Beloved Conversations movement. Also, there needs to be a healthy rotation of responsibilities to timelines, so entrenchment doesn't continue.

I can not say enough good things about how the humans at UUCB took care of me. Of course my…read morehusband's funeral was a hard day for me but everyone did so my CV to make it easier! Helping through tough decisions and last minute changes, I recommend them for any large important event. Also, you literally can not beat the view from this church. For pictures or for chilling and talking, the back patio space of the church is beyond compare. You will not regret trusting uUCB with your event.

Church Without Walls Berkeley is a great place church for those looking for the intersection of…read moreJesus and Justice, intergenerational discipleship and true Christ Centered community building.

I've been a part of Church Without Walls since 2002…read more What drew me in was the smaller, family feel of the church and the church's heavy involvement with the Berkeley community: volunteering at Rosa Parks, serving Berkeley youth.... It definitely felt like a place I could be accepted for all of who I am, brokenness included.

very friendly church. They approached me immediately and welcomed me. If you're looking for a small…read morechurch, just might be the place for you.

The pastor and his wife are honest and humble people of faith. These traits are the first thing we…read morelook for in Gods house. Church itself is smaller intimate clean with a simple minimalistic style, which is another tall tell sign of their walk with the lord. The people who attend have genuine desire and faith to know and grow in God through Jesus. They boast a diversity in age and background. The atmosphere is welcoming and uplifting. There are a couple of other churches i was invited to attend previously, but I believe I was lead to the Church on the Corner by the holy spirit. Once you step foot in this cozy church of positive and truthful energy, you shall come back again and again...

We had our December wedding at St. Jerome Church and it was just perfect! The reception hall was…read morealready booked on the day of our wedding so we had our reception at Albany Veteran Memorial Bldg (just few blocks away). It made things a lot more convenient for everyone. We had most of our pictures taken at the church courtyard steps. It's really pretty, very reminiscent of Mission churches we've visited before. Their reception hall actually faces the courtyard and it's also very spacious, well-lit and has a small stage and kitchen and other amenities. Inside the church, they have nice wood beams, stained glass windows, and chandeliers that gives it a warm, mission-like atmosphere. It's great for wedding because of its solemn and intimate ambiance. There's lots of parking and it's slightly up the hill so there's some view of the water from there. We couldn't have picked a perfect ceremony venue for our wedding. We had a Filipino wedding so most of our wedding songs are in tagalog. Their musical director, Michael Chio, did a marvelous job playing the piano and coordinating the whole ceremony songs line up. Our guests got teary and were really touched by the whole arrangement. They were also impressed by Fr. Dante Tamayo's sermon, which is very memorable and heart-warming.

Eric B. was so right…read more He did see us at Fat Apple's restaurant on Christmas Eve. Had he been around the neighborhood several hours later, he would have also seen us enter St. Jeromes Church on our way to Christmas Mass at MIdnight. This was a first for us. Neither of us had ever been inside of St. Jerome's. Not even to pop in to see "the alter (sic), pews, covenant, etc." mentioned by Brendan H. as a Yelp "First To Review". (Jeesh, Brendan.....honestly? An altar in a Catholic church? Pews?......how terribly observant you are!) But I mustn't get catty. Its not, well,.....forgiving...to be catty on Christmas eve. Its been at least a decade since I've been to a Catholic service and I was pleasantly surprised about how relevant it was for today's world. The music (which included a chamber ensemble and chorale) was excellent. Lively, cheerful, innovative and "right on the mark." In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that it was as good as you might hear anywhere....you know..Davies Hall, Glide Memorial, The Mormon Tabernacle...anywhere. "Silent Night Around The World" featured soloists singing in German, Cantonese, Italian, Tagalog, French, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish.....all languages spoken within the assembled congregation. Father Dante gave a simple, heartfelt ecumenical sermon. We all hugged, shook hands and wished each other Merry Christmas. I wished the incoming El Cerrito Mayor a Merry Christmas and the most prosperous of New Years. He was in the pew in front of us. (Hopefully...prosperity will reach our little city-state this year. Ya gotta believe.) My sainted spouse did *not* make change from the offering plate, as he has so often joked about. (I was proud of his restraint. ) He did, however, wince as I gave him a twenty dollar bill to put into the plate. My logic? Twenty bucks for two people? A festive evening filled with cameraderie and good cheer? For twenty bucks? Where else can you get such a bargain? By 1:00 AM we were home. All was silent in the hills and valleys of El Cerrito. Truly magical. Thanks, St. Jerome. Oh, and as the patron saint of librarians, I also want to say...thanks once again, for getting me through that tumultuous library career. I know that sometimes it wasn't easy... Ya done Good.

Vibrant nondenominational church with a nice welcoming vibe…read more I love the stained glass with the names of so many historical influencers. It must have been difficult choosing the folks to populate the wall. The inside of the church is more intimate than other churches. I really like this place.

Just received the most outrageous and abusive treatment from "Tristan" after we entered the church,…read morewhich was open. Appeared to have woken him up, he barged out and accused of trespassing (myself and an elderly man I was walking with), said he didn't like our energy, and that we should know better than to enter a church without permission , (like churches everywhere do not allow the public to enter). Absolutely the rudest person I've ever met at Northbrae, which I've supported over the years in various way. BTW, yelp says you are open at this time. If you don't want people coming in then lock the door, and hire someone else to be the face of the center.

When I was younger I came here as a child and into my teenage years as I was raised catholic. (I…read morehave then since converted to Judaism). Overall this church is really nice, large and well kept up, both inside and out. The priests at the time were all really nice and always very caring (they have now since change priests). As the years went on, things started to change within the church and there were certain people that left. They were too many rules and people felt that they were being control. It was also rumored that there had been some funny business within the priests group which of course is disturbing in any religious setting for anyone to hear of. Which is why my family stopped coming here and they started attending another church around our area. The church does have a large hall for parties or weddings, complete with a stage, kitchen, bathrooms, tables & chairs and large sitting/dance area. There is a parking lot across the street from the church that can be used but other than that parking can be found on the street. Such a shame that such a beautiful place doesn't get as much attention after what happened.

I have attended Sunday and weekday morning church services at St. Ambrose Church. I am pleased to…read moresay that this church pretty much still has the same exteriors and interiors that I had remembered (barely) as a child. Which is more than I can say for some of the churches here in the SF Bay Area. What I do wish there was space for the statue of the founder of the Salesian order, St. John Bosco. This parish is run by the Salesian order, headed by two Salesian priests from India and one in residence. They are very nice and very friendly priests. The Mother likes how one of them delivers his homilies: he starts by telling you what he is going to tell you; he tells you what he is going to tell you and then he summarizes what he has just told you. I have to agree, I quite like his homily style--works for me very much. What has changed is the congregation. I am used to quiet before and after the service so I can pray. It was a bit of a shock to come in and the church is a social hall. Okay, so much for quiet prayer and reflection. I am very used to going to church as if I was on my way to the library. The congregation is very spirited and very friendly. On one of my very first visits, one of the members was way too inappropriately friendly: this person practically accosted me while I was looking at the stained glass windows of the apostles and saints. I do not want to go into the gorey details about what happened. This person was way too friendly (in such an inappropriate way) for my tastes which is one of the reasons why I will stay an occasional visitor to St. Ambrose. I had the pleasure of travelling with one of the priests at this church on a pilgrimage to France/Italy last summer in celebrating his 25 years as a Salesian priest. This priest is one of the main reasons why I will still visit St. Ambrose when I can. (I just have to be prepared to avoid a certain member of the congregation or two by running the other way as fast as I can.)

Our dear friend was raised Catholic...and lived a few blocks away. So it was fitting his funeral…read morewas at this charming church. It is small...almost chapel like, and it's Spanish style architecture fits it very well. The pews however, are excruciating.... literally made for child sized people. The service was what I have come to expect, traditional. It was wonderful to share the experience with his family, and our long time friends. We had a short reception downstairs...and again it was small and convenient.

Visted the parish where we got married. I miss the Dominican friars, but I am relieved the parish…read moreis still here. The love that Latin is used here throughout the mass and wish I knew the responses better. Lots of familiar faces still around. Still a beautiful church.

I was a member here, and its church plant, for over 10 years from my senior year in college to…read moreseveral years afterward, from 2005-2016. What immediately strikes you is the seriousness of the attitudes of the members here -- they are not here to play and they take the Bible very seriously. Within this church body a strong view of Lordship salvation -- which is church-speak for honoring Jesus as your Lord and Master, not just your "homeboy" or Savior, or genie in a bottle -- quite refreshing. I think the outcomes of this church are a mix of the individual, the church teaching, and the culture and influence of members of this church. My current view is that salvation (justification, sanctification, and future glorification) is completely the work of God, and not of man. I have seen Christians of all shapes and sizes come through this ministry and become essentially more of what they were, previously. e.g. Big-hearted Christians became even bigger-hearted; immature Christians became slightly less immature individuals with their problems masked by changed behaviors, but unchanged hearts. Pros: - Biblical teaching, expositional preaching, good doctrine, high view of God's word, conservative views - "Truth"-heavy - A lot of equipping. An inside joke, when the church was still called "Eastbay Baptist/Bible Church of Berkeley," was "The Eastbay Seminary." The Sunday school and equipping classes I've taken: Evangelism Training 1, Evangelism Training 2 (Apologetics), Biblical Hermeneutics, Old Testament Survey Cons: - More could be done to help build up well-rounded Christians. - Culture is too "inward" focused -- members tend to neglect relationships with family, non-Christian friends, coworkers, etc. - Can be "hyper-fundamental" at times. Things that are not explicitly sins in the Bible are viewed and treated as if they were actual sins. - Where is the grace? Tendency to be big-headed, small-hearted. - Lack of cultural diversity - Lack of age diversity - Tendency to produce behavior change (through peer pressure), rather than heart change (only possible by work of Holy Spirit) On the positive side, most of the members of this church body have a genuine desire to pursue holiness and Christ-likeness -- "Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). However, because of the overall youthfulness and immaturity of certain individuals, and the proclivity for group-think, there is a tendency of a version of stoicism and monasticism (denying oneself of worldly pleasures) to be erroneously praised as a virtue among its members in their good-intentioned pursuit of holiness--which is still missing the mark. I would encourage all to be Bereans and study Scripture for themselves. I received a lot of great teaching from this church and learned the tools to help study the Bible for myself. However, there were certain experiences that I went through during my time here that were also heart-wrenching. While I have been encouraged greatly and grew tremendously as a Christian during my time here, I also experienced a lot of deeply painful experiences that are still with me today, and on some days, those painful memories are more vivid than the positive ones. I think Revelation 2:1-7 is a very good, spot-on description of this church when I was a member there: "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'" In a culture where the prevailing attitude is anti-God and overwhelmingly secular, this church is a God-send and refuge from the storm. For conservative believers, it feels like the members of this body are the "7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). However, I would exhort this church to excel still more, and to try and find ways to have a refreshing and positive impact to its surrounding and greater community. Remember the two greatest commandments: 1. Love the LORD your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (No, not just your fellow church member.)

This church started out as a ministry in Oakland, CA…read more Pastor John came up as a guest speaker in the winter of 97, moved the ministry to Berkeley in 2002, where it resides to this date. I have been in this ministry since the very beginning, even before Pastor John came up to the Bay Area, from SoCal. For 17 years, I have been under this man's tootilage and teaching, even knowing how he had treated members and warning him to stop his madness. It came to a crashing end in November of 2014, when through several meetings that occurred in October of 2014, Pastor John revealed that the leadership actually planned a conspiracy against me, and brought false allegations to remove me from where I was serving in, although none of the emails that lead up to our meeting on October 15th indicated any of this was occurring. Moreso, he lied regarding the allegations and gave several versions of it to the church, some of, but were not limited to: He is stepping down. He is taking a break. He needs spiritual counseling. My final straw, after attempting to reconcile with him, that first I needed to be stripped of my character, and built back up to serve correctly, for Evangel. That's funny, because he has known me for over 16 years prior, and didn't have prior issues. It felt like a cult, and then I realized, that PJ might be trying to brainwash me. Prior to this, he had told me to remove my belongings (sound equipment, since I serve as his AV director), and leave. He also had them reprogram my door card to no access. I was gone! But it didn't end there. The ministry's tone changed on me in the upcoming months, in going from sentimental to an outright plea to repent. It was apparent that the ministry had heard vague accounts of what happened between the pastor and myself. After having enough of the phone calls, voice mails, and emails, I finally wrote a letter to the members explaining why I left to begin with. The backlash? 31 members came after me, either through email, yahoo mail, gmail, facebook, texting, all avenues, basically telling me to give in and submit to PJ, or else I was going to face great punishment and be excommunicated........................ And this is what is wrong with the ministry. Anyone who has a voice to stick up with what is going on, is put under the microscope of needing biblical counseling. Anyone who addresses a concern at or towards the leadership as to how they are conducting themselves, it is gossip. Unfortunately, legalism and dogmatic theology have taken over this ministry, and the way the members treat anyone who disagrees. Moreover, reconciliation is deemed church discipline if it is against the pastor. If you are a guest, coming to visit, the church from a distance seems like a piece of cake to visit and learn from. And I will say this: you will learn a lot! As an outsider, you will be amazed and astonished by the truth and words that are preached. As a member, it will bring stress, heartache, emotional trauma, physical and spiritual abuse. And this clarifies when I refer to legalism. Your social media is even monitored as to whom you associate with: if a woman associates with a brother, she is often urged to stop and block the brother. Over the years, he has also developed low views on women, single people, and the homelessness. This is the tip of the iceberg: Even people who have written on yelp have had their reviews taken down, because the church has flagged and reported that, "the facts are not true", and then another member just writes a review, just to give it a high rating. The rating for Evangel would be much much lower, than the 4.5. But because of the blocks, the rating is higher. My biggest concern, and why I post this is, in still resolving the issue in 2014, in my 17 years in the ministry, there have been at least 60 members who have left, solely, due to PJ's treatment of them. The greatest flaw in the leadership structure is that the deacons and elders, whom he personally picks, all answer to him. The current elder was a reinstated elder, who stepped down several years prior, due to his heart issues in serving in the role, to begin with. Pastor John has no accountability, and the current staff isn't keeping him accountable. The men just do whatever he asks of them. Since there isn't really any accountability, everything being done is deemed correct. Moreso, since the original elders departed from this church as the elder board, there have been increases of paranormal activity at the church. For example, I have seen, along with my family, shadows running around and even came home with three distinct scratches either on my face, arms, chest or legs, on several occasions. Pastor John does need a lot of help, repentance, even to the point of stepping down. There are plenty of decent churches out there. You can visit, but proceed with caution.