United Church of Gainesville - Gainesville (FL)

5 /5 Giselle Gauthier: Wonderful place to find spiritual fulfillment regardless of your personal beliefs. I am agnostic -- neither religious or atheist -- and made some great friends here. They do not discriminate based on gender or sexual expression. The youth group is well-run. Most of all, they practice the teachings of Jesus in the way they were intended -- with love and acceptance.

5 /5 Diana Nagy: Great church. Very welcoming to everyone. "Its not like this every Sunday".

5 /5 Jennifer: This is Husbands church. (Yes, Boyfriend and I got married. And yes, Im about to Yelp our wedding.) Me, Im Jewish. I converted shortly after I finished college. And I generally avoid churches. Just not a big fan of them. But Husband is a big fan of them. This is a very important part of his life and who he is. So, off to church I went. Husband has great taste in churches. Its a very inclusive church. You dont even have to be Christian to join. They did a concert on Al-Jazeera. They do protests against hate groups. They are very community oriented and socially concerned. I went to a couple services. They were nice. Some traditional church stuff and some more new stuff. Lots of singing. Nice messages. We were married by the head minister, Shelly. Sweet woman. I met with her while Husband was at work and we planned the wedding, with him on the phone and us at the church. She also helped me set up the room for the ceremony, which was attended by a full 7 people, if you count me, Husband, and Shelly. It was a very nice and personalized service. They have a very beautiful building, all open and airy and nature filled. Its a great group of people, welcoming to everybody.

5 /5 David D: A perfect church for anyone who wants the social & community benefits of a church without the heavy doctrine and fire & brimstone of regular churches. Sure, there are prayers during the service but without the "leave it all to god" hopelessness. Rather, prayer is to boost our own strength, resilience, and compassion. UCG treats Jesus more as a god inspired teacher to follow rather than an all powerful deity who will fix all your problems if you pray well enough. Unlike and much better than any doctrine infused church I have attended. Also, of note, UCG is open & welcoming regardless of any label you have, like gay, trans, queer, or your race, gender, or age. (Im new to UCG and will soon start the membership process.)

5 /5 Amanda T: UCG is for those who have been hurt, confused, and unable to make sense of previously taught “Christian” ideas and beliefs. For many, the word “church” and/or “Christian” carry a heavy and unfortunately very negative and traumatic connotation. I know, because that is how I felt, and still do, because of the world we live in today. However, UCG is a place, a community, for those who have walked away from “religion” because it didn’t make sense. How can you preach a “God” of love and acceptance and yet not be an advocate for equality, justice, and human rights for all? How can you tell me that “God” can only be referred to as a male, when we all know that “God” has no gender? UCG is also a place for all questions to be asked. If you are in a place of “worship” where questions aren’t allowed or encouraged, that is a dangerous place to be. So, if you are looking for a “church” that doesn’t love all people, doesn’t believe in science, and doesn’t celebrate diversity – then perhaps the few negative reviews you may see are correct, and this is not the place for you. UCG is a place where ALL are truly welcomed and love wins.