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• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  The new City Sanctuary location is a big step up. It will give us many more opportunities to help our community. Come by and you can be sure to get a warm welcome! Bunny Boyd, Member

  Added July 17, 2017 by A Google User
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  Portland City Center Sanctuary is a warm and inviting place to be. You're always greeted at the door, t-shirt and jeans is the normal dress code, and it's a very "come as you are inside and out" kind of place.
  
  Not only do you feel equally welcome your 1st visit as your 15th, but you quickly become encouraged and excited to create your own niche in the church. Find what you're passionate about and make it happen!
  
  The music is fantastic. Upbeat and yet worshipful, and it's a great way for the musicly inclined to become involved.
  
  And Pastor Dan George is a speaker who can't be missed. His engaging style keeps you intrigued; you feel like he's speaking directly to you even when he's preaching to a room of a 100 people. His sermons are truly inspired and have a way of being exactly what you need to hear, exactly when you need to hear it.
  
  Portland City Center Sanctuary is also an active member of the Portland community. The church and its members volunteer with Northwest Portland Ministries and it's food bank, sponsor The Medallion high-rise in Portland and hold regular monthly birthday parties for its residents, work in conjunction with People of the Streets Ministry to distribute lunches to the homeless, and gather a big team to participate every year in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Downtown Portland!
  
  All in all, it's a welcoming and inviting place. People leave their judgments and hypocrisies at the door and just going to church is a welcome respite from a busy week and our anxiety-ridden lives.

  Added September 28, 2016 by A Google User
• ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

  Overall: The church brings an urban and contemporary feel when you enter which is refreshing and exciting. 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-12:50pm
  
  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

  Added September 26, 2016 by Atypical Churchgoer
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

  It is a wonderful place to come and worship. It feels so welcoming and inviting. Everyone is super friendly and it is honestly one of the few churches in my life that I actually feel comepletely comfortable in. Such a blessing to have city sanctuary so close to my home!

  Added September 22, 2016 by Meylin Mau