So long story short: I just finished undergrad, moved to NYC and am hoping to get involved in a church somewhere. I am not particularly religious, but would like to meet new people, develop friendships, and I guess just find a peaceful place and be involved in the community.
I wanted to ask the WSO community if there's any church you guys would recommend for an early 20s guy, wanting to meet new people, and do all the things I described above? I work in banking now but only an intern (post-grad, so I'm in NYC for the long-run) and don't work weekends (unless urgent need).
The biggest thing I want to emphasize is meeting people and the community aspect (welcoming people). I'm not trying to go to church JUST to meet people but being able to connect with others in my age range well is an aspect I place a great importance in.
Thanks in advance!
Have you looked into any NYC volunteering? There are food organizations that feed the poor, programs that help out the poor, etc.
Yup. I did look into volunteering opps (through NY Cares and others). But would also like to get involved in a church
lol, nice user name
Plenty of churches in NY have "Youth groups" that meet up about once a week to do "church stuff" and then a few other times to just hang out.
The people involved are usually in the 18-25ish range and I noticed that they all form a very close group of friends. A few of my friends are in some and they all love it. One of them even told me that there are a few bankers (interns, analysts, and associates) in his group and they always have a great time.
Green_Bananas - do you know any specific names of these churches? I'd appreciate a couple names if you know
Wait, wait, people still believe in God? In 2013?
Uh, I drew the opposite conclusion from this thread
What denominations are you looking for? For Roman Catholic Church you can try Holy Trinity on West 82th St. They organize socials for young parishioners every Sunday after the 5:30 PM mass as well as other regularly scheduled events throughout the week. Overall it is a good group of people there thou they do have a focus on dating and matchmaking not sure if that is what you are looking for.
Hillsong NY
Check out Redeemer Presbyterian Church (locations on the UWS, UES, and downtown with services in the morning and afternoon/evening). They start putting together beta groups (new small groups) sometime in the fall so that's a great way to get plugged in. The small group I go to is comprised of ~10 people, between the 23-30ish range and has a good mix of finance, legal, and medical professionals.
Redeemer rotates its pastors every week and the head pastor (Tim Keller) is pretty good and his messages are sometimes more like university lectures (I have non-Christian friends that attend with me and find his 'ideas' interesting).
Feel free to PM me for more info.
Thanks everyone for the responses.
Optimistic Consultant- PM'ed you.
brandon - I'm a Christian, but to be honest not too sure about how the denominations work. I guess wherever I feel I fit best but I really don't know much, which is why I'm hoping to learn
iammonkeybanker - have heard good things about hillsong NY and will probably look into that as well.
Thank you all! Any more feedback/insights are appreciated
IMO, denominations affect the vibe and structure of the church meeting more than the actual scripture beliefs (at least within the Protestant groups).
As an Evangelical Christian, I like happy and upbeat (considering how much shit is thrown at me in my job). I like the singing aspect, and I like light hearted sermons.
I also like large churches (everyone knowing each other freaks me out a bit especially when I don't go to church for like 2 months and everyone knows hahaha). I hear good things about both Brooklyn Tabernacle and Times Square Church.
Feel free to PM me to talk more ^^ would love to help!
Religion is lame. Community stuff is lame. Don't do that shit.
Wrong side of finance.
How does someone get 1.4 banana points? o.O
Considered giving you a silver banana for this.
How about going to a bar? You don't need to get hammered when going out (and if you do not drink at all then you don't have to worry).Some people want to do things during the daytime too
They are usually open during the day too.
Redeemer is good, I attended when I was in the city (also feel free to PM me if you want another potential perspective on it). But you have to get plugged into a small group because the congregation is way too big for you to make any meaningful connections just through Sunday worship. And small groups can be hit or miss (they are at all churches, not just Redeemer), so if that doesn't work out for you, here a couple other suggestions.
If you're comfortable with a younger crowd mostly consisting of Asians, or are looking for a more charismatic church, Remnant Westside Church on UWS is good.
Another good church that I never got to try out but have a lot of friends who go is called Emmanuel Presbyterian Church near Columbia University.
Apparently ~4 people here believe in God
No, I'm guessing no one here is a true believer. I've seen a number of friends in the past years doing church stuff for mostly/entirely for extracurricular activities/networking/community service. Hell, I know one atheist who sometimes goes to church stuff for networking/fun. I see this as a good thing, and you should too (guessing you are an atheist). False believers infiltrating their system treating this as a rec league/lions club thing undermine the system.
I'm 99 delta bid that you're wrong haha
You don't have to believe in a boogeyman in the sky or pretend to in order to have a club or social group.
Well I'm with you there
go to church (Originally Posted: 04/15/2008)
Hey, guys. I just moved to NYC. May I have some of your advice on where to go to church in the city?
Thanks a lot!!
you might want to be more specific as to your religious views
might also want to state where you will be located and what your preferences are in terms of community, age group, and atmosphere. there are dozens upon dozens of churches in manhattan alone so you will have plenty of options
Thanks so much, guys. I am protestant and looking for a community with a lot of young professionals. I work in mid town and live around Union Square. Do you guys know any good churches mid town or around Union Square?
you can try redeemer presbyterian.
If you worship at the altar of the Almighty Dollar, there are multitudinous locations...many on Wall Street
Scientology church in midtown
With the Ribisi avatar, people might think you're serious.
Why not the first church of closest to the office? This way you can save your soul without being far away from the place you need to go to immediately afterword to work your ass off.
Try Redeemer Presbyterian. They have 5 or 6 services im sure you can find one that is near you and at a reasonable time. Heres the website http://www.redeemer.com/
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