Broadway United Methodist Church

I have gone on and off for years, almost 20 as a matter of fact. Unfortunately moving forward, it is off. I am a member of the LGBTA community and my partner and I attended any number of services. However, I find this to be a church with a great political agenda that is truly unfriendly to anyone that is not incredibly socially liberal. I am a moderate. My partner is a moderate. This church is not welcoming to those of us that may are not ultra-​liberal, which is a shame.
It seems to find its primary mission is to advance its politics, and not the word of God. I find it disturbing and sad. It is as though it has been hijacked and worshippers are force feed its leaders agenda… becoming very Scientologisty that way… sad

This is a church I can truly call home. As stated in a previous post, all are welcome from LGBTQ and questioning, all races, all walks of life including homeless and disabled. All people deserve to enter Gods house. The church does not only serve itself but serves the whole community and beyond, the lakeview shelter, homeless youth among many others without the condition of attending the church. The congregation is for real. In the last year I have been battling a leg amputation and cancer and everyone rallied around me with support, visits, encouragement and home cooked meals. The church bases its beliefs on social justice. Pastor Lois and a congregation member came to the hospital to see me off on an amputation surgery, ran off to a protest and came back before I got out of recovery. Congregation members are encouraged to become in every aspect of church business but never forced. Unique worship services and beautiful music programs among other expressions of worship (acting, dancing, puppet shows etc) …different every time. This is a church Im proud of.

I’m not on Unilocal to save anyone’s soul, just their time and belly. I personally appreciate John Donne’s maxim; «No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.»
I understood that poem and personally recognize I only want to be happy, fulfilled and help people.
I’m such a liar. I lie to myself all the time. I’m aware of how to be better, want to be good, but many times fail at it. Think I know myself or the answers, but sometimes struggle. I didn’t comprehend the journey, but BUMC gave me a roadmap and compass. I’m not so different from everyone else, and here I thought I was so unique.
BUMC is a home to anyone. Every service reminds us of it in their mission statement. Each sermon touchs on the Golden Rule, that they believe God is love, that Death and pain can be overcome, that everyone is beautiful and to be respected. If home is where heart is, then BUMC is home to anyone visiting and you have a place in our heart.
Outside of wonderful objective of the Church– the well executed and profound services (truly thought provoking and an applicable message to all, btw), the wonderful sense of acceptance and community one receives.. . the music is phenomenal. Amazing! Is it any wonder, being in Lakeview, that the performers are world class stars?
The service opportunities and events are a real treat, too. I truly love them and am thankful.
One of the best days of my life was service Pride Sunday. The scripture interpreted and sermon was so loving and hopeful. At one point, Elliott, I believe, performed «Somewhere Over the Rainbow» on acoustic guitar and his voice was hauntingly gorgeous. I had tears in my eyes. After service, we bbq’d, then marched in the Pride Parade. The love, joy, and acceptance was unforgettable and amazing.
Anyhow, each time I visit BUMC, I’m reminded everyone is tied together. A pebble cannot be thrown into the ocean without disturbing every drop of water. Every influence, conscious and unconscious, acts and reacts to others. We have a responsibilty. And we matter. Your random act of kindness or rudeness, matter. Each moment is a gift and can be maximized.
I know sometimes I fail. I cannot fathom it, neither can any other human. But I do know that there’s a power and purpose. I can do better. My actions, even something as small as Unilocal reviews and as big as volunteering, affect others. Hosanna, to the bell tolling for me.

It is a wonderful church. Pastor Lois is a fantastic pastor. I have been a member since 1995 and love how inclusive it is. The church is very accepting for you are and practices what it preaches.
The church and its leadership has incredible integrity to the true meaning of being a christian. For a fantastic experience please visit!
By the way, it is a great place to bring a family to.

I’ve been a member of this congregation since 1996, with one short blip in the middle. This is church like you’ve never experienced before. Come to a service or a potluck or an education offering and you will find a modern sanctuary, a radically welcoming message for everyone, terrific music, and a sense of community and family that is seldom duplicated in a big city.
I had the blessing of coming out AFTER I found this congregation and that was truly a gift to me. This community has been my family for many years and I would be truly lost without them. Even some who thought they’d never darken a church door again have found their way here and discovered a place where they find God loves them, not in spite of who they are, but precisely BECAUSE of who they are – children of God.

I am a former member of Broadway United Methodist Church. I no longer attend for a variety of reasons. I feel that BUMC is well-​intentioned, but there are too many Type-​A personalities and too many people using the church to push their own political agendas that it detracts from the worshipping experience.
The worship service is generally pleasant. However, on days when they have «prayers and concerns» segments, be prepared for extended amounts of oversharing. Broadway also welcomes a large number of mentally challenged adults, which is a great mission but you will find it becomes increasingly distracting during worship, before and after church in Friendship Hall, at committee meetings, and other church events where food is served.
The people at BUMC are political minded and are at the forefront of social justice. However, agreeing on what that means or how it will be implemented is nearly impossible with as many Type-​A personalities and individual agendas that are being pushed. The congregation has taken great stances on LGBT inclusion. The congregation recently became «anti-​racist» and is tackling the issue of how all white people are born with «white privilege» and that every institution in our country has systematic racism. Their mission statement and anti-​racism statements are on the church website. You should check out this idealogy and stance before you consider making this your church home, as these are topics that are covered, discussed and hashed out consistently. Unfortunately, the congregation appears to be «all talk.» There are rarely service projects or volunteer projects organized by the church. It appears to be spent mostly in committee groups.
As you can imagine, all of these political stances and statements mixed with Type-​A personalities leads to a lot of drama. It is overwhelming and detracts from the worship experience. This is one of the main reasons I stopped attending BUMC.
I have found a good church home down the road at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church. It has similar ideas, is gay friendly and has none of the drama that I experienced in my 2 years at BUMC. As stated, BUMC is well intentioned but unfortunately it is not well executed.

Love this place. The first moment I walked in (late I might add), I knew this was a place to call home. Yes, radically inclusive. Yes, great music. Yes, kind people, and yes, they ask visitors to introduce themselves on the mic (so if you’re too nervous, don’t admit you’re a visitor – I didn’t till the third week).
The church is located on Broadway just off the 36 bus and very close to the 151 and Belmont train station. There are two Sunday services: 8:45 am-9:45 am and 11:00 am-12:15 pm with Coffee Hour/​Education hour in between. They also usually have open sanctuary on Wednesday evenings and more events through the week. More information is available on their website, which is not widely updated, but the important things like the Calendar, Publications, and Weekly Announcements are always kept up to date:
Broadway UMC is vibrant. Not only do they welcome everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, they work hard to be a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse community. The leadership is also very diverse and dynamic. It’s not just a few people who organize everything; everyone counts when it comes to planning and pitching in to make events happen.
Queer or straight, male, female, or Transgendered, black, white, or various shades of brown or pink, if you’ve felt excluded elsewhere prepare to be reintroduced to the Church. Communion is offered the first Sunday of the month, and all are welcome at the table. Scripture is read, Christ is preached, and you will not leave untouched by the message of love you will see here.

To be fair, I only attended once. Just wanted to call out a few things if you are a first-​time visitor:
1) This is a church that practices what it preaches: radical inclusivity. Simply meaning everyone is welcome.
2) If you drive and park in the lot, be prepared to be there a while. This lot fills up and then some — meaning you get blocked in.
3) First time visitors are asked during the service to introduce themselves on the mic: who you are and how you ended up at Broadway that day.
Everyone at the church is incredibly friendly and like I said before, inclusive. If you’ve been burned by other churches for being who you are, this is a great place to go.

I second Philip’s review. It’s inclusive, welcoming AND diverse. The music is amazing and the preaching is meaningful and applicable to daily life. Also, they put shoes on their words. It’s a very socially active church, actively advocating for the underserved. Good vibes in this place.

Located in the heart of boys-​town, this happening church is über-​inclusive, welcoming (as explicitly stated in each and every service) those of every race, gender, age, class, sexuality, etc.
I’ve attended a number of times to hear a friend sing in the church choir. The music styles are eclectic and always of high quality. The choir gives seasonal choir concerts which are always meaningful and/​or a fun time.
This is probably the place to go if you were burned out by, turned off by or pushed out of a faith community where you grew up and are interested in reconnecting. They welcome all with open arms.
And if you’re a good Christian boy looking for another good Christian boy, this is certainly the place to start lookin’.