Churches & Places of Worship near Santee, CA

“Visiting from Eastlake (Chula Vista) and when a choir member asked parishioners if anyone is visiting and I raised my hand and told them I’m from Eastlake, the whole church not only gave me a “warm welcome” but also applauded.

This parish are very welcoming and very kind, I plan to visit again soon on my next visit to Santee!”

“Journey is an excellent church if you’re a seasoned Christ-Follower or if you’re just looking for your first church community. They offer so many opportunities to grow in your life and with God. You will feel welcomed and accepted no matter where you are in your walk with God.”

“Needed to share this. I am so grateful to Salvation Army. They have helped my family and I so much. When I learned about the food bank they have, it continues to help us have food in our fridge when we aren't able to afford it. I cry every time when I think about how lucky my family and many families are to have this resource. Thank you Salvation Army for the blessings and help. God bless all of you.”

“We love our Skyline family! Good people that are here to serve the Lord and our community. We have never felt so connected to Jesus as we do at Skyline. Saved people serve people, and that is exactly what we do here everyday. If you want teaching based on the Scriptures, this is may very well be your home.”

“In response to a visitor who thinks church is a bit big for such a small congregation? We might be few, but we must leave big room for the Holy Spirit to fill the place, my dear. ♥️?”

“I love this church! Great teachings, and friendly people. If your looking for a smaller church, then this is a great choice. Also the deciplship ( impact 195) is life changing. Great folks over at thegathering@gracechaple”

“My MeetUp Fun Diego Ladies group did volunteer work here earlier this evening for the Days for Girls Rancho Penasquitos Team. This is a volunteer group established by the ladies of this church and the volunteer events are held within the gymnasium of the church. We partnered with the "San Diego Volunteers - Give Back & Get Back" group and the Days for Girls group for a volunteer event to assemble period kits for women and girls in less developed countries. It was disheartening to learn that girls and women in less fortunate countries don't have this every day necessity that we take for granted. I was one of the ladies in charge of sewing earlier this evening. It was a nice break from a very stressful day and it felt amazing to be a part of a greater cause to give back to the community.The Rancho Penasquitos CA Team Days for Girls has been busy since last fall as they cut fabric, sew, iron, pin, serge, fold, sort, and make kits for girls & women to manage their periods.Link to the Rancho Penasquitos CA Days for Girls Facebook page: local information on the Rancho Penasquitos CA Team Days for Girls, call/text Vicky Bush (858) 722-8165 or Lorraine Henry (858) 254-4970.Donations: donate.daysforgirls.org/… view the Days for Girls official website: daysforgirls.org/our-mis…I look forward to coming back to this church to volunteer at future events. What a great group of ladies!”

“I'm really glad , that I had , the opportunity to get involved.... with the invite , to the church and I have ,met ... many people , that are essentially a believer !
Pastor Scott , is awesome , with presentation and, delivery of the messages ..from the Bible... of truth ...”

“Overall the congregation is warm, supportive and friendly. I think visitors get a good greeting and are welcomed well. There is good Jewish education from tots to senior adults and Rabbi Benj Fried is flexible and creative that I have experienced thus far, in terms of encouraging congregants to take leadership with different topics and ideas. His mind is sharp. He is very much a scholar and I can see him teaching at university one day.If you want to simply attend service you can. If you want to be involved and engaged you can. There is a lot of lifecycle support. They do an excellent job of supporting people when someone dies. From the moment of death through shiva and the entire year following, there is support in a number of ways. There are multiple groups using the site. The WRJ women's group is active - and even better now that there is weekly mahjong!Jewish holidays are well observed and there is ample space and time to learn the prayers and songs. Hebrew is taught. Interfaith couples are embraced and those who find that this is who they REALLY are, there is a conversion process that involves a long course and engagement. The Purim carnival, Artisan Fair, Sukkot, and high holy days observances - can I give a 10-star? Things are well organized, meaningful, educational, spiritual, welcoming.Rabbi Devorah Marcus, the senior rabbi, is very human and humane, warm, intelligent, good at pastoral care, a connector of people and very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. The congregation is too. Rabbi Marcus has a lot to do! She could use another half of herself!Diversity, equity and inclusion is developing within the congregation. If you are a Jew of Color then you know Ashkenazi Jewish synagogues can be a harsh and unwelcoming place full of microaggressions where people tell you that you are not experiencing what you ARE experiencing. Ideally Black Jews and other Jews of Color are centered throughout a Jewish congregation and it is coming into full flower in TEESD. There was recently, for the first time, Saturday afternoon Kwanzaa shabbat that was attended by a few but enthusiastically received. Rabbi Benj Fried brilliantly tied together the cultural observance of Kwanzaa and the religious observance of Hanukkah with the Torah. When Kwanzaa shabbat moves into Friday night family shabbat with a packed social hall eating dinner together as part of it, that will reflect a movement away from the fringe to centering of Black/Jewish. The congregation participated in Juneteenth in 2023 in a very centering move. The congregation eagerly got behind that educational and social justice work. There are interfaith events for MLK Jr Day and a schedule of relevant films like "Shared Legacies". There is also a good sense of humor and Jewish values incorporated in the community as reflected through, for one example, conversation and insight about films like the Mel Brooks/Richard Pryor comedy "Blazing Saddles" and its use of satirical comedy to address and call out racism. The rabbi emeritus and his wife are beautiful souls who have reflected and been living examples of justice, peace and love, serving through civil rights action, and preaching and teaching about not only that but antisemitism and discrimination against LGBTQ+.Saturday morning Torah study is where you want to be if you want to delve deep into Torah. We often barely make it through two verses in an hour. But a good bagel with schmear and lox and some coffee helps energize your learning abilities.Board members are approachable and work hard to keep the congregation thriving.The admin to the senior rabbi reminds me of my horrible mean 4th grade math teacher, like something you see in a comedy movie. It won't change and could be offensive but it is moreso humorous. However the receptionist/front office person is cheerful, always friendly and helpful. The remainder of the staff are also professional, friendly people.Did I mention there often food and a lot of it? It lends to the warmth and the tradition.Be ready to go through security!”