First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta — Local services in Atlanta

By way of background, my wife and I have joined or attended churches across a variety of denominations: Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, a Roman Catholic monastery, and, currently, a small Congregational church in rural New Hampshire.

Across that sweep of years, Atlanta's First Presbyterian Church has been a consistent beacon. In that sacred space, you'll find the full and challenging embodiment of what it means to be a follower of Christ as articulated by the Sermon on the Mount. You'll be warmly welcomed and heard. You'll be challenged by insightful and ground-breaking messages from the pulpit. You'll be moved by the profound quality and integrity of its sacred music and arts. You'll find fulfillment and meaning through the breadth of its ministries to neighbors far and near. And you'll sense the sweeping arc of justice within a place that for over half a century has been opening its hearts, doors, and leadership positions to minorities and marginalized peoples long before that was thought to be appropriate.

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My husband and I had our wedding here and the coordinators were great. They really have it nailed down regarding all the forms, procedures, and schedule for the wedding. They answered all my questions at a reasonable rate, and if they didn't know the answers, they were more than happy to find out for me. Only thing was that communication seemed to be lacking between the individual coordinators, so I had to repeat the information a couple of times. However, they're volunteers, so this is completely reasonable. Also, we got to have an organist and a trumpeter, which was amaaaaazing. For the day of, everyone was fantastic. I had no worries about scheduling, where people had to go, dealing with the musicians, etc. Very stress free! :) The venue is very breathtaking and fitting for...

The outside of this church is lovely so I stop on the sidewalk and take a picture with my phone, and I'm not there ten seconds before the security guard glares at me from inside the building and steps outside to thump a giant NO LOITERING sign in front of the door before going back in. Well alrighty point taken lol I didn't even need to leave the sidewalk before being told I'm unwelcome, thanks for the Christian hospitality.

For your information I work at a church, and a No Loitering sign in front of a house of God is in very poor taste. "Loitering" is a class-dividing concept used to invoke fear of the lower class and criminalize homelessness. These are the people you should be supporting, not chasing away with...