Temple Beth Sholom, Chula Vista After service, Lipschultz said his family is scheduled to leave for a three-week trip to Israel. "Our body may be in America, but our spiritual heart will always be in …

Denomination: nondenominational Address: PO Box 78268, Corona, CA Founded locally: January 9, 2002 Senior pastors: Mike Foster and Craig Gross Congregation size: n/a Staff size: 4 part-time Sunday school enrollment: n/a Annual budget: $60,000 Weekly …

Denomination: Rabbinical Seminary of America Address: 14133 Via Alisal, Carmel Mountain Ranch, 858-613-0222 Founded locally: 1998 Senior pastor: Rabbi Baruch Lederman Congregation size: 50 Staff size: 1 Sunday school enrollment: 8 Annual budget: $100,000 Weekly …

"[When I'm taking the Eucharist], I'm consuming Jesus' body, if you view it with eyes of faith," said Eileen Carton, a volunteer at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. "How else can you get that close to …

"I was stoned when I accepted Christ," said Jared Lee, a volunteer at Calvary Chapel San Diego. "When my parents got divorced, I started getting into the drug scene. I would smoke an ounce of …

"Christians can't fight battles of sin alone. I failed miserably when I tried to deal with sin on my own. I felt alone. I was fearful of sharing my struggles with others," said Jim Allsop, …

"Most people have no idea what the Orthodox Church is. When I joined the church, my [Protestant] family was perplexed. They thought I had joined the Catholic Church, and Protestants are Rome-a-phobic," said David Hunt. …

In 2005, churches will mail over 50 million direct-mail postcards created by Outreach, Inc., the largest provider of Christian outreach products and services in North America. In addition, churches will hang 200,000 Outreach door hangers …

"If a Christian is a true seeker of God, they are better off reading the word of God at face value than buying into the traditions of mainstream churches. When a believer sincerely cries out …

"Fundamentalist Muslims are manifesting what they believe today. Their mission is to change the world so that it is under their control. If you don't agree with them, they will kill you. They don't value …

"The Episcopal denomination has always been one of the most inclusive denominations. We don't fight over doctrine. For example, in my church we have pro-life and pro-choice congregants. My preferences are for life, but the …

"In the past, people's mindset was, if people aren't having kids, how is the Reformed faith going to grow?" said Rick Roeda, the director of youth ministries at San Diego Christian Reformed Church (SDCRC). "Reformed …

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked," begins the Psalms. George C. Scipione, director of the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD), is an advocate for this …

"'Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers,'" said Pastor Doug Baker. Baker quoted America's first Supreme Court justice, John Jay. Baker's quote was in response to the nomination process of chief justice nominee …

"People thought [my becoming a pastor] was bogus," said Pastor Stan Miller. "They said, 'He's lost his marbles' and 'He's flipped out.' It angered the media. They vilified me. Most of this came from my …

"We believe that there is only one religion. All other paths that people take are legitimate paths, which represent only one of God's manifestations," said Susan Collins, about Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other world religions. …

"God is involved in a lot of ways in hurricane Katrina," said Seth Pruitt, the worship leader at Ethnos. "God is sovereign. He allowed Katrina to occur. In allowing it to occur, He has a …

"People keep saying that Muslims are not voicing their opinion by condemning terrorism. This is because Fox News is not coming here to ask us our opinions," said Usman Khan, a volunteer and congregant at …

"The Roman Catholic Church has a history of changing its position on issues. It just takes a long time. Look at the church's stance on Galileo. It took them hundreds of years to finally apologize …

"Today's passage tells us about a slave girl that was pimped twice over. She was being pimped by her master and she was being pimped by Satan," said Pastor Andrea King. King's sermon, The Art …

Sergio Castro performed "spoken word" for a crowd estimated to be 170 people. "Worship is dangerous. Worship of God is forbidden in many parts of the world. Music reaches into the subconscious. Music is a …

My life changed forever when I was 13 years old. Up until this time, my thoughts were filled with jumping my BMX bike off curbs and lighting things on fire in my back yard. This …

"It isn't often that you find a pastor who has been in prison and been divorced but has a real heart for people. He isn't judgmental at all. If you are struggling with sin, this …

"Joseph Smith believed there are men on the moon that dress like Quakers and live to be 1000 years old. Brigham Young taught that men lived on the sun. Until 1981, the Book of Mormon …

"One-third of my generation is dead because of abortion. Forty-five million babies have been murdered," said Edgar Savage Brown III, 25-year-old founder of the local Bound4Life chapter. Bound4Life's website claims they are "a nonviolent revolutionary …

"People are Karma-producing machines. That is all we do and all we have ever been doing," said Jeff Goin, a resident teacher at Vajrarupini Buddhist Center. Karma is the belief that for every action there …

Rabbi Jeff Lipschultz, a barrel-chested man, welcomed the congregants by name as they walked in for Shabbat Service at Temple Beth Sholom. A conversation began about the possibility of new chairs for the temple. Lipschultz …

Third Day Churches is a house church movement founded in San Diego that has since spread to eight countries. Gary Goodell birthed the idea in 2001 from 34 years of ministry experience that spans 12 …

"Beer is one of our core values. We enjoy it and like to drink it. Drinking is part of our culture and a great way to spend time with others," said Pastor Justin Bragg of …

Father Edward Gallagher's homily at Saint Gregory the Great began with a story of the son of a minister who left the Protestant church to become a Catholic. After Mass, Father Gallagher said many Protestant …

"There is a renewal of interest in the Reformed faith from people who have grown weary of the subjectivity of the broad evangelical faith," said Pastor Stephen Donovan. "In the first 45 years of our …

Denomination: The Christian and Missionary Alliance Address: 9050 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa, 858-271-7730 Founded locally: 1975 Senior pastor: Bill Impey Congregation size: 75 Staff size: 2 Sunday school enrollment: 20 Annual budget: $175,000 Weekly …

"In a traditional church, God is over here," said Paula Brandes as she reached her hand away from her body. "In Religious Science, God is within us. We don't have to reach out to find …

The Apostolic Church is probably the only truly orthodox church. We teach the apostles doctrine from the original 12 apostles. We do not follow post-apostolic teachings," said Bishop Joel David Trout. "For example, we are …

"Fifty percent of all people who attend church don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Many don't even know they don't have a relationship with Jesus," said Pastor Jeff Brawner from Bonita Valley Community Church …

"We all are looking for something in life. What are you looking for?" asked Joseph Shvili. Shvili led a free Kabbbalah introductory class inside a La Jolla strip-mall. Twelve people sat in the Kabbalah Centre's …

St. John of the Cross Denomination: Roman Catholic Address: 8086 Broadway, Lemon Grove, 619-466-3209 Founded locally: 1959 Senior pastor: Edward Brockhaus Congregation size: 10,000 Staff size: 20 Sunday school enrollment: 800 Annual budget: can't tell …

"People are depraved and are slaves to sin. God can forgive us of that sin through Jesus' resurrection," said Major Warren Dabis when asked about the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "We should …

"Almost everyone at USD already has some knowledge of Scripture and Jesus. So we can't go around saying 'Hey, you Catholics need to come to Christ.' Even though there are many Catholic students who have …

"I believe the [Greek Orthodox Church] is the true church, but I'm not going to rub it in anyone's face," said Nazo Zakkak, an altar boy at St. Gregory of Nyssa Greek Orthodox Church. Zakkak …

Tall, barbed-wire fences surround R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility near the San Diego-Mexico border. Approximately 5500 inmates call the blue-and-white cement buildings home. Twice a year Kairos Prison Ministry runs a three-day weekend program for the …

"The seven deadliest words in churches are, 'It's the way we've always done it'," Pastor Ken Hensley remarked. Hensley recently returned to San Diego where he once served five years as pastor of Allied Gardens …

Galloping Horse, Soaring Eagle, Temple Badger, and Powerful Jaguar are some of the 30 graduates of the New Warrior Training Adventure. The New Warrior Training is a weekend retreat facilitated by The ManKind Project (MKP). …

"Nobody wants to talk about failure," said Pastor Ryan Sharp. "As a new church, you try hard to build it and then you slap God's name onto it, so there is a certain sense of …

Over 1350 pastors and church leaders from around the world attended a pastors convention in San Diego last week. The dual National Pastors Convention and the EmergentYS Convention were held at the Town & Country …

"One of the things that really irks me is the recent fad of poor end-times beliefs," Pastor Cook replied when asked if his church teaches that the end-times are near. "One of the more popular …

Denomination: Lutheran Founded locally: 1946 Pastor: Interim senior pastor Paul Thomton Congregation size: 750 members Staff size: 5 full-time, 3 part-time Sunday school enrollment: 15 Annual budget: $700,000 Weekly giving: $13,500 Singles program: third Sunday …

"[As Christian Scientist nurses] we do not give medicine, take temperatures, or read people's pulses," said Betty Miller. Miller works at the Lynn House, a Christian Science nursing facility in Encinitas. The Christian Science treatment …

"More than nine out of ten people go to counseling because they do not have a close meaningful relationship in church. Many people will go their entire life and struggle to find a good friend. …

Federal agent John Parish entered the room with local Internal Revenue Service territory managers. The casual meeting was off-site during the holiday season. "Merry Christmas," Parish greeted his coworkers. Parish's supervisor corrected him, "It's Happy …