St. David’s Episcopal Church

I just got off the phone with the event coordinator, Lisa, and she is AWESOME!!!
Even though we couldn’t book our venue, she was still very helpful and full of insight on what I should be looking for with other venues.
Maybe if she is off the night of our family Halloween Party, she can come out and do the Thriller dance with us!

Well since Nathan reviewed this place, I feel I can’t let him down and give my input also.
I’ve never attended a service here! Should I? Just please don’t say I’m going to hell… I do consider myself a christain.
Ok, since I’ve never been I’m going to review this on the music part, the stage part, the whole street block part, ok whatever.
I have often over the years worked this venue (yes, it is a music venue as well as a fabulous house of praise and worship… They do that in here right? like every other Sunday service I’ve attended in my life) for certain road shows and bands particularly SXSW. I worked the Matt Nathanson/​Neon Trees show here a few years back right when they were at the top of their game and man were they such selfish a-​holes only let’s not forget I’m talking about the «venue», I could go on for hours of all the terrible and friendly touring bands I’ve worked tech for over the years. This venue has a very good layout for loading in/​out hard cases, guitar boats, etc. similar to stubbs which makes it easier on the crew that is working usually 15 hour shifts with little sleep. I will say if your band plays here you will love it. While the acoustics in the chapel are great, the load out is even better. My own negatives could be is that the stage is quite small and for some of the big bands playing here the security is pretty shallow, finding fans in the backroom without VIP when the techies are trying to get in and out and all they want is an autograph and a picture! I will say thanks to the record labels or was it the church that hooked the crew up with cases and cases of Monsters and those delicious $ 4 Nuero waters. I drank like a whole case in a few hours and was bouncing off the walls. All I can say is God bless this church!

More than any other church I’ve attended, St. David’s is the one that really walks its talk. All the stuff which is mentioned in Matthew 25:31−46 — feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking in the strangers, visiting the sick, helping the homeless, comforting the afflicted — and building up an engaged, active and COMMITTED congregation — St. David’s does it all!
I came to St. David’s pretty much chewed up and spat out by the church I had attended previously — to the point where I wasn’t even sure I wanted to remain a Christian; and the rectors, the staff and the congregation at St. David’s have loved me back to spiritual health. They are, simply put, an *amazing* group of people!
I second Nathan’s comments about the jokes told by David Boyd, Katie Wright and Bob Gribbel: they are FUNNY jokes! It’s nice to have clergy who have really good senses of humor and aren’t afraid to use humor to make their points!
I’d give this place nine or ten stars if I could!

Nice chuch! Doubles as a convention extension for the Driskill where I attended a conference. Very state of the art.

I was on the staff at St. David’s from 2005 – 2007. I started out as VERY skeptical about churches in general and the people in them.
I ended up learning a lot about how accepting people can be – because I have been constantly embraced and accepted despite my (vocal) skepticism about all things religion.
St. David’s is a place to feel like part of a welcoming community, and a place to learn lots of things, even while in the process of learning about yourself, who you are and who you wish to be.
I participate in the discussion groups and sustainability stuff, rather than attending Church on Sunday. I have made friends for life and gotten in touch with my own spirituality.
Also: the parking situation is awesome, The building is beautiful, they serve espresso drinks, you can recycle printer cartridges/batteries/cd’s there.

Top 10 Reasons St. David’s Episcopal is My Church Community:
10.) Engaging, uplifting, and relevant sermons from both the Rector, David Boyd, as well as the other associate reverends. And when I laugh at their jokes, it’s because they’re genuinely funny; it’s never that irritating, obligatory «church» laugh that’s actually more of a weak, nervous chuckle.
9,) The eclectic mix of parishioners. You’ve got the old guard; the new guard; the hip single urbanites; the hip, married urbanites with young kids; the straights; the gays; people who live a block away; people who live half an hour away; the young; the old; the super-​involved; the not-​so-​involved; the lawyer; the blogger; the butcher; the baker; the semiconductor maker, and then of course… me.
8.) A beautiful historic church that, interior-​design wise, remains rich in its décor, yet never gaudy and distracting like the Catholic cathedral. The rest of the church is elegant where it counts, as well as functional when needed. Oh and there’s a coffeehouse/​bookstore called Café Divine. And we have a chef who cooks amazing food. The outdoor Labyrinth is perfect for meditation and reflection. (And there’s no David Bowie or those terrifying puppets to contend with).
7.) Theology on Tap. Interesting topics, tasty appetizers, fellowship, and of course, cocktails. How many people can say they were at a service for the Feast of the Transfiguration at Paradise on 6^th Street? Is anyone actually surprised I *can*?
6.) Journey groups. St. David’s provides a selection of small groups during every season to maintain your theological knowledge and satisfy your theological curiosity. I’ve personally been involved with such groups as «An Examination of the Exodus Story», a focus group on the Gospel of Luke, and a church-​wide Lenten journey group where we all studied the same book and dovetailed it with weekly podcasts from the clergy. Currently, I am in a group that is focusing on understanding Gnostic Christianity and the non-​canon Gospel of Thomas.
5.) Every potluck – whether in the church or at someone’s home– always consists of a few homemade dishes, yet a dozen bottles of wine.
4.) Can’t wake up in time for the 9:00 AM? They’ve got an 11:15. Missed that one? You can always make the one at 5:00. Have you been out brunching and shopping ALL DAY? You can still make 9:00 PM Compline and listen to their amazing choir. No excuses!
3.) If you listen to Glenn Beck and think that a church espousing «social justice» is a bad thing, then avoid St. David’s. This church holds the radical notion that all people are God’s children, and that the more fortunate of us should help others in need, both on our doorstep and across the world. There’s also a commitment to the earth God gave us and there’s a welcoming spirit that turns away no one who is searching for truth in an otherwise confusing world. The Amos Guild also is committed to addressing issues of work, health, education and affordable housing. If you believe this makes a church some sort of beatnik Communist ashram, then you’ve obviously missed the entire point of Christianity.
2.) Ministry and Fellowship. You can eat steak with your fellow men, or discuss the challenges of marriage with other couples. You can have brunch downtown with other young adults, drop your kids at the day school, or join the other women of the parish in lunch and prayer. I belong to GLEE (Gay, Lesbian, and Everyone Else), and St. David’s has marched in the Austin Pride parade for the past two years. I’ve never felt more comfortable at a church in my entire life.
1.) St. David’s reflects the passage from Ephesians: «Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.» Eph. 2: 19 – 22.
Bonus: After all this time, they still put up with me. God love ‘em.

But wait are the episcopal church celebrate hollowine ?? But. This is evil celebration because you are searving the devil and also celebratings the devils birthday

I love St. Dave’s! This is a place beyond words for me, and I’d say a place to find beauty and solace.
There is a huge labyrinth, a strong commitment to social justice, a chef, some amazing global partnerships, and a stunning music program. If you just want to check the place out sometimes I suggest attending compline some Sunday night (@ 9). Compline is a contemplative experience with low lights and music in lieu of preaching, so you can come in and listen/​look around w/​o anything overwhelming or chatty happening right away.
If you’re down for the full Sunday morning experience, folks are friendly and the preaching is often pretty fantastic.

This review is for St. David’s as a venue.
I had the pleasure of working with St. David’s and their amazing staff for a private event for a local non-​profit last May. I’ve volunteered to put on quite a few fundraiser events throughout the years and therefore, I feel compelled to tell you how simply amazing this place is.
First of all, Lisa Kay Pfannenstiel serves as their Director of Special Events. I was reminded as I met with Lisa again today (to plan for 2010’s event) just how amazing she is. I have never before worked with someone who works so hard to ensure your success. She is with you literally start to finish and she runs one tight ship! Our event had doubled in size and thanks to Lisa Kay and her staff’s expertise, our event ran smooth and seamless.
St. David’s itself has a number of spaces available, both large and small and can accommodate anywhere from 6 up to 300 guests. They have settings that are more utilitarian in nature as well as Sumners Hall (which is a bit nicer) and even Bethell Hall, which is an actual sanctuary space but because of its acoustics, serves as a SXSW venue as well.
I felt that their pricing was very reasonable and if you too, are a non-​profit (or parishioner), they offer discounted rates. For all customers, there is a maximum daily rate that runs about the cost of 5 hours. There’s also an 8-​story parking garage which ensures your guests won’t have to hunt for parking and makes having your event downtown a breeze.
The cost of chairs and tables are included in their pricing. They have excellent onsite caterers (CIA trained, no less) willing to design a menu around your specific wants and will even work with a tight budget. (Outside catering is sometimes allowed but requires pre-​approval.) They have a plethora of chargers, candle holders, etc. for embellishing your table. You will have to rent linens (though Lisa Kay will handle that element for you) and wine glasses, if you so choose. Lisa even handled getting the temporary liquor license for us that enabled us to bring in our own beer and wine and cut our costs significantly.
We’re hoping to grow our event again this year. I truly hope it does not mean we outgrow St. David’s, but Lisa Kay was there today with all of her wonderful ideas of how to buy us another year, still maximize our potential return, while still ensuring a great party. I left today not only with a wealth of information on how St. David’s can serve us, but with contact info for other lesser known venues that she thought could be our next step. Wow!

I really wanted this to be my main church given the outdoor architecture, its location downtown, its reputation of outreach is incredibly extensive, but didn’t get the bug.
Architecture is really important to places of worship and the interior of the church was not what I expected, and as I do like the diverse nature of the congregation, didn’t feel the connection I felt at St. James or St. Michael’s.
Still, the rector did perform an entertaining and engaging sermon on the Easter Sunday I came here, but giving the somewhat gloomy environs and congregation disconnect the one time I was here… hmmm