Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church

"Chris Irvin completely ruined our photoshoot at the church. We had paid for and obtained a permit to use the church grounds during specific hours for photos. Everything was going great until he suddenly appeared with aggression and hostility while we were in the middle of posing for photos.
Without warning, he aggressively positioned himself directly in front of the camera, preventing us from taking a picture we just posed for.
When we immediately informed him that we had permission to be there, he became hostile. He angrily demanded to see our permit, which we explained it was in our car and will go retrieve it. Despite Telling him I was going to retrieve it, he refused to listen and continued harassing us for more then 20 minutes, accusing us of lying and even suggesting we were going to show him a fake permit while getting even more angry by the minute.

His behavior became increasingly threatening - he balled his fists as if preparing to become physical, and repeatedly threatened to call the police on people who paid to be at the church grounds for pictures during specific times and who followed every single rule we were told beforehand. Only after he calmed down slightly and loosened his balled fist did I feel safe to get the permit. After showing him the permit he angrily stormed away with both of his fists once again balled up.

We noticed he went to other people in the area who weren't in a minority group like we are also taking pictures and he did not approach them with the same aggression and hostility he displayed toward us. The best part is I believe those people he calmly talked to didn't have a permit because as soon as he talked to them they left the property.
The situation worsened for us near the end of our scheduled time. Just as we were taking our final photos before leaving, he reappeared and started harassing us again about leaving.

He deliberately jumped between us and the camera again to prevent our last picture we posed for around 4:25 PM and was ready to take before leaving at our designated time of 4:30 PM . Despite having already wasted 20 minutes of our paid time earlier, he then harassed nonstop 8 plus minutes until we no longer felt as if we were being treated properly and left. As we were walking to our cars, he followed us and recorded us on his phone claiming that we was not going to leave, even though we had clearly stated we were leaving and was exiting towards the parking lot.
Chris Irvin's harassment and aggressive attitude completely ruined the day and what we paid for. If not for his unprofessional, aggressive, and hostile behavior I would have left a positive review about this place."

Jay M.

"Love it and received a bouquet 💐 of flowers on my first visit. Everyone was so welcoming and I am glad I came. Blessed to live 10 minutes away"

Silvi a

"RESPONSE TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF:
Your reply is misleading and dismissive of my experience. The woman you claim was a “visitor” personally told me she was a manager, which makes it very apparent that instead of addressing my concern, you are choosing to distort the truth. This only deepens the disrespect I felt as a guest.

If you read your many past reviews, it is clear that my situation is not an isolated incident. Time and again, people describe being met with hostility, aggression, and a lack of compassion by your staff. This pattern points to a failure in leadership to train, supervise, and hold employees accountable.

While I understand my photographer may not have been as transparent as he should have been, that does not excuse the cruel, unprofessional way your staff handled what was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Instead of acting with kindness and grace, they belittled and disrupted a sacred, personal occasion.

I will not be returning, donating, or considering this church for any future wedding or event. I stand by my review and will also be contacting parish leadership directly to ensure they are aware of how their staff conducts themselves. Your attempt to shift blame does not change the fact that the behavior shown toward us was wrong and unbecoming of any church.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: My fiancé and I came to Bethesda-by-the-Sea for a private marriage proposal — a once in a lifetime moment. Beforehand, our photographer spoke with the front desk lady, who gave us permission to take photos on the grounds.

Despite this, both a blonde female manager and a maintenance staff member stormed in mid-proposal, tried to ruin it, and even threatened to call the police. Their behavior was cruel, unprofessional, and frankly disgusting — they acted more like demons and vultures than representatives of a church.

Looking at their many other negative reviews, it’s clear this isn’t an isolated incident. Staff here have repeatedly shown hostility and a lack of basic customer service, and leadership has failed to train or hold them accountable.

Regardless of being “private property,” Bethesda is still a nonprofit church. With the amount of money they bring in through donations, weddings, and events, it’s hard not to ignore the sense they are scamming the system while treating people with contempt.

A true church should embody kindness, love, and compassion. Instead, this place has turned cold, greedy, and hostile. Christ Himself would be ashamed and appalled at the way they treated us and others. Until the parish leadership takes responsibility and reforms their staff, I strongly warn anyone against choosing this location for a proposal, wedding, or any meaningful moment."

Jessica C