Carisma Church is a multicultural Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada church meeting on Sundays at 1239 Main St E, Hamilton: prayer at 10:00 AM, then the service at 10:30. A service runs about 90 minutes: live worship, then a message. All services are in English, with no translation in the room. There is free parking, no dress code, and a kids programme running alongside. You do not need to sign up, bring anything, or give anything.
What time is the Sunday service?
The service is at 10:30 AM every Sunday, with prayer at 10:00 AM before it. Come for either or both. Doors are open before 10, and there is usually coffee on. Plan to be about 90 minutes for the service itself, though nobody counts and nobody minds if you slip out early.
Midweek gatherings change through the year. The calendar is kept up to date by the church and is the place to check before you come.
What is a Sunday at Carisma actually like?
Live worship with a band, then a message from one of the pastors. It is contemporary rather than formal, and it is genuinely multicultural: Carisma began in 1996 as a Portuguese-speaking church and has been reaching across all of Hamilton's communities ever since, and the room looks like it. It is a Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada church.
- Music first, for roughly the first half
- A message, usually around half an hour
- Prayer, and people around afterwards if you would like some
- Coffee and conversation at the end, for as long as you want to stay
What should I wear?
Whatever you own. You will see suits and you will see jeans and hoodies in the same row. Nobody is checking, and the phrase people use around here is genuinely meant: come as you are.
Where do I park?
There is free parking on site at 1239 Main St E. If the lot is full, Kal Tire next door lets us use theirs on a Sunday, so you are not circling the block. Main Street East is a straightforward run from the Red Hill Valley Parkway or from downtown, and the HSR runs along Main.
Where exactly is the church?
On Main Street East between Ottawa Street North and Kenilworth, in the older brick church building with the Carisma sign out front. It is east of downtown Hamilton, about ten minutes from the city centre.
Directions in Google MapsOpen in Apple Maps
What happens with my kids?
Children are welcome in the service, and there is a kids programme running alongside it. Children check in and are given a name tag with a matching pick-up tag for you, so only you can collect them. If you are needed during the service, your child's number appears in the main room so you are not hunted down in front of everyone.
Is Carisma a multicultural church, and what language is the service in?
Yes, genuinely multicultural: Carisma began in 1996 as a Portuguese-speaking church and the room now holds people from across Hamilton and from well beyond it, which is a fair description of the city too. Nobody here is the only one of anything.
All services are in English. There is no live translation in the room, so it is worth saying plainly rather than letting you find out on the day. The leadership still speaks Portuguese, there is a Portuguese-speaking community here, and there are other languages in the building most weeks, so come and talk to us before or after.
The messages are posted online after the service. If English is hard going, that is the easiest way to take one at your own pace, and YouTube's own subtitles can be switched on and translated there.
Will I be asked for money?
No. There is an offering during the service, as there is in most churches, and you are under no obligation whatsoever to put anything in it. Nobody passes a plate under your nose and nobody will follow up with you. Visiting costs nothing.
What if I have never been to church before?
Then you are exactly the person this page is for. You do not need to know when to stand, what the words mean, or any of the vocabulary. Sit near the back if you would rather watch first. Nobody will single you out, ask you to introduce yourself, or make you do anything.
Practical things worth knowing
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When | Sundays. Prayer 10:00 AM, service 10:30 AM |
| Where | 1239 Main St E, Hamilton, ON L8K 1A5 |
| How long | About 90 minutes |
| Parking | On site and free. Kal Tire next door if the lot is full |
| Language | All services in English. No translation in the room |
| Who comes | A multicultural congregation, from Hamilton and well beyond |
| Children | Welcome in the service, with a kids programme alongside |
| Dress code | None |
| Cost | None |
Coming with a specific need, a wheelchair, or anything you would rather sort out before you arrive? Call 905-527-5448 and someone will meet you at the door.
More at Carisma
Still have a question?
Call 905-527-5448, email wellingtonmariano@gmail.com, message the WhatsApp community, or just come on a Sunday: prayer at 10:00 AM, service at 10:30. We are at 1239 Main St E, Hamilton.