WHY WCC?

By Kristine J.
originally published on the Yelp.com website

As you have probably (or not) read in some of my other reviews, my father passed several months back of a heart attack.  When it happened, I found myself in a tizzy.  My family wasn't highly religious and I consider myself an agnostic so I had no clue what to do when it came to a service.  

I remembered the pastor of one of my very dear friends who had presided over the wedding I was bridesmaid in just one year earlier.  I remembered him, and his family, to be extremely kind and friendly and contacted him to see if he could possibly help us with my father's service on short notice.

Pastor Daren Barron and several of his deacons came into our home on a woeful Sunday afternoon, when I felt as though my world had collapsed beneath me, and made me feel it was alright to place my broken heart, my broken family, into his hands.  As a questionable believer, I placed every bit of faith I had into his abilities and it was the best decision I have ever made in my life.  He was kind, thoughtful, sincere, intelligent, amazing...  He and his wife Monnique helped me find a location to hold the service and helped with small details that I was much too overwhelmed with grief to put together.  His words during my father's send off were magnificent.  He saw beyond the death and dug deep into the heart of what it meant for my father to live and to die, passing along a legacy of educated, intelligent, capable, wonderful children and giving to his community in the only ways he felt capable to.  I couldn't have found a better Pastor to place my father to rest and bring me to life at the same moment.

Before the funeral I had attended random services at World Conquerors.  Initially, I attended as a favor to my friend, but lately I find myself drawn to Pastor Daren's words in a way I can't begin to explain.

World Conqueror's motto is: " Where you discover who you were born to be" and within the past couple of months I have realized that within the walls of this house and listening to the message, this is exactly what this house is doing for me.  As World Conquerors boasts, their members experience "a practical message that you can apply to your everyday life.  I cannot share with my fellow Yelpers how true this is. Somewhere between the "yada, yada, does God truly exist" and the " that Bible thing is just a book" thoughts that were going on in my head, I started really listening to what the Pastor was saying every other mont or so I attended.  The passages he read made complete and utter sense and I found I started to find the Bible to be more of a guidebook to being human rather than some mystery book written by some mystery source for some mystery being.

The Pastor's message is practical, be you a buddhist, a toaist, an atheist, an agnostic, etc. He welcomes you, in every and any state, any religion or any non-religion. He breaks down your life, piece by piece, to present a practical, relatable message on life in general. When you leave this house you leave with an overwhelming sense of power and blessing.  You are blessed with life, abundant, cup runneth over type life, and you are fully aware of the choices and actions you, as a human being, are responsible for with this life time you have been gifted with.  

They hold services at Bayview Fellowship Church in Oakland at a decent hour of the day.  This church isn't just a church, it's a family and I've been honored to spend much of my past year with these people.  I found myself spiraling out of control and focusing on the negative rather than the positive in life for several years. World Conquerors Church has re-ignited my fire in order to burn through this life again. My thoughts are clearer, purer, better.  Pastor Daren's message gives me clarity, something I haven't found in quite some time.

Gone are the days of your parents overly loud pastors, with outdated messages or sermons, driving flashy vehicles and taking more than he's giving.  Why, today, I witnessed the church paying the past due bills of two newly married couples (one couple being my friends) because the Church believes in giving and helping.  What you give, you receive back to you ten-fold in life.  They pratice what they preach.  Last night I attended a gala where needy families were gifted with a Christmas they coudn't provide for themselves.    

The Pastor and his wife are real people who understand that others want to hear real stories, real issues and deal with real aspects of their every day life.  From work, to love, to relationships, to hatred, to fear, to anxiety, to vices, to death... they approach it, soundly, intelligently, deeply and methodically.  

For years I didn't believe in the church, but World Conquerors has taught me that it only takes finding the right church to believe in.  This is a small church, just growing, just finding it's wings.  It may be small, but it's got a BIG beautiful heart.  If it's good for an agnostic like me, it may be good for you too.
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