The moment Pastor Warryn S. Campbell II walked into 214 North Maclay Ave. in the City of San Fernando, he knew he had finally found a new home for his growing congregation at the California Worship Center (CWC).
“I thought, ‘This is our home’ – I could just feel it,” recalled Campbell, founder of CWC, a non-denominational, predominantly African American Bible-based church. “So we went after it.”
And their doors have been open to the public on Maclay Avenue since Easter of 2022.
Campbell and his wife Erica Atkins-Campbell first launched CWC at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood in 2015. He said he felt inspired to open a church in the San Fernando Valley to help fill a void he witnessed while living and working here.
Campbell moved to Northridge with his parents and sister as a teenager. He later spent nearly three decades working as a Grammy Award-winning music producer in the North Hollywood area, which has numerous recording studios, with artists such as Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott and his wife, who is one-half of the Gospel music duo Mary Mary.
“When it came time to start and plant a church, I felt drawn to North Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley because I felt there just wasn’t much of what we do as a church there,” he said.
As the congregation grew at their first CWC location, they moved from one site to the next over the next several years. Since relaunching in the City of San Fernando, the congregation has swelled to approximately 700 members and the church pews are typically full on any given Sunday.
“It’s not uncommon to come to a Sunday morning service and see Stevie Wonder sitting in the second row,” said the producer-turned-pastor, who remains involved in the industry, primarily in Gospel music. “We love music, we love performing, and it’s very much part of the fabric of our church.”
He acknowledged that many people are drawn to visit CWC because they’re familiar with the couple’s musical careers, but, he noted, they stay because of the “community of our church.”
Congregation members are from across the valley, from other parts of Los Angeles, and some even travel from as far as Palmdale and San Diego, according to Campbell’s mother, Sandra Campbell – affectionately known as Mama Campbell – who is the head administrator for CWC.
“Many of them say it feels like family here – it feels like home, like a place to belong,” said Mama Campbell.
Seeking Light in Dark Times
Campbell said CWC is largely a family-run church with his wife, his mother, his sister Joi Campbell and his father Warryn Campbell Sr., who is the overseer of the church. The congregants are of all ages, and he considers the church to be a “family community.”
The pastor’s own connection to church dates back to his childhood. He was raised attending worship services and the experience helped shape his outlook on life.
“It was in the church where I really found my place,” said Campbell, who was raised in South LA. “Because of all the gangs and drugs in the neighborhood, I would go to church to be with my friends who didn’t want to be a part of any of that either. It gave us an alternative to the streets; … it gave us a sense of community. I think going to church gives you that, and I think it’s something we have to encourage and continue because the world is only getting darker.”
As a church community, CWC isn’t involved in politics, said Campbell. Nonetheless, they did invite LA Mayor Karen Bass to address the congregation while she was running for office. In addition, last fall they encouraged church members to vote in the national election, although they didn’t formally endorse any of the candidates.
“I don’t preach [politics] from the pulpit, but as an individual, I do stand for certain things,” explained Campbell. He and his wife are members of Black Church PAC, which includes 3,000 faith leaders from across the country. The group collectively supports policies that advance equity, justice and civil rights, including ending mass incarceration, increasing voting rights and reducing gun violence.
“In terms of our federal administration and all the things that are happening in Washington, including all the executive orders to basically wipe away DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] programs that are targeted to help underprivileged and marginalized communities, that is very concerning to us,” said Campbell.
“We have a voice and we use our voice to raise our concerns [as members of the Black Church PAC] because if we don’t – if you sit and say nothing – then silence is nothing more than compliance,” he added. “It’s part of my duty.”
Acknowledging Black History
On Sunday, Feb. 23, CWC will commemorate Black History Month with its annual Heritage Sunday celebration at 11 a.m. The congregation is encouraged to wear their “old school Sunday best” in celebration of the historic significance of Black churches, said Mama Campbell.
“The choir will march in wearing traditional robes,” she said. They will also have photo displays of notable African Americans and the children will do a special presentation.
Mama Campbell said she believes it’s critical to acknowledge Black History Month every year.
“I think it’s very, very important – I believe, it’s important for most cultures to celebrate their history,” she said, noting that our history is the “foundation on which you build” the future.
“There’s a saying that if you don’t know your history, then what do you have to stand on?” she explained. “I think that’s what’s happening with the younger generation – a lot of them don’t know their history … [especially] if the schools are not teaching our history. It just gets lost.
“I believe if people know their history and know where they come from, it’ll help them in their future and help them get where they’re going,” she added.
Campbell said he feels that Black History Month helps teach younger generations of all races and ethnicities about the diversity involved in the creation and evolution of the country.
“I do believe that Black history is about more than just Black history – it’s American history, which is hard to compartmentalize with just one culture,” he said. “Our heritage, along with the Latino history and Asian history – these cultures actually built this country.”
Campbell also emphasized the essential and transformative role Black churches have played throughout U.S. history, including serving as the launching pad of the Civil Rights Movement.
“All of the meetings and the planning and the strategizing happened in churches,” he said. “Since their inception, Black churches have been a refuge from all the things that we were facing.”
Black churches have also served as community hubs, where people could go to find resources, such as food, clothing and shelter, added Campbell. Following that model, CWC is involved in numerous charitable endeavors throughout the year, most recently partnering with World Vision to provide donations for families affected by the LA wildfires.
“[Black churches] are a place to go to feel safe, a place to be encouraged, a place to heal,” said Campbell.