Risen Church - Hayward (CA)

5 /5 JJ Siu: Risen Church is a great place to attend, regardless if youre a Christian or not. The community is welcoming and passionate about loving God, each other, and others, the messages from Sermons are relevant, and youll get to feel Gods presence.

5 /5 Dan Choi: You will find the Gospel preached here. You will find community here. Come worship and enjoy God together with us. Its what youre made for. Disagree? (fight me) You know, over a cup of coffee.

5 /5 Jan Tamondong: In the spring of 2021, a few days before my 23rd birthday, I first visited Risen Church. I had recently graduated from college and returned back to the Bay Area in 2020. Amidst the lockdowns and social distancing, it was difficult finding a local church community when I was accustomed to that kind of support within a collegiate fellowship. After reaching out to a middle school teacher, he recommended Risen, a church plant that was about a year and a half old. The first time I visited, the church was meeting outside at the staff parking lot area, with everyone spaced six feet apart. After I was handed a radio with some earphones, I sat on a folded chair while seeking shade from the school bus. The sermon that morning was on hospitality and the transformative way that Jesus frees us from our selfish passions, changing us to be more gracious and compassionate towards others. I can attest that I’ve experienced this firsthand as I look back on the last four years here. I was not the most approachable person and was quite guarded and reserved. I even had some disagreements with people while bearing much bitterness towards them. Instead of being open and honest, there were a few times that I considered leaving this church in order to run away from those problems. However, people still went out of their way to invite me to late-night dinners and hikes, allowing me to share life with them. Despite the hesitations I had, I ended up staying time and time again, being able to fully experience that transformative power of community. God gave me the courage to eventually meet and talk with people about some of my issues. What catastrophic expectations I had before these talks dissipated as I really started to see in my fellow church members the Imago Dei, the image of God. Once I began to notice this bitterness dissolve after a couple years of attending Risen, I pursued membership and later started serving with the Connections Ministry (welcome team). Rather than being a consumer who was only taking what was being given, I was able to start giving more of myself and pour into others. Although it is not a perfect church, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ really embody that sense of hospitality that was preached about during my first visit. As our mission statement is to “Know Christ and Make Disciples,” I have seen how God has really changed their lives as they seek to glorify God and use both grace and truth to truly love others. It has truly been a blessing to witness the growth and milestones our church has experienced over the past few years. We’ve gathered in many places—from the pastor’s house to the staff parking lot, the Student Union downstairs, and later to the multi-purpose room upstairs. What began as a church plant has now become a particular church, marked by the ordination of elders last year. Looking back, I’m grateful I stayed through the discomfort and the hurt, because it is through those very moments that I experienced some of the deepest healing and growth.

5 /5 Brian Yoo: Looking for a church and committing to a church isn’t easy. So when I was prayerfully looking for a church to commit to and live life with, I was looking for a church that: 1) preached the Gospel and 2) lived out the Gospel in their community. I’ve been at Risen for 7 months now and I am thankful that God has called this church into existence. First, Risen teaches and preaches the gospel. Its all about the gospel. The sermons usually go through a book in the bible or a topic that is centered around one of their Core Principles. Risen’s 8 Core Principles are: Scripture, Sabbath, Prayer, Community, Gratitude + Generosity, Compassion + Justice, Calling, Mission. Second, Risen is a community of believers who live out the Gospel. The people at Risen are passionate about Sharing Christ and Making Disciples. That’s our church’s mission (I can say “ours” now). So there are all kinds of ministries that make it easy to Share Christ and Make Disciples – from our Community Groups that are extremely welcoming and unintimidating to our relational building fellowship events. So you can invite your friends to multiple different avenues depending on where they may be in life. If they’re ready for a Community Group, there’s quite a few to choose from where they’ll be extremely welcomed, cared for, taught and encouraged with the Scriptures, and prayed for. Risen is a community that has your back, prays for you, and is there for you. If they’re looking for something a little less official, there are several fellowship events that they can check out. For example, there is a Run Club at 8pm so parents who want to come out, after putting their kids down, can come. Our pickleball and park hangouts are family friendly, not only limited to pickleball players or "young(er) adults". We have hikes for those who want more of a challenge in terms of exercise and incline, and also family friendly walks to encourage families with babies and toddlers to come out. At the end of the day, Risen is thoughtful about having biblical fellowship that considers people of all life stages. As an adult with no kids, I feel like I belong when I hang out with families with young toddlers and babies. I also feel the same when I spend time with other adults who dont have kids or are not married. But all of this is extremely intentional. It’s all intentional to Share Christ and Make Disciples. Also, as a newcomer to the church, I appreciated the effort made by members to serve the church. Most people here really care and love this church. This was very encouraging and refreshing to see, which stirred up my heart to serve. A couple cherries on top: Risen has a good form of communication at all levels. The leadership cascades down really clearly why they do everything that they do–in their newsletters, Sunday announcements, to their ministries, and informal conversations. There’s trust because there’s clarity, and everyone is on the same page. Risen incorporates a good mix of hymns, christian contemporary music, and newer christian songs (thank you, David)! Risen does a real good job of blending the historic Christian faith with the modern world. If youre reading this far, Im not sure what you look for in a church. Come check us out and worship God with us. By Gods grace, I felt like this was a safe place for me to be myself, open up and be vulnerable with others. God calls all His children to worship Him together as a church - so come through!

5 /5 Kevin Choi: Risen is more than just a church to me; its a place I call Home. My journey through various churches has unfortunately been marred by troubling experiences. Its been a rocky road, to say the least. However, amidst the chaos, Ive found solace and strength in Risen, where Gods unwavering faithfulness has become evident in my life. Through the leadership of Pastor Rich, Ive witnessed a commitment to integrity and a profound adherence to the teachings of Scripture. His sermons are meticulously crafted, grounded firmly in Sola Scriptura, and serve as a guiding light for the congregation. What sets Risen apart is its unwavering dedication to the Gospel message. Here, the primary mission isnt just to gather on Sundays, but to actively share Christ and make Disciples. Its a place where accountability is not just preached but practiced, where authenticity reigns, and where a genuine desire to follow Christ permeates every interaction. In essence, Risen isnt just a church; its a community of believers striving to live out the transformative power of the Gospel. My journey with Risen has been one of restoration and renewed faith in both God and the potential of the church to be a beacon of hope and redemption in a broken world. If youre seeking a place where faith is more than just words, but a way of life, then Risen is where you belong.