ACTion Hero: Pastor Charles Warner, President of the Board

Pastor Warner speaks at ACT's Mayoral Candidate's Forum in May, 2008

“I love working in the community, always have.” With these words, Pastor Charles Warner of Christ Temple Apostolic Church sums up the motivation behind his vibrant participation in Sacramento ACT. As the President of the Board, Warner finds himself busier than ever, juggling his many responsibilities at the helm of not only an entire church, but an entire coalition of churches and schools.

Pastor Warner was born in Brooklyn in 1952, the youngest of four siblings, and found himself in California twenty-three years later as an Air Force clerk. In 1979, Warner—who did not consider himself a Christian—was invited to attend Christ Temple by an Air Force buddy. He remembers showing up at the church with drugs in his pockets, and he remembers flushing them down the drain that same evening after being baptized at the service.

He never looked back. 

Just this month, Warner celebrated ten years of his Pastorate at Christ Temple, located along La Riviera Drive off of Watt Ave. After dedicating his life to God, he quickly rose through the church ranks and was elected to replace the previous pastor soon after that pastor announced retirement.

In 1995, the year before Pastor Warner married his wife, Sherlyn, he remembers a fateful meeting with Jim Keddy that planted a seed for later involvement in ACT’s community ministry. “I always benefited from the community activities of others,” Warner says. “ACT is a way for me to give back.”

Pastor Warner recently spoke to a Senate committee about children’s health during his first trip to the State Capitol. “Many times leadership intimidates people…but [ACT] spurs the interest and makes us want to have a voice.”

As a man who once dropped out of high school but now has a Masters in Leadership Administration Policy, Warner contends that ACT fulfills an important role in his community. “It propels us to look at things differently, to see another side of church leadership.” Pastor Warner is proud of his church’s involvement with ACT, of his own leadership role in ACT. He knows that ACT provides a powerful voice for people of faith. “When we speak, God backs up what we say.”