Woodbridge Community Church sits in Woodbridge Square on Barranca Parkway, tucked between Woodbridge Square Medical and the Irvine Unified School District Administration Center. From that single campus the church runs one of the most layered ministry programs in the area: nursery care for infants, a four-class children's ministry, a youth program for seventh through twelfth graders that meets twice a week, a college-and-career ministry, and a senior adults group - all under the same roof as a contemporary Sunday service and a globally connected missions program that supports twenty-nine missionaries and agencies.
The church's stated vision is short enough to print on a coffee cup: Woodbridge Community Church exists to help people MEET, KNOW and FOLLOW Jesus. Pastor Frank Winans, who came to WCC in 1992 as a youth pastor, has been senior pastor since 2007. He and Executive Pastor Vince Arnaldo, who has served the church since 1993 and is ordained through Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference), share the preaching calendar. The membership includes many who arrived in Irvine recently and have stayed for years. "From the first visit we felt a strong sense of community, compassion, and love for God and Christ," one newcomer wrote. "It felt like home." Reviews from across a decade echo that pattern - a family-focused congregation with a strong children's program, contemporary worship, and warm welcomes from the ushers.
Sundays at 10:30, in the Sanctuary or Online
Worship at Woodbridge Community Church gathers on Sunday mornings at 10:30 in the sanctuary of the Woodbridge Square building. The service runs alongside a full children's program and a youth service, so families with kids from infants through high school can attend in one trip. The service is livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for those at home, and recordings are kept in an online archive that now runs into the hundreds of messages covering series on the Gospel of John, the life of David, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and other books. A weekly bulletin can be downloaded before the service.
Visitors arriving for the first time are pointed to a Welcome Kiosk on campus, where greeters point out the children's check-in, the youth room, and the sanctuary. After the service concludes the courtyard fills with people lingering over coffee and refreshments - intentional space for the kind of face-to-face connection the church considers central to its identity.
What WCC Believes
The church's statement of faith is detailed enough to satisfy a theology class and warm enough to fit a newcomer brochure. WCC teaches that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and that one true God exists eternally in three equal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Salvation comes through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ, by which the Holy Spirit regenerates the believer. WCC affirms the virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and perpetual intercession of Jesus Christ, and looks for His personal visible return. The two church ordinances are believer's baptism by immersion in the name of the Triune God and the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of Christ's death. The church also affirms religious liberty, the autonomy of the local church, voluntary cooperation with sister churches through a regional conference, the priesthood of all believers, and the bodily resurrection and final judgment at Christ's return.
This is a Baptist church in the Converge tradition. Both senior and executive pastors are ordained through Converge Worldwide, the network long known as the Baptist General Conference.
WCC Kids: From the Nursery Through Fourth Grade
Sunday School classes for children run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and they follow a vision summarized in the church's own acronym, WCC Kids: Whole family-focused, Christ-centered, Cross-cultural, and Kid-sized. Parents are treated as the primary spiritual nurturers of their children, and the ministry is structured to equip them. All-Family worship services are held periodically so that families worship together rather than always separating by age.
Curriculum centers on the Scriptures with the gospel of Jesus Christ presented regularly, giving children regular chances to confess faith and identify with the church through baptism. Classrooms are spread across Buildings A and C of the WCC campus, with pickup at noon. The nursery, for ages 0 to 2, is in Building A across from the church office. Preschool and Kindergarten children (ages 3 through Kindergarten) gather in room C7 of Building C, beginning with a Bible lesson and ending with snacks and playground time. First and second graders meet in room C12, and third and fourth graders meet next door in room C11 - both with Bible teaching, snacks, crafts, and games. Fhina Chissek directs the ministry and also co-leads an adult women's Bible study during the week.
Ignite: A Fifth and Sixth Grade Ministry
Between childhood and adolescence, the church runs Ignite for fifth and sixth graders. The class meets in room C14 at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The mission is to empower younger generations with the knowledge and courage of Christ and to provide healthy peer community while they meet, know, and follow Jesus. Steve Mendoza coordinates this ministry, which complements the broader children's program by giving the oldest elementary students their own small-group setting before they bridge into the youth program.
Epicenter: The Youth Ministry for Seventh Through Twelfth Graders
Middle and high school students belong to the youth ministry the church calls Epicenter. On Sundays they meet in the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. for a youth service that runs alongside the adult service. Then on Friday nights, students come back from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for Friday Youth Night - food, games, teaching, and a chance to recharge before the next school week. Caleb Chow coordinates the ministry. He grew up at WCC himself, holds a business economics degree from UC San Diego, and has been serving the youth for several years. The ministry keeps a dedicated Instagram account and YouTube channel for parents who want to follow along.
College and Career: A Ministry for a Pivotal Decade
The College and Career ministry exists for the stretch between high school and settled adulthood. The group meets Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 12:15 p.m. - immediately after the main service - in room C-13 of Building C. Members connect between meetings through a private Instagram account and a Discord server. Kathleen Santos, the coordinator, holds a B.A. in Psychology from Cal State Fullerton and an M.A. in Educational and Clinical Counseling from Azusa Pacific University; she has been attending WCC since she was five years old. The group's stated goal is to help young adults navigate the transition into adult life by walking together with Jesus through His Word.
Four Seasons: Senior Adults Ministry
WCC's Senior Adults Ministry carries the name Four Seasons, a nod to the rhythm of the year. Its purpose is to connect seniors to God and to equip them for service and evangelism through fellowship, companionship, prayer, and love. The largest recurring events are quarterly brunch fellowship gatherings, where members share a meal, hear a testimony or short devotional, and stay connected across the seasons. Executive Pastor Vince Arnaldo serves as the primary contact for the ministry.
Soul Shepherding: One-on-One Spiritual Direction
For members who feel stuck or simply want to go deeper in their walk with God, the Soul Shepherding Ministry offers one-on-one spiritual direction. The framing is spiritual formation - a journey of transformation of the innermost being, recognizing that each person is unique in personality, needs, gifts, abilities, vocation, and calling.
The church's own spiritual shepherd is Marina Ball, who has been a member of WCC for more than forty years and completed a two-year training program to become a certified spiritual director. She meets individually with people who want a clearer sense of how God is at work in their lives, helping them walk through stages of faith, barriers to growth, and the next steps of following Jesus in their current circumstances.
The Word Speaks: A Midweek Bible Study Grounded in Context
On Wednesday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., a women's Bible study called The Word Speaks meets in the Family Life Center. The study walks book-by-book through the Bible and pays close attention to the cultural context in which each passage was originally spoken. The premise: the message of the Scriptures is eternal and unchanging, but the circumstances and conditions of the original hearers were unique to their times. Knowing that context deepens appreciation for the Word - and what is more deeply appreciated is more naturally acted on.
Growth Groups: The Heart of Midweek Connection
Growth Groups are the central small-group program at Woodbridge Community Church - weekly gatherings for fellowship, life-lessons, accountability, and encouragement, all centered on the study and discussion of Scripture. Topics are sermon-based, so the group discussion often picks up where the previous Sunday's message left off, helping members apply it to their lives in a smaller circle.
Groups meet on every day of the week, in person and on Zoom, in living rooms, on the WCC campus, and even further afield. A Sunday afternoon Family Growth Group meets in Lake Forest at 2:30 p.m. with Sean Merritt. Tuesdays offer an Adult Growth Group at the WCC campus in the morning, the College and Career Group at 7:00 p.m., an evening Adult Growth Group on Zoom led by Frank Sison, and a Single Ladies Growth Group led by Marina Ball and Jessica Arnaldo. Wednesdays bring a Ladies Bible Study (led by Fhina Chissek and Beth Chow) and an Adult Growth Group led by Mark Clark. Thursdays feature a year-round Bible study led by Roger McCullough over Zoom. Fridays are the busiest day, with a Family Growth Group, the youth program, and three Adult Growth Groups meeting across the campus. Saturdays host a Filipino-American Growth Group on Zoom. The pattern intentionally creates a group for every personality and schedule.
Care and Counseling
WCC offers pastoral care and counseling to members and regular attenders navigating life's surprises. The ministry is broader than crises: it includes one-on-one conversations, prayer, and connection to the wider church family. Anyone can reach the office by email to begin. The Soul Shepherding Ministry sits alongside Care and Counseling as a more contemplative path for those who want long-term spiritual direction rather than a single conversation.
Contemporary Worship and Music
Sunday worship at WCC is contemporary in style, with a band-led music environment. Ferdinand Imperial serves as the Music Director and Josh Arnaldo, son of Executive Pastor Vince Arnaldo, is the Worship Leader - both of whom also help lead Growth Groups during the week. The church regularly livestreams the music and teaching on YouTube and Facebook, producing its own sermon recordings. Two of the most recent preaching voices, alongside Pastor Frank's continuing series on the Gospel of John, are Josh Arnaldo and Associate Pastor Graham McGuinness.
Missions Movers: Twenty-Nine Missionaries and Counting
WCC's missions program, called the Missions Movers, is organized around the Great Commission. The team meets on the first Monday of each month to coordinate, and supporting missionaries and ministries is a major line item in the church budget. The roster stretches across continents and includes long-term missionaries on five continents. Some examples:
- Dave and Joanne Beckwith of Standing Stone Ministries, based in Irvine, who care for pastors, ministry leaders, and their marriages before crisis hits.
- Ruth Cowan of Wycliffe Bible Translators, who works from Wycliffe's U.S. headquarters mobilizing prayer for Bible translation projects close to completion.
- Dave and Natalie H. of Operation Mobilisation in the Middle East, who lead R.O.C.K. Ministries and R.O.C.K. Church among Arab Muslim communities.
- Glenn and Sue Kennedy, based in Okinawa, who minister to Japanese and U.S. military communities and lead Asian Relief and Medical Missions; in twenty-five years they have provided medical and dental care for more than 150,000 people and seen more than 70,000 professions of faith.
- Todd Kramer of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, connecting Midwest staff with Eurasia.
- Nick and Maia Mikhaluk, planting churches among professionals in Ukraine and Kazakhstan through International Partnerships.
- Benjamin and Judith Musyoka in Kenya, training rural pastors and church leaders through Community Light Mission International and the Africa Mission Training Institute.
- Tim Nash, working with the Kumiai Indian tribe in Baja California to establish an indigenous-led church.
- Erik and Elaine Olson of Equipping Leaders International, teaching thousands of national pastors each year.
- Mark and Patty Rutter of CRU, providing leadership development across the United States, Canada, and Oceania.
- Eric and Lyn Taylor at Makanalani Kids in Kauai, where free youth camps run year-round on 130 acres of North Shore land.
- Ken Taylor of WorldVenture, planting churches and disciple-making networks in Japan and leading a Black-gospel-music ministry with more than fifty choirs and a thousand members.
- Larry and Helen Taylor of the Converge Asian Impact Team, helping Asian church leaders unleash gospel movements.
- Dave and Nancy Wolfenden of Wycliffe and SIL, preparing digital scripture apps for translation work in southeast Asia.
Additional partners include InterVarsity, Hope and Help International, Bridges International at UC Irvine, the Far East Broadcasting Company, AWANA Clubs International, and a roster of pastors and church planters in India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, and Mexico.
Learning Lab Preschool: An Education with a Global Echo
Sharing the WCC campus is Learning Lab Preschool, a licensed early-childhood program with a unique model. Founded by a team of educators, physicians, pastors, and technologists, the preschool integrates STEAM education with spiritual formation and offers workshops and outings that connect families to one another. The school's distinctive commitment: for every student enrolled full time, a child overseas gains access to education. The preschool operates independently of the church but is rooted in the same Woodbridge Square campus.
The Leadership Behind the Pulpit
Pastor Frank Winans has been at Woodbridge Community Church since 1992, starting as a youth pastor, then serving eleven years as associate pastor, and becoming senior pastor in 2007. He and his wife Cynda have three sons, and his personal life includes surfing, golfing, water skiing, and leading trips to Israel.
Pastor Vince Arnaldo joined WCC in 1993 after pastoring in the Philippines. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Philippines, a Master of Divinity from Asian Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Western Seminary in Portland. He is ordained through Converge Worldwide, certified as a Personal Coach by the Fowler-Wainwright International Institute of Professional Coaching, certified in Spiritual Direction by The Leadership Institute, a Qualified Administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and a Certified Church Executive through StartChurch University.
The broader staff team includes Caleb Chow (Youth Coordinator), Kathleen Santos (Young Adults Coordinator), Fhina Chissek (Children's Ministry Director), Steve Mendoza (5th and 6th Grade Coordinator), Ferdinand Imperial (Music Director), Josh Arnaldo (Worship Leader), Roger McCullough (IT Director), Maricar Hingco (Office Manager), Junia Martinson (Content Manager and Media Technical Director), and Marina Ball (Spiritual Shepherd). Office hours run Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where to Find WCC
The church building sits at 5000 Barranca Parkway in Irvine, in the Woodbridge Square center between the medical plaza and the Irvine Unified School District Administration Center. The main phone line is (949) 552-1101, and the general email inbox reaches the office staff. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. with parking in the surrounding Woodbridge lots. Members of the church are scattered throughout Southern California and gather during the week in homes and on campus, so "the church" is the body of believers as much as the building. Visitors are warmly welcomed, the children's ministry runs alongside the service, and the livestream is always on for those gathering from a distance.