Real Men Stay in the Race - 2024 Men's Conference

Join us for our Annual Men's Conference, hosted by Decently and In Order Ministries. The conference will take place at Water of Life Community Church, on Friday, September 27th (7:00pm-9:30pm) and Saturday, September 28th (9:00am-12:30pm) in the Worship Center. Enjoy worship, fellowship, teachings and Saturday break out sessions - all alongside the company of Christian men.

Friday Night's Speakers:

Pastor Dan Carroll & Bishop L. Kirk Sykes

Saturday's Speaker:

Christian Okoye

Saturday's breakout session speakers:

Pastor Dakota Hauck, Water of Life

Randy Neal, Christians United for Israel

Lawrence Shelton, Esq., Attorney at Law

Admission for this event is FREE. Reserve your tickets now.

CAFE IS OPEN: Our Water of Life Cafe will be open so come early and purchase your favorite coffee drink before going into the Worship Center and finding a seat! Cafe Hours are Friday, 6:00pm to 8:00pm and Saturday, 8:15am to 10:15am

PARKING: Parking is available in our parking structure as well as in Lot A. Water of Life Attendees: The structure will fill up so please consider parking in A and walking up to the worship center so we can save room for our guests. Thanks!

Pastor Dan was born on January 8, 1953. He grew up in Pomona, California. Pastor Dan received Christ as his savior in February 1970 at a Youth for Christ meeting. He received a B.A. in Religion from the University of La Verne in 1976 and taught at the Pomona Unified School District for three years where he coached baseball and basketball.

He married Gale in 1978, and in 1979 he received his M.A. in Education from Claremont Graduate School. He and Gale moved to Idaho, where Dan taught English, History, Physical Education and coached the high school basketball team.

In 1981 Dan and Gale had their first child, a son, Daniel Shane Carroll, born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. In 1982, Danny took a Youth Pastor position at Life Bible Fellowship in Upland, California and served there until 1987. Their second child, Katie, was born in 1983 in Upland, Ca. Pastor Dan received an M.A. in Christian Ministry from the International School of Theology in 1987. Shortly thereafter, while reading R.A. Torrey’s book, “The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Dan had a deep encounter with the power of the Holy Spirit. This led to his leaving his youth pastor position at Life Bible Fellowship and launching into a journey led by the Spirit.

In later1987, Danny began teaching a men’s Bible study where guys gathered to play basketball and spend some time in the Word. For three years, this study grew in scope and depth; and the families of the men involved began to come together. In 1989, Danny and his family went to the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to participate in a discipleship training school in Kona, Hawaii. In 1988, they were introduced to cross- cultural ministry in Penang, Malaysia, where Danny received a vision for the world. After returning to the United States in 1990, Danny was encouraged by the men of the Bible study and their families to plant a church. This became Water of Life Community Church where he is currently the Senior Pastor. Water of Life Community Church began with less than 40 people in 1990 and today averages 7000-8000 a weekend.

Danny and Gale have been married for 43 years and have two children, Shane and Katie who are both married, and seven grandchildren. Pastor Dan completed his Doctorate of Ministry from The King’s Seminary in 2004 as well and has served on the Kings Seminary board with Pastor Jack Hayford until 2017.

Bishop L. Kirk Sykes is the founding Pastor of CrossWord Christian Church in Riverside, California. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he created the church motto “remember the Cross…focus on the Word”. To date, God has blessed Cross Word Church with a growing church membership of over 4,600 with over 40 active ministries.

Bishop L. Kirk is a very proactive pastor and strongly believes everything rises and falls on leadership. He continues to voice concerns about the plight of minorities in the Moreno Valley and Riverside communities – economically and academically. He is an advocate for education and encourages young and old to discover their purpose and pursue it with determination.

He was inspired to structure CrossWord Church to be a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational, multi-generational church connected through one culture: a Christian culture. He focuses on teaching God’s people how to live a godly life on this side of heaven. This is accomplished by giving practical examples and simple applications. This teaching includes instruction on how the Bible is relevant even in today’s society.

Bishop L. Kirk has been a guest speaker at numerous men’s conferences and events across the nation and locally, including Decently and In Order Ministries, and other venues throughout the United States, Sierra Leone and Ghana, West Africa. He is the recipient of numerous community awards, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Dr. Marvin L. Brown Christian Service Award, Riverside NAACP Religious Award, Special Congressional Recognition by Mary Bono Mack, Support Services to Path of Life Ministries, Chaplain for Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and Co-sponsor for UnityFest with Breakthrough Church, Pacesetters Award by the Riverside African American Historical Society, supporter and participant in the Inland Empire Million Father March on September 8, 2012 sponsored by Street Positive. His most recent award comes from the Richard T. Fields Bar Association for Community Service of the Year. Bishop Lacy is founder of Family and Community Empowerment (F.A.C.E.) Community Development Corporation, publisher of Valley Life Today Magazine. He was also a participant in the Proclamation of Dedication for the City of Riverside on May 10, 2003 and his signature is on the original document with several other Riverside pastors. Bishop Sykes has been a member of Vistage, an executive coaching and peer advisory organization, since 2007. He is passionate about serving God’s greatest creation.

In June 2000, he was ordained at Second Baptist Church in Maywood, Illinois, and prior to that obtained education for ministry at Bethany Baptist Bible College in Los Angeles and Golden Gate Theological Seminary in Brea.

He and his wife, Pastor Karen, have been married for over 25 years. They have five adult children and four grandchildren.

Christian Okoye is a former All-Pro running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1990, he founded The Christian Okoye Foundation to help underprivileged children assume their role in society through education and sports. “The Nigerian Nightmare”, as he was known, has spent his adult years perfecting the art of sculpting the human body.

Growing up in Nigeria, Christian played soccer until he was 17, and was a sprinter and thrower on his high school track team. When he arrived to Azusa Pacific University in 1982, Christian won seven National Titles in shot Put, discus and the hammer and amassed 17 All American honors in track & field and football.

In 1984, despite having attained marks more than sufficient to qualify, Christian was omitted from his Country’s 1984 Olympic team. Frustrated, he abandoned track and field and joined his college football team. Having played football for a mere three years, Christian was drafted in 1987 by the Chiefs in the second round. During his seven seasons in Kansas City, Christian set a number of Chiefs rushing records, including total yards in a season, attempts in a season, touchdowns in a season, attempts in a single game, 100-yard games in a season, and was the first Chiefs running back to rush for 1,000 yards for more than one season.

Christian’s outstanding 1989 season culminated in an array of awards, including Running Back of the year (101 in Kansas City & NFL Alumni) and first team All-Pro(2x). The National Football League Players Association voted Christian the American Football Conference MVP, and he received the Mackie award for most touchdowns in the AFC. Christian garnered Most Valuable Player honors from the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Quarterback Club of Washington DC named him the League MVP. Christian received the Courage Award in Baltimore, which was named after Ed Block. Okoye is now a member of NAIA Track and Field Hall Of Fame, Kansas City Chiefs Hall Of Fame/Ring Of Fame, Missouri State Sports Hall Of Fame and Senior Bowl Hall Of Fame. In 2006, Christian became the President/Founder of the California Sports Hall Of Fame

During the 1993 season, Christian retired to face different challenges in his life, which includes spending time with his 3 children: daughters Tiana and Laylah, and son Kosi.

Christian works with organizations to motivate their members to focus on, and achieve, their goals by emphasizing drive and commitment

Ever grateful for the opportunities that athletics afforded him, since the summer of 1990, Christian works to motivate at-risk youth to define and achieve their goals by emphasizing the importance of drive and commitment. Through his Foundation’s free summer sports camps, the “Nigerian Nightmare” uses sports to help kids understand the importance of education, community, focus and drive.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Water of Life Community Church, 7625 East Avenue, Fontana, United States