By Nicole Hoskins

OAKLAND – Westside Missionary Baptist Church hosted a community celebration on Aug. 17 in honor of Pastor Ken Chambers’ 60th birthday, highlighting his decades of service and advocacy for Oakland’s most vulnerable residents.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee served as the keynote speaker, presenting Pastor Chambers with a proclamation recognizing his ongoing contributions to the community.

The event featured moving testimonies from individuals whose lives were changed through the Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC), where Chambers has played a leading role.

Yasmin, a Norwegian immigrant who once lived homeless across eight states, described how she was referred to Chambers through 211. At ICAC’s Westside hub, she was placed in a safe car parking lot, then moved into a tiny home within a week. She now drives for Uber, volunteers, and is working toward her driver’s license while her son progresses in school.

Val, a millennial from Ethiopia, also shared her story of hardship and homelessness. After contacting 211, she entered ICAC’s program, first parking safely at the hub and assisting with client monitoring before moving into a tiny home.

Recently, the program helped a family of five who had been sleeping in a damaged truck after an accident, providing them daily lodging and access to showers via a community trailer.

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Mayor Lee toured the site and heard directly from clients about the impact of ICAC’s homeless solutions.

The celebration also featured live music by the Black Love Group, including an inspirational performance by Chambers’ granddaughter, Genesis Chambers. Reverend Lemelle Smith of Helping Others Win offered words of encouragement and provided food and cake. Smith’s program, in partnership with ICAC, feeds about 2,000 people a month.

The church also honored the late Sister Mary Vance with a resolution recognizing her years of service. Her son Darren Vance and family accepted the presentation.

Pastor Chambers used the occasion to reaffirm his push for county resources to purchase hotels once linked to human trafficking and convert them into workforce housing with wraparound services such as counseling, substance abuse treatment, and mental health care. Plans are also underway to open a second safe car park at William Chapel Baptist Church in September 2025, pending approval of a $450,000 city grant.

The birthday celebration doubled as a demonstration of Westside Missionary Baptist Church’s and Mayor Lee’s shared commitment to addressing homelessness and providing tangible hope to struggling families.

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