You can almost always find a Harley-Davidson parked outside the Live Ride Church in Simi Valley.

Even the congregation's pastor, the Rev. Rick Fish, 43, rides one of the ironclad, Americanmade motorcycles.

Inside the church's walls, you'll find a collection of parishioners with dress attire all their own: tattoos and black leather are the norm.

"We're the church for people who feel like they're a square peg and church is a round peg," said Fish, who himself dons a black leather vest for Sunday service.

Those square pegs aren't only bikers, either. They're lawyers, nurses, mothers and military folks as well, he said.

"No matter what's going on in your life, you're welcomed and greeted," Fish said. "We teach from the Bible and teach that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. And no matter what you've done you can be forgiven and welcomed into the family of God."

The 120-seat church located in the Santa Susana Knolls graces a large lot with plenty of room for a separate classroom building. The 5 p.m. Saturday service includes a live band rocking out in praise. The Sunday service at 10 a.m., Fish said, is a little more sedate.

Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers FREE EXPRESSION OF FAITH-Live Ride worship band members, from left, Matt Newinger, Greg Feo, Norm Newinger and Robert Galloway, along with Mike King on drums (off camera), jam for the congregation during the ministry's Saturday afternoon service. Left, Newinger in his Sunday's best. The ministry started in 1998 when Fish shared a dance studio with another Christian church in town.

"We would meet there on Saturday with blues-style worship. It was a come-as-you-are party, but we were serious about God," Fish said. "People could come from anywhere. They could walk or ride even from other states."

Fish and his wife, Joye, have lived in Simi Valley for nearly 20 years. They have four adult children and four grandchildren.

When they decided to sell their home, the family looked in the Knolls for a new place. Driving around the neighborhood, Fish said, they discovered a vacant church , overgrown with weeds.

Fish learned from the local Praying Pastors group he belongs to that the church was for sale. Thanks to funds from the sale of his house and contributions from 15 other churches in town, Fish got together the down payment.

Unlike Fish, the church's associate pastor, Dmitri Hunt, doesn't ride a Harley. In fact, with his crew cut and plaid shirt, he's taken to calling himself "Joe College."

"When I first came here, I thought I wouldn't fit in," Hunt said. "I've been surprised about how much I love it and the people. These are the kind of people that if you are stranded in the desert, someone would come and get you. These people are family to each other."

Fish's ministry focuses on the biker community, but he welcomes people from all walks of life.

"We have a wide variety of people. There will be an Outlaw biker over here getting to know Jesus right beside a former police chief who rides out here on his new bike," the pastor said.

According to Fish, people in his congregation aren't shy about the struggles they've had in life. Even the pastor himself is up-front about the bumpy path he took to finding Christ.

Fish grew up in Lancaster and in 10th grade was kicked out of school for using drugs. His drug use got him kicked out of the Air Force, too. His lifestyle back then was all about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he said.

"I was living in Phoenix in the streets, literally a homeless person," Fish said. "I realized that this was not what God had planned for me. I began praying. I wanted to love. I wanted to care for people. I didn't want to be a bad guy."

As Fish's outlook on life changed, a Grateful Dead concert was particularly meaningful.

"Jerry Garcia was singing 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door,'" Fish said, "and he added a line I had never heard before: 'Like so many times before.'"

At that moment, Fish said, he recalled a man who'd once told him that "Jesus stands at the door of your heart and if you open your heart He will come in and save you."

"I immediately knew that what Garcia was saying was not the truth. God hadn't turned away." Fish said. "I began praying, asking God to forgive me, because I had turned away from him."

By then Fish had moved back to California and was working in a grocery store to support his family. He poured himself into the Bible and began attending church. An invitation from a young friend brought him to Hope International Bible College in 1994.

"I had gotten my GED but I knew nothing about college. I had seen so much brokenness in my life and then to be able to be in school to learn about God, I was floored," Fish said.

Even then, the road wasn't made easy for him.

During his final year at Hope International, Fish was riding his Harley in Simi Valley when a car made a sudden U-turn and smashed into him. His helmet flew off as he hurled over the car. Fish landed on his head and broke his back.

"I remember one of the firemen saying, 'You're lucky,'" Fish recalled. "'No,' I said, 'I was caught by angels.'"

During recovery, Fish said God inspired him to start the Live Ride ministry. After enduring excruciating pain and therapy, Fish was able to walk across the stage using a cane and receive his diploma.

Now the ordained minister takes his message to the biker community through the church's Live Riders outreach program. The group rides Harleys to biker events, bringing the Bible, help and advice to those in need.

"I understand and relate to people with a degree from the

school of hard knocks," Fish said. "If we're guilty of anything here, it's being able to have grace for people who don't always get it the first time."

Live Ride Church is at 6245 Sylvan Drive. For more information about services or to speak to Fish, call (805) 306-0042.