Places of faith
Building a community of faith from the Bible's instructions
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers LONG HISTORY- Pastor Paul Weir stands in front of Simi Valley Community Church, which first opened in 1961.

Simi Valley
Community Church
2000 Royal Ave.
(805) 526-8075
Pastor: the Rev. Paul Weir
Founded: 1961
Size of congregation: 200
Denomination:
Baptist General Conference
Service: Sunday, 10:30 a.m.

Foundation of beliefs: "Our beliefs are all centered on Jesus Christ, that he is God's son and that he was sent to the world to be sacrificed for our sins and show us how to live," Weir said.

Fun fact: The church has a couple of softball teams that socialize with barbecues and potlucks. The church also has a popular preschool with a waiting list.

Questions of faith What is the purpose of life?

To glorify God.

What must humankind do to get into heaven?

Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is your belief in heaven or hell?

Both are literal places.

Can people of other faiths make it into heaven?

We strictly go by what the Bible says. John 14:6 said Jesus is quoted as saying, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one gets to the Father but by me." He is the access to the Father.

How important is it that congregation members get involved in the community? What kind of things do you do?

For the past several years, we've been working with the Samaritan Center and the PADS program. Every Thursday night we house the homeless here. We also saw a need in the community for before and afterschool programs. We're collaborating with Pacific Camps and, starting in December, we will offer a good quality program for working parents at our facility.

Does your church believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible or are we free to draw our own meanings from those writings?

When God inspired the scriptures, He had one meaning for it. The Bible is totally reliable for all points of truth that it addresses- points of history and science and faith. There are some things in the Bible that are poetry that you don't take literally.

What is the church's view on gay rights and abortion?

We are prolife. We do not believe in gay marriage. We believe marriage is between a man and woman.

And yet, homosexuals should have a lot of the same rights as anyone else. The highest standard is not government but God's laws.

What about women's role in the church?

Women have all sorts of roles. Our children's directors are women, and women participate in many volunteer activities.

Women are not pastors; that's part of our Baptist distinctives.