Worship comes alive in the hills
Places of faith
By Angela Randazzo Special to the Acorn

Simi Hills Christian Church

4307 Walnut Ave.

Simi Valley

(805) 527-0123

Pastor Kevin Dieckilman

Founded: early 1960s Size of congregation: 100

Denomination:

nondenominational

Service: Sundays, 9:30 a.m.

Foundation of beliefs:

"We believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit," Dieckilman said. "They

have distinct personalities with distinct roles but are One God. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the

Savior, the son of God."

Fun fact: Men on a Mission, the church's

service group, helps people in

need locally and internationally. Open to women as well as men, the group has traveled on goodwill missions to countries

including Uganda, Kenya, Brazil, Thailand and Bolivia.

Questions of faith (answered by Dieckilman):

What is the purpose of life?

To be in complete relationship with God and with each other.

What must humankind do to get into heaven?

The Scriptures are pretty clear that one must accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior.

What is your belief in heaven or hell?

We believe in a literal heaven and hell as the Bible states.

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

We are very committed to the unity of the evangelical churches in the community. In October, we are going with other churches in the city to Costa Rica to do construction and mission projects. We also work with the homeless and seniors here in Simi Valley.

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

We believe in a literal meaning of Scripture but there is room for interpretation. We teach both the Old and the New Testament. We are a visual church. We build and create things to show and illustrate the teaching of Scripture. I take study tours to Israel every year. I teach the realism of Israel, the land and people, and how it relates to Scripture.

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

We stand on Scripture that says God does not condone those things. We love all people and have members with different views. We welcome people of all cultures and all beliefs.

What is women's role in the church?

Historically, our brotherhood has ordained women into some roles of ministry. We don't typically ordain women as senior ministers.

What is your view on ecology issues?

God had given us domination over the Earth that means we carry the responsibility of that gift. We have a recycling program at the church.