My parents moved nine times by the time I was a senior in high school. In all those moves -
it was the local Presbyterian church that made each new location a home. Yet as I went through
8th grade communicants class in the Chicago area, I felt lost. The questions the church was answering
were not the questions I was asking. After joining - like so many other young people, I just stopped
going to church. My spiritual life did not stop with this decision though, and at 15, I experienced
a sense of God calling me into the ministry. Through the love of a caring adult - my Young Life leader -
Jesus now had human flesh (the incarnation). I found a new intimacy with Christ and a passion
to be involved with my local church.

Throughout adulthood my spiritual growth has been through a deep commitment to small groups
that provided a “life laboratory” for prayer and accountability. Through times of brokenness and joy,
these fellow travelers on the journey have been the relational connection leading to a deeper experience of Jesus in my own life. The deepest desire of my life is that our congregation would “lift up Christ” and
honor Him. We seek to be a center for Community, Faith Development, Worship and Mission. My hope is
that as we do these four things, Gather, Equip, Empower and Send, we will find at West Hills the
relational lifestyle of a family of love and acceptance that will call us to openly share the adventure
of each other’s life, to be a people living out the daily reality of the Kingdom of God, to finding our lives
ignited by the Spirit’s presence, and to a mission of incarnational witness here and around the world.

 

                                    Welcome to West Hills and this journey with the living Christ!

 

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Deena Candler Associate Pastor Caregiving Ministries

Caring For God's People

 

When I was growing up in the suburbs of Denver, my family only attended church on Easter, and my sisters and brothers and I were sporadic in our attendance at Sunday school. As I entered high school,
through the love and care of some adults in my neighborhood, I began attending the Presbyterian Church.
At that church I encountered people who cared about me, who shared their brokenness with one another,
and who were excited about their faith. I became hungry for what they had and was introduced, through
their love, to a relationship with Jesus Christ. I joined that church through the “Experiment in Christian
Caring” class and began to discover a model of relational style of ministry.

 

      West Hills is a church that seeks to show Christ’s love for those both inside and outside its walls
through our care for one another. Our caregiving is shown through a ministry of presence, that no one
should ever have to face a crisis alone; a ministry of listening, where people feel heard and understood;
and a ministry that is unashamedly Christ-centered, that real hope may be available to all. We hope
West Hills is a place where you will feel Christ’s care through His people!