Keep atheists out of the Oval Office. Put God above yourself. Help the disenfranchised any way you can.

That's part of the evangelical message the Rev. Jim Tolle preaches - in English and Spanish - to thousands of parishioners every Sunday at The Church on the Way in Van Nuys.

The faithful include an ex-Mafia hit man, a Golden Globe winner and single moms struggling to pay the rent.

Jaime Tolle is the pastor of Church on the Way in Van Nuys. Photo by Tina Burch

Tolle sat down with the Daily News recently to discuss his flock, the Catholic Church's rotten apples and the power of redemption.

Question: Does it matter if a U.S. president is an atheist, a Catholic, a Jew, a Muslim or a born-again Christian like George W. Bush?

Answer: I do think it matters. I think good people tend to make good policies. I think people that have an agenda against people - for instance, I think that an atheist would have an agenda against my freedom to say things about Christ. They don't like it. They are offended by it.

Q: How would you describe the typical member of Church on the Way? A single mother holding down two jobs? A widow with a comfortable pension? A recovering alcoholic father estranged from his family?

A: All the above. We have street people that come in. We have corporate executives ... a major actress, a Golden Globe award winner. We have ex-cons. We have an ex-Mafia hit man who has become a follower of Jesus Christ ... and we have got single