It's our vision to see...

Our Area

God spoke to main leaders Phil and Heather Read in 1992 saying "There will be a new church in Lytchett Matravers". We believe that God said that for a reason. It is not by chance, or just because it was a place nearby, but a strategic plan. So our long-term plan is to move our worship meetings back into the village, just as soon as a community-style building can be built. For the time being we worship in Holton Heath and run community, youth and children's activities in Lytchett.

We believe that the church should make a difference in the area, changing the spiritual atmosphere as it intercedes and worships. And we feel that God wants us to be a blessing to the area. Not taking from it, but contributing towards it.

Childrens work

We believe that the children and youth are key in the building of the church. Consequently, many of our meetings are geared up around children. It can get a bit rowdy! Traditionally, church meetings have been aimed at the adults, with entertainment laid on for the children while the "groan"-ups get on with "real" church. However, at the Lighthouse we believe that children's church is as much a part of "real" church as the adult preaching and teaching. We give opportunity for our children to play their part in the church body.

Music

Praise and worship leads us into the presence of God and as such the Lighthouse puts a high emphasis on music, striving towards excellence. Although the church is not huge, we have been blessed with a fairly high proportion of accomplished musicians. The band includes keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, saxophone and other assorted accompanyments from time to time.

Relationships

Relationships are the very fabric of the church. The church is not the building, or the leaders or our activities, it is the people themselves. Relationships and caring for each other is the cement which holds the living stones of this building of the church together. For many years we have been meeting, much time has been spent enjoying each other's company, eating together, going out together, going on holiday and generally having fun. This will remain a key building block of the the Lighthouse.

Meetings

On the whole, we meet on Sunday mornings except for the third Sunday, when we meet in the evening. If there's a fifth Sunday in the month... we don't meet at all! This is to allow people to spend time with family and friends. Often Sunday is the only day that many people have off and is a great time to meet up with neighbours

Various groups meet during the week; for details see what's on

Mission

The call to "go" reaches beyond the local area and even our nation. The Lighthouse has an ongoing programme to do our part in reaching the nations for Jesus. We have sent teams to Ethiopia, India, Uganda and Malawi; one of our members is key in establishing the ALPHA course in Japan.

We believe that Christians in the West have been blessed with so much, both financially and spiritually, that it is right to sow into other parts of the world that are not so rich.

Be different

When we read of Jesus ministering in the gospels, He very rarely did anything the same way twice. Each time He healed someone, He physically did something different as the Father gave Him instruction. We believe that God will lead and guide us in the way the Lighthouse should go and this may involve something quite unusual from time to time.

We want to be a prophetic people, "only doing what we see the Father do and saying what we hear the Father say."