Our Story
The Lighthouse Church began on the first Sunday in May 2007.
It was the vision of the newly appointed vicar Revd. Rob Grinsell and Bishop Graham Cray to establish a church that would reach the newly expanding and developing area of Hawkinge and would be relevant and dynamic for the community it served.
In the beginning, the service was simply “St. Luke’s Family Service”, in which every weekly service was aimed at being all-age to attract children and young families. Later it became apparent that the church needed its own identity and after 6 months, Bishop Graham Cray came and commissioned us as a new church and after that the church was given its name – “The Lighthouse Church, Hawkinge” – a light to the world.
Within the first few months KidzQuest and Fusion, an after school club, were launched, and they offered a significant bible-based ministry to children. KidzQuest continues as our Kids Church on a Sunday morning which aims to reach children and families with the Gospel.
On Easter Sunday 2008, the church celebrated its first full immersion adult baptisms with 4 candidates and enjoyed a time of great celebration. The Baptisms were carried out in Hawkinge Community Centre (where the church met until November 2009) using a purpose made portable baptism pool.