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Why Call It – “The Lighthouse?”

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT - 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

 

During an earlier pastorate in Virginia, I recall sitting at the department of motor vehicles in Virginia preparing to renew the “tags” on my license plate.  Having a variety of custom plates to choose from, one stood out to me.  It had a lighthouse on it and a quote at the bottom “Keep the Light Shining.”  I immediately took a liking to lighthouses and spoke of them often in sermons.  Often I quoted the words, “The light that shines the furthest, shines the brightest at home.”  Members of the congregation began to find lighthouses and bring them to me. One even gave me a bathroom rug with a lighthouse on it. The quote at the bottom of that license plate has never left my mind. I began to think, “if only God’s people could keep the light shining in the neighborhood.” Each of the five pastorates I served in across the 26 years has been the midst of the darkest neighborhoods.  Drug dealing, prostitution, low education, low economic status, high levels of crime and other challenges plagued the community.  Particularly young adults who didn’t finish high school, or felt trapped by the decisions of their past seemed to stay with me.  I felt that the church I pastored was strategically placed in that community to “keep the Light shining.”  I knew the principle in Jesus analogy was specifically given to our church to obey. And if we shined as lights, the darkness will flee.  The ideas behind lighthouses soon began to set a context of ministry for me. Lighthouses are put in place to give illumination, direction, and it has a movement of circulation.  It doesn’t bring light to itself, but to those who are around it.  It serves as a hope to people in darkness. Its light serves as place of rescue and help.  And it never stops until all who are within its circumference of distress are rescued.  This became a motif of my call as a minister.

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Challenged by this vision concept and wondering what God’s vision was for the rental property next to our church I presently pastor, the idea developed for the Lighthouse ministry as a way for us to bring a ray of hope and help to the community of Roseland in Chicago.  Rather than sit and discuss how dark is the darkness of our community, I feel that as believers in Christ we must fulfill the mission of Christ, and “keep the Light shining.”  I’m hopeful that this ministry will be that Light for Roseland.  Many young women and men need to be rescued from the darkness of sin and given the hope of salvation.  Many need a place of help to guide them to a change that will impact their lives for a purposeful future. And so long as there is sin in this world we need to keep on lifting the light of the Hope we have in Christ before them.   That being our call, I look forward to seeing God use the Roseland Lighthouse of Chicago NFP in continuing its mission to rescue the perishing.   

 

The Mission of Lighthouse:

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To demonstrate holistic Christian community support by:

• Providing transitional housing for women, children, and men

• Providing community support by collaborating with other community organizations to empower adults and parents to live healthy lifestyles through financial workshops, parenting, mentoring, tutoring, job readiness, and relationship building

• Supporting economic development through social enterprise