Our History
Lighthouse Baptist Church’s official dedication service was conducted on April 4, 1993. The charter closed one month later with 112 charter members signing. That was the beginning of ministry to the Hurricane, WV, community and the surrounding area.
From the beginning, the church structure and ministries have changed to be able to accommodate the various needs of the church. In the first year, a choir loft was built and additional seating was built in the attic/loft area. Awana Clubs began during the first year, and continue today. These clubs help build a biblical foundation for the children of Lighthouse.
The congregation worked together in fundraising, remodeling, ministry organization and growth. Through these efforts, church furnishings, the grand piano, sound equipment and the church sign were purchased.
As the church continued to grow, the platform was again remodeled to provide space for the piano and organ, creating more seating in the sanctuary.
In April 1997, construction of the two-story additions began. Contractors built the exterior and the men and women of the church completed the inside. After tremendous amounts of work and sacrifice, the new construction was dedicated on April 5, 1998 with Dr. Jerry Falwell and others as our special guests.
Since the beginning, the focus of Lighthouse Baptist Church has been on ministry. One of the earliest outreaches of the church was our preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds.
In 1994, the church began offering a Mother’s Day Out program and our first Kindergarten class began in the fall of 1999. Each year, we were blessed to add a new grade until a full elementary school was established. To accommodate this growth, the church added a two-story wing to the front of the church.
Lighthouse Christian Academy provided a quality education in a Christian environment.
In 2003, the school expanded to include a daycare facility. Lighthouse Daycare Center serves the parents of Putnam County and the surrounding area offering full childcare for infants up to 12 years old.
Also in 2003, Teays Valley Resource Counseling Center (located in the church) began offering Christian counseling as an alternative to secular counseling. Therapy at TVRCC looks at the whole person as a spiritual being, not just their issues and problems. We offer counseling to individuals, families, and groups using Biblical truths and solutions aimed at treating the individual as a valued child of God.
In 2005, the congregation’s focus on their relationship and fellowship with God the Father continued to deepen and nearly everyone was searching to develop a closer and continual dependence upon God. Still, something felt incomplete in the lives of the congregation. Our hearts were still searching when God let us to begin Lighthouse Bible Institute. The Institute is available to anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge of Biblical truths and how that truth is still applicable today.
In 2009, Lighthouse joined the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists. We felt unable to fully complete the Great Commission as Jesus commanded we fulfill. Today, we are more involved in mission projects and financially support mission work in the state of West Virginia, as well as around the world.
In 2010, we made the difficult decision to close Lighthouse Christian Academy. For more than 11 years, God has blessed the children with a high academic standard of excellence. Economic factors played a huge role in this decision. The preschool and daycare programs are still alive and well.
Over the years, many people attending Lighthouse have sat in the Spirit-filled sanctuary and asked Christ Jesus to be their Savior. God’s grace has been evident in our church. Hearts and lives have been changed and our individual personal relationships with Christ have been the focus of our ministries.
From our daycare ministry to our adult Bible studies, Lighthouse continues to reach out into the community and meet the needs of others. It is our intention to find unmet needs and provide a Biblical solution, which honors and glorifies Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Future
Jesus left each of us with a command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and body. In addition, we are to love each other as Christ loves us. Every time we live in love with God and with each other, we are living the “abundant life” Jesus told us about.
Each day we practice bringing people to Jesus and encourage membership in His family, developing new believers into Christ-like maturity, and equipping them for their ministry in the church and their life mission in the world.
Jesus said whatever you do; do all to the glory of God. The “abundant life” is the greatest, coolest and best life there is to live.