Kevin Reilly – on behalf of The Lighthouse Community

The Lighthouse Community – part of the Relational Mission Family – has, since its conception in October 2017, sought to stand with pioneering people who serve within the nations of Central and Eastern Europe, once subject to communism. Most of the people in Lighthouse serve in small isolated settings and so our community offers a point of meaningful encouragement and fellowship, as each of us pursues a common vision to love God, love people and make disciples of Jesus in our home nations.

LHC is important to me as in a short time – online (and thankfully sometimes physically) our meeting together has encouraged me in my ministry. There is a real love, care and desire to bless each other and build each other up. More than that our Lord Jesus is lifted up in our meetings and I find myself leaving a zoom meeting and saying, “That was so good. I am glad I was with the group tonight.”

Colin – Albania

We are a fellowship of friends and pioneers, committed to preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and making disciples of Jesus across Central and Eastern Europe. We fellowship together in the Spirit (Phil 2:1) in one-another’s sufferings (Phil 3:10) and in partnership (Gal 2:9) that we might be mutually strengthened, supported and encouraged in our shared mission.

Since returning back to Latvia, Lighthouse Community has helped me see beyond my current circumstances and feel part of a bigger picture. I love this group because we all are in different places geographically but the sense of community and togetherness is very evident and not only in times when we are able to meet together in person.

Linda – Latvia

Through the generosity of hundreds of people, churches and businesses, we have raised more than €200,000 for Ukraine since the beginning of the war; and this continues to be distributed in tranches of $10,000 per month, in support of Edik and Liana’s ministry, in Uzhgorod.

Through being part of the Lighthouse Community, we’ve been blessed in our Christian life experience and have enjoyed being able to seek God together and benefit from discipling conversations. Also, our faith in God has deepened, as have our friendships and we now have a broader perspective on spiritual gifts.

Edgaras and Nijole – Lithuania

However, the funds that we have available to us as a community (not those raised for the Ukrainian ministry) have always been much more hand to mouth. Finances to cover banking costs, accounting, media, online hosting, support for conference attendance, visits to pioneers and salary costs etc have always been in the budget, but not entirely in the bank! For the last couple of years we have faced an annual shortfall in our budget of more than £10,000 and although God has been faithful throughout (we have always balanced the budget) we feel that it is time to approach our needs in a different way, making them known and partnering with others.

We are looking for 200 financial partners who could commit to giving £10 / €10 each month to support the everyday running costs of the Lighthouse Community for the next two years.

Such a commitment would be a game-changer for us as it would mean that our annual deficit of more than £10,000 could be met and we would then be able to embark on the next two academic years (09/2023 – 08/2025) more strategically. Proverbs 24:27 captures well, some of our journey to date:

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

Lighthouse began six years ago with few resources – just a vision and the generosity of a handful of friends. There was a simple heart to fellowship with like-minded pioneers in order to strengthen and encourage one-another in the field, to share the gospel and to make disciples of Jesus. And by God’s grace we have found ourselves established in the field as a community, for which we are very grateful; however we are sensing now that this is a time for us to build our house and establish ourselves more permanently so that what we have seen established and growing in the field might be more diligently and effectively served.

Since, I have joined LHC I have found family, friends, comrades and that is something that is most needed. In our ministry we often feel like Frodo in the movie “Lord of the Rings”, alone and facing opposition and we have tasks that only we can deliver. But we need a fellowship that will be there for us.

Bernard – Croatia

And for this, we need your help! Can you partner with us and help us to build and establish the Lighthouse Community for the next two years so that we are able to expand what we are doing across Central and Eastern Europe?

Please would you prayerfully consider this request, and if you sense God’s hand upon you to serve with us in this way, go to our giving page for further details.

The fields are white unto harvest, Jesus said – we are praying for 200 labourers who will partner with us financially in the fields of Central and Eastern Europe.