Lighthouse Coastal Community Church

* Address: 301 Magnolia St., Costa Mesa

* Telephone: (949) 631-3010

* E-mail address: [email protected]

* Web site: www.Lighthousechurch.ws

* Denomination: Nondenominational/evangelical

* Year church established: In October of 1998, two Costa Mesa

congregations merged to form what is now Lighthouse Coastal Community

Church.

* Service times: From 9 to 9:50 a.m. Sunday, small groups of all

ages meet for a Bible enrichment hour. From 9:50 to 10:10 a.m., there

is a break for doughnuts and coffee. Worship begins at 10:15 a.m.

* Pastoral staff: The Rev. Leigh Harrison, lead pastor; Frank

Custer, associate pastor, children’s pastor and administration; Jeff

Watson, worship and outreach director; Tyler Molway, youth director

* Size of congregation: 250 to 300 adults

* Makeup of congregation: Primarily 30- to 50-year-old adults

with families. There is also a small, active group of adults 55 and

older.

* Child care: Child care is provided for all services and at most

small ministry functions.

* Type of worship: The worship is a prayer-filled and practical

presentation of God’s word that includes the use of video, drama,

testimonies and songs to support the week’s biblical message.

* Type of sermons: The pastor aims to make his messages

biblically purposeful. He seeks to convey the meaning of each

scriptural text as the author intended it for those he wrote. He then

provides a contemporary, practical application drawn on the text.

Messages address current issues that people find themselves dealing

with in daily life. An extensive study guide for each message,

complete with scriptures and insights, is provided in the Sunday

bulletin.

* Recent sermons: Harrison just completed a study on 1 Peter

titled “Making Suffering Purposeful.” The practical application of

the study focused on using life’s struggles as a means of growth and

as a way to develop a stronger relationship with God and others.

* Upcoming sermons: A new series for the Christmas season is

planned, called “Christmas a Time for Meaningful Joy!”

* Mission statement: The church’s mission is “to lead people to

develop a personal, passionate and productive relationship with

Jesus, God’s son.” Harrison says the church is focused on providing

biblical insight and practical direction for all ages through a

contemporary style and a focus on “transparency and realness.”

* Vision statement: “We are called to worship God as we lead

others to know Jesus the Christ and become a member of His family, to

teach them to grow in their understanding and application of [God’s]

word, to enable them to serve Jesus and his family, and to instruct

them in how to share Jesus with others.”

* Dress: Casual -- “come as you are.” Dress reflects the

California culture. Harrison usually wears a Tommy Bahamas-style

shirt with dress pants.

* Church facilities: The church’s children’s facilities and its

fellowship hall have been renovated. Harrison says it is now

“absolutely incredible.” The outside of the church’s worship center

has been completed and the inside is being renewed.

* Visitor information: Each guest is greeted by one of the

congregation’s welcoming crew and provided with a visitor packet that

outlines the purpose and direction of the church. Visitors are

encouraged, but are not publicly singled out in any way. The monetary

offering that is collected during the worship service is specifically

from those who attend on a regular basis. Guests are encouraged to

fill out a communication card as their offering.

* Church outreach: The church supports a number of missionaries

around the world, including those who go on short-term missions to

the Philippines. It has a mission closer to home through a campus

ministry to California State University at San Luis Obispo. Members

are encouraged to get involved in short-term missions and to support

missionaries. The congregation also provides support to the homeless

and is involved in a local food distribution ministry.

* Church programs: On Wednesday, a children’s program called

AWANA meets from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. A group called FOCUS, for junior

high school youths, meets from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the church’s youth

room while the adult Prayer-Ponder-Praise group meets in the church’s

upper room. Small Bible study groups meet in homes throughout the

week. Women’s Bible study groups meet on Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m.

and on Thursday evenings at the church. Men’s Bible study groups meet

on Tuesday mornings at 7 a.m. and on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

On Wednesday evening from 6:45 to 8:15, there are ministries for

nursery-age children through adults. The church’s college-age group

meets on Tuesday evenings.

* Upcoming special services: During the Christmas season, the

church will have a weekly Advent focus and a special Christmas Eve

candlelight service, called “The Wonder of God’s Name,” at 5 p.m. The

service will include drama, music and a special Christmas message to

prepare the congregation for their Christmas time at home.

* Interesting note: Harrison is new to the church. He began his

ministry there in September. He and his wife, Mary, came to the Costa

Mesa church from Maple Grove, Minn., after they established a new

church there. Harrison graduated from Biola University in La Mirada

in 1982. His wife was born in Paso Robles and attended Cal Poly. The

couple has four children: Joy, who just graduated from Moody College

in Chicago; Danielle, who is attending Hope University in Fullerton;

David, their 12-year-old son; and Johnny, who is 7-years-old.

Harrison says that his primary aim at the Lighthouse is to “unify us

in our calling and purpose as a church body.”

-- Michele Marr