Chances are that if you are reading this article, you’re already pretty familiar with the fruits of the newsletter ministry. To get a look at the inner workings of The Beacon, the newsletter team was kind enough to answer a few questions in the midst of trying to get their own articles completed before the deadline.

One of the benefits of being a believer in a Bible-teaching, God-fearing church is that there are very real opportunities to build up the body, to preserve the unity of the Spirit and of faith; in a burgeoning church like Lighthouse, we are given many practical opportunities to perfect this bond of unity. Steven Hong, who is heading up this ministry, says, “The newsletter ministry helps in building church unity by giving members one more way to be connected to the body. Through member interviews, event highlights, pictures and ministry profiles, the newsletter can help a church which is growing in numbers maintain a sense of community and common purpose. Also, I hope that the newsletter ministry can also challenge readers to think through larger church issues, through articles like the Church Today column and the book reviews. The leaders continually encourage members to think with a biblical worldview, and our hope is that the newsletter reinforces that message.”

God has blessed our church with great writers. Steven says, “I’ve learned that writing can be a useful tool in ministry. I like editing the newsletter because I get to see, firsthand, everyone’s unique writing styles and how they  use it to edify the body and glorify God.” And every month when Steven sends out an email to the team with a list of topics, members of The Beacon volunteer to write on a first come first serve basis. It’s refreshing to see God using the talents He’s given for His purposes. This is something we really shouldn’t take for granted, as Grace Mao Wu reminds us: “I’m just thankful that I have an opportunity to write in a Christian context. As a journalist at UCSD I am limited in expressing my own thoughts about Christianity in my writing, but in the context of LBC I am able to emphasize what is important to me in my writing without having to censor what I say.”

It’s been a blessing to witness the unexpected fruits of The Beacon. As much as we joke about the monthly beeline for the crossword, I’ve been encouraged by the clusters of people in the foyer laughing and working together to complete the puzzle first. However, rather than skipping through the pages and heading straight for the crossword, I’d recommend reading all the articles through.

What do we hope to see from The Beacon? To personalizing a growing church, We only have so many members and ministries to highlight, but I hope we can expand as LBC grows bigger. I’m sure there will be many unfamiliar faces for many, but I hope the newsletter will help people at least know each other’s names and faces,” (Grace Wu), to helping the body grow in Christlikeness, “I want to see people reading these newsletters and being challenged to be made more like Christ as they interact with people both in and outside of church rather than making a bee-line for the crossword puzzle” (Jen Shin), to improving the layout and interactive elements of the newsletter, I hope to see an interactive element develop, maybe even an integration with the website. Also, I hope one day that we can see some color in the newsletter. That’d be cool,” (Steven Hong), you can be sure The Beacon will be faithfully reporting to you (not quite) live the the goings-on of Lighthouse Bible Church.

Chances are that if you are reading this article, you’re already pretty familiar with the fruits of the newsletter ministry. To get a look at the inner workings of The Beacon, the newsletter team was kind enough to answer a few questions in the midst of trying to get their own articles completed before the deadline.

One of the benefits of being a believer in a Bible-teaching, God-fearing church is that there are very real opportunities to build up the body, to preserve the unity of the Spirit and of faith; in a burgeoning church like Lighthouse, we are given many practical opportunities to perfect this bond of unity. Steven Hong, who is heading up this ministry, says, “The newsletter ministry helps in building church unity by giving members one more way to be connected to the body. Through member interviews, event highlights, pictures and ministry profiles, the newsletter can help a church which is growing in numbers maintain a sense of community and common purpose. Also, I hope that the newsletter ministry can also challenge readers to think through larger church issues, through articles like the Church Today column and the book reviews. The leaders continually encourage members to think with a biblical worldview, and our hope is that the newsletter reinforces that message.”

God has blessed our church with great writers. Steven says, “I’ve learned that writing can be a useful tool in ministry. I like editing the newsletter because I get to see, firsthand, everyone’s unique writing styles and how they  use it to edify the body and glorify God.” And every month when Steven sends out an email to the team with a list of topics, members of The Beacon volunteer to write on a first come first serve basis. It’s refreshing to see God using the talents He’s given for His purposes. This is something we really shouldn’t take for granted, as Grace Mao Wu reminds us: “I’m just thankful that I have an opportunity to write in a Christian context. As a journalist at UCSD I am limited in expressing my own thoughts about Christianity in my writing, but in the context of LBC I am able to emphasize what is important to me in my writing without having to censor what I say.”

It’s been a blessing to witness the unexpected fruits of The Beacon. As much as we joke about the monthly beeline for the crossword, I’ve been encouraged by the clusters of people in the foyer laughing and working together to complete the puzzle first. However, rather than skipping through the pages and heading straight for the crossword, I’d recommend reading all the articles through.

What do we hope to see from The Beacon? To personalizing a growing church, We only have so many members and ministries to highlight, but I hope we can expand as LBC grows bigger. I’m sure there will be many unfamiliar faces for many, but I hope the newsletter will help people at least know each other’s names and faces,” (Grace Wu), to helping the body grow in Christlikeness, “I want to see people reading these newsletters and being challenged to be made more like Christ as they interact with people both in and outside of church rather than making a bee-line for the crossword puzzle” (Jen Shin), to improving the layout and interactive elements of the newsletter, I hope to see an interactive element develop, maybe even an integration with the website. Also, I hope one day that we can see some color in the newsletter. That’d be cool,” (Steven Hong), you can be sure The Beacon will be faithfully reporting to you (not quite) live the the goings-on of Lighthouse Bible Church.