Set on 23rd Street SW in Puyallup, Lighthouse Christian Center has built a reputation as a Christ-centered community where Sunday worship runs in two languages, midweek programs run on a single night for every age, and the gym, the pickleball courts, and the prayer room sit alongside one another. Affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and part of the Pacific Northwest District, the church's mission is straightforward and stated on its own materials: to be a community that makes more and better disciples of Jesus.

Sunday Mornings in English and ASL

Two Sunday gatherings fill the Sanctuary. The first service begins at 9:00 a.m. and is interpreted in American Sign Language; the second meets at 11:00 a.m. Both services are livestreamed, with the 9:00 a.m. broadcast carried on the church's YouTube channel. A typical Sunday includes several worship songs, scripture reading, a teaching time from one of the pastors, and prayer. Communion is celebrated together once a month, usually on the first Sunday.

Visitors are greeted at the door but never asked to stand or raise a hand. There is no dress code: some come in suits and dresses, others in jeans. A welcome card tucked in the seatback in front of each guest offers a simple way to be remembered and followed up with.

Kids at LCC

LCC Kids aims to help children belong in community, believe in the Bible, and become more like Jesus. Care and activities are provided during both Sunday services for children from birth through sixth grade. Nurseries serve infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), and LCC Kids classes serve children ages 3 through 12. Students in seventh grade and older attend worship in the Sanctuary with their families, though during the 9:00 a.m. service a class called Anchor gathers seventh and eighth graders after the music portion for teaching and small group time.

On Wednesday evenings, the kids' ministry runs a program called GLOW for ages 4 through fourth grade, with large group story time and small group discussion, and Voyagers for fifth and sixth graders, designed as a year-long bridge between Kids Ministry and Student Ministries. Limited childcare is available for children up to 3 years when parents are on site participating in a group or serving. Karina Evers coordinates the elementary program, Mary Latham leads the nursery and preschool team, and Thish Stage serves as ministry assistant. A childcare reimbursement program covers a portion of outside childcare costs for parents attending approved LCC activities.

Students in Grades 7 Through 12

The student ministry is led by Jesse Holcomb and Jessie Galan. Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. anchor the program: all seventh through twelfth graders are invited to youth group, with breaks around Christmas, spring, and summer. Anchor meets after the music portion of the 9:00 a.m. Sunday service, running roughly 9:20 to 10:15 a.m. for seventh through ninth graders, while a High School Leadership small group for tenth through twelfth graders meets at the same time in a separate room.

Other offerings for students include Bible Quizzing, a Scripture memorization and competition program that runs on Sundays from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. for students in sixth through twelfth grade, and a Drama Club for seventh through twelfth graders on Wednesday evenings at 5:00 p.m. The student ministry keeps an active Instagram account under @lcc.students.

A Deaf Community with Its Own Rhythm

Lighthouse is home to a particularly active deaf community. The 9:00 a.m. Sunday service is interpreted in ASL, and a Deaf Coffee House meets on the fourth Friday of every month from 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. The coffee house is organized through the deaf ministry at the church, with Nivia Crest serving as a contact person.

Midweek for Every Age

Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. are intentionally packed with options, an approach the church simply calls Midweek. In addition to the kids' and student ministries already described, Rooted, a ten-week small group discipleship experience, runs during the fall from the Sanctuary. General adult Bible studies and home group sign-ups also cluster on Wednesday nights, making the building feel like a small village after hours.

Adults: From The Well to Senior Adults

The adult ministry is organized into clusters by life stage, with the assumption that spiritual transformation happens in the context of relationships.

Young adults between 18 and 29 have two options. The Well meets on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. in Room 320 of Building 2 for post-high school young adults 18 to 25, focused on Bible study, discussion, and relationships. A separate Small Group for those 26 to 29 meets Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Prayer Room.

For adults in their 30s and 40s, The Grove is the designated community.

Home Groups meet weekly in homes and at the church and are described as multigenerational, with some family-friendly groups that accommodate young children.

Women's ministry, directed by Michelle Tangen, includes seasonal Bible studies and a long list of ongoing groups: MomCo for mothers of children from birth through age 18, meeting on the first and third Tuesdays of the month; Moms In Prayer on Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the Prayer Room; Sonshine Stitchers, a quilting, sewing, knitting, and crocheting group meeting on the second and fourth Thursdays; and SALT Sisters, an off-campus gathering that meets on the second weekend of each month, alternating between Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Men's ministry includes three weekly Bible studies - Thursday mornings at 6:30, Friday lunch at noon, and Saturday mornings at 8:00 - as well as a monthly Men's Breakfast on the last Saturday of the month at 8:00 a.m., a Guys Potluck and Game Night on the third Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the Coffee Shop, and seasonal men's basketball.

Marriage ministry serves seriously dating, engaged, and married couples. Single Vision, for singles 50 and over, focuses on building spiritual connections rather than dating.

Senior adults 60 and older gather on the first Thursday of each month from noon to 2:00 p.m. for a potluck-style meal, fellowship, and laughter, with each month's theme tied to a letter of the alphabet and a corresponding last name.

Walking Through Hard Things

Lighthouse HOPE is the umbrella name for the church's support ministries, all of which offer real hope and healing through Christ.

Celebrate Recovery meets on Thursday evenings for older teens and adults working through destructive hurts, habits, and hang-ups, using a Christ-centered 12-step model with gender-specific small groups. GriefShare is a Christ-based, multi-week support program for those grieving the death of a family member or friend, with a parallel Kid Talk program for children ages 6 through 12. Pure Desire groups address unwanted sexual behavior and betrayal trauma through small groups led by leaders who speak from their own experience of recovery. Pastoral Counseling provides biblically based, solution-focused counsel typically lasting six to eight weeks, with referrals to professional Christian counselors available as needed. A Benevolence Ministry offers limited financial assistance to members and regular attendees facing hardship.

Recreation as a Doorway

Recreation at Lighthouse is treated as a ministry of its own. Zumba classes are offered four days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, at 9:30 a.m. Pickleball is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with a separate Sunday afternoon open play session for newer players from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Adult volleyball meets on Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Pilates for women meets on Thursday mornings, and men's basketball is scheduled on Sunday nights when in season. The staff is open about the intent: many in the surrounding community first connect through recreation, and it often becomes a doorway into friendships, support, and deeper church involvement.

Local Outreach in Puyallup

Lighthouse partners with several local organizations to extend support beyond the church walls. Ongoing partnerships include Fruitland Elementary School, where the church supports a backpack program that sends healthy food home with students who might otherwise go hungry, along with seasonal teacher appreciation drives; Olive Crest, a foster and adoption services organization; Prison Fellowship; and Step By Step Family, which works with pregnant women and families. The Kaleo app connects church volunteers with local service opportunities beyond the church's own programs. A benevolence fund and the pastoral counseling team round out the practical side of local ministry.

From Puyallup to the Ends of the Earth

As a Christian and Missionary Alliance church, foreign missions are described as a natural outgrowth of the congregation's identity. Lighthouse supports global mission partners and invites the congregation to pray for them through a Prayer for Global Impact meeting on selected Saturday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., Mission Moments each month that highlight one of the global partners, and an ongoing Global Outreach Prayer Partners group that anyone can join from home. Short-term mission trips are organized when scheduled.

What Lighthouse Believes

The church's statement of faith centers on the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, humanity created in God's image and made powerless to save itself through sin, salvation through faith in the virgin-born, bodily resurrected Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers and producing both gifts and fruit, the Church as the body of Christ with a worldwide evangelistic and disciple-making mission, and the practice of two ordinances: baptism and communion. The church teaches that Jesus Christ will return in person with power and glory, and that all people will experience a bodily resurrection to either eternal life or judgment.

Lighthouse's stated values fall into five clusters. Christ-like formation is the goal of everything; community is treated as the necessary context in which that formation occurs; being on mission is the natural outflow of faith; an intimate personal relationship with God is the deepest desire; and the home is presented as the primary setting where discipleship is practiced in everyday life.

Staff and Leadership

Brandon Sales serves as Lead Pastor, supported by his wife Jennifer and the Leadership Team. Dan Wheelon is Executive Pastor and the primary host of Starting Point, the church's introduction class for newcomers. Paul Dawson serves as Pastor of Adult Discipleship and oversees Rooted, marriage ministry, and pastoral counseling. Rich Arnold is the Congregational Care Pastor. Jesse Holcomb directs Student and Young Adult Ministries and frequently teaches from the pulpit. Jessie Galan serves as Associate Director of Student Ministries. Michelle Tangen directs Women's Ministry and oversees the recreation programs. Jayna Pettersen directs church mobilization and oversees both local and global outreach. Karina Evers coordinates the elementary program, Mary Latham leads nursery and preschool, and Tahlia Lindner leads technology and worship. The Operations side of the church is led by Anne Jones, Director of Business and Operations, with Linda Hartley as bookkeeper, Sherry Hilzendeger and Rachel Noel at the front desk, and Rich Pulley as Facilities Manager.

Getting Connected

For those considering a first step, the church offers a one-hour Starting Point class led by Pastor Dan Wheelon, held several times a year with light refreshments and an introduction to the church's story, mission, and core values. Ministry Fairs are held three times a year to help people explore ways to grow, serve, and connect. Membership classes explain what it means to belong to Lighthouse. Baptism classes are offered in three age tracks - children under 12, youth 12 to 17, and adults 18 and older - and child dedications are celebrated in Sunday services each spring and fall.

Devotionals, sermon notes, and a weekly bulletin are available through the church's app for iOS and Android, and sermons can be watched on the church's YouTube channel or listened to through the LCC podcast feed. Giving is accepted online, by check mailed to the PO Box, through a bank bill-pay system, or in person using the offering envelopes available at the church. A lending library in Room 13 of the main building is open 30 minutes before and after each weekend service, and a free RightNow Media account gives every member access to thousands of video Bible studies for personal, family, or group use.