You can connect with Lighthouse online at the following sites:
Jeff Garner is native Northern Californian. Jeff has a B.A. in Theology, received his M.A. in Exegetical Theology from Western Seminary and his Doctorate of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell (2003). Jeff and Julie (wife) have been married for 16 years. They have a girl, Jerusalem and a boy, Jedidiah.
Jeff has pastored San Francisco Lighthouse since 2003. Before serving our San Francisco community Jeff served as Vice-President for Christian Life College, where he lectured as Professor of Spiritual Formation. He served as adjunct professor of Preaching at Urshan Graduate School of Theology (2002-2005). Currently he lectures at Western Seminary as adjuct faculty (Growing Disciples Intentionally and Urban Mission, 2005-present).
Jeff tutors Jerusalem and coahces Jed. Takes his wife out on dates to hole-in-the-wall San Francisco restaurants, and sabbaths his Saturdays hiking through the Pacific Coastal Trails, reading in cafes and creating new forms of art.
My personal blog is www.beloved.ws. I have a Facebook account as well.
jeffrey.c.garner@gmail.com
415-596-4190
If you really want to know what Lighthouse is all about here are a few of our stories. We are people, not buildings, we have stories not property lines, we are sharing a story not selling a book. We are on a journey, we haven’t arrived.
“I was naked and you clothed me, hungry and you fed me.” — Jesus
Click on one of the events in the calendar below for more details.
[Praise team stuff, like audio and video]
We believe the gospel can transform our lives through community. We are a church whose primary mission is to make disciples and we live on mission all week long. Worship is more than Sunday, it is every day. We desire to plant missionaries in neighborhoods who love and share the gospel. We call these Beloved Communities. This is where life is enjoyed and lived. Jesus said, “If you have love one for another, you are my followers.”
We hold two Sunday gatherings at 1337 Sutter St., one at 9:30AM and another at 11:00AM.
This is our story (with God) as we read it . . .
Once before a time in a void not far away—the Maker—created all. He smiled and called all good: pastel skies and turquoise oceans, lush valleys and craggy mountains, whispering trees and silent rocks, furry animals and feathered birds; and yes even the steep inclines and golden gates of our beloved San Francisco. With His exhale we inhaled. It was love at first breath. We were instantly mirroring his image. We were created to care for his work and worship Him. We were in love. And He rested. The backdrop and characters were very good. And thus, the perfect setting for our story began, when God spoke it so.
The plot emerges when we bit into loving ourselves, and serving a different fruit. We opted for life without God. A violent fallout ensued affecting all the good and beauty of creation. The result: we destroy all that is good around us. We litter our planet with waste, we mutate pleasures into addictions, we mock those who have no place to call home, we murder each other, we refuse to associate with other races and cultures. This is because we, like our earliest ancestors, worship those things that are not God. We worship our religions, we worship money, we worship our careers, we worship our sexuality, we worship our possessions, we worship ourselves and we forget about God. This lack of God-consciousness has caused us to forget what makes us human. This disease is not limited to those of us who reside in the Bay Area; this illness and fallen-ness can be read in stories and tales amongst people from all places and from all times. This wound is both molecular and spiritual, it’s in the air and in the heart, and proof of the illness is death. We watch the bodies of our moms and dads turn to dust and ash. Communication breaks, laughter ceases, and memories fade. This is the way it has been since the beginning. Death wins.
But 2000 years ago the story took an expected turn (for the better). The Maker sent us a hero—we call him, Jesus. Jesus showed us the way out of this mess. He showed us how to love again, like it was in the garden. He recovered health for the ill, restored dignity to the poor, extended forgiveness to the indebted, and fostered a community of people who would become a new, global family for all those who have nowhere else to go. (We are a local expression of that community.)
When we were given Jesus we did with Jesus what we did with our beautiful world—we tried to destroy him. We sentenced him to death in a court and crucified him on a cross. Undaunted by our hateful rejection, Jesus humbled himself and accepted a criminal’s fate. Jesus died. But God wasn’t finished and the story wasn’t over. On the third morning of Jesus’ death God disarmed all evil by raising Jesus from the grave. A new creation emerged (resurrection), and with it the promise that earth will be healed and humanity redeemed.
Jesus loves us. We believe in Jesus Christ.
Forty days later, God showed up at our doorstep with a gift. He forgave us. He accepted us. He made it alright. This gift—the Holy Spirit—empowered us to fulfill the mission of God to the world. See, God—who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is healing the world. We are invited to share in the story of that healing, our lives the very substance of that story. The Spirit of God lives in us to carry on the work of Jesus. We paint pictures of hope to discouraged souls. We pass out samples of heaven to the hungry. We sing tunes of joy to those in the margins. We advocate for those in alleys of injustice. We steward the earth. We share faith, hold hope, and give love.
We are trying to follow this Jesus whose heroic story has been recorded by his followers and has called us to know him. We pass the word along that God ‘s chosen one has come and will come again to restore all things. We seek to emulate Jesus while we wait for the final victory of all things good.
This is our story—join us.