On the evening of May 3, 1981, a gathering of Christian men and women took place in Richmond, Ohio, in the basement of the local fire hall. They were drawn together by the necessity of finding a Biblically based place of worship, to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. After much fervent prayer and discussion, the Faith Evangelical Congregation was formed. The people of Faith Evangelical Congregation called Reverend David V. Massimi as their founding pastor.
The first two services were held at Jefferson Technical College, now Eastern Gateway Community College. The services were then moved to Jefferson Union High School, now known as Edison High School, where the congregation continued to meet for a period of two years. Six months into meeting at the high school, we joined the EPC and became know as Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
During the summer of 1981, through the sovereignty of God, we were able to purchase a four acre parcel of ground with a large barn. The entire congregation joined together to clear out the brush and begin the renovation of the old barn into a house of worship. The old barn soon became known as the “Chapel in the Barn.”
We moved into the newly renovated barn with a Pastor, a board of Elders and a Sunday school.
While we had approximately 70 members, the Sunday services usually averaged about 120. As the church grew, the congregation elected its first board of Deacons, organized a women’s group and began Junior and Senior High Youth groups. None of this could have happened without the grace of God and seeking Him in prayer.
It soon became evident that we were outgrowing the Chapel in the Barn and a new building would be needed. The perfect place was on top of the hill, adjacent to the Chapel.
After much prayer and negotiating, the property was purchased on April 24, 1994. That Sunday, Pastor David and the congregation met atop the hill and had a ground breaking service for our new building. This was indeed an exciting time in the life of Faith EPC. The first Sunday service in the new building was held on January 29, 1995. On May 7, 1995, we dedicated the building to the Lord.
In May of 2000, Reverend David V. Massimi retired as the Senior Pastor. Reverend Brent Holladay became the new Pastor in February 2002. He and his wife, Jann, were parents to two sons and a daughter. His pastorate continued for 4 ½ years and ended with his resignation and acceptance of a new call at an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Florida.
On Sunday, May 4, 2008, Reverend Darren Lee Edgington, began serving as Senior Pastor of the Church. He and his wife, Crystal, have a son, Caleb and a daughter, Glori. In October of 2008, the name of the church was changed to Lighthouse EPC to reflect our desire to shine the light of Jesus Christ to the community and invite them to the safe haven found in His Gospel. During this time we added new members and baptized 15.
The church session has seen spiritual growth in the membership of the church and in the knowledge of God and of His Word. Our faithful God blessed us again by providing the means to pay off the mortgage on the building and property, as of January 2012. A time of peace, purity and essential doctrine was encapsulated in Reverend Edgington’s pastorate. Pastor Edgington resigned June 24, 2012 to return to his home town, due to family responsibilities.
In January of 2013, Anthony Bianchini accepted the call to be the Senior Pastor of Lighthouse EPC. He and his wife, Beth, welcomed a daughter, Karisa, born late in 2013. The Lighthouse family is blessed by their desire to preach the Word of God, reach out to the lost and strengthen the local Body of Christ.
September 12th, 2021, Rev. Sterling David Brown MDiv. accepted the call to be the Senior Pastor of Lighthouse EPC. He and his wife, Jasmine have three little girls, Victoria, Chloe and Scarlet. They currently live in Toronto, Ohio. He is overjoyed and committed to serve as Senior Pastor at Lighthouse Evangelical Presbyterian Church and to serve the close communities of Ohio and West Virginia through bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the grace of God.
