Welcome to The Beacon Church and Christian Centre website.

 

"The Beacon reflects Christ's light, shares God's love and serves the community."

 

The Beacon Church is a Methodist/United Reformed local ecumenical project which was formed in September 2003 when the congregations of three churches in Dover - the Methodist churches at London Road and Tower Hamlets and St Columba United Reformed Church - joined together.

 

We invite everyone to come and share in God's love.

 

Our Minister is the Rev Catherine Wagstaff.

 

Our Sunday services take place at 10.30 a.m.

 

 

THE CHURCH / HALL is in Bartholomew Street, off Beaconsfield Road (CT16 2LH)

 

what3words: grabs.wiring.port

 

 

FOOTPRINTS @ THE BEACON is in London Road, in the lay-by near the junction with Beaconsfield Road (CT17 0SS)

what3words: cling.humble.prone

 

A message from the Rev Catherine Wagstaff

 

Taking inspiration from the Wesleys, I am passionate to share the message that the Good News of God’s saving love is for everyone  without exception – I long that all should know how precious and valuable that they are to God. God has no favourites; his unconditional love is there for all of us shown supremely to us in Jesus. I’m in danger of giving you a sermon now (!) but suffice to say that this Good News is what drives me and excites me. During the challenging times of the last few months my aim has been to keep folk connected with one another – after all fellowship, along with scripture, prayer and the sharing of Holy Communion, is a means of Grace as Wesley called it, striving for ‘social holiness’ where we share together of the things of God and pray for others as well as for one another – I believe it is the core of who we are as Christian people.

 

As Methodists we find meaning to our faith, seeking to live out what John Wesley saw as being fundamental, that all can be saved, by grace, through faith, to the uttermost. It’s up to us to keep telling the story, discerning God’s presence and offering God’s abundant love to the world, wherever we are called to do so. I look forward to meeting with you, praying with you and working alongside you as we strive to move forward in mission and ministry together and continue to share the vision of God’s Kingdom in this part of the world.

 

Dover is only my second appointment as a presbyter. I'm married to Philip who is the Superintendent minister in the Bexhill, Hastings and Rye circuit. In 1983 Phil and I went to Queen’s College, Birmingham where Phil trained as a Methodist minister and I completed my local preacher training at last, having started in 1979! Twenty nine years later I was back at Queen’s again, only this time I was the one doing the training! In the intervening years we have lived in a small Norfolk village near to Downham Market, followed by ten years in Harwich in Essex.

 

We moved to Okehampton in Devon in 2001, where my Mum lives and where I worked for 10 years as a Primary Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, before candidating for the ministry. In 2014 I took up my first appointment in the Teignbridge circuit, looking after the churches in Teignmouth, Shaldon Bishopsteignton and Dawlish, and in 2016, the year I was ordained, Phil was asked to move to the South Petherton and Crewkerne Circuit in Somerset. Now we are excited to be serving in a this District and these Circuits and working with the folk from the churches that we serve!

 

Rev Catherine

 

 

We are a Fairtrade Church, serving fairly-traded tea, coffee and sugar at our church meetings, services and activities, and encouraging others to do the same. Fairtrade is making a real difference to the lives of more than 7 million farmers, workers and their families in 59 developing countries. Click on the Fairtrade logo to find out more.

 

We converted two former shops on the London Road frontage of The Beacon into a new centre, called Footprints @ The Beacon, to serve the community. A craft group, coffee mornings, Holy Communion and prayer groups, cooking on a budget, money budgeting course and a youth coffee bar have all been held here along with a support group for people with Alzheimers and their carers, and facilities for homeless and lonely people. See the "Activities" section of this website for more information. 

 

For more than 50 years we were able to operate a minibus service to bring people to our services and weekday activities. Sadly, we no longer have enough drivers to provide this service and at the end of August 2024 we had to stop this facility. We are grateful to all the drivers who have helped us over the years, since the 1970s, and to all those who have supported our various minibus vehicles.

Please come back and visit our website again soon, and keep up to date with what is happening at The Beacon. Please click on the links in the menu at the top of the page.

 

We have a Facebook page: Footprints@TheBeacon

 

You can also follow us on Twitter: @beacondover