Light’s Hope is a church without walls. That means we are not limited by buildings, geography, mobility, or circumstance. We exist to make church accessible to anyone, anywhere, regardless of location, ability, or life situation.
Our primary gathering space is online. This allows people to join us from across the UK and beyond, including those who are disabled, chronically ill, neurodivergent, working irregular hours, caring for others, deconstructed, or simply unable or unwilling to attend a traditional church building. Church should not be something you have to force your life around. It should meet you where you are.
Being a church without walls reflects our belief that church is a community, not a place. Church happens when people gather in faith, curiosity, prayer, learning, and care. It happens in homes, online spaces, quiet moments, shared conversations, and everyday life. It is not confined to bricks, mortar, or pews.
Online Church
Most of our worship, teaching, prayer, and community life takes place online. This includes regular services, discussion spaces, pastoral support, and learning opportunities, as well as a range of online groups that help people connect, grow, and belong.
Our online life includes Bible study, Bible journaling, prayer groups, a cooking club, confirmation classes, and other interest based or seasonal groups. These gatherings are designed to be relational and accessible, allowing people to share faith, creativity, learning, and everyday life together, without pressure or expectation. All of these groups take place online so that anyone can take part, wherever they are.
Online church allows people to participate fully without barriers of travel, access, health, caring responsibilities, or safety. It also creates space for people who are exploring faith slowly, returning to church after harm, or who simply find traditional settings difficult.
We take online church seriously. It is not a lesser version of church. It is real church, with real relationships, real worship, and real care. Our online spaces are intentionally welcoming and inclusive, with clear safeguarding practices and community guidelines in place.
Forest Church
Forest Church is a form of Christian worship that takes place outdoors, rooted in prayer, reflection, scripture, and connection with the natural world. It offers a slower, more spacious way of gathering, shaped by listening, presence, and attentiveness to God through creation as well as through community and tradition.
Forest Church is part of a wider movement within the Church that recognises that many people encounter God more easily outside than inside formal buildings. It creates space for silence, conversation, creativity, shared ritual, and simple worship, without the pressure of performance or expectation.
History of Forest Church
Forest Church was developed in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s, emerging from the work of Bruce Stanley and others exploring fresh expressions of church life. It grew alongside the Fresh Expressions movement, which sought to create new forms of church for people who did not feel able to engage with traditional models.
Forest Church drew inspiration from Scandinavian practices of outdoor spirituality, ecological theology, and a renewed awareness of creation as part of God’s ongoing revelation. It was shaped as a way of being church that is deeply Christian, while also being attentive to the rhythms of the natural world and the realities of modern life.
Forest Church is now practised across many independent and progressive churches and communities, often as a complement to more traditional worship rather than a replacement.
Forest Church at Light’s Hope
At Light’s Hope, Forest Church is an optional monthly gathering, weather permitting. We meet outdoors and keep things intentionally simple. Our Forest Church gatherings may include prayer, scripture, reflection, shared conversation, gentle ritual, and time to notice the world around us. There is no expectation to walk long distances, take part in strenuous activity, or engage in anything that feels uncomfortable.
Forest Church is offered as an invitation, not an obligation. We recognise that not everyone can attend in person, whether due to disability, health, distance, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances. Those who cannot attend remain fully part of the life of Light’s Hope, and online church continues to be our primary way of gathering.
Forest Church reflects our commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and meeting people where they are. It is one of many ways we make space for faith, reflection, and community beyond traditional church walls.
Accessibility and Inclusion
Being a church without walls is a commitment to accessibility. We are intentional about removing barriers wherever we can, whether those barriers are physical, financial, emotional, theological, or social. We centre disabled voices, neurodivergent experiences, LGBTQIA2+ lives, and those who have been hurt or excluded by church in the past.
You do not need to fit a mould to belong here. You do not need to attend in person to be counted. You do not need to believe in a particular way to take part. Doubt, curiosity, and difference are welcome.
Our Vision
Light’s Hope exists to create space for faith, community, and belonging without gatekeeping. A church without walls allows us to grow as a scattered but connected community, rooted in welcome, compassion, and the life and teachings of Jesus.
Wherever you are, however you come, you are welcome.
Get In touch
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you have a question, a prayer request, or simply want to know more about Light’s Hope, just fill in our contact form and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as we can.
We also welcome enquiries about church planting and leadership training. If you feel called to start a new community or explore ministry with us, let us know and we’ll be glad to walk with you.