Origins of Houses of Light
Neighbourhood Prayer Network was founded in 2010, but officially became a charity in 2012. The beginnings of it though can be dated back to almost 40 years ago, when the founder Rebekah, felt God speak to her as a child.
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Looking out of her window aged 8 or 9 years old, she looked upon Wilton road, in Crumpsall, Manchester and felt the loneliness of the street. It was a rainy day, and the clouds were dull and apart from the odd light on in the houses, you could be forgiven for thinking that no-one lived there, such was the lack of interaction on the street. Rebekah’s Grandma, said, ‘that she missed the war - not the fighting, but the community spirit that she felt we had lost.’ This was the 1980s. In that moment of looking out of the window, Rebekah felt God whisper to her, “in the future, I am going to use you to help change this.”
Dismissing this in teenage years and becoming an atheist, Rebekah returned to the Lord after a long journey back. Aged 26. God spoke to Rebekah about getting every street in the UK covered in Christian PRAYER with people CARING for neighbours and SHARING Jesus with neighbours. The aim was always to prepare the way for God to move in power on our streets and across the UK.
In 2024, we felt God had something new to say to us, so a group of us entered a time of intense prayer throughout the first 9 months of 2025. Out of this, we felt God leading us to change our name to ‘Houses of Light’ based on the Matthew 5:13-16 scripture. On Friday 5th September 2025, we became ‘Houses of Light.’
Foundational Scriptures
These scriptures were given to us in prayer, before Neighbourhood Prayer Network ever became a charity. These are our reference point when considering our activity and form the basis of our missional activity.
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Salt and Light Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify you Father in heaven.” (NIV)