Pastor Suzette Kostadinova
Lead Pastor
Pastor Suzette grew up as one of eight children in a large family where faith and community helped shape who she is today. She is married to Petar, and together they are raising their son, Levi. At the age of 19, she sensed God calling her to a life of ministry, and for more than two decades she has served in pastoral ministry with a deep love for people and a commitment to the local church.
In December 2024, that calling led Pastor Suzette and her family to take a significant step of faith, relocating to Kitchener-Waterloo in response to God’s call to plant The Lighthouse Church KW. At the heart of that calling, and of her ministry, is a desire to create a safe place where people can encounter Jesus, experience genuine community, and grow in their relationship with Him. She has a deep love for the Word of God and is passionate about preaching and teaching Scripture in a way that is biblically grounded, practical, and relevant to everyday life. Her desire is that people would not only know what the Bible says, but discover how the truth of God’s Word can transform the way they live, love, and follow Jesus.
While ministry is a significant part of Pastor Suzette’s life, family remains one of her greatest priorities and joys. Petar’s love, support, and partnership have been an important part of her ministry journey, especially as they stepped out in faith together in planting a church. Whether she is preaching on a Sunday, sharing life with someone over coffee, or spending time at home with Petar and Levi, her heart is to love people well, point them toward Jesus, and remind them that following Jesus was never meant to be done alone.
Answering the Call
In the fall of 2022, just a few months after the birth of her son, Levi, Pastor Suzette began to sense that God was leading her and her family into a new season. They had recently moved to Dundalk, Ontario, and started attending a local church. It was there that God began stirring something in her heart that she could not ignore, a call to plant a church and step fully into the ministry He had been preparing her for. Pastor Suzette had served for many years as a bi-vocational pastor, balancing ministry alongside a professional career, but this calling felt different. It was specific, persistent, and increasingly clear.
Week after week, her attention was drawn to a poster hanging on a bulletin board in the church foyer. The poster was calling for church planters willing to serve across Canada. For months, she walked past it, but she could not shake the sense that God was using it to speak directly to her. Eventually, she responded. She emailed the contact listed on the poster and then tried calling the phone number, only to discover that the number was no longer in service. But by then, she was certain that what God was stirring in her heart was not something she could simply walk away from. So she searched for the contact person online, found a current number, and made the call.
It was only later that she discovered something remarkable: although the poster looked almost new, even retaining the creases from where it had once been folded, it was actually 15 years old. The phone number was outdated, but the person named on the poster was still the very person that God would use to help open the door to the next chapter of her calling. What could easily have been dismissed as an old poster on a church bulletin board, became one of the clearest confirmations that God was directing her steps. Pastor Suzette believes that God preserved that poster just for her, for 15 YEARS, to get her attention, confirm His call, and begin the journey that would ultimately lead her family to Kitchener-Waterloo to plant The Lighthouse Church.
What we Believe
Trinity
We believe in one true and living God who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Salvation
We believe that Salvation is available to all people and that through obedience to the Father, Jesus, who had no sin, offered Himself by dying on the cross, so that in Him we might become right with God.
The Bible
We believe in the Bible, and that both the Old and New Testaments, are the Word of God. Free from all error and complete in their revelation, the Bible serves as the final authority for the Christian life.
The Church
We believe that the purpose of the Church is to worship God in spirit and in truth, and to reach a lost and fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ through its worship, witness, and loving deeds.
Marriage
We believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, as ordained by God in the Bible
Serving
We desire to be leaders by serving. We understand that the authority and effectiveness of spiritual leadership is earned as we serve God and others gladly