JIL United Kingdom History

Ecclesiastes 3:1, To everything there is a season, an a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Matthew 18:16 (CEB), And I'll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won't be able to stand against it.

It is God who appointed the season and time for JIL London to be birthed in 1984.

A handful of saved Filipinos in the heart of this great city received the burden from God for the salvation of their "kababayans"; started a small gathering for bible study that eventually became the first Filipino church in London.

In the same year, Pastors Lennie Buan and Belen Kwaye, Bishop Eddie Villanueva's sisters, were invited to visit and help the pioneering young ministry.

In 1986, Bishop Eddie C. Villanueva, the JIL vision holder To bring all peoples to the kingdom of the living God regardless of race, status, belief and religious affiliations through the saving, healing, delivering, and transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ. visited London bringing with him the vision of "A glorious church evangelizing and discipling Filipinos and all the peoples of the world through teaching, preaching and living-out the full-Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ." to further strengthen and encourage the brethren. With his apostolic calling to establish the young church, he appointed the leadership for direction, structure, and expansion.

The young church of Jesus is Lord London received the vision wholeheartedly that it began to flourish all across the city reaching Filipinos and other nationalities, that paved the way for mission work for JIL across Europe. With faithful and fervent prayers, JIL Rome-Italy became one of the first fruits in the 1990s together with Paris-France, Norway, The Netherlands, Spain and Monaco. After three decades of her existence, despite the many challenges that came her way, she withstood the test and proved to be even more faithful and fruitful after all pruning (John chapter 15), the following countries were opened for JIL Ministry through her servanthood - Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Andorra, Germany, Finland and the most recent chapter in Hungary.

The JIL Church London has experienced and transitioned from one leadership to another but her true leader and shepherd Jesus Christ is the head from her birth; has begun and abound in good works allowing her to be His instrument to enlarge the Kingdom of God in JIL Europe.

God is faithful from one generation to the next. He desires that the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. When His church knows her history with destiny, her greatness is imminent and becomes a powerful gateway for peoples and nations to come to the Kingdom of God.

The legacy of the Jesus Is Lord Church, through the stewardship and leadership of Bishop Bro. Eddie Villanueva, will carry on as JIL Church London-UK continue to declare after three decades, "Jesus is Lord over the United Kingdom and across Europe."

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name we give the highest honour and glory. (Psalm 115:1)