Jesus Is Lord Church marks 48th year, celebrates God as ‘Abba Father’
Thousands of Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church Worldwide members filled the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as the religious organization marks its 48th founding anniversary. Founded by Bro. Eddie Villanueva in 1978, JIL has since expanded its presence across the Philippines and overseas, reaching millions of followers. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN NewsMANILA – The Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church Worldwide marked its 48th founding anniversary on Saturday with the theme “Abba Father.”
The milestone event emphasized the church’s core message of God as both the Almighty Creator and a loving Father to whom believers can turn for comfort, guidance, and strength amid life’s difficulties.
Organizers said more than one million worshippers gathered at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park for the celebration.
JIL founder Brother Eddie Villanueva called on congregation to give the highest praise and honor to God.
“Ang purpose ng ating pagdaraos ng anniversary dito sa Luneta ay ibigay ang pinakamataas ng uri ng pasasalamat, ibigay ang pinakamataas na kaluwalhatian, ibigay ang pinakamataas na karangalan sa Diyos na buhay, ang ating Abba Father,” Villanueva said.
The church said the gathering on October 10 brought together worshippers from the Philippines and abroad for a celebration centered on the theme “Abba Father.”
The theme highlighted the church’s message of God as both the Almighty Creator and a loving Father whom believers can turn to for comfort, guidance, and strength amid life’s difficulties.
Villanueva said the church’s establishment and worldwide growth were rooted not in human ambition or strategic planning, but in what he described as God’s sovereign purpose and eternal love.
“The Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide was not born of human strategy or ambition but was born in the heart of God, conceived in the Father’s love even before it was established as a ministry in 1978,” he said.
JIL Church Worldwide began in 1978 as a Bible study group of 15 students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. It has since expanded into an international Christian ministry with a presence in 82 nations and territories, according to the organization.
The church’s stated mission is to bring people to the Kingdom of God regardless of race, social status, beliefs, or religious affiliations through what it describes as the saving, healing, delivering, and transforming power of Jesus Christ.
The anniversary theme was also reflected in the message of Senator Joel Villanueva, the church founder’s son, who drew from Romans 8:15 to explain how believers could call on God as “Abba, Father” through their adoption into His family.
“Napakasarap po na meron tayong Abba Father. Napakasarap po na may tinatakbuhan tayong ama. Our Father is our refuge. Kaya doon po tayo tumatakbo. Tumatakbo po tayo sa ating tatay kapag ano po? Kapag nalulungkot po tayo. Sa tatay po tayo tumatakbo. Sa nanay natin. Sa parent po natin. Alam nyo po, our Father is our comfort,” the senator said.
The celebration also featured a “Prophetic Gesture,” in which Bocaue, Bulacan Mayor Jonjon Villanueva, another son of the church’s founder, joined other family members in a declaration centered on God’s fatherly love and the identity and inheritance of believers as His children.
In recognition of the church’s contribution to nation-building, the Philippine Congress also adopted a resolution commending JIL Church Worldwide for its nearly five decades of spiritual leadership, outreach initiatives, and humanitarian service, the organization said.
Meanwhile, before the program concluded on Saturday night, fellow JIL Church members sang to and greeted Brother Eddie Villanueva in celebration of his 80th birthday, which fell earlier that week on October 6.