The Light of Jesus Family is one big family. What makes us big is God’s big love for us, our big love for God and for one another. God’s love for us and our love for Him and for one another is actually the Light which we now share to as many persons as we can reach.
1978: The Light of Jesus faith community started with a with a couple: Eugenio Sanchez Sr., and his wife Pilar. Pious Catholics, they answered an invitation of Petra Crisanto, mother-in-law of their eldest daughter, Chelle, to attend the prayer meetings of the Upper Room, a Charismatic prayer group in Project 7, Quezon City.
The Sanchez couple first attended on March 26, 1978, and went back again and again, bringing along their children— the five girls first, and later, their youngest, Eugenio Jr., nicknamed Bogene, or Bo.
1980: On September 9, 1980, the Sanchezes decided to organize their own prayer group, holding their first prayer meeting at the garage of their home at 56 Chicago Street, Cubao, Quezon City.
The following week, on September 16, 1980, the second day of the prayer meeting, the Sanchez’s youngest child, Bo, then 14 years old, led the prayer meeting for the first time.
1981: On August 29, 1981, Bo attended a leaders’ seminar with Aida Manongdo, leader of the Upper Room Prayer Group. In this seminar, a prophecy was received that leaders will go out to preach the Word and Bo will preach the Word outside the Philippines.
The following September 1981, during the celebration of its first anniversary, Bo formed the group into a faith community,now known as the Light of Jesus Family. The rest of the ‘80s, members, coming from various walks of life, were grouped into “families,” composed of 30 to 50 members, and named Love, Peace, Joy, Strength, Faith, and Glory.
The families then expanded into Light of Jesus branches such as the Discipleship Communities for Christ (DCC); Ang Dakilang Pag-Ibig ng Diyos, Catholic Alliance for Evangelization and Discipleship, Homes for Christ, for couples; Joshua, for single men professionals; Esther, for single women professionals; Youth Mission for Parishes and Communities (YMPACT) for the youth; and Tabitha, for single mature women.
1990: In the 1990s, as members went to the Visayas and Mindanao to establish prayer groups, more joined the Light of Jesus. And so the Community was organized into various regions each composed of at least three districts, each of which in turn had at least three chapters. Each chapter was composed of caring groups, the nucleus of the entire organization, composed of five to 15 members.
THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
The Feast: On August 3, 1997, Bro. Bo established The Feast, a Sunday prayer gathering with Holy Mass, lively worship, and series of talks on practical Christian Living.
In 2009, Bro. Bo, following leading from the Lord, assigned Feast Builders, well known preachers and authors of spiritual books, who established new Feasts. Today, there are now 224 Feasts and counting, and what is now known as the Light of Jesus Family already counts more than 20,000 committed members in the Philippines and more in key areas in Asia, Oceania, Middle East, Canada, United States of America, and the Bahamas.
Kerygma Family
Aside from the Light of Jesus prayer gatherings, Bro. Bo expanded the Light of Jesus evangelization Mission by establishing on the Internet the Kerygma Family, a borderless, non physical, virtual faith community of over 60,000 members spanning the entire world.
Kerygma Conference
A part of the Light of Jesus evangelization and discipleship Mission component is Kerygma Conference, an annual inspirational and learning event led by Bro. Bo Sanchez.The first Kerygma Conference was held in 2007 with more than 5,000 attendees. It has grown quickly year-on-year with attendees coming from the Philippines and all over the world.
MEDIA
Bro. Bo Sanchez has reached hundreds more through his Media ministries:
Print, through Shepherd’s Voice Publications Inc.
Broadcast, through the Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television Foundation.
Online, through his reality show on the Internet titled Preacher in Blue Jeans, the name he is called nowadays as he often conducts prayer meetings wearing denim jeans.Bro. Bo reaches more people through his website, bosanchez.ph, and his social network connections in Facebook and Twitter.
MERCY
The Light of Jesus supports the following Mercy ministries:
Anawim, a home for abandoned elderly, which Bro. Bo founded; Plus the Community’s partner beneficiaries:
Jeremiah Foundation, a shelter for abused girls
Grace To Be Born, a shelter for pregnant women in crisis to save their babies from abortion
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal, a home for children with no parents who can take care of them
He Cares, a home for street children— giving them food, clothes, a permanent home, spiritual nourishment, sending them to school, and also taking care of their families
Pag-asa Pamilya, a scholarship program for deserving but indigent youth
Light of Jesus Prison Ministry, holding a regular prayer fellowship and providing counselling to residents of the Correctional Institution for Women
Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center which ministers to those who are emotionally and spiritually wounded, through counselling, prayers, and other healing interventions via face-to-face, or 24/7 telephone or online counselling
Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television Foundation which takes care of documenting or producing evangelization, discipleship, and other ministry programs such as The Feast, our weekly prayer gathering, and the Kerygma Conference, the biggest inspirational learning event in the country today.
OUR MISSION
Following the mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ, our mission is to go spread the Gospel, and make disciples.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to make one million disciples over the world.
ONE BIG FAMILY
Yes, from one small family, we have grown into the big Light of Jesus Family. We are big, not only in number. What makes us big is God’s big love for us. What makes us big is our big love for God and for one another. God’s love for us and our love for Him and for one another is actually the Light which we now share to as many persons as we can reach.
