Who Are We
KingsGate’s story began in Oct ’95 when Nigel & Melita Day-Lewis, left their home in Durban, South Africa, and were released from their church, Glenridge Church International, to start a new church in London. They arrived with a team of about 30 people and planted London Church International (LCI). The first meeting was on 08th Oct 1995, in a tiny bed-sit in Chiswick, Nigel preaching while sitting in the sink!
Over the years the church grew and moved venues as the previous one became too small, or unavailable.
In January 2003 LCI moved into it’s last temporary home, Shene School. In April 2005, Nigel & Melita believed the time had come to start a serious search for a building of our own and began to raise funds specifically for this. Many buildings were looked at, some had offers accepted, but nothing materialised.
In August 2007, God told Nigel the time had come to hand over LCI and to begin looking for a successor. One couple stood head and shoulders above all other possibilities, and after a visit in Feb 2008 to ‘recce’ the land, Ryan & Melissa Matthews were invited by the elders to take over leadership of LCI. Nigel & Melita Day-Lewis handed over leadership to Ryan & Melissa on 1st June 2008. They left a church, which they had grown from nothing, by God’s grace and favour, strong and healthy, with solid foundations and set up for future success. Nigel & Melita now lead Gateway International Christian Centre in Liverpool.
When Ryan & Melissa took over, one of the key objectives was to purchase a home of our own. Again numerous buildings were looked at, some seemed viable, offers were made, but nothing came of them until, after protracted negotiations, prayer and seeing God’s miraculous provision, on Thurs 1st April 2010, a contract was signed to purchase a 999 yr leasehold on 14,000 ft2 of the Empire building in the heart of Kingston town centre.
Kingston had not been on our radar, but God subtly moved us towards it and gave us an amazing facility right in the middle of the town.
As the purchase process was proceeding, God also began to speak to Ryan and the team about changing the name of LCI. Gradually, over a number of months the name crystallised and KingsGate was born.
The Empire building was formally opened on 19th Sept 2010 as the new home of KingsGate Church.
