New Antioch Church of God in Christ 4.41

The New Antioch Church was organized in the home of founding pastor, Dr. James A. Lewis and his wife, Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis, with five other saints in early January 1970.

Pastor Lewis immediately went out and rented a small store-front building at 1527 West Manchester Blvd. Pastor and Mother Lewis painted the walls and did everything possible to beautify the small edifice. Bishop Blake, then Superintendent Blake, donated the first thirty chairs and a tithe box for the new congregation. The first service was Sunday, February 1, 1970. More than 59 friends and loved ones came to wish them well.

God immediately began to bless. Pastor Lewis established a building fund with the slogan, “We Came In To Get Out.” He preached the Word diligently, with a passion for winning souls.

As the building fund increased, the property at the present location at 7826 S. Vermont Avenue was purchased and the first service was held on Sunday, February 11, 1973. The financial need was great. Many months Pastor Lewis would have to supplement the offering with earnings from his secular job. Somehow God never failed to meet the need.

Originally the church building was a large warehouse. The sanctuary was located in the front area of the building. The small congregation purchased stained glass windows and nine pews, and had them installed along with new wooden doors to enhance the look of the sanctuary. Additionally, Missionary Grace Martin purchased some beautiful red velvet yardage and made beautiful drapes to enclose the ladies bathroom area. Someone donated a pulpit and leather chairs for the platform which was constructed by our Pastor. Carpet was purchased to cover the altar and aisle areas. The few saints worked and sacrificed together to make their place of worship look as beautiful as possible. Pastor and Mother Lewis were the church custodians. Founding Pastor Lewis required that every chair be lined up meticulously and taught the saints that everything be done “decently and in order.”

In the back part of the warehouse were a small kitchen and the pastor’s small office. The rest of the area was set-up for the Youth Sunday School.

In 1990, the back of the warehouse was transformed into our present beautiful sanctuary. The old sanctuary was replaced with two offices, two classrooms, a small kitchen and a multi-purpose room. Two additional lots were purchased for additional parking. A brick fence was added to enclose the property.

The growing congregation and additional ministries demanded another expansion project which began in 2003. Another structure was erected adjacent to the existing building. This structure now houses ultra-modern classrooms and office facilities. A spacious kitchen and fellowship hall replaced the old office area.

New Antioch is a thriving and progressive congregation that meets the needs of its members and the surrounding community through in-reach, spirit-filled services, educational opportunities, and outreach.

The church has eleven departments which consist of more than forty auxiliaries and committees for the spiritual, intellectual and emotional enhancement of the congregation. An important entity of the church are the twenty-seven In-Reach groups whose leaders maintain contact with each member in an effort to “close the back door.” Three spirit-filled worship services are offered each Sunday. Five choirs and three usher boards rotate monthly in church services. Five prayer times are available throughout the week. A Van Ministry provides transportation for senior and disabled individuals. Ministry opportunities are available for every age group.

In 1999, once again, the Lord gave Pastor Lewis a vision to make available an opportunity for everyone to obtain a basic knowledge of the Bible. Called the Basic Bible Institute, classes are offered in Bibliology (The Bible), Theology (God), Christology (Jesus Christ), Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit), Anthropology (Man), Hamartiology (Sin), Soteriology (Salvation), and Ecclesiology (The Church). The five month course culminates with a commencement ceremony in June with the students fully attired in cap and gown garb. The dean and instructors are biblically trained and are members of the congregation who are diligently committed to this endeavor and vision of Founding Pastor Lewis.

Our Outreach Department ministers to the community by feeding the homeless every second Saturday on skid row and visits the Eastlake Juvenile facility, a women’s transition home, a convalescent home and various hospitals, the sick and shut-in, drug rehabilitation centers and does door-to-door witnessing. Additionally, we have a prison ministry and inmate correspondence ministry.

In seeking God for a way to respond to the tragic uprising in South Los Angeles in 1992, the Lord birthed in Pastor Lewis’ spirit a Computer Training Center. Through this vision, tutoring in basic academic skills, sessions called Teen Scene which addresses the needs of teenagers, Kiddie Care classes and computer training classes were all made available free of charge.

The most recent effort to provide ministry to the community is the Learning Center. The center provides tutoring programs for all ages in reading, writing, arithmetic, occupational skills and day-to-day life skills. Frequent informative workshops and seminars are sponsored by the staff of the Learning Center and are open to all.

After thirty-six years, Dr. Lewis retired as Senior Pastor and passed the baton to Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis, his youngest son. He was appointed Senior Pastor of the New Antioch Church, January 2006. Through the years, Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis has served faithfully in many areas of the ministry and was masterfully groomed and prepared for the pastorate by Founding Pastor James Lewis.