A church on a corner, built to point to Christ.
From a living-room prayer meeting in January 1970 to a sanctuary that has anchored 78th & Vermont for more than five decades. This is who we are, who entrusted it to us, and the Christ we exist to lift up.
We exist to worship God, love people, equip believers, and make disciples.
Our vision is to see people saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped, empowered, and serving. Each word matters. Each one is the work of a lifetime.
We are a Spirit-filled congregation in the Pentecostal tradition of the Church of God in Christ. Rooted in Scripture, grounded in worship, and shaped by the long obedience of our founders.
A timeline of faithfulness.
Six other saints, one storefront, and a willingness to be sent. The rest is what God did.
Organized in a living room
Dr. James A. Lewis and Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis gather five other saints in their home. The work that would become New Antioch begins.
First service on Manchester Boulevard
A small storefront at 1527 West Manchester is rented and opened for worship. More than fifty-nine people gather for the first service.
The doors open at 7826 S. Vermont
The congregation purchases its current home and holds its first service there. New Antioch has not moved since.
Sanctuary renewal
A major renovation transforms the sanctuary as the congregation continues to grow.
A community response
In the wake of the L.A. unrest, Pastor Lewis opens a Community Training Center on the church campus. Computer classes, job-interview skills, and literacy, all led by professional volunteers from the congregation.
Basic Bible Institute is established
A serious classroom for serious students of Scripture, opened to members and neighbors.
The campus expands
Modern classrooms and offices are added. Room to disciple, room to lead.
The baton is passed
After 36 years, Bishop James A. Lewis retires as Senior Pastor. He hands the work to his youngest son, Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis, who has served as Assistant Pastor (1999) and Co-Pastor (2001).
Superintendent
Pastor Jeffrey M. Lewis is named Superintendent of the New Antioch District.
Educators to Haiti
Pastor Lewis begins leading an annual June mission of educators to Haiti. A commitment we've kept up every year since.
Founder consecrated Auxiliary Bishop
Pastor James A. Lewis, founder of New Antioch, is consecrated Auxiliary Bishop in the Church of God in Christ.
Bishop James A. Lewis goes home
Our founding pastor, Bishop James A. Lewis, is called home to be with the Lord. The work he started in his living room in 1970 continues on Vermont Avenue. We thank God for his life and his witness.
A family called to a work.
Two generations of pastors. Same corner. Same calling. Bishop Lewis built this house and handed it to his son.
Superintendent Jeffrey M. Lewis
Superintendent Jeffrey M. Lewis
Pastor Lewis was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the youngest son of Founding Pastor Bishop James A. Lewis and Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis. He is a fourth-generation member of the Church of God in Christ.
He acknowledged his call to ministry in 1995 and was ordained as an Elder by Jurisdictional Bishop Charles E. Blake in June 1997. He served as Youth Pastor, then as Assistant Pastor (1999), Co-Pastor (2001), and was installed as Senior Pastor on January 6, 2006.
He completed theological training at West Angeles Bible College, First Church of God School of Ministry, and Life Bible College. In 2011 he was named Superintendent of the New Antioch District. He also serves as Jurisdictional Secretary for the Ordination Board and as Administrative Assistant.
He married Floetta Bryant in 1988. They have two adult children, Shannon and Jeffrey Jr.
Lady Floetta Lewis
A Southern California native, Lady Lewis is a devoted wife, loving mother, and gifted leader with an entrepreneurial spirit. Her background includes real estate experience and a Business Administration degree.
She serves as Church Administrator and Director of Women's Ministries, overseeing the Women Aware Organization, Women in Ministry, Prayer and Bible Band, Mothers' Board, Deaconess Board, the Young Women's Christian Council (YWCC), and the Christian Women's Council (CWC).
Her aim is plain: to win souls for the Lord and encourage God's people to walk in the fullness of life.
Lady Floetta Lewis
Bishop James A. Lewis · Founder
Bishop James A. Lewis & Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis
Bishop James A. Lewis (June 17, 1936 – September 23, 2019) was divinely led into pastoral ministry in 1970. With his wife, Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis, and five other saints, he opened the doors of New Antioch. First on Manchester, then on Vermont.
In a ministry that spanned 36 years, he built a church that did not just preach the gospel but rolled up its sleeves for the city. He opened a Community Training Center after the 1992 unrest, the Basic Bible Institute in 1999, and the Learning Center for tutoring and life skills. He was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop at Holy Convocation in November 2014 and went home to be with the Lord in 2019.
Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis (born September 18, 1943) is Co-Founder of New Antioch and currently serves as General Supervisor of the International Department of Women for the Church of God in Christ, one of the highest leadership positions for women in our denomination. She is also the Church Mother at New Antioch. She holds an M.A. in Theology and a Litterum Doctorate, and she carries the prayer-and-presence pattern that this house was built on.
A Pentecostal faith, plainly held.
We affirm the historic Christian faith as expressed in the doctrinal tradition of the Church of God in Christ. The Bible is our authority. Jesus is our Lord. The Spirit is our help.
The Triune God
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Authority of Scripture
We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. The final authority for faith and practice.
Salvation in Jesus Christ
We believe salvation comes through repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as in Acts 2:4, with evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.
Sanctification
We believe in sanctification as essential to the Christian life. The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the image of Christ.
The Return of Christ
We believe in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the catching away of the saints. What Scripture calls the Rapture.