Church History

While attending a meeting at the Branham Tabernacle on December 30, 1962 and listening to the message "Sirs, Is This the Time", the Lord spoke to Brother Joseph Coleman saying, "When you return back to New York, start your church on January the 6th". The first service of the New York City Church was held in Brother Joseph Coleman's home at 1267 Findlay Avenue with Brother Orlando Hunte preaching the first message. The church was then incorporated in the State of New York as the Local Christian Assembly in October 1963.

The church flourished under the leadership and vision of Pastor Coleman growing steadily until it was necessary to move to a larger facility. In June of 1964 the Local Christian Assembly began having services on the second floor of a small building at 41 West 35th Street in the heart of New York City. The church continued to grow and larger quarters were necessary. The Lord soon answered prayer and provided a beautiful church at 94-08 70th Avenue, Forest Hills, NY  in August of 1972.

On May 16, 1976 a group of believers from Pennsylvania became part of Local Christian Assembly, New York when they visited for the first time. In the 1980's the Pennsylvania group began to meet in their homes when they couldn't make it to New York. They eventually found a place to rent in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania. After several years, God blessed them with a beautiful church in Reading, Pennsylvania. From then on it was One Church  - Two Locations

On August 12, 2001 we departed our old church at 94-08 70th Avenue in preparation for a new church that would be constructed on the very same parcel of land. After nearly two years of construction the new church was completed and dedicated by Pastor Coleman on June 8, 2003.