During the Great Depression of the 1930s, a vast number of African Americans began to migrate northward. Many members from the General Assembly of the Disciples of Christ of the Norfolk, Washington and Goldsboro-Raleigh Districts were counted in the number of those who moved from the eastern counties of North Carolina and Virginia to the northeast.
Elder Charles Cordon of Bath, North Carolina, organized the first Disciple church north of Washington D.C.—St. Peter Church of Christ in Philadelphia in 1925. Along with Elder Oscar Samuel Lucas, these two ministers set out to create an assembly patterned after the Goldsboro-Raleigh and Washington-Norfolk district churches. In 1930, Elder Lucas called Elder William C. Gillams, Elder Henry T. Williams, Deacon James Baum, and Sister Ruth Ebron Gibbs for an organizational conference in Philadelphia, which brought about the merger of St. Peter Church of Christ and St. Mary Church of Christ (organized in 1929) and various Disciple missions to form the Northeastern District Assembly. Elder Charles Cordon was elected Chief Elder and Elder Oscar S. Lucas was his assistant. The other five Council Board Elders were: Elder E. G. Gibson, Elder Henry T. Williams, Elder William C. Gillams, Elder J. J. Gregory, and Elder William M. Johnson.
In 1932, the assembly was incorporated with the name Northeastern District Assembly, Churches of Christ, Composed of Disciples. The first three subsidiaries that came into existence were the District Union, to evangelize and to aid churches in financial distress, the Women’s Home Mission (later renamed the Home Mission Convention), and the Sunday School Convention. The Disciples of Christ thrived at this time, challenging the dominance of longstanding congregations in the area.
Upon Chief Cordon’s demise in 1944, then Acting Chief Elder William C. Gillams was elected Chief Elder. In 1945, the General Assembly ruled that the title of Bishop would be used for all District Assembly Chiefs. In 1951, the name of the Assembly was changed to the Northeastern District Assembly Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ (NEDA) according to the order of the General Assembly.
The Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ is a Bible-based, New Testament Church, rooted and grounded in the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are a New Testament Church because our salvation, hope, and eternal life came through the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the Church was established before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), annunciated during Christ's ministry on earth, (Matthew 16:16), and inaugurated at Pentecost (Acts 2).
We believe that the Founder is Jesus Christ, and the Church is founded on the love of God, that we are a New Testament Church, we are designated by name through Christ as "Disciples" and our emblem is the Fish. We believe that there is one God, existing externally the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the
doctrine of the Church of Christ
is scripturally and spiritually based on the Word of God. We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God Himself, therefore the Holy Spirit is someone and not something.
We recognize preaching and teaching the Gospel as its first priority in obedience to the command given to the first Disciples by Jesus Himself.
We believe that if one is to follow the path of righteousness of Jesus Christ, she or he must be totally submerged under water, which is known as "water baptism." We believe that the observance of the Lord's Supper by all believers is essential. We believe that, according to Scripture, Christ demonstrated one of the greatest acts of humility, love and self-sacrifice by lowering Himself to wash His Disciples' feet. We believe that one can only be restored to divine favor through salvation.
We believe that the observance of the Lord's Supper (Communion) by all believers is essential. The Lord's Super symbolizes God's love for us through Christ's suffering and death for our salvation. We believe that as often as we keep this observance, we show forth (symbolize) His death and suffering (John 13:15: John 13: 1-7: Luke 22:19-20)
We believe that, according to scripture, Christ demonstrated one of the greatest acts of humility, love, and self-sacrifice by lowering Himself to wash His Disciples' feet. While we agree that feet washing is not in and of itself a prerequisite to salvation, we do believe that all who confess salvation (baptism of the Holy Spirit) should partake in the ordinance of the washing of one another's feet.
We believe that if one is to follow the path of righteousness of Jesus Christ, she or he must be totally submerged under water, which is known as "water baptism." Baptism symbolizes death and new life in Christ Jesus. "We are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life"
(Romans 6:4).
Northeastern District Assembly
167-169 Chester Street, Brooklyn NY 11212
info@nedacocdoc.org