In the early 1980s, a small storefront church emerged. It was in a heavily populated inner-city section of Brooklyn. This was New Life Tabernacle. As the rise of religiosity spread throughout the United States, New Life Tabernacle sought to reach a populous in an urban community that was in need of salvation.
Reverend Garland Forman, an ambitious educator and religious pioneer, founded the church. He felt a burden to reach out to the community. He teamed up with the United Pentecostal Church International. They started a home missionary church in Brooklyn.
Reverend Forman and his family worked hard. They wanted to build a strong Pentecostal church body. They launched drives to increase enrollment. They sponsored gospel concerts in schools. They organized revivals to reach the community. Reverend Forman poured all his time and effort into the church.
In 1988, Reverend Forman felt his time in the city was up. He wished the fate of the church be left in the hands of someone else. With the intervention of the United Pentecostal Church, the search for a new pastor began. Reverend Micheal Mitchell was selected.
Pastor Mitchell made a commitment to take New Life Tabernacle to a higher level. He applied new leadership tactics. People in the community sought to find out what was taking place at that little storefront. More and more people began visiting. Souls were baptized. Visitors began accepting Christ. The small storefront church became too small.
Within months, New Life Tabernacle opened its doors at a new location on Avenue J. The new decade ushered in a wave that prompted Reverend Mitchell to ignite change. The larger facility demanded greater responsibilities. Weekly attendance doubled rapidly. The congregation was too large to contain itself in the 150-seat auditorium.
After more evangelistic services, the attendance tripled. It was time to move again. The congregation bought its first property. The new facility was located on the corner of Avenue D and Utica Avenue. The new facility needed to be renovated from a party hall into a church sanctuary.
Reverend Mitchell urged the members to contribute financially. After months of construction, the church opened its doors. New Life Tabernacle continued to launch spiritual crusades. It also organized gospel concerts. This boosted the church socially and economically. New Life Tabernacle started having two services on Sunday mornings.
Pastor Mitchell devised a plan to establish daughter churches across Brooklyn. The implementation of this plan was the beginning of New Life’s projection of establishing 30 churches across Brooklyn. Many people from within the East New York section of Brooklyn supported New Life Tabernacle. Pastor Mitchell decided to open the first daughter church, Refuge Center.
The evangelism team effectively ministered at Word Aflame Tabernacle. The fourth daughter church was started one year later. In the midst of Pastor Mitchell’s evangelistic thrust, his vision to see the mother church’s facility improve was in the works. Additional property was purchased.
On December 13, 2003, New Life Tabernacle officially opened the door to their new facility. The new facility is 33000 square feet in capacity. It is comprised of a sanctuary that seats approximately 1800. The New Life Tabernacle also has a banquet hall that seats 350. It includes eight Sunday school classrooms and an office complex. A bookstore is in the lobby.
The Rev. Eric Figueroa is currently the Senior Clergy. New Life Tabernacle COGIC Intl. is located at 1476 Bedford Avenue. It continues to serve the community. It offers preschool, children, youth, adult, family, and senior citizen ministries. New Life Tabernacle stands as a testament to faith. It exemplifies community. It shows the transformative power of dedication.