History of Niles Christian Assembly
The Beginning
The Lord began the work in Niles, Ohio in 1927. The Lord spoke to
Sister Julia Pantalone in Youngstown, Ohio directing her to go to the
city of Niles to witness. She said “Lord, how can I go? I don’t know
anyone there and besides I don’t even know where Niles is. But the Lord
continued to impress her to go to Niles.
So one morning in the month of March, Sister Julia who was earnestly praying about going to Niles asked the Lord to give her the ability to know when to get off the streetcar. She also asked the lord to instruct her as to where to go from there as she had no address to go to at that time. She got on the streetcar trusting God to lead her even to the right time to ring the bell so she could get off. She got off the streetcar at Robbins Avenue and Erie Street. There she saw Mount Carmel church and realized she was in an Italian neighborhood. She waited for the Lord to give her the proper directions from there and a voice within her directed her to go straight on Erie Street. She walked to the end of the street and felt led to go across the tracks and to one particular house. After getting up her courage, she knocked on the door and sure enough, Italians lived there. Sister Julia did not speak well in English that is why she wanted to go to the Italian section.
During this same time, Sister Nicolene Reigle had the Holy Spirit speak to her to go to this same house on Langley Street. God had told her that she would find two sisters who will talk to her about the Lord. Sister Nicolene, a catholic at that time, thought the two ladies would be Italian Nuns. Following the Holy Spirit’s leading, she went to this particular house. When she got to the house, Sister Julia was telling the lady of the house about the Lord Jesus and the salvation of her soul. After Sister Nicolene entered the house and after a few exchanges of greetings, Sister Julia boldly witnessed to them, reading some scriptures. Sister Nicolene Reigle accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and during the prayer time was touched profoundly by the power of the Holy Spirit.