About Us

Our Mission

Cathedral International North Hills is a Christ-centered community, embracing historic Christian Liturgy and Pentecostal fervor. We hold in tension a call to spirit-filled living and social renewal. Our four-fold mission is to Evangelize, Educate, Emancipate, Empower, and Expand in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ through Loving, Lifting and Liberating humanity. As a religious organization, Cathedral’s worship service follows the biblical pattern. Cathedral is a Protestant church rooted in the Baptist Denomination.

Our History

In November 2003, Bishop Donald Hilliard Jr. planted the Cathedral International Church in Teaneck, NJ. He hosted a three night revival at the Glen Pointe Marriot hotel in Teaneck, NJ. After the birthing of the church, Bishop Hilliard assigned several ministers from the Cathedral International which included Pastor Damon Gilyard (now Senior Pastor-Corinthian Baptist Church-Jersey City NJ), Pastor David Trawick (now Senior Pastor-Grace Cathedral Flemington, NJ) and Pastor Terence Johnson (now the Senior Pastor of Cathedral International North Hills Church).

On February 8th, 2004, Bishop Hilliard appointed Pastors Terence and Donna Davis-Johnson as the covering shepherds and the church was temporary named “Cathedral Fellowship North Hills” under the leadership of Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, NJ. Services were held every Tuesday and Sunday evenings (Glen Pointe Marriot Hotel).

The North Hill church begun its Sunday morning services on May 9th, 2004 (Glen Pointe Marriott) and in September 2004, the North Hill church moved from the Glen Pointe Marriott Hotel to the Richard Rodda Community Center in Teaneck, NJ (2004-2005). Mid-Week Pastoral Teaching services were held at the Christ Episcopal Church in Teaneck and then moved to the home of Deacons McGregor (2005-2008). On March 13th, 2005, the North Hills church moved to the Crown Plaza Hotel in Englewood, NJ.

On April 10th, 2005, the church celebrated its first anniversary with Bishop Hilliard II (founding Bishop) as the keynote speaker. Bishop Hilliard II preached on the subject, “Just a Handful (Acts 2).

Pastor Terence Johnson was officiated appointed the first Senior Pastor of the Cathedral International North Hills church in June 2006. The original trustees (Pastor Terence Johnson, Donna Davis-Johnson, Roslyn Turner, Harvetta Lynch, and Donald Parler) begun the incorporation process and on March 15, 2007, the Cathedral International North Hills Church, originally “Cathedral Fellowship North Hills” was incorporated confirming the founding members.

In 2010, Pastor Donna Davis-Johnson was ordained as Pastor by Bishop Donald Jr along with Deacon Donald and Chareese Parler (first deacons of the Cathedral International North Hills Church.

The Cathedral International North Hills church continues to serve members locally, regionally, and internationally with our fivefold mission (Evangelize, Educate, Emancipate, Empower, and Expansion). The Cathedral International North Hills Church has expanded to Pakistan and currently has three local Bible School locations in Pakistan, “Cathedral International North Hills Bible School of Pakistan under the leadership of Pastor Nasir Javid and Lady Sana Asad.

What We Believe – Tenets of Faith and Doctrine

• We believe in the inspiration of the accepted canon of scriptures as originally given. The scriptures are the sole and final authority for all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13)
•   We believe in the Eternal Godhead who has revealed Himself as One God existing in three Persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinguishable but indivisible. (Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14)
• We believe in the creation, test and fall of humanity as recorded in Genesis: our total spiritual depravity and inability to attain Divine Righteousness. (Romans 5:12-19)
• We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of all humankind, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, very God and very Man. (Luke 1:26-36;John 1:14-19; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6)
• We believe Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day and personally appeared unto His disciples. (I Corinthians 15:1-4: Romans 4:25)
• We believe in the bodily ascension of Jesus into Heaven. His exaltation and personal, literal and bodily coming again the second time for His church. (John 14:2-3; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
•  We believe in the salvation of sinners saved by grace through repentance and faith in the perfect sufficient work of the cross of Calvary by which we obtain remission of sins. (Ephesians 2.8-9; Hebrews 9:12-22; Romans 5:11)
• We believe in the necessity of water baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and/or the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to fulfill the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:34-36; 19:1-6)
• We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a real experience and/or subsequent to salvation. (Acts 2:1-4; 8:14-17; 10:44-46; Galatians 3:14-1.5)
• We believe in the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as enumerated in I Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12 as manifested in the early church.
• We believe in the spirit-filled life, a life innocent of worldliness and ever perfecting holiness in the fear of God as expressing the true Christian faith. (Ephesians 5:18; II Corinthians 6:14; 7:1)
• We believe in a lifestyle of social justice advocacy that speaks truth to power, empowers the broken and invites victim and violator to live under the authority of God. (Proverbs 31:9: Amos 5:24; Luke 4:16-18)
• We believe in the table of the Lord, commonly called the Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist for believers. (1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Matthew 26:26-28)
• We believe that there is one true universal church made up of genuine believers. But this one universal church is also composed of many local churches in given localities. These churches are under the sovereign headship of Christ, administering all its local affairs and ministry, as well as the propagation of the Gospel. (Acts 15-22; Matthew 16:18; 18:1 5-20)
• We believe in the divinely appointed and affirmed ministry (gifts and offices for the equipping of the saints and the maturation of the Church, i.e., Bishop, Pastors, Elders, and the Diaconate, etc. (I Peter 5:1;Timothy 3:1-13: Ephesians 4:11-12; Acts 6:3-6;Romans 16:1-2)
• We believe marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship. Resultantly, we will not perform, sanction, nor bless same sex unions since we affirm that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-2; Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 18:2-5; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:18-32; Hebrews 13:4).