The origin of the CCNA is rooted in the Italian Pentecostal Movement which had its inception in Chicago, IL, in 1907, a part of the larger outpouring of theHoly Spirit at the turn of the century. 12 Articles of Faith, which were adopted at the first Convention of the churches in 1927 at Niagara Falls, N.Y., brought a new sense of unity to the Movement. A second cohesive factor was the rather universal understanding that the churches' Purpose for Being was missions, a factor reflected in the Movement's initial incorporation in 1948 as "The Missionary Society of the Christian Church of North America." In 1963, recognizing the emergence of the Movement from a single ethnic to a multi-ethnic Body, and the obligations of growth to provide supportive ministries for the nurture of the Body, as well as reaching out to the unevangelized, the Movement was restructured and became known as the "General Council" of the Christian Church of North America.