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Tabernacle Congregational Church, UCC
50 Washington Street ~ Corner of Federal Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 744-3164
Welcome to the Tabernacle Church Web Site. Inside these windows,
you’ll find our “Open and Affirming Church” in
action.
Everyone comes to faith in their own way and in their own time. Some of us grew up in a religious family and we are involved through their roots in a congregation. Most people leave organized religion for a period of time in their teens and 20's and through an event, a death, a friend or a cause, they find themselves back in the cradle of a safe and comfortable faith community. We want you to join us any way you come.
Faith journeys often begin through someone else's faith. A parent, grandparent, friend or partner may have the faith you've been seeking. Children are frequently the faithful leaders of families searching for a church home. Baptisms, Sunday School, music, dance and divine curiosity lead children to God and family members follow. Jesus was a child when the magi, shepherds and townsfolk came to him.
Here at Tabernacle, you will find people of many faith perspectives, whose journey to this place has been unique. We are composed of many wanderers. With our One God we worship in one spirit as people of all ages, races, classes, abilities, sexual preference and passions. We have all come because someone's faith journey welcomed us.
Open and Affirming Statement
Tabernacle Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Salem,
Massachusetts, is an Open and Affirming congregation that welcomes,
respects, and supports people of every race, ethnicity, creed,
class, gender, sexual orientation, age and physical and mental
ability, inviting all to join us on our journey of faith. We
welcome all people to participate fully in the worship, rites,
sacraments and ministry of Tabernacle Church. Although we are
many members, we are one body in Christ. As one body we are called
and challenged by God to respect and reconcile our differences.
Our faith calls us to speak up in the face of prejudice, injustice,
and exclusion, and to express in word and deed our hope for justice
and inclusiveness for humanity.
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Pentecost is here.
This is the longest season of the liturgical year. During this “ordinary time” of the church calendar, we listen carefully to the parables and stories of Jesus. We join him on his travels through villages and territories of the Middle East. And we grow in ordinary and miraculous ways.
In Acts of the Apostles, the book of scripture that describes the life of the earliest Christians, we discover groups of people who are starving for a deeper and more profound relationship with God; who willingly invite God into their regular routines and rituals; and who renounce individualism in favor of communal life. They find ways to encourage one another with prayer, music, gifts of the Spirit, food and resources.
If you are reading this message, you are likely in search of a spiritual community. You probably want to be connected to other people and to God at this moment in time. And you may feel, in your day-to-day life, somewhat disconnected from God and community.
Different churches offer different spiritual experiences. Each one is faced with the realities of today’s economy and busyness. Tabernacle has a unique ability to incorporate music, prayer and lay leadership in each of our worship services. We offer ways to connect with God and community that include creativity and contemplation. And though we are imperfect, we welcome and affirm all people who walk into our sanctuary.
Parishioners at Tabernacle want to be active members of a spiritual community who listen to Jesus, puzzle over his words and his parables, meet his friends and his opponents with open minds, and approach our own lives with grace and humility.
If you are inclined to participate in the mystery of worship and deepen your relationship with God and community this summer, please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am.
In the Spirit of love and peace,
Rev. Laura
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