Tabernacle Lutheran Church in West Philadelphia

Welcome to Tabernacle

Thank you for visiting our website! Tabernacle is a proud member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) (www.elca.org). Founded in 1907, we are grateful to celebrate 117 years of continuous ministry. Our congregation is small yet full of life, rooted at the corner of Spruce Street and 59th Street in Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood.

From this prominent intersection, Tabernacle serves as a spiritual anchor for the network of community partners that make up what is commonly known as the “Sayre Complex.” Alongside us are Sayre High School, the Dr. Bernett L. Johnson, Jr. Sayre Health Center, and the Sayre Morris Recreation Center—together forming a vibrant hub of service, learning, and community life.

Join Us

A brief History of our church

In 1906, The Rev, Silas D. Daugherty, Missionary Superintendent of the Philadelphia Conference of the East PA Synod of the General Synod of the Lutheran Church in the United States, studied the map of West Philadelphia and decided that the area around 60th & Spruce Sts. needed a Lutheran presence. Housing was just being built. A community was developing and even then Lutherans wanted to be where the action was. Five building lots were purchased at the northeast corner of 59th & Spruce Streets in 1906.

Beginning with a Sunday School and then adding church services, Tabernacle Lutheran Church was organized with 30 members in a store front at 60th and Irving Streets on January 27, 1907. The portable frame chapel pictured above was erected thereon and was dedicated on June 16, 1907.

Various supply pastors worked under the supervision of Dr. Daugherty until the first pastor was called in 1908. The first pastor, the Rev. William J. Miller, Jr., came here right out of the Gettysburg Seminary. His entire ministry was spent in Tabernacle. He retired in 1946. His pastorate was marked by phenomenal growth. Ground was bought at 59th & Spruce Streets. Tabernacle's first building was made of half inch boards and tar paper. Often the tar on the roof, melted and seeped down onto the seats. The building was heated by two coal stoves; one in the front and one in the back. The pews were donated by St. Matthew's Church, Broad and Mt. Vernon Streets.

The building was modest to say the least. But the congregation grew rapidly. More ground was bought and a larger, grander building was erected. The present parish hall was originally designed to serve both as a church and an educational unit. It was dedicated on September 27, 1914 and served as Tabernacle's second house of worship. While land was being bought and buildings were going up, the congregation also organized itself for mission. The Sunday School remained a vital part of Tabernacle's ministry. The Ladies Aid Society was formed. The Christian Endeavor Society was established for young people. A choir was recruited. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts organized troops. The Women's Home and Foreign Missionary Society was established to support the propagation of the Faith. A Man's Brotherhood was formed to bolster fellowship. It was an active congregation.

With all the activity and with continuing rapid growth, yet another church building was required. On February 14, 1926 ground was broken for Tabernacle's third house of worship. The new church building in grand gothic style was dedicated on February 20, 1927. The cost was approximately $275.000.

Our Former Pastors

The Rev. William J. Miller remained the pastor for nearly 38 years. He retired in 1946.Tabernacle's next pastor. The Rev. Henry Luffberry, arrived here in April, 1944. He served as Associate Pastor until Dr. Miller's retirement and then became the Pastor. The growth and activity continued. The women's organizations were all combined into one group. The interior of the church was repainted. Pastor Luffberry remained here until 1957. The Rev. lan Tarbet was called as Pastor in 1958. He was to direct Tabernacle's ministry through the challenging period of transition. The neighborhood was changing racially. Many of Tabernacle's members were moving to the suburbs. Under Pastor Ian Tarbet's leadership, Tabernacle became one of the first Lutheran Churches in Philadelphia to begin ministry to the Afro-American community.

The Rev. James Gunther was called as Assistant Pastor in 1959 to help in this new ministry. He remained with us for nine months. In 1960, the Rev. William Barrett was called as Assistant Pastor to help continue the effort to make Tabernacle's ministry inclusive. And yet the content of the ministry remained the same; serving the people of our neighborhood with the Word of God and the Holy Sacraments. Pastor Barrett stayed with us until 1966. That same year Ms. Elizabeth Waid accepted the position of Lay Associate at Tabernacle. Under her leadership there was a creative explosion of activity in the areas of Christian education and youth ministry.

Tabernacle's youth programs began to grow once more. Ms. Waid and the Rev. Tarbet together led the congregation through a fascinating period of liturgical renewal. A new worship style for a new era was being built. In 1969 just as things were going so well, the grand gothic church building was utterly destroyed by a fire. The cause of the fire seems to have been a faulty wire in the organ. Almost immediately plans were made to rebuild. The congregation met for worship in Sayre Junior High School until the parish had been sufficiently repaired for church use. For almost four years the parish hall served once more as worship center and educational unit combined.

In 1973, the present church building was constructed. Tabernacle's fourth house of worship, and the new Get Set Center were dedicated. At the end of 1973 after having led Tabernacle through a period of transition and crisis, Pastor lan Tarbet submitted his resignation in order to accept a call to St. Andrew's Church in South Philadelphia.

On January 2, 1974, the Rev. Thomas Kochenderfer began his ministry here. His job was simple; continue in the set direction and keep the congregation out of debt. He was able to do both! Seven months later, Elizabeth Waid, the first Lutheran woman to be ordained in Philadelphia, was ordained here at Tabernacle, having previously accepted a call? as Pastor of Christus Church in Camden. Under Kochenderfer's leadership, the congregation continued its emphasis on community ministry and liturgical renewal. With the assistance of many capable Vicars, Tabernacle's ministry to young people continued.

Exciting summer day camps, champion track teams, bold basketball teams, clubs and classes. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, scholastic tutoring; all have made the walls of our facilities vibrate day in and day out with activity. At the end of 1974 Wanda Lofton assumed the position of Parish Musician. Under her leadership, the choir not only grew in size but in capability as well. Under Lofton's leadership, the Tabernacle Choir became one of the finest volunteer choirs in the Center City Lutheran Parish, incorporating music from the Afro-American tradition into the worship life of the congregation.

Rev. Kochenferfer resigned in 1985 to accept a call to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Audubon. the Rev. Donald Motaka was called to Tabernacle in 1986 and served until 1988. The Rev. Rosa Key was called as pastor in July 1989. She became the sixth called pastor in Tabernacle's history and its first African American female pastor. Pastor key continued the rich liturgical tradition handed down by her predecessors and is responsible for starting its lay preaching ministry. Rev. Key retired in June 2003. The Rev. Carlton Rodgers was assigned to Tabernacle on a part time basis in July 2003 and accepted a call to pastor the church on a fulltime basis in October 2004.