Mission
Tabernacle has a long history of mission. Members of Tabernacle founded the Gray Panthers, the Northwest Interfaith Movement, Women's Alliance for Job Equity, Borderlinks, the Metropolitan Career Center, The Career Wardrobe, the Interfaith Working Group, the Arts and Spirituality Center, the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, and the Interfaith Peace Walk. We were the first Sanctuary church in Philadelphia and the the first More Light and Open and Affirming congregation in Pennsylvania. Our individual and corporate missions are integrated into both worship and education, and we offer the free use of our space to organizations whose mission is consistent with our own.
Our current mission focus is on sustainability, peace, non-violence, our sister community in El Salvador, the New Jerusalem recovery cener in North Philadelphia, and equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people inside and outside the church, especially where these issues intersect.
Sustainability
We participate in ecological education and advocacy, especially around issues of water and sustainable food production. We buy renewable electricity through the Energy Cooperative as part of our efforts to lower our environmental impact (see our Philadelphia Sustainability Resources web page), We buy carbon offsets from the Gaviotas Carbon Offset Initiative to more than cover the energy usage of the building and remain carbon negative. We have financially supported the used cooking oil bio-diesel program at New Jerusalem Now addiction recovery community. We have provided the venue for fund-raising events for Green Village Philadelphia and meetings of the Sustainable Business Network.
Peace and Non-Violence
As a congregation we have participated in anti-war protests and the Interfaith Peace Walk, and offer shelter to peace activists. We work closely with and financially support the Arts and Spirituality Center and the Interfaith Center of Philadelphia, and the anti-violence programs of the Christian Association and Mothers In Charge. As individuals we try to lead lives of non-violence.
Las Anonas
We provide financial support for our sister community in Las Anonas El Salvador through the Romero Interfaith Center. Delegations from the congregation visit El Salvador for education, mutual understanding, and spiritual support. The most recent visit was in the Summer of 2007. Ownership and commercialization of water is a life and death issue with the people of El Salvador and a sustainability issue here. The 2007 delegation participated in a press conference on behalf of El Salvadorans arrested on the way to a protest of water privatization.
New Jerusalem
New Jerusalem is a faith based addiction recovery community in North Philadelphia. In addition to our support of their bio-diesel program and other financial support, members of Tab worked on an Arts and Spirituality public art project with neighborhood children and New Jerusalem residents.
Equal Treatment for LGBT People
As a More Light/Open and Affirming congregation we welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families in to the full life of the congregation. We have sponsored gay, lesbian, and bisexual candidates for ministry, perform union ceremonies, advocate in favor of civil marriage equality, testify for equal treatment at Presbytery meetings, and financially support the More Light and Open and Affirming ministries within our denominations. We have provided space and volunteer support for Soulforce, WOW, and NGLTF's National Religious Leadership Roundtable. Two members of the congregation are profiled on the LGBT Religious Archives Network web site for their pioneering work. We also maintain an LGBT Spiritual Resources web page.
