Lower Township sits at the southern tip of Cape May County, and at the corner of Seashore Road and Tabernacle Road in the village of Erma, Tabernacle United Methodist Church has held its place since the early 1800s. The congregation draws members from across the southern Jersey shore, including Cape May, West Cape May, Wildwood, Villas, and the surrounding Lower Township neighborhoods, and has become known for two things in particular: a creative, hands-on children's ministry built around a model train, and a personal-care pantry called Basic Blessings that has been quietly meeting a real need in Cape May County since 2017.

A Pioneer Church in Cape May County

The story of Tabernacle begins in the late 1700s, when a preacher named Benjamin Abbott began holding services in the Fishing Creek home of Abram Woolsen, the first convert to Methodism in Cape May County. The deed for the first Tabernacle Church building was signed on December 31, 1803. The land was a gift from Memucan Hughes, a descendant of Pilgrim John Howland. Karl A. Dickinson, curator of the Cape May County Museum in the 1950s, left this description of that first structure: cedar clapboards, small windows on each side, an octagonal pulpit with a little door for the minister to shut himself in, hard pine seats, a heater that could swallow three-foot cord wood, and a Communion Table made from two pine boards forming the letter "X," with a cedar bucket labeled "Methodist" sitting on top.

Preachers on the Cape May Circuit filled the pulpit until 1844, when a second church was built by Daniel Hughes and Swain Hoffman at a cost of $900. A chapel followed in 1857 in "Teal Town" at Fishing Creek, and a third Tabernacle Church was dedicated on November 14, 1875, with a sermon from Rev. D. W. Bartine of Morristown, New Jersey, preaching from John 12:23-24. A parsonage was added in 1895 just south of what is now the entrance to the Seashore Campground.

The fourth church was built and dedicated in 1917, with Pastor Harry Garretson helping with construction. That building, on the corner of Seashore and Tabernacle Roads, still serves as the Sunday School building. In 1959, under Rev. Rollo Michael, the gym was built and named Michael Hall in his honor; a new parsonage went up that year as well. The church building the congregation worships in today was dedicated on May 1, 1966, with a building committee that included Jack Elliott, Jim Blake, Judge Harlan, Bill Lamon, Rose McDonald, Rev. Michael, and Rev. Roberts.

Throughout the 1970s, a bus ministry peaked at 97 riders a week, and the church ran an Adult Fellowship, Children's Church, Junior Choir, Singing Youth Bunch, a Home Bible Study program, and supported a missionary in Rhodesia along with area Scouting organizations. Sunday School drew families at 9:30 a.m., Children's Church met at 9:30, and the main service followed at 10:45. Today the average Sunday attendance is roughly 100, and Vacation Bible School still draws between 150 and 160 children each year.

Sunday Mornings at Tabernacle

Worship is the anchor of the week. Sunday morning begins with praise and worship in the Sanctuary at 9:15 a.m., a service that weaves together prayer, uplifting music, and a message rooted in Scripture. The musical style is intentionally a blend of contemporary and traditional. Dress is "come as you are."

Right after the Children's Message with Pastor Bob Strauss, children ages 4 through 8 head downstairs with Miss Jerri to the Church Nursery for Junior Church, a 9:30 a.m. gathering filled with Bible stories, songs, and activities. Younger children are welcome with adult supervision. At 10:30 a.m., adults gather in the Sanctuary for Adult Sunday School, a discussion-based hour of study and reflection that runs through the second half of the morning.

For visitors who use hearing aids or cochlear implants, the Sanctuary is equipped with a hearing assistance system; receivers and headphones are available at the sound booth. The building is also handicap accessible, and the parking lot, which the church calls "GIANT," offers plenty of free space on Sunday mornings.

Basic Blessings: A Modern-Day Acts Ministry

The signature outreach of Tabernacle United Methodist Church is Basic Blessings, which started in 2017 after one of the adult Sunday School classes finished a study in the Book of Acts. Inspired to put their faith into action, the class formed a modern-day "Acts Ministry" to serve the local community, and Tabernacle Basic Blessings ("TBB") was born.

Basic Blessings fills a gap that food banks often do not: it provides essential household and personal care items that families in need cannot easily get anywhere else. The list of items always needed is long and practical - toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, laundry detergent, dish soap, deodorant, body soap, hand sanitizer, tissues, feminine products, diapers, pull-ups, baby wipes and ointment, bandages, first aid ointment, sunblock, lotion, shavers and shaving cream, denture supplies, incontinence pads, hairbrushes and combs, chapstick, and washcloths.

Distributions happen on the third Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. in the Tabernacle Administration Building. To register, recipients bring a local utility bill showing name and address as proof of residency, plus birth certificates for any school-age children in the household. Volunteers can donate items, contribute funds through the church's online giving system, serve at a monthly distribution, or bring ShopRite, Acme, dollar store, or Walmart gift cards.

Community Outreach Beyond Basic Blessings

Beyond Basic Blessings, Tabernacle runs several ongoing outreach efforts in Cape May County. Community Outreach Speakers are open gatherings that bring community members, local leaders, and organizations into one room to share ideas, identify needs, and explore ways to serve neighbors. The church also operates Cape May Community Outreach, a centralized hub that connects individuals and families with local food, clothing, and service resources, and it gives service organizations a place to share information and collaborate. Community Resource Day, hosted periodically at the church, gathers multiple local providers under one roof so that people in need can meet many helpers in a single visit and so that organizations can network and coordinate. Workshop-style events, such as a Financial Wellness and Debt Management workshop with the National Foundation for Debt Management, round out the outreach calendar.

Ministries for Every Age

Three named ministries sit at the center of life inside the church. Good News Junction is a hands-on, all-ages ministry that combines the love of trains with the message of God's Word. Inspired by Psalm 96:2 ("Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day"), the group is building both a stationary and a mobile model train platform while exploring how God is like the engine leading His followers, who are the cars staying on track through the guidance of His Word. Each gathering includes fellowship, Bible stories, crafts, singing, and games. Children under 8 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Good News Junction meets Mondays and Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Tabernacle Administration Building.

Shore Women in Ministry (S.W.I.M.) is a community of women committed to discovering, developing, and using their spiritual gifts while growing in God's Word. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. for fellowship, study, and service, and the SWIM ladies also run an annual Christmas Bazaar and collect supplies year-round for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

United Methodist Men is an active men's fellowship that gathers regularly for service projects, outreach, and shared prayer, including the longstanding Monday Men's Prayer Group that traces its start back to the 1960s.

Other recurring rhythms include Adult Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, the Men's Prayer Group at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays (followed by coffee and snacks), and a weekly Bible Study on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Administration Building. A Confirmation class runs annually; the Class of 2026 included six students confirmed by Pastor Bob Strauss in May.

A Mission Heart at Home and Abroad

The second Sunday of every month is "Missions Sunday" at Tabernacle, and on those Sundays the church also holds "Bring A Bag of Basics" drives for Basic Blessings. A designated portion of every mission gift supports shared ministries through the United Methodists of Greater New Jersey, which helps Tabernacle maintain a full-time pastor and funds new church development, disaster relief, Methodist missions, and the training of pastors and youth leaders worldwide.

Tabernacle partners with missionaries and organizations across the globe. Supported missionaries include Andy and Lizet Bowen with World Gospel Mission in Paraguay; BJ and Andrea Williamson with One Mission Society in Ecuador; Pastor M.A. Daniel with New Covenant Ministries International in India; Joy Phillips, a longtime missionary and nurse now serving as a Regional Director with World Gospel Mission; and Tim and Kathy Sheetz, who have been with Handi*Vangelism Ministries International since 1973. Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse) is also a major community-wide effort, with the SWIM ladies collecting supplies year-round; Collection Week for 2026 was scheduled for November 16 through 23.

Local mission partners include C.A.R.A. (Center Against Rape and Abuse), The Branches Outreach (a grassroots nonprofit serving vulnerable individuals in Cape May County), Family Promise of Cape May County (helping families with children experiencing homelessness), Southern Cape Christian School, Volunteers In Medicine, and Future Hope (pregnancy support). Each of these partnerships reflects the church's stated mission of being a place to believe, a place to belong, and a place to become.

Visiting Lower Township's Tabernacle

Tabernacle sits at 702 Seashore Road, Erma, New Jersey, in the heart of Lower Township, where Tabernacle Road meets Seashore Road. The church is easy to reach from Route 47, Route 9, or the Garden State Parkway, and the Cape May County bike path runs directly across the street for anyone who would rather cycle in. Sunday morning worship begins at 9:15 a.m., followed by Junior Church at 9:30 and Adult Sunday School at 10:30. The building is handicap accessible, with hearing-assistance headphones available for Sunday worship, and parking is free.

The facility is also available for rental to outside groups for meetings, community events, classes, and special gatherings; an application is available from the church office. Online giving, including automatic recurring contributions, is available through the church's giving portal, and the church office at 609-884-3574 and tumcoffice@comcast.net is the starting point for anyone wanting to learn more, schedule a visit, or get connected to a ministry or mission.