Tabernacle began out of a personal longing for more of God. Back in 2001, Calvin and I (Becky) began to have a hunger for an extended time spent with God through worship and prayer. We also longed for a type of worship that was different from what we would normally think of as church. So, we began with lots of prayer to seek out other people who were interested in the same thing. Over the course of 9 months, Laura joined us and we began to plan what Tabernacle would be like.

And so Tabernacle was “born.” In February 2002 we had our first worship gathering. At that time, God was still building our band. Over the next couple of months however, Scott, Mike and Ryan joined us in becoming what is now the Tabernacle band. We continue to lead worship at the monthly gatherings and occasionally play at other worship events.

WHY “TABERNACLE?”

You may wonder, why did we choose the name Tabernacle? In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle was the temporary structure that the Israelites created in response to God’s instructions. It was symbolic of God’s presence with them and it was the place that they went to worship Him. By means of the Tabernacle, God dwelled with His people and was very close to them. (Ex. 40: 36-38)

Also, the word Tabernacle can be used as a verb which means, “to dwell.” So, for God to “tabernacle” with us means that He dwells with us. And, as with the Tabernacle of the Old Testament Israelites, it was in the place of worship that God chose to reveal His nearness to His people. This is the essence of Tabernacle gatherings- to dwell with Him through creative, personal and authentic worship.

For a comparison of the Old Tabernacle to the New Tabernacle see Hebrews 8 – 10