Even though I lived on Grove Avenue, just three blocks from Tabernacle, Sterling and Judy put no pressure on me to attend. No pressure was needed. I didn’t visit another church! Tabernacle’s creativity, authenticity, and commitment to the neighborhood were both inspirational and formative to me as a young seminary student at BTSR.
Tabernacle instructed me with monthly supervision meetings by lay persons, challenged me with diverse neighborhood needs, and cared for me through meals, friendship, and space to learn. It was Tabernacle who first introduced me to Metro Baptist Church, the church in New York City of which I am, 8 years later, a member. Tabernacle taught me that “church” is most beautifully a diverse group of people who give, search, play, and love together.
Amanda Rae Hambrick Ashcraft
Amanda is the Director of Outreach Ministries at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York, NY
