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For years, two other buildings, a
temperance hall and a one room school house which was laughingly called
"Stump College", stood separate from the church and served as
classrooms for social gatherings and meetings.
In the 1930's, these two buildings burned down and the section was
added to the back of the church to serve as Sunday School rooms and
fellowship hall. As a fund raising project, Tabernacle began the Lotus
Luncheon in 1955, which is still served every year on the third Wednesday
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In 1825 the congregation purchased
one acre of land in Princess Anne County at the price of $20 at the
location where the meeting house stood. By 1830 the original structure
was demolished and the present building was erected. In that same year,
Tabernacle became an organized part of the Princess Anne Charge, which
included: Nimmo, Charity, Bethel, Providence, Knotts Island, Salem,
Beech Grove, and Tabernacle. In 1908 the slave balcony was removed,
stained glass windows and wood floors were added, a bell tower was
erected, and the present pews were added to replace the original three
rows of pews. Lights were added in the early 1920's to replace the
kerosene lamps that hung from the ceiling. However, most of the main
support and wooden pegs still hold the beams together.
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Tabernacle became a station church in 1957, at which time the
parsonage was built across the road.
With much faith, in 1969 the brick
building was built separate from the old church to serve as
classrooms, kitchen, social hall and temporary sanctuary, since the
old sanctuary was in need of much repair. The Administrative Board
voted in 1977 to begin raising funds for the restoration of the old
church. At this time the Colonial Dinner was started, which is still
held every November. The first service in the restored church was held
on Christmas Eve, 1978 at an 11:00 PM Candlelight Service. After much thoughtful
consideration, the church leadership decided to do something
significant to protect the future of the church. In 1995 the Heritage
Fund property endowment was established as an ongoing project.
Tabernacle has a long and cherished
reputation, and has served many generations of people. It remains a church
of Jesus Christ, serving the people of this community and the world.
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