A House of Prayer for All Peoples
Our History
Tabor was founded in 1898 by German immigrants who wished to worship in the language and Lutheran traditions of their birth. Services in English were first introduced in 1938, and worship in German continued through Christmas Eve of 2019.
Today, Tabor’s worship community is a rich blend of people of European, African, Latin and Asian descent. We remain deeply rooted in Lutheran theology, convinced that the grace of God is given to us through hearing the gospel proclaimed and receiving the sacraments of baptism and communion.
Tabor is committed to serving our neighbors in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia. In September of 2019 we opened a food pantry called Katie’s Cupboard. This program has expanded rapidly through the pandemic and now serves an average of about 180-200 households per week.
Tabor is a member congregation of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Tabor celebrated its 125th anniversy on Oct. 22, 2023. Watch the video of our festive worship service here.
View or download a collection of articles about the first five decades of Tabor’s history edited and translated from minutes of the Church Council by Manfred Schurer. Click here for pictures of many of Tabor’s stained glass windows.
Meet Our Pastor
Pastor Jane Marston grew up in suburban Philadelphia, but her church roots are in Toronto and Boston. She first started attending worship because she was hungry for community and something she couldn’t have put into words at the time, but now understands as connection with God. She was baptized at University Lutheran in Cambridge, Mass. and soon afterward joined the staff there for what she thought would be a short stint as an administrative assistant.
More than a decade later, she responded to a persistent nudge from the Holy Spirit calling her to serve as a pastor. She has been amazed at how God has found uses for her motley collection of skills here at Tabor and delights in the ways the Holy Spirit gathers and sustains a community which regularly gives her a foretaste of the kingdom of God. In addition to her responsibilities as Pastor at Tabor, she serves as a member of the Southeast Pennsylvania Synod’s Anti-Racism Team.
Bishop Patricia Davenport and Pastor Jane Marston