Great church, nice people. Ample parking. 8:30 mass is a nice way to start the day. Located on 2nd…read morest.

As a kid coming to OC this was always the church that the family elders dictated we needed to visit…read morebright and early the very first morning we were in town. While the name has sort of changed due to the parish consolidation of four years ago, everything still looks more or less the way I remembered it. There are still three churches under the one parish umbrella on the island but if you are looking (and not many under the age of 70 will be) for a morning daily mass right now in season this is only one of the three that offers it at 8:30. The church up on 40th has a daily mass in the afternoon and place on 13th is only offering a daily communion service. Of course after Labor Day these schedules will change. The Thursday morning that I attended I was pleasantly surprised to see a good crowd. Probably around 80-100 people and based on what I saw during the sign of peace, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the majority of the group are regulars. While I'm not sure if I would have come if our rental wasn't close enough that I could see the steeple from our back deck, I'm glad that I did reconnect with a place that I hadn't been to since the 80's and hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later.

The OC Tabernacle has become a standard part of our week at OC for years...check into the house…read moreSaturday, visit the Tabernacle Sunday, usually before my feet have even had a chance to hit sand. Yes, the tabernacle is a Sunday morning Church service; an informal service is held at 8 AM on the beach/boards, and the regular service is at 10:30. The tabernacle brings in guest pastors weekely; to my knowledge, there is no head pastor, but rather a Board of Trustees who selects known ministers from around the country to come and preach...and yes, generally, they are very good, providing a solid Biblical message. Rarely do I walk away without a few good points to ponder. The music is a blend of hymns (2, this week) and contemporary...this past week, there were two- count 'em, two- praise bands who were likewise visiting. The music- both familiar P&W and originals- were also great, upbeat. That's for the adults; for the kids, great programs abound. The nursery is very cool...built like an ark- and security is good, and buzzer pagers are provided if a child's parents need to leave the service. Programs for the older kids, provided through 7th grade, made my son exclaim "that was a great class" as he held up his prize, a big kit kat. Also, VBS is provided through the summer, often during the first week of July. Coffee and pastry after the service is always welcome! The new youth center built two or three years ago is also a youth conference center, available for churches to rent and utilize throughout the year. It apparently gets used well, at they have started using it to host movies Saturday nights at 10:30 to give kids somewhere to go. Finally, the property is used on Wednesdays for crafts and a farmer's market. The anchor out front is symbolic in many ways, but the way this organization dynamically anchors OC and provides for the community is impressive. Not to take anything away from other local churches who operate year round, but the tabernacle definitely fills a niche for the weekly renters...a welcoming place to come and be fed, a home while away from home.

I have been to a few services year ago at the Tabernacle. The building is pretty and big and full…read moreof light! It is more modern than the one in Ocean Grove. It draws a younger crowd than Ocean Grove. I saw Charles Stanley there. It started as Methodist but is now interdenominational. The Christian faith has many varieties like dog breeds but we are all the same as far as fundamental beliefs. Kind of like dogs are all the same only different breeds. I am sure it is all the same to God they are just human distinctions anyway. The Tabernacle has block parties, vacation bible school a choir, concerts, plays,youth ministry, special guest speakers, and other ministries The services are streaming live on TV and the radio and the web site. http://www.octabernacle.org/LiveStream.php It is nice to be able to worship at the beach and even hear speakers I am familair with so far from home but it seemed to be a little more social and less spiritual than I am used to. But it is an option if in the area. http://oceancity.patch.com/listings/ocean-city-tabernacle-association-4 http://national.citysearch.com/profile/6834041/ocean_city_nj/ocean_city_tabernacle_assn.html I like the idea of going to a church in the summer at the beach with a bunch of other people who want to be at the beach. It is less than perfect but a good option for believers of all faiths! The 3 stars is only because though I have attended a few services I do not know much about it and will only endorse or give 5 stars to a spiritual organization I know a lot about. But it is a nice experience in the summer if in Ocean City!

A perfectly good place to get your Jesus on while in OC…read more For years and years we had always stayed in The Gardens area of town which meant for church purposes going to St. Francis Cabrini on Atlantic Avenue. This year we tried a new rental location which for proximity sake also meant a new house of the holy at Our Lady of Good Counsel on 40th. The church rally isn't much of a looker as it's more of a cookie cutter building which screams 1950's-1960's design. It's more functional rather than ornate. For parking purposes the church has a small lot behind the building and a much larger lot across 40th street which at least for the mass we were at in June didn't come close to handling the standing room only crowd. It makes no sense to talk about mass times as unlike the average parish the times here change depending on whether it's in season, shoulder season or off season. Either way between one of three churches within the St. Damien parish you're covered as they're all within a few miles of each other. I think we had Rev. Al? and if I remember right he was solid with his style and homily if not a little on the loud side as he bordered on yelling when he tried to accentuate a point he was making. The last noteworthy thing would be that come Communion time you need to wait for an usher to let your row out. Decent idea in premise except when you sit in the back of the church they towards the end they start sending one row forward towards the alter and the next row or two towards the back where the ministers are. Very confusing and lots of traffic jams ensued with people unsure of how to get back to their pew and bumping into each other. Overall a good place to worship with a very eclectic mix in season of locals and shoobies. We'll be back.

Great solid biblical sermons offered by a variety of visiting preachers from Memorial Day weekend…read morethrough September. Uplifting, mostly traditional, music, opportunity for prayer requests, nursery room, separate teaching for kids, and fellowship afterwards with coffee and often homemade goodies after the service are all part of the worship services here which start at 10 AM Sundays. Weekday studies are also offered during various weeks throughout the summer. A friendly and refreshing atmosphere!