Tab's Creation Story
The Tab Creation Story by Rev. L. John Gable
September 18, 2022
In his book, The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, Steven Sample, former president of the University of Southern California, suggests that every organization or institution has what he calls a “creation story” which every leader, and its members, should know and be able to repeat, often. “Creation stories” tell not only the details of how an organization came in to being, but also serve to tie the past with the present and give guidance for the future. They help us better understand who we are in the present by reminding us of where we’ve been and what we’ve done in the past which then enables and inspires us to envision a way forward for the future.
As we think about it, our faith tradition is largely given to us, not as abstract truths or propositions to be memorized, but as stories which have been passed from generation to generation, which are intended to be told over and over again to each ensuing generation. The Psalmist tells our story in song, and there is purpose in his telling, “We will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord…so that the children yet unborn…should set their hope in God…and keep His commandments” (Psalm 78). Moses did the same with the Children of Israel just before they entered in to the Promised Land after their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness. Rather than just rushing to break down the gates, Moses wisely gathered all the people and retold them the story of God’s mighty act of deliverance, from this we get the book of Deuteronomy. He says, “In generations to come your children will ask you, ‘Why do we believe in the Lord and obey His commandments?’ Be ready to tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out by His mighty hand.’” In the telling and retelling of this story, over and over again, “their” story, long ago and far away, becomes “our” story, here and now. We too can tell the story of how God has acted in mighty ways to deliver us as well. So, we tell the story of our faith, even as it was told to us, in order that those who hear it, our children and our children’s children, will set their hope in God and become His followers, even as we are.
On this Anniversary Sunday, in our Centennial year on this corner of 34th and Central, I would like to tell you “our” story, the Tab Creation story. Given that this is our 171st anniversary I won’t be able to recount the whole story, there is too much to tell; we are so grateful to Ruth and Bruce McDonald who have been writing wonderful articles about our history in the Chimes each month; but this morning I will try to hit some of the highlights and major turning points in our past which continue to influence our mission and ministry today and give us good guidance for the future.
On September 23, 1851 the Presbytery of Muncie met and voted to formally organize Third Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Bear in mind Indiana had only been granted statehood in 1816 and Indianapolis wasn’t named its capital until 1821, but by 1851 there were already 3 Presbyterian Churches here, not to mention the Baptists and Methodists who preceded us, and by the 1920’s there were 19 Presbyterian Churches in the city. Third Presbyterian was organized by 22 members who transferred from First Presbyterian “for the advancement of Christianity.” Two of the first three elders we elected later became mayors of Indianapolis. Our first meetings were held in Temperance Hall, downtown, until in 1853 we purchased property at the NE corner of Ohio and Illinois Streets and by 1859 we built our first building for a total cost of $24,000. During those early years our membership continued to grow due to the evangelistic fervor and vibrant spirituality of our members. Early in our history we established Sabbath school and church planting programs. During those same years the national Presbyterian Church struggled with what was called the “Old School/New School” debates. Old School Presbyterians were considered the more conservative, holding to the principle that “theology matters”, that “a person becomes what he/she believes…as does a congregation.” And from our founding, we were part of that “Old School” tradition.
Two significant events took place in the 1880’s, the first leaving a permanent mark on us. In 1883 we began the search for a new pastor and were given assurance by Rev. A.T. Pierson that he would assume the duties, with one caveat. He insisted that Third Presbyterian Church change its name to “Tabernacle Presbyterian Church.” The tabernacle movement of the late 19th century was an urban church strategy, think of Brooklyn Tabernacle, London Tabernacle and others, which had an emphasis on reaching the unchurched and welcoming all people. The approach was to present a clear message of the Gospel from the pulpit as well as make the worship service feel more comfortable, less formal, more welcoming. It was part of this movement that led to the elimination of the “pew rental system”, the primary means by which churches of the day raised their funds. Individuals and families would “rent” their pews on an annual basis, the closer, more comfortable pews also were the most costly. The tabernacle movement eliminated that long held rental system and introduced the expectation of “attendees to contribute.”
So, we went through the deliberate process of changing our name and the way we did business in anticipation of the arrival of Rev. Pierson who in the meantime accepted a call to a prominent church in Philadelphia. That pastor never came, but the name Tabernacle stuck.
The second significant event of the late 1880’s was a change of location which was prompted by the insistence of our then newly called pastor. Believing that there were too many churches in the crowded downtown section of the city we sold the building on Ohio and Illinois and moved way north to the corner of 11th and Meridian, building a new church there for the sum total of $53,000. During those decades the city, as well as the newly named Tabernacle Church, continued to grow and expand. New opportunities for mission and ministry and outreach continued to avail themselves, particularly north of the city, and we were poised to address them.
As an example, in 1918, our pastor Dr. J. Ambrose Dunkel, who served us from 1918-1939, for whom the window immediately behind me was named, was visiting young families in the northern perimeter of the city, all the way up to Fall Creek. He quickly noticed that there were no Sunday School programs available for the children of this neighborhood, so he requested that land be purchased at the corner of 34th and Central, a newly developing section of the city. Curiously, we paid $24,000 for this lot, the same amount we had paid in total to build our first building downtown. A temporary, small framed structure was built on this corner to offer Sunday School classes. The very first day 254 children showed up and by our second year there were over 1000! In subsequent years there were over 2000 children in our Sunday School program, such that the work we were doing here outstripped the ministry that was being carried out down on 11th and Meridian, so the decision was made to relocate once again.
There is a story about Dr. Dunkel and the children of Tab which I just love. There were so many kids involved in our Sunday School program that there was no way he could know them all, but they all knew him. So they worked out a little code that when they saw him, and perhaps one another, on the streets, they would hold up 2 fingers as a signal that they were part of our church family.
In 1921 ground was broken for this magnificent structure made of Indiana limestone. Fashioned after 15th century Gothic architecture the church was built in two phases, the sanctuary being dedicated in 1923, and the connecting chapel and gym in 1929. 1929! Recall what was happening to the US economy in 1929, so, in order to make the monthly mortgage payments, the women of Circle A met every Monday morning to fry peanuts and doughnuts which they sold to riders on the street car line going down Central Avenue.
In 1924 a number of boys were found playing basketball in our coal bin, and we knew we had to do something to provide better recreational space and opportunities for the children of Tab and the neighborhood. So, with a down payment of $50 the Tab Recreation program was birthed which today serves nearly 1500 children in our various programs and has over 100,000 alumni. The Tab Rec program became the model for other church/sports ministries across the country. We will be celebrating Tab Rec’s centennial anniversary in a few short years.
Post-WWII this Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood began to change as residents and businesses and churches moved north in what is classically called “white flight.” During those decades we experienced the same kind of changes and challenges, such that we had to make a decision by the mid 1960’s, “stay or go?” The Metropolitan Community Program Committee was formed and in June of 1966, after careful and prayerful study, made the following recommendation: “The Metropolitan Community Program Committee recommends that Tabernacle remain in location, both for now and for the foreseeable future, and put all of its energies into the development of a Protestant Church rendering significant service to the entire Metropolitan Community.”, calling us to be “a force for Christ in the heart of the city.” That counter-intuitive, counter-cultural decision set the trajectory for our membership and ministry which continues to this day and beyond. So inspired am I by that decision that I always keep a copy of that report with me in my day planner.
During the ensuing decades we have committed ourselves to living in to that vision by forming, funding and birthing numerous programs and organizations to address the needs of this neighborhood and metropolitan area: the Mapleton-Fall Creek Community Development Corporation, the Raphael Health Center, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, the Oaks Academy, the Mid North Food Pantry, the Unleavened Bread Café, the Open Door Soup Kitchen – now called the Open Door Café, Tab Tutoring, Fresh Stop, Free Wheelin’ Bikes, and the list goes on and on. Everywhere I go and nearly everyone I meet has a story to tell of some way in which Tab has touched their lives.
Fast-forward to the present day. Several years ago I was asked by one of you, “That Metropolitan Community Ministry report was given 50 years ago, do we still believe that about ourselves?” Good question, so we formed a Vision Renewal committee in 2016 which, after a year of study and conversation, presented our Vision Renewal report which recommits us, not only to staying here at this corner, but directs us to ministries of Greater Faith, Deeper Relationships and a Stronger Community. Our past has laid the firm foundation for our present and future. You see, this is not “their” story; it is “our” story.
There are certainly more of our stories which can and should be told, but hopefully these will help us to better understand who we are, how we got here and where we are going.
In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle was the tent in which God resided among His people as He guided them through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. By definition it was “temporary and portable.” I look around this building and wonder, “With all this stone and glass, what here is temporary and portable?”
I can answer in two ways. First, all of it is. One day all of this magnificent structure will crumble and fall. But more importantly, we, as the people of Tab, are temporary and portable. Our creation story is replete with the stories of countless individuals who have come and gone, and are among us still, all of whom have heard and responded to God’s call to faith and faithfulness. We are the “living stones” Peter writes of in his letter which are built on the “living stone” of Jesus Christ. He is our cornerstone, past, present and future, and this is the “Tab creation story” we are blessed to be a part of and are encouraged to tell, over and over again.
To the glory of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. L. John Gable
Tabernacle Presbyterian Church
Indianapolis, IN