Faith, Family, and the Shore: Inside the Ocean City Tabernacle’s Summer 2026 Speaker Series

-A conversation with the Tabernacle’s Executive Director, Tom Sherf, on legacy, community, and what’s coming this summer

For more than 150 years, the Ocean City Tabernacle has been more than a building on Wesley Ave. It has been the heartbeat of a community. It’s a place where families on vacation find something they didn’t plan for and leave with something they didn’t expect. As Summer 2026 heats up, we sat down with the Tabernacle’s new Executive Director, Tom Sherf, to talk about the Tabernacle’s Speaker Series, the enduring vision behind it, and what makes this little island on the Jersey Shore so special.

The Vision That Started It All

Ocean City wasn’t founded by real estate developers or resort planners. It was founded by faith. In 1879, Methodist ministers,  Reverends Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell, set out to establish a Christian seaside community in the great camp meeting tradition of the Wesleyan revival. The goal was never simply a restful getaway by the sea; it was spiritual renewal. They envisioned a place set apart, where families could gather for worship, preaching, and the deepening of faith, and where the rhythms of the shore would serve that purpose rather than compete with it.

Nearly 150 years later, that vision is still very much alive.

“The families sitting in those seats didn’t necessarily plan a spiritual retreat; they planned a beach vacation,” Tom explained. “But the Tabernacle was here when they arrived, just as it was for their parents and grandparents. That’s the genius of the founders. They didn’t tuck a chapel away on the edge of town; they planted a place of renewal at the very center of everything so that a family who came only for rest might leave having encountered something far greater. Rest was never the destination. It was the doorway.”

That founding purpose still shapes everything the Tabernacle does today. Though it was born in the Wesleyan camp meeting tradition, the Tabernacle has long been an interdenominational ministry, belonging to no single congregation, and that is precisely the point. Its mission has remained constant across the generations: to Proclaim the gospel clearly, to Nurture believers in their faith, and to Serve the wider community that gathers on the island each summer.

The Spirit of the Place

Over nearly a century and a half, the Tabernacle itself has changed almost beyond recognition. What began as an open-air wooden structure has been rebuilt, renovated, and expanded again and again, most significantly through the early 2000s, into the sophisticated worship and ministry center that stands at 550 Wesley Avenue today. And yet, through every redesign, it has continued to draw legendary speakers and musicians for generations. Tom believes the reason goes beyond architecture.

“What has remained constant isn’t the structure, the structure has changed many times over. It’s the spirit of the place. When a thousand people gather on a Sunday morning in July, they aren’t there because of the architecture. They’re there because something has been happening in that room, in various forms, since 1879. Great communicators feel that the moment they step onto that stage.. They’re not speaking into a building; they’re stepping into a living tradition.”

Summer 2026: An Anchor for a Disoriented World

This is Tom’s first summer leading the Tabernacle’s Speaker Series, and the theme that kept surfacing during months of prayer and discernment was simple but timely: Jesus Christ is Central.

“People are disoriented. The cultural noise is deafening. Families are fractured. And yet they drive to this island, they walk into this building, and for a moment something settles. I want every person who walks out of the Tabernacle this summer to feel more anchored and renewed than when they walked in.”

The 2026 lineup reflects that intention. Recognizable names like Dr. Ben Carson, Brian Dawkins, and Al and Lisa Robertson will draw crowds, but the Sherf is equally excited about some of the less familiar voices on the roster.

“I’d ask people to pay close attention to Dr. Rob Pacienza, Dr. Crawford Loritts, Dr. Bryan Murawski and Gene Getz, a theologian whose life’s work on biblical community will resonate deeply with anyone asking honest questions about what the Church is supposed to look like. And Dr. Duffy Robbins, who closes us out on Labor Day weekend, has spent his life pouring into the next generation in ways that are both deeply rooted and wonderfully accessible. These are not warm-up acts. These are precisely the voices our community needs to hear.”

Something for Every Generation

One of the priorities for 2026 is making sure the Tabernacle speaks to every seat in the room, from the twelve-year-old to the sixty-year-old.

“Brian Dawkins speaks a language that both age groups understand: athletic excellence, faith under pressure, identity. Susie Larson connects with mothers and daughters across three generations. And David Marvin speaks directly to the questions young adults and college-age visitors are actually wrestling with.”

Beyond the Sunday services, the Tabernacle is expanding its broader summer ecosystem. A new partnership with FCA Surf brings faith into the beach culture young people are already living in. VBS runs in July, and Camp Sonshine is growing. “We want the Tabernacle to be a place where a family with a teenager doesn’t have to split up on Sunday morning,” Sherf said. “That’s a high bar, and we don’t always clear it perfectly; it’s what we’re aiming for.”

The Sunday Morning Experience

For those who have never attended, Tom paints a vivid picture of what a Sunday morning at 550 Wesley Ave looks and feels like.

For early risers, there is an 8 a.m. there is an off-site open-air service right at the water’s edge at the Ocean City Music Pier. At 8:30, the Traditional service at the Tabernacle opens its doors, and the auditorium fills quickly with families, couples, singles, elderly visitors, and young children all arriving together. Lee Martin leads the congregation in the Hymn Sing before the service formally begins at 8:15. At 10:30, the Contemporary service brings an energetic worship experience led by churches and worship leaders from across the region.

Both services at the main campus feature the same speaker. Both are completely free, no ticket, no membership, no barriers.

“The 8:15 Hymn Sing is something you have to experience to understand. A family from rural Pennsylvania is singing the same words as a couple from New York City, and somehow, in that moment, you are one congregation. It’s not manufactured emotion, it’s people who arrived from different places and found, for a Sunday morning, that they share something essential.”

And when the service ends, it doesn’t really end. Donuts and coffee bring everyone together in the narthex, and every speaker stays to meet, talk, and take photos with anyone who wants that moment.

Looking Toward 150 Years

With the Tabernacle’s 150th anniversary arriving in 2029, Tom is thinking carefully about what this ministry needs to be for the next generation, and the one after that.

“2029 will mark 150 years. That’s not just a milestone; it’s a mandate. Every summer, we are demonstrating to a new generation of visitors that this ministry is alive, intellectually serious, culturally engaged, and anchored in something that does not shift with the cultural winds. When the 150th anniversary comes, it should feel like a beginning, not a capstone.”

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where are the Sunday services?
 Services are held at 550 Wesley Ave, Ocean City, NJ. There is a boardwalk service at 8 a.m., a Traditional service at 8:30 a.m. (with a Hymn Sing beginning at 8:15 a.m.), and a Contemporary service at 10:30 a.m.

How much does it cost to attend?
 Nothing. Both Sunday services are completely free. No ticket, no membership, just come as you are.

Who is speaking this summer?
 The 2026 lineup includes Dr. Ben Carson, Brian Dawkins, Al and Lisa Robertson, Susie Larson, David Marvin, Dr. Rob Pacienza, Dr. Crawford Loritts, Gene Getz, and Dr. Duffy Robbins, among others.

Is the Tabernacle just for adults?
 Not at all. The Tabernacle has programs for all ages, including VBS in July, an expanding Camp Sonshine, and a new partnership with FCA Surf for young people. The Sunday services are designed to speak to every generation in the room at the same time.

Can I meet the speakers after the service?
 Yes. Every speaker stays after the service to meet attendees, have conversations, and take photos in the narthex over donuts and coffee.

What is the theme for Summer 2026?
 The heartbeat of this summer’s series is Jesus Christ is Central. This message was chosen to bring clarity, conviction, and a sense of anchor to families navigating a noisy and complicated world.

Where can I learn more?
 Visit the Tabernacle at 550 Wesley Ave, Ocean City, NJ, check out our website octaberancle.org, or follow them on social media for updates throughout the summer @octabernacle.