Rev. Kathryn Aikins
Pastor
Born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Katie moved to Reykjavík, Iceland at the age of four where her parents were missionaries. She spent the better part of her childhood in Iceland, and continues to maintain ties there. She has returned often in her adult life, including for theological studies and as a leader of art and music programs for Icelandic youth.
Katie completed a B.A. in Theology at Colorado Christian University and a Master of Divinity at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Before moving to Philadelphia, Katie worked for several years as the co-pastor at Mercy Community Church in Atlanta, and then later as the Associate Pastor at Druid Hills United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
Katie strives to be faithful to the call of Jesus Christ and advocates for the church to live out its call to be a sanctuary for all people, especially those most excluded in our society. Katie is passionate about working for an end to systems of death and dehumanization in our country, in particular mass incarceration.
Katie has a love for music, especially gospel and hip hop, enjoys playing drums, dancing at opportune times, baking bread, and spending time in God’s creation.
Katie currently lives at the Vine and Figtree Community, a fledgling intentional Christian community in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, with her wife Heather. Check out the Vine and Figtree website.
Katie’s office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, by appointment. You can contact her at {deleted}.
Meagan McLeod
Youth Pastor
Meagan McLeod has been a resident of Philadelphia her entire life. She was raised in an urban environment; and while the community she and her family were connected to offered support and guidance, the neighborhood gave Meagan a bird’s eye view of how systems such as poverty and education can affect a generation of people.
Meagan completed her Bachelor’s Degree from Temple University in Speech Communication and then received her Master’s Degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary. She realizes that education is a privilege and she wants that privilege to be offered to everyone.
Meagan has just begun to search her ministerial path to find out where God is leading her. Meagan has a heart for those living on the margins of society who are easily ignored and those whose voices are silenced.
Meagan is the Youth Pastor at Tabernacle United and she enjoys walking this spiritual journey with the youth and guiding them toward a place of understanding themselves better, one another, and the world.
Meagan is also currently the Chaplain/Spiritual Director at Friends Psychiatric Hospital which allows her to continue to live within her purpose of helping those on the margins of society.
Meagan’s contact email is {deleted}.
Pax Ressler
Minister of Music
Pax is a Philadelphia-based performer, composer and theatre artist who grew up in the Mennonite Church. A love of hymns and singing in church inspired Pax to pursue a career in music. At Goshen College, they studied music education and went on to work as a music director and freelance theatre artist in Goshen, Indiana. Pax is now involved in the Philadelphia theatre scene, doing development work and creative projects for nonprofit theatre groups. They also freelance as a composer, writing choral and instrumental works for ensembles in Philadelphia and beyond. Pax is committed to transgender justice and operating in solidarity with other oppressed and marginalized communities. They see music as a powerful spiritual tool to promote social justice and build strong community connections.
Asha Lindsey-Suggs
Office Manager
Asha Lindsey-Suggs is pleased to serve the Tabernacle community as Office Manager. She is passionate about God, people, music, liberation, and education. As an artist and activist, Asha has advocated for social injustice throughout her career of public service, as Miss New York City 2001, and entertainment, as an opera singer in her debut in 2005 in WienerkammerOper. Recently returning to the US from a decade of study and performing in Vienna, Austria and the European Union, Mrs. Lindsey-Suggs enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, creating beautiful music and spreading the message of freedom for all!
Amanda Martinez
Child Care Provider
Amanda Martinez is a South Jersey native by way of Puerto Rico. She is a lover of music, vintage, animals (especially cats), all flowers, and all children. She currently is a child-care provider who is inspired by the little ones who brighten her day. Amanda is working towards her Bachelor Degree in Psychology with the hopes of obtaining a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology. She lives and loves in Philadelphia with her two cats, Alan Vega and Damian.
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Note to John: I don’t want to put anyone’s email directly onto the website. There seem to be some WordPress encoders and I think there are also some JavaScript and PHP tricks to encode the email against spammers.
Note to everyone: I think John already has this page up with photos.