There is no shortage of beautiful places to take a family beach vacation on the Jersey Shore. Yet year after year, families return to Ocean City, New Jersey—not just for the boardwalk or the beach, but for the feeling that this place was designed for the kind of summer they want to share.
Ocean City is one of the few places in the country that combines a world-class family beach destination with a genuine, living faith identity. That combination did not happen by accident. It goes back to the four Methodist ministers who founded the city in 1879 with exactly that vision in mind.
Ocean City Was Built This Way
Most beach towns evolved organically. Ocean City was designed. In 1879, the Reverends Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell purchased a barrier island called Peck’s Beach. They laid out a city according to a specific vision: a Christian seaside resort where families could enjoy the beauty of the shore without sacrificing the rhythms of faith, worship, and wholesome community.
The Tabernacle was the first building they constructed, and streets radiated outward from it. The city’s founding charter included a prohibition on alcohol—not simply as a restriction, but as an expression of the kind of place its founders hoped to build.
“We consecrate another portion of this coast to the service of God, and for the best interests of humanity … where a Christian family may pleasantly and profitably spend the heated term.”
Rev. William Burrell, 1881
That founding intention still shapes Ocean City. It remains a dry town. The Tabernacle still stands near Asbury Avenue and Sixth Street, opens its doors every Sunday morning, and welcomes people each summer who are looking for what the founders described: a place where faith, rest, and family life can happen together by the sea.
What Makes Ocean City Different From Other Shore Towns?
Families who visit Ocean City for the first time often notice how different it feels—and how quickly it begins to feel like a tradition. Several things set it apart.
It Is a Dry Town
No alcohol is sold or served in restaurants, shops, or public spaces on the island. The beach and boardwalk are alcohol-free. A small number of private membership clubs allow members to bring their own alcohol, but families looking for a shore experience without the bar-culture atmosphere common in other beach towns will find Ocean City genuinely different.
The Boardwalk Is Family-Oriented
Ocean City offers two and a half miles of rides, games, food, and entertainment, all calibrated for families rather than late-night crowds. Even as the town has grown and evolved, the atmosphere continues to reflect its founding values.
There Is a Meaningful Faith Community
The Ocean City Tabernacle draws people who want to attend church on Sunday morning—not out of obligation, but because it has become part of what their family does at the shore. Generations of families have made a Sunday service as central to their Ocean City week as the beach itself.
Children’s Programs Offer More Than the Beach
Camp Sonshine, Vacation Bible School, Son Club, and ARK Preschool offer programs for children of different ages, giving parents meaningful options beyond the beach and boardwalk. Visit the Ocean City Tabernacle website for current program details.
A Sunday Morning Unlike Any Other
If you have never attended a Sunday morning service at the Ocean City Tabernacle, it helps to know what to expect—because the experience often surprises first-time visitors.
The 1,000-seat sanctuary fills for the 10:30 a.m. contemporary service. Families arrive in summer clothes. The worship is genuine. The speaker may be someone whose name you recognize—a theologian, former NFL Hall of Famer, bestselling author, or neurosurgeon. The message is accessible to everyone in the room, from children to grandparents.
About 70 minutes later, you step back into the Ocean City morning—the boardwalk, the beach, and the rest of your vacation—with something you did not have when you walked in.
Many families describe the Sunday morning service as one of the things they anticipate most on their Ocean City trip. For some, it has become a multigenerational tradition: grandparents who first attended in the 1970s now bring their grandchildren. That continuity is the result of a community that has chosen, for nearly 150 years, to be something specific.
The 2026 Summer Season
The 2026 lineup of Sunday speakers includes Dr. Ben Carson, Brian Dawkins, Dr. Rob Pacienza, Susie Larson, Dr. Leonard Sweet, and Al and Lisa Robertson, among many others. Every Sunday service is held at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. and is free and open to everyone.
Beyond Sunday services, the summer calendar includes Wednesday Farmers Markets on the Tabernacle grounds, Sunday evening concerts, Camp Sonshine, Vacation Bible School, and Legacy Sunday on August 2.
See the 2026 speaker schedule and the full Ocean City Tabernacle calendar as you plan your visit.
Planning Your Visit
The Ocean City Tabernacle is at 550 Wesley Avenue, Ocean City, NJ 08226, near the corner of Asbury Avenue and Sixth Street. Sunday services are held at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Both services are free and open to all.
Ocean City is accessible by the Ninth Street Bridge, the 34th Street Bridge, or the Garden State Parkway. Many summer rentals are within walking or biking distance of the Tabernacle.
For families planning a Jersey Shore vacation and looking for a destination where faith is woven into the fabric of the town—not an afterthought or a tourist attraction, but a living tradition—Ocean City, New Jersey, is in a category of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do families choose Ocean City, NJ, over other beach towns?
Ocean City was founded in 1879 as a Christian seaside resort. It remains a dry town, has a family-oriented boardwalk atmosphere, and is home to the Ocean City Tabernacle, an interdenominational ministry that welcomes nationally recognized speakers throughout the summer.
Is Ocean City a good beach destination for Christian families?
Yes. Ocean City is one of the few beach destinations with an active faith community. The Ocean City Tabernacle offers free Sunday services, children’s summer programs, and a community atmosphere rooted in the city’s Christian founding.
What is the Ocean City Tabernacle?
The Ocean City Tabernacle is a nonprofit, interdenominational ministry founded alongside Ocean City in 1879. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, it hosts free Sunday services featuring pastors, authors, athletes, and other nationally recognized leaders.
Is there anything for children at the Ocean City Tabernacle?
Yes. Camp Sonshine is a summer day camp offered during selected weeks in July and August. Vacation Bible School is also offered during the summer, while ARK Preschool and Son Club serve Ocean City families during the year.
Is Ocean City, NJ, alcohol-free?
Yes. Ocean City is a dry town: alcohol is not sold or served in restaurants, shops, or public spaces on the island. A small number of private membership clubs allow members to bring their own alcohol.
Partner With Us
Each season, the Tabernacle becomes a place where people gather to hear the Word of God, worship together, and be renewed in their faith. Your support helps make that possible—strengthening a ministry that proclaims the Gospel, invests in the next generation, and provides a place where residents and visitors alike can encounter truth, encouragement, and community. By partnering with the Tabernacle, you are helping ensure that this work continues with clarity, purpose, and lasting impact.
