Following Christ At All Costs
About Our Founding Pastor.
David’s journey of faith began in a family with Catholic and Protestant roots, where he encountered the foundations of biblical teaching early in life. As a young boy attending Catholic school, he learned the basics of Scripture, participated in his first Holy Communion, and developed a childlike understanding of discipleship.
After his parents’ divorce, David moved to Philadelphia, where he attended public school before briefly returning to Catholic education. By age fourteen, while in the eighth grade, he had left formal schooling.
During his teenage years, David explored a wide range of belief systems, including Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, and various Christian traditions. Despite years of searching, he did not find the clarity and truth he sought until a significant turning point connected to his military service.
During basic training, a U.S. Army chaplain gave him a Bible. Though he initially set it aside, he picked it up again four years after his service ended. At age thirty-three, reading Scripture brought a clarity that redefined his faith and set him on a new path.
David’s decision to found City Tabernacle was rooted in two convictions. First, he recognized the fleeting nature of earthly wealth and resolved to invest his resources in the mission of Christ. Second, he believed wholeheartedly in the transformative power of the gospel—a truth that had changed his own life and one he felt called to share.
After divesting his material possessions, he committed himself to creating a church community that reflects the Kingdom of God in both message and mission.
Guided by Scripture, David draws strength and direction from passages including 1 Corinthians 13:1–13, 2 Timothy 1:6–7, 1 Timothy 6:3–13, and Matthew 6:21. His vision for City Tabernacle is tied to these biblical principles and to the church’s mission as a Christ-centered community devoted to unity, discipleship, service, and outreach.
My life is not about extraordinary accomplishments, but about faithfully responding to the grace and truth of the gospel, trusting God to work through my ordinary efforts for His Kingdom.
Through his story, David hopes readers will see not someone exceptional, but a fellow traveler who wrestles with God in the journey of faith and strives, with humility and sincerity, to live in obedience to the gospel.
Today, David leads City Tabernacle with a focus on community, service, and the proclamation of the gospel. He desires to see others experience the life-changing power of faith that first drew him back to Scripture.