Ken & Letty came to Abiding Presence at the invitation of their grandchildren. “The first thing we noticed was how friendly it was and we loved the atmosphere,” Letty said. “We started talking to people and we really liked the inclusiveness and the church community,” Ken recalled. “There was a clear effort to be diverse, cherish it, and advertise it along with a clarity of mission where everybody knows they are an example of diversity and different backgrounds,” he shared.

After moving to Northern Virginia a little over 3 years ago, Paige began looking for a church to attend with her daughter. She was particularly looking for a church with a separate service for kids and, after attending worship at Abiding Presence, didn’t think it would suit their needs. So she visited several other places of worship but none of them felt like the right fit. Still in search of a church home, she came back to Abiding Presence and has been worshiping here ever since.

A dozen years ago while visiting his daughter and son-in-law in the area, Ron, an ELCA pastor, passed by Abiding Presence while out walking. He wasn’t intentionally looking for a church at the time, but attended a worship service. Seven years ago Ron made the official move to northern Virginia to be near his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

During that time Ron took a call to serve as the interim pastor at a church that was in the process of closing its doors. “One member,” Ron recalls, “had been a member there since their teenage years and had been on council multiple times.” It takes a great deal of understanding and emotional support for a pastor to shepherd a congregation through that process. Ron said, “Part of the life cycle is an ending for every living thing and it ended as well as it could but it was still an ending.”

Raised in the Lutheran faith, Kathy regularly attended her local Lutheran church as an adult and it became a familiar place. She was involved in a number of ministries such as taking communion to shut-ins. “It was a small church and there was always a lot to do so I served in lots of roles,” Kathy shared.

When it came time to relocate from Pennsylvania to Virginia to live near her daughter’s family, Kathy’s daughter suggested Abiding Presence as a possible church home. “I went to the website, signed up for the enews, and heard from Pastor Meredith inviting me to a worship service and to OWLs,” Kathy recalled. “I was looking for a warm environment and was so impressed by the positive energy and overall vibe at Abiding Presence,” she said.