Dear Members and Friends of Abiding Presence,

A quick midweek update to remind you that in the waters of baptism:

• You are named and claimed as God’s beloved child

• You are joined to Jesus’ mission in the world to bring good news to the poor

• You are called to work for justice and peace in the world 

We are living in a moment in history in which being the church - the body of Christ for the sake of the world - matters. It is important. The world needs people like us to keep showing up to boldly proclaim God’s love for all people, bring good news to the poor and work for justice and peace. 

As you go about the work in the world God has called you to do this week, write the words of Isaiah 43:1-3a on your heart. Memorize them. Repeat them often. Let them bring just enough strength, hope and peace to carry you from one moment to the next. 

Abiding Together as the church, here are some things we are doing this weekend…

Food Pantry - Saturday, February 1 from 7:00-11:30 a.m.
Once again, we will be feeding our neighbors in need – no questions asked! As we do, we will also be providing hospitality and care by serving breakfast while they are waiting in line. Sign up to volunteer for the hospitality team and/or the distribution team here. 

Federal Employees Support Gathering - Saturday, February 1 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Join me for a time of support, prayer, scripture, sharing and learning. Federal employees and federal contractors are welcome to attend. Think about vocation and the work you do in the world through the lens of faith. Connect with others in the church who are navigating these times. Draw strength and hope from God and one another. No RSVP needed, simply show up. 

Worship & Sunday School - Sunday, February 2 
As I preached last Sunday, worship and what we do on Sunday mornings are what grounds us when the world starts to spin. Make a point to worship this Sunday. Be fed and nourished by scripture, prayer, sacraments, music and community. At the Abiding Table we will be talking about our Food Pantry ministry, how to get involved and why we feed people the way we do.  

No matter what happens in the world around us, we will keep being the church for the sake of the world.  

If I can be of support to you, please reach out. I’m here. None of us have to feel like we are walking alone right now. 

A few of you have reached out concerned about our food pantry ministry, especially our guests, given the recent change in immigration policy. This week, the "sensitive location" designation that churches previously held was removed, making it now possible for officers enforcing immigration laws to arrest migrants at churches. This is a scenario for which I have been preparing alongside other food partners for several weeks. 

As a church, we live out of our core values. Our value, "We see people as Christ sees them," has always guided our food pantry ministry. From the first moment we opened our food pantry doors over a decade ago, we have sought to see our guests through Christ's eyes, treating them as fellow children of God with respect, dignity and a sense of shared humanity. Today, this way of seeing people is more important than ever. 

I am working alongside wise members of the church who have particular expertise to put in place procedures for us to follow if officers enforcing immigration laws show up at our food pantry. Beginning this Saturday, our food pantry volunteers will be trained on the procedures we have developed. I will be on site during our regularly scheduled food pantry this Saturday as a pastoral presence. 

Procedures cannot be our only response to what is happening around us right now, however. As a way to "see as Christ sees" our pantry guests, we would like to increase our hospitality during the pantry. This Saturday, that will look like serving coffee, tea and breakfast items while people wait. It is a small gesture of kindness meant to communicate Gods’ love for and our shared humanity with our pantry guests. 

To do this, we need to build a "hospitality team" of new food pantry volunteers. If you have been looking for something tangible to do this week (and you don't mind getting up early!) this is your opportunity. We are looking for volunteers age 18+ to come from 6:00-8:00 am or 8:00-10:00 am to provide hospitality to our guests. Responsibilities will include making coffee, serving guests and offering a friendly face. If you can help this Saturday or would be interested in helping in this way on a future Saturday, please let me know. 

In the book of Hebrews in the Bible, we hear, “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.” (Hebrews 13:1-3).

Acting in love, showing hospitality and remembering the struggles of those around us, we will be Abiding Together through this next season to see our pantry guests - and all who we encounter - as Christ sees them. 

It’s a good time to be the church. More than that, though, it is an essential time to be the church, the body of Christ, for the sake of the world. 

Here at Abiding Presence, we take Jesus’ command to “go make disciples” seriously. Disciples aren’t made by accident. Following Jesus doesn’t come naturally. It is something that is taught and caught by living together in the community that is the church, the body of Christ for the sake of the world.

One aspect of discipleship is stewardship. Following Jesus looks like faithfully stewarding the resources entrusted to us by God and living generosity. Jesus talks a lot about money in the gospels. Why? Because he knows it is a huge stumbling block that gets in the way of our relationship with God and one another. It is too easy to love and place our trust in our money instead of God.

Last Sunday, Pastor Kelsey introduced to our Abiding Fellows the idea of a generosity journey, which is the journey of being a good steward, making a financial commitment to the church and joyfully giving. She created the “Dove Club” as a way to teach, inspire and launch our Abiding Fellows onto their generosity journey as they continue to be disciples of Jesus.

Twenty out of 26 Abiding Fellows chose to join the Dove Club by making a financial commitment to the church through a payroll deduction. All together, they have committed $211/month in offering. The average donation is $10.55/month, which is 8.5% of their monthly pre-tax income. That’s significant! These young people are off and running on their generosity journey. Pastor Kelsey and I are inspired by them. We hope you are, too!

Beginning their generosity journey now, these young people are Abiding Together to be the church. The church is invested in these young people through our Abiding Fellows ministry. Abiding Fellows are part of a stipend faith formation, leadership development and vocational discernment ministry in which we as a church pour into them. At the same time, they are given the chance to be investing in the church as Sunday School workshop leaders who mentor, teach and inspire the children of the church. Our church kids look up to the Abiding Fellows in big ways. They make following Jesus and being part of the church cool, relatable and the thing to do. Through the Dove Club, our Abiding Fellows get to be investing in the church in a new way, too, by giving offering. They are choosing to live as followers of Jesus.

What we do here at Abiding Presence matters. We are changing lives. Watching our Abiding Fellows grow in their discipleship is simply amazing. The faith that is nurtured, the skills that are learned and the relationships that are formed here don’t just make a difference to our young people who are Abiding Fellows. These Abiding Fellows then go out into the world to put their faith, skill and relationships to work. They are making a difference and reshaping the world.

May the generosity journey of our Abiding Fellows inspire you in your own journey. It’s never too late to take the next step - or to start - your generosity journey, too.

January is annual meeting month at Abiding Presence. Our church constitution states that we must gather in January for an annual meeting to pass the operating budget for the year as well as elect council members and voting members to the synod assembly. As a church, council and staff, we will spend the month getting ready for the annual meeting that will take place on Sunday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m.

The “State of the Church” address has become a favorite tradition for me. I love sharing with you during the annual meeting where we’ve been and where I hear God calling us to go as a church.

Annual meetings at Abiding Presence are fun, joyful and Spirit-filled. They aren’t contentious. We pray, vote, laugh, dream, discern and...the youth play BINGO!

While spending a Sunday morning going line by line through the budget like we will do at the Cafe Session on January 19 may not seem like the most exciting thing to do, it is important. Fiscal transparency is one of my guiding principles. I want every one of you to know the nuts and bolts of your church budget.

We pay for an audit with an outside CPA firm every two years, which is something few churches do. Being the church, we act in faith and follow best non-profit business practices. That sets us apart!

You are the church. In our Lutheran tradition, we aren’t led by a hierarchical figure. Our theology of the “priesthood of all believers” means that the highest decision making body in the church is not me as the pastor, but you as the congregation. I hope you will join me in Abiding Together to be the church at the annual meeting.