What an amazing summer it’s been! We held eight camps over the source of six weeks, welcoming well over 100 students, and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing camp staff of youth Fellows and college-age Interns. Hear their reflections and view our Summer Intern Yearbook here, and read a recap of these programs from Associate Pastor Kelsey Kresse here.
Read MoreThere are lots of opportunities for virtual Adult Faith Formation this summer! Check them all out here. For more information, contact Pastor Joe, Teaching Pastor.
Read MoreLent is a time of preparation prior to Easter. As part of our preparation, we encourage adults in the congregation to participate in a five week small group study. This year, we’ll be using “A Spiritual Formation Workbook” as we grow in relationship with God and each other. Small groups meet at various times and places. Sign up at AbidingPresence.net/lent-small-groups or contact Pastor Joe.
Read MoreThere are 24 days in Advent this year and 24 chapters in the Gospel of Luke, which makes it a perfect pairing. We will start reading on Sunday, December 1 and continue through Christmas Eve. Those who would like to engage in discussion throughout the Advent season, can join the Facebook Group. Pastor Keseley will be posting background, video reflections and discussion starters. Make reading Luke’s gospel your Advent discipline this year and invite a friend or family member to join you.
Read MoreFailure. Having Enough Money. Having Enough for Retirement. Being Alone. Aging. Terrorism. Death. The Future. These are all fears we struggle with in our daily lives. Join us this fall for five weeks in small groups as we learn to live beyond our fear and trust in God in the midst of troubled times using the book Unafraid. Small groups are hosted by members of Abiding Presence at their homes, out in the community, or at the church. A book and videos will guide our discussions about how we live with courage and hope in the midst of fear and uncertainty. Sign up, try it out and invite God into your lives while we grow in relationship with God and each other, connecting to Christ through community. Sign up here.
Read MoreConsider walking with the Mental Health Team on September 21 as well as attending a mental health team meeting (3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m.) or joining our new mental health book club (1st Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. starting October 2). Details are at abidingpresence.net/mentalhealth.
Read MoreSmall Groups will meet for five weeks during the season of Lent to explore what Jesus’ seven last words on the cross mean for us. Small groups are hosted by members of Abiding Presence at their homes or at the church. They start the week of March 10th and run through the week of April 7th. A short book will guide our discussions but there is also a DVD we’ll be watching in the small groups so even if you don’t have time to do the reading, you will still be able to participate!
Read MoreMany of us have heard Jesus' last words from the cross every year on Good Friday but what do they mean? What do they tell us about Jesus and God? What do they mean for us?
Come explore these questions and more in one of our Lent small groups! Meet with other Abiding Presence members in hosts' homes, at a restaurant, or at the church for a fun time of connection and community.
All groups start the week of March 10 and continue for five weeks. Come try it out!
Sign up here and contact Pastor Heidi with any questions!
Join Pastor Keseley at the Abiding Table this Sunday from 10:00-10:45 a.m. to hear a bit about where we’ve been this past year and where we hear God calling us to go in 2019. Come be part of the conversation in shaping the future of our ministry.
Read MoreSunday, October 14, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Join us at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton for an afternoon of socializing with other adults in the congregation. Meet new people, reconnect with those you haven’t seen in awhile and enjoy tasty food and beverages. We’ve reserved ½ of the picnic grove, which is to the right past the small vineyard as you come into the winery. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. Non-alcoholic beverages are welcome as well. You’ll be able to purchase whatever wine you would like from the main tasting room and bring it down to the picnic grove. Feel free to invite a friend or neighbor to come along. RSVPs are helpful, but not necessary.
**While Paradise Springs is a family friendly winery, this particular event is for adults 21+ only.**
Read MoreWednesday Night Gathering is back this fall! Plan to join us each Wednesday for dinner and activities. We even have a few exciting new additions to the schedule this year. Dinner is served "cafeteria style" each week from 6:00-6:45 p.m. A full schedule of activities is available by clicking on the link to read more. Childcare for children under the age of 3 is provided in our professionally staffed nursery.
Read MoreAdults of the congregation are invited to gather on Saturday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. in celebrating the fall season with a nod to the German tradition of Oktoberfest! Dig out your lederhosen, dirndls and steins and join us in this once in a while AP tradition. We will be meeting at the home of Steve and Cheryl Lucky. If you are a Saturday church attendee please feel to come after service. Brats and beverages will be provided; please bring a side dish, dessert or home brew to share at this adults only gathering. Please RSVP on the sheet in the narthex or by e-mail.
Read MoreThis fall we are kicking off another congregation-wide small group experience! We welcome any adult to participate who would like to spend five weeks learning and growing in a small group environment.
The theme for our fall small groups will be “Gathered Around the Table: Fed & Forgiven.” We will be looking at Holy Communion and growing in our understanding of what happens each week when we gather around the Lord’s Table.
There’s no preparation needed for our small groups. You just need to show up! Small groups will meet at leaders’ homes or at the church for five weeks, starting the week of September 23rd and running through the week of October 21st. There are several opportunities to join a small group and we hope you will take a look and pick one to join by signing up here.
Read MoreWhat an amazing weekend of worship we had last weekend as we kicked off another year of ministry together! We had 120 kids in Sunday School, nearly 100 adults at the Abiding Table and 376 people in worship. We continue to love watching the Spirit work in and through all of you.
At the end of the month we will be kicking off another congregation-wide small group experience. For those of you who have been around a bit, you will remember that we lifted up launching a congregation-wide small group ministry as an important part of the job description for our Pastor of Discipleship when we called Pastor Eickstadt last year. One of our 2018 goals as a congregation was to launch two sets of congregation-wide small groups. Last spring our first small group experience launched during Lent with great success with 45 people in 6 groups. Small groups help us live out our mission of Connecting People to Christ through Community by creating spaces for forming and deepening relationships with each other and which Christ.
The theme for our fall small groups will be “Gathered Around the Table: Fed & Forgiven.” We will be looking at Holy Communion and growing in our understanding of what happens each week when we gather around the Lord’s Table. In addition to our adult small groups that we will be studying this theme, we will be preaching on it in worship from September 29/30 through October 20/21. During that time our preschool, elementary and senior high Sunday School classes will be following a curriculum learning about Holy Communion, too. This really will be a congregation-wide time of learning and growing in our relationship with Christ and each other.
Unlike our Lent study, our fall small groups will not require you to read a book or prepare in any way. You just need to show up! Small groups will meet at leaders’ homes or at the church for five weeks, starting the week of September 23rd and running through the week of October 21st. There are several opportunities to join a small group and we hope you will take a look and pick one to join by signing up here. If you don’t see a group at a time that works for you, please contact Pastor Eickstadt to talk about hosting one.
Sign up to join a small group, try it out and experience how God shows up when we gather around the table, at church and in the world! We cannot wait for our congregation to learn and grow together in our understanding of the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Blessings,
Pastor Keseley and Pastor Eickstadt
P.S. – If you have a child who would be interested in receiving their first Holy Communion this fall, please contact our Children and Family Minister, Sara Dyson. We welcome children to begin receiving Holy Communion at any age and at any time. For those families who would like the more formal “Rite of First Holy Communion” for their child, that will be available this fall as part of our “Gathered Around the Table: Fed & Forgiven” series.
Read MoreEvery week, we come forward and receive a bit of bread and a sip of wine or grape juice. We call it Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist…but what do all these names mean? Why does it matter that we have it? Is it just because it’s tradition, the way we’ve always done it? And why do we have it every week?
Maybe you’ve wondered about these same questions. Maybe you grew up in a tradition that celebrated Communion differently and you wonder why we at Abiding Presence do it this way. Maybe you grew up Lutheran but don’t quite recall those long-ago confirmation days and what Luther said about Communion in the Small Catechism. Maybe you don’t even really know all that much about Luther and have never heard of a Small Catechism! Don’t feel too bad if that’s the case because prior to joining the Lutheran church, I would have said yes to both of the previous questions! (Even after attending Luther College!)
These are some of the questions many of us have had and which we’ll be exploring together in small groups this fall. The small groups will meet at various times at leaders’ homes or at the church for five weeks to listen, share and reflect. We’ll explore the what, why and how but also the bigger question: What difference does Holy Communion make for our everyday lives?
Specific small group times and places will be announced in September and sign-up sheets will be available in the narthex and on our website. This will be our 2nd small group experience at Abiding Presence; our 1st was during Lent this past year and we had over 50 people participate in 6 small groups! Unlike Lent, this experience will not require reading a book…all you will need to do is show up!
So sign up and try it out for 5 weeks and experience how God shows up when we gather around the table!
Peace,
Pastor Heidi
Read MoreAn afternoon of Latin Jazz with the 20-piece Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble featuring the music of Tito Puente, Perez Prado, Machito, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo, Duke Ellington and more... plus a pancake supper and silent auction supporting our Mission Team!
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