As the holidays approach, there are several ways to support families in need in our community:
Donate new and unwrapped toys to support ECHO’s holiday toy drive by Monday, November 30
Click “read more” to learn more about how to donate toys and the other ways we are serving in the community this holiday season.
Read MoreAs part of our Lenten journey this year, we will be collecting items to assemble Personal Care Kits for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). We will be helping to provide basic hygiene items to people throughout the world who are afflicted by war, displacement, poverty and natural disasters. This is a simple, but important way to share God’s grace and love by providing some of life’s essential items, as well as reminding them that they are not alone. Each week during Lent we will collect a different item for the kits. Each Personal Care Kit consists of a bath towel, 2-3 bars of soap, and a toothbrush, comb and nail clipper. All items should be new. LWR also adds toothpaste when the kits are given to those in need at the destination site.
Read MoreFebruary is Abiding Presence’s month to stock the ECHO food pantry. Our goal is 3,000 pounds of non-perishable food and household items. We are also hoping to provide enough laundry detergent to see ECHO through 2020. The first week of February we collected 624 pounds. Please keep bring items to church anytime throughout February.
Read MoreCROP Walk raises funds to combat hunger around the world as well as in our neighborhoods. Walk a few miles with us next Sunday from Fairfax Presbyterian Church and back to demonstrate our care for the world’s hungry. Part of donations are shared locally with ECHO.
If you can’t walk with us, support the walk with a donation. You can give cash or a check made out to CWS CROP to a walker with a blue sticker. Register or donate at crophungerwalk.org/burkeva, and search for Abiding Presence.
Read MoreAbiding Presence will once again be providing Thanksgiving baskets for families through ECHO. Thank you to everyone who took bags last weekend to fill and bring back by November 17. We are still in need of financial contributions to include grocery gift cards with each basket. Mark your cash/check “Thanksgiving Baskets” and place in the offering.
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 MoreHere’s a glimpse of the work of our Dominican Republic Mission Team who spent a week this summer building relationships with a partner congregation.
Read MoreWe arrived on schedule on Saturday and were delighted to see JC, our mission team leader, and Eliezer, his colleague and a second translator, at the airport. Both JC and Eliezer worked with our team last year, so it was like being greeted by old friends.
Pastor Mede met us at the hotel and shared eloquent greetings for us and our entire church. Every time he speaks about us, whether to us directly, to kids and adults at the bateys (company housing/mini-villages for sugarcane workers), or to the mission trip staff, he expresses appreciation for us leaving our families and homes and spending the time and money to embody the love of God. He talks about how the people we often encounter, many of whom are poor Haitian immigrants, may feel forgotten or may not always directly see the love of God embodied. Pastor Mede also expressed that unlike some other well-intentioned mission groups, the Abiding Presence team is offers actual practical help to him with our donations, presence, work and skillsets.
We twice visited Batey 28, which it turns out is pretty near the batey we have visited previous years. On the second day, we spent the morning doing sports ministry with the children and youth in the batey. Wow, that sun is powerful and hot! In the afternoon, we led a Vacation Bible School program, partially in the mud, but everyone had an amazing time.
During Vacation Bible School, we shared about how God cares for each one of us. We performed a couple puppet skits about God's love for everyone and God hearing our prayers, and everyone made a "God’s eye" craft, which were meant to remind the kids that God is always with them. We told the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm and taught that we do not have to be afraid since God is always with us.
Everyone worked hard, adjusted, improvised, adjusted again with changes in schedule and location and resources, which is often how it goes on a mission trip. Craig, Breanna and I played live music and many of the kids got interested in my small "piano" (the little melodica which you play with air like a harmonica except with small piano keys). I taught some of them a bit of how to play Amazing Grace using only the black keys. A few of the older boys (probably middle teenage years) shared with us a very cool rap song they had written about going to church on Sunday and following/trusting God "cien por ciento!" which means, "One hundred percent!". The next two days were filled with construction at the new church site, and music ministry, and more than I can possibly fill in here!
Though many of the socioeconomic problems persist in Batey 28, they have a major and striking difference from Batey Bermejo. In this batey they have permanent running water at a central location, which is carried by pipes put in by the company, and purified with filters put in by Pastor Mede's church. It was amazing to see the difference that it made in the community to have this basic need met.
Our 2019 Mission Team will be on the ground in the Dominican Republic June 15-21. Together, we will hold in our prayers the eleven travelers who are going to serve on behalf of us all.
The picture is of the church building being built by Luz Divina. Three summers ago, our Mission Team worked on the foundation of the building. Next week they will work to continue raising the structure.
Stay tuned for updates!
Read MoreThank you so much for the generous support of our service ministries thus far this Lent!
During this season of Lent, we are “Abiding in Burke” as we continue to support and learn about our local service ministry partners. Each week we will collect a different item as a “work of love,” one of the disciplines of Lent. This weekend we will be collecting cans of fruit (14.5 - 20 oz. size) in the narthex to support the Abiding Presence Food Pantry & Neighborhood Food Pantry. One of our church members who is active with our food pantry ministries will be with us at the Abiding Table on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. to share a bit about their ministry, how we are currently engaged in supporting it and how you can get involved.
Read MoreDuring this season of Lent we are “Abiding in Burke” as we seek to support and learn about our local service ministry partners. Each week we will collect a different item as a “work of love,” one of the disciplines of Lent. This weekend we will be collecting coins during noisy offering to support the Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke. One of our church members who is active with the Shepherd’s Center will be with us at the Abiding Table on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. to share a bit about their ministry, how we are currently engaged in supporting it and how you can get involved.
Read MoreGod calls each and every one of us to serve. We are called to be Christ’s hands, feet and voice in the world today. Regardless of your age, ability or experience, God is calling and equipping you for service.
Here at Abiding Presence, our vision is for every person in our faith family to be engaged in some form of service both in the church and out in the world. This year as part of our “Making Firm the Foundation” vision, we want to help ensure everyone is equipped to listen to God’s call. Further, we want to raise up service opportunities so that people can get connected. In order to do this and track our progress toward every member serving, we will be distributing a “Time and Talent Survey” to all adults and youth in 7th-12th grade. Elementary and preschool kids will have the opportunity to fill out a special form just for them in worship this weekend. We hope to have the surveys returned prior to worship the weekend of March 2/3 so we can celebrate our faith families’ commitments to service for this coming year.
If you have any questions or would like the opportunity to talk further about listening to God’s call and/or service opportunities, please contact Pastor Keseley, Pastor Eickstat or any member of the church staff. All of us would love to talk with you and/or help get you connected with lay leaders in our congregation.
Read MoreAbiding Presence offers food to neighbors in need through our partnership with ECHO, a monthly food pantry at the church and a monthly “Neighborhood Pantry” at a local apartment complex. Learn more about how you can get involved and/or receive food if you are in need.
Read MoreThe CROP Walk is a way to join with other faith community in Burke/Fairfax to walk to stomp out hunger. The walk is held rain or shine and is a 3 mile slow walk loop through the city of Fairfax. The walk begins at Fairfax Presbyterian Church. Walkers can register at Abiding Presence before/after worship.
Read MoreEach year Abiding Presence provides ECHO Thanksgiving Baskets for families in need in our community. Please bring the following basket items to worship with you this weekend. Baskets will start to be assembled following the 11:00 a.m. worship service on Sunday.
$25 Grocery Gift Cards
Stuffing mix, readymade
Gravy mix packets or jars/cans of gravy
Cranberry sauce
Boxed potato mixes
1 box or package of rice
4 cans vegetables (or 2 large cans)
Bread or muffin mixes
Dessert mix (cake/frosting, brownies, puddings, etc.)
Disposable roasting pan
Flour
Shortening
Sugar
Tea/coffee
Canned fruit
Beans
According to Fairfax County Schools, approximately 28 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals. That’s more than 1 in 4 students in our area whose families struggle to buy enough nutritious food to feed everyone. Members of food insecure families worry about running out of food in their cupboards before their next paycheck and some even resort to eating less so that everyone in the family can be fed.
How are we called to respond?
Read MoreWhile the majority of our old sanctuary chairs found a second life at a Christian church in Maryland, about 30 of them found their second life at ECHO. ECHO is one of our community partners who supports people in need in the immediate Burke and Springfield area.
Recently, ECHO lifted up the need of children's shoes, especially for older children. If you have new or gently used shoes to donate, please bring them to church and drop them in the ECHO bin under the coat rack.
If you're looking for an opportunity to volunteer this summer as a teen or adult, consider signing up for one of ECHO's backpack packing sessions to help them get ready to distribute backpacks with school supplies to local school children.
We're grateful to have such a strong community partner with whom we can serve our community!
Read MoreOne of Abiding Presence's longtime service ministries has been a partnership with the American Red Cross. Blood donors are always needed. Please call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter "AbidingVA" to schedule an appointment. Eligibility Questions? Call 1-866-236-3276.
Read MoreOne of the ways that Abiding Presence is about living out Jesus' commandment to "love our neighbors" is to support refugees who are resettling in our community by partnering with Lutheran Social Services.
Read More
