As I shared with you a few weeks ago, our brothers and sisters at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairfax were recently vandalized. Their sanctuary was desecrated with racial slurs, swastikas and the bold statement, "You are all going to Hell." The cushions on their pews were slashed - every single pew. Glass was broken. Cords to their sound system were cut. Just a year prior similar instances occurred at their neighboring religious institutions the Jewish Community Center and Little River United Church of Christ. All of these religious groups share in common a message to the community of welcome for all people. 

On Wednesday evening Pastor Eickstadt and I participated in the event "United Against Hate: an Interfaith Response to the Words and Actions of toward Bethlehem Lutheran Church." We gathered with members of Bethlehem, religious leaders of numerous faith communities, elected officials and a variety of people from the Fairfax area moved by what had happened. Together we sang, prayed, lit candles and showed a unified front against hate in our community. We prayed for our community and for the perpetrators of the vandalism because, after all, Jesus is clear that we are to pray for our enemies. 

Earlier in the day, I had been talking to someone about my evening plans who remarked, "Really? That kind of hate happens here?" Unfortunately, the answer is that it is does. Further, it is up to us to stand up against it. 

Each worship service before Holy Communion is distributed you hear the invitation, "This is the Lord's Table and all are welcome here." When we say "all" we mean all. All people are welcome to gather around the Lord's Table. All people are welcome to be part of the faith community of Abiding Presence. We are not gatekeepers, but witnesses to a God whose love knows no bounds. Together, let us be a church united against hate so that we can build a community around the church that is united against hate as well. 

My 7th grade math teacher had a large banner hanging in her classroom that read, "Math is not a spectator sport!" While math was not necessarily a "sport" in which I loved to participate as a middle school age kid, the sign made quite an impression on me. I often think of that sign and wonder if I can get one for our narthex that reads, "Church is not a spectator sport!" 

The word "liturgy" is the formal name for our worship. It originally comes from two Greek words - work and people. Liturgy is, therefore, the work of the people! It is the work of everyone who gathers together to form the faith community. Because of this meaning, church, especially worship, cannot be a spectator sport! 

As we head into the fall, Pastor Heidi and I are working on ways to engage more people in our worship. As you might recall from our stewardship campaign, this was one of the goals our congregation lifted up heading into 2018. At the moment, we need more people to sign up to volunteer to be ushers, greeters, lay readers, communion assistants and altar guild members. All of these positions are things that are done during the worship service and simply require you to come a few minutes early or stay a few minutes late. At the bottom of this article, you'll find a brief description as to what each job involves. If you're willing to get involved, simply send me an email and I'll get you connected. 

I am especially looking for someone to step up into the volunteer role of "Worship Scheduler." Quarterly, the Worship Scheduler would put together and send out a schedule of volunteers. Weekly, they would look over the schedule prior to Wednesday to make sure that all of our volunteers have agreed to serve and are in place. The time commitment would be about an hour a week with it taking a bit more time once a quarter to get the schedule out. You could do everything at home from the comfort of your computer with an occasional email or phone call back and forth with me and the office staff. If you're reading this thinking, "That's something I could do!" then I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for jumping all in at Abiding Presence to make our worship and liturgy the work of our entire faith community!

Usher 
Time commitment in addition to worship: 15 minutes before and after service
Job: Greet worshipers at sanctuary doors, pass out bulletins prior to the service, collect offering, dismiss people to communion and make sure sanctuary is picked up following service
Who Can Volunteer:  Senior High through Adults; Families with young children are encouraged to sign up as a family so parents and kids can serve together

Greeter
Time commitment in addition to worship: 15 minutes before service
Job: Greet worshipers at the main church doors
Who Can Volunteer: Anyone with a smile! Families with young children are encouraged to sign up as a family so parents and kids can serve together

Lay Reader
Time commitment in addition to worship: None
Job: Read the assigned lesson which is emailed to you in advance
Who Can Volunteer: Senior High through Adults

Communion Assistant
Time commitment in addition to worship: None
Job: Distribute either the pouring chalice or common cup at the time of communion
Who Can Volunteer: Senior High through Adults

Altar Guild
Time commitment in addition to worship: Approximately 20 minutes before or after the service
Job: Set up or clean up the altar from Holy Communion
Who Can Volunteer: Senior High through Adults; Families with young children are encouraged to sign up as a family so parents and kids can serve together

What do you get when you put nearly 31,000 Lutheran high school youth and their adult leaders together in a stadium for worship? The answer is a whole lot of communion stations with thousands of communion assistants!

What impacted me the most about our experience last week at the ELCA Youth Gathering, however, wasn't the 31,000 people. Instead, it was the 12 youth and one young adult from Abiding Presence in whose company I was privileged to travel. Here's what I can tell you about the young people of Abiding Presence:

First, we have good youth! We have youth who are passionate, energetic and faithful. The youth of Abiding Presence are funny, compassionate, respectful and kind - to one another, strangers they encounter, new friends they meet while standing in line and to their adult leaders. I genuinely enjoyed being around our youth, even when we were standing outside in a line for over an hour in the sweltering Houston heat. 

Second, we have youth who aren't easily discouraged! When I was tired, our youth were still going strong. When I was hot, our youth weren't complaining one bit. When the food trucks all ran out of food the first night of the gathering, we had no snacks and we didn't think we were going to be able to find food until much later that evening, our youth said, "Don't worry! We'll be fine!" and kept on going. More than that, though, when faced with the current problems and challenges of our world, our youth are energized to make a difference. We learned a new phrase, "God has grace for that!" In the midst of our mistakes, failures, hurt and pain, God has grace. The youth of Abiding Presence embody that grace. 

Finally, we have youth in whom we should invest! I believe that among our current Senior High youth we have the future pastors, bishops, church council presidents, Sunday School teachers, ushers,  youth ministers and musicians of the church. They may not serve at our church as adults, but they will serve at a church somewhere and make a difference in that community because of the way their faith was formed here at Abiding Presence. 

We're not just investing in our youth for the future of the church, though. We are investing in them because they have gifts and skills that we need today. I learned so much from our young people while traveling with them. I know they can mold and shape our church today. 

I encourage you to take a few moments to chat with some of our youth who attend the ELCA Youth Gathering to learn more about their experiences. I also invite you to give a big "Thank You" to Matt and Sara Dyson for accompanying the youth to the gathering with me. The theme was "This Changes Everything" and we have all come back believing this to be true!

This Saturday the Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will gather for the the annual synod assemble. Voting members from Abiding Presence  will include Rev. Meredith Keseley, Rev. Heidi Eickstadt, Rev. Ivan Ives and Karen and Joe McGavin. The assembly will gather under the theme "Connecting - Up In Out" at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Fairfax. 

The synod assembly is a bit like the annual meeting of a congregation. The assembly will vote on the proposed budget. They will also elect members to the synod council,  synod committees and to serve as voting members to the churchwide assembly next summer. In between the business sessions, there will be opportunities for worship, workshops and fellowship. If you want to stay up to date on the action, there will be a blog running from the floor of the assembly all day on Saturday.

As our synod gathers for assembly, it's a good time to remember that we at Abiding Presence are part of a larger church. The work we can do as one congregation can feel limited at times. The work we can do as 80 congregations in our metropolitan area or as one of more than 9.250 congregations in the country is limitless. Together we support ministries around the country and even the world. Our witness to the good news of Jesus Christ and God's love for the world is stronger together. 

Abiding Presence is especially grateful for the support of the synod of our congregation. We are currently in the second year of a three year grant to help us fund our Pastor of Discipleship position. Pastor Heidi's ministry with us would not be possible without the synod's backing. As the synod is helping to support us, we are blessed to be able to help the synod support ministry at many other congregations in our area. This is what it looks like to be the church together - connecting up, in  and out in our world!  

***Summer Worship Schedule Begins this Weekend with Services on Sunday at 8:45 & 10:15 a.m. and Saturday 6:00 p.m. ***

WOW! Abiding Presence, you know how to throw an anniversary celebration! Last Sunday's 40th anniversary service and luncheon was amazing. The music was exceptional, especially the choral anthem our Music and Worship Minister David Chavez wrote for the occasion. The mood was festive. The clergy who came to celebrate with us were plentiful. The people of Abiding Presence packed the sanctuary and narthex over 380 strong to give thanks to God for the past 40 years and look ahead to the next 40 years...and beyond. Thank you to everyone who came out to help us celebrate! 

A special word of thanks to everyone who pitched in to make the celebration possible. Our 40th anniversary team had been meeting since last summer planning the festivities. The property team and others from the congregation were at church every day for 10 straight days cleaning, fixing, moving and preparing the inside and outside of the church. There wouldn't have been a celebration without the countless members of the church who worked tirelessly to make it happen. 

And now, we're off and running toward the next 40 years. Summer may be approaching, but the ministry of Abiding Presence doesn't slow down much. This Wednesday we launch three weeks of "Hot Dogs & S'mores" as a chance to enjoy fellowship with one another during the week. Next Sunday is our annual Outdoor Worship Service and Picnic, a favorite Abiding Presence tradition. Then on Sunday, June 10 at the 8:45 a.m. service we'll have our annual High School Baccalaureate Service where we send our graduating high school seniors off with the prayers and blessings of the congregation. 

As the children's choir sang at last Sunday's celebration service, "I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together." I'm grateful to be the church together with all of you!

This Sunday marks the end of our Sunday School year and I want to offer a big "Thank You" to all of our Sunday School teachers, confirmation mentors and senior high youth advisers. I am grateful for all of the ways these faithful adults have taught and inspired the faith of the children and youth of our congregation. Please join me in offering your thanks, too, when you see one of our Sunday School teachers, confirmation mentors or senior high youth advisers. 

We are getting to work! Starting this Thursday, May 9 and continuing every day (except Sunday) up to our 40th anniversary celebration on May 20 we will have people gathering at the church beginning at 9:00 a.m. to work. There's lots to be done...lots! I hope you will lend your hands to help us prepare for the anniversary festivities and, more importantly, care for the church facility God has entrusted to us. Thank you, in advance, for getting involved! 

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary we are also looking ahead to the future. One of our guiding principles as a congregation is to care for our church facility in such a way that it is an asset to the next generation of Abiding Presence members. We want to make sure we are passing down to those who will worship after us a vibrant and active faith family, a financial healthy institution and a well maintained facility. Thoughts of those who will come after us are always on our minds when we are making decisions today. They are even on our minds as we paint, scrub and clean! 

Our new sanctuary chairs will be delivered on Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 a.m. Yes, it's early! But, we hope this might allow a few people to come over before work/school to lend a hand. Consider making chair moving your morning workout that morning. We can put all ages to help. 

Thank you for being the church! Your dedication, faithfulness and generosity continue to inspire me. 

When I was in high school I had the opportunity to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering. My congregation didn't have any high school youth interested in going, but my friend's congregation invited me to come along with them. I have many, many memories of those fives days that were filled with thousands and thousands of high school Lutherans. 

Easter is a “family reunion,” at least according to one of the blogs geared for pastors that I regularly read. It’s the Sunday during the church year where everyone tends to show up. The whole church family gathers together to rejoice and share in the good news that Christ is risen.

This weekend we begin the end of our Lenten journey that will take us through the events of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Our services will begin with waving of palm branches, shouts of, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" and singing one of my all time favorite hymns "All Glory, Laud and Honor." I wait the whole other 51 Sundays of the year for the once-a-year occasion of belting out, "All glory, laud and honor to you redeemer king."

As many of you know, Ben, the girls and I have been moving four houses down from the parsonage into the house we recently purchased. We're excited to be "putting down roots," so to speak, as look to the next phase of life together as a family and ministry at Abiding Presence. 

One of my favorite Lenten traditions at Abiding Presence is that members of the congregation offer the reflections at our midweek services...

As I sit in my office with the window open writing this week's reflection, spring is in the air...at least for now! The sun is shining, winter coats have been shed and we're ordering more mulch for the church playground to make sure we're ready for another season of playing outside...

Let's be honest, Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day are an unlikely combination. Roses and ashes, chocolate and fasting, prayer and partying don't really go well together.

Happy Anniversary! This month we will celebrate eight years of ministry together...