Worship assistants are always needed, but especially during the summer months. Summer is a great time to try out and learn about how to be an usher, greeter, assisting minister, lay reader, communion assistant, acolyte, crucifer or member of the altar guild. If you are willing to serve (we’ll train you on the spot), please email our the church office to get connected to our volunteer worship assistant coordinator.
Read MoreThe congregation is invited to surround our 11 graduating High School seniors with our prayers and blessings.
Read MoreChildren ages 3 (and potty trained) through rising 5th grade are invited to join us for a week of fun and faith at Vacation Bible School. New this year! There are two sessions - morning or afternoon - from which you can choose. Registration is open! Read our recent statement on our switching of VBS curriculum for this summer.
Read MoreOur summer worship schedule begins this weekend. We will worship through Labor Day weekend on Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. and Sundays at 8:45 and 10:15 a.m.
Read More"Journey to Easter" is an event for ages preschool through 6th grade. Participants grouped together with like-ages will walk through the events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection through crafts, snacks, and games. There will be a preschool group, kindergarten group, 1st-3rd grade group, and 4th-6th grade group all running independently, but at the same time. A parent must accompany preschoolers and kindergartners. Please sign up here. Contact Sara Dyson, Children and Family Minister, with any questions.
Read MoreEven if you don't normally participate in our adult choir, you are invited to be part of it for Holy Week and Easter. The choir will be singing on Palm/Passion Sunday (April 14) at the 11:00 AM service, Maundy Thursday (April 18) at the 7:45 PM service, Good Friday (April 19) at the 7:45 PM service, and Easter Sunday (April 21) at the 10:00 AM and 11:15 AM services!
All adults and high school youth are welcome to sing. Middle school youth can sing, too, with the Music and Worship Minister’s permission. Rehearsals (with snacks afterward!) to participate in choir for Holy Week are on:
Tuesday, April 9, 7:30-9:00 PM
Tuesday, April 16, 7:30-9:00 PM
Saturday, April 20, 10:00-11:30 AM
Sheet music and part-by-part practice tracks (for learning the individual voice parts even if you don't read music!) are available at AbidingPresence.net/music starting April 1. Questions? Talk to David Chavez, Music and Worship Minister, after church or email him.
Read MoreThere are two opportunities to take a pause out of your week this Lenten season for worship, prayer and reflection. Both services include Holy Communion. Come to one or both as part of your Lenten discipline.
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 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 MoreWelcome to Abiding Presence! We're glad you are here! Join Pastor Keseley and others from the church leadership team for a family-friendly dinner to learn about the church and connect with others in our faith family. We'll eat some food, share a bit about the congregation and answer questions. Kids are most welcome to attend. There's no need to bring anything but yourself as we'll provide all the food. If you are interested in formally joining the congregation, we will have paperwork available to do so. If you have any questions or dietary restrictions, please be in touch with Pastor Keseley. RSVP to Pastor Keseley or on the evite.
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!
All seniors in the congregation and community are invited to join our OWLs group. Please contact the church office if you are planning to come. The Raptor Conservancy of Virginia will join us after lunch to share with us real, live owls to share with us more about the birds.
Read MoreJoin us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary for our annual meeting to celebrate our ministry this past year and look ahead to what God is calling us to do next. We will vote on the budget and elect church council members.
Sunday School Liftoff will take place at 9:50 a.m. Sunday School classes will then meet as usual during the annual meeting with the 3rd-6th graders meeting in Bailey Hall with Katy, our Senior High Youth Director.
Read MoreIs one of your New Year’s Resolutions to get more involved in church? To sing more? To get closer to God in worship? Or, do you just love to sing? Our adult choir is open, and fun!
Read MoreIf you have listened to the weather recently, you know there is talk of snow this weekend. At this point, we anticipate holding services as scheduled. If there is a need to cancel Sunday School and the Abiding Table, we will do so by 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning and announce it on our Facebook page, website and with a congregational email. If more snow comes in than predicted and we need to make a decision about worship, we will announce on those same platforms.
We are putting plans in place to keep the parking lots and sidewalks clear for anyone who can safely make it to church if there is snow. If you are willing to be part of the Sunday morning snow shoveling team, please contact Pastor Keseley or simply show up with a snow shovel in hand.
If there is snow, then be sure to check our Facebook page as we will likely “go live” Sunday morning with our worship services so you can tune in from home. If there’s a LOT of snow then we might even go for an “Abiding in the Snow 2.0” video service.
Stay tuned and stay safe!
Read MoreOur Saturday Vespers service for this final weekend of Advent features the premiere of a new cantata by our music minister, David Chávez, featuring the Abiding Presence Chamber Orchestra and guest soloists:
Melissa Chávez, soprano
Natalie Naudus, mezzo-soprano
Michael Forest, tenor
[click the links to learn more about our soloists]
Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa is coming! Join us in Bailey Hall for a bagel breakfast. Santa will be making an appearance, and provide an opportunity for children to have their picture taken with him with a photographer onsite (FREE!). There will also be crafts for the children to work on. Don't miss this exciting event! Advanced sign up is requested.
We will also be holding a coat drive raffle! For EVERY new or gently-used coat you donate, you'll receive a raffle entry ticket to win some fun prizes! Coats will be donated to ECHO to help those in need this winter.
Read MoreAdvent is the season of promise and hope. It is not only a season of preparing for Christmas, but also a time of actively watching and waiting for Christ to come again. Throughout Advent we have special opportunities for worship as we pray, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
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