Building The Faith, Page 1
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

At the beginning, when Abiding Presence was in mission status, Sunday services were held at the Laning Elementary School, on Laning Avenue, Ewing. During the warm months of summer, services moved to the Fisher Elementary School. The men's group would meet occasionally, during the week, to play basket ball in the Laning Elementary School gymnasium.

As membership grew, these arrangements started to be inadequate and the members agreed that the time had come for a building of our own. A building committee was formed to guide us through this period of growth and change, and the members began to raise funds. A long range building program, recommending three stages of construction, was developed.

The Composite Building Outline on page 2, shows each of the three phases and how they fit together. Phase 1 contained a sanctuary, an office, a small kitchen, bathrooms, and a limited space for some class rooms, with the main entrance facing Route 69 (later, the road name was changed to Route 31). The building was easily distinguished by its unconventional roof line and impressive cross. Phase 1 was completed and dedicated in 1968
 
As membership continued to grow, there was need for more classroom space. At this time, some classes were still meeting in the Laning Avenue School. The Phase 2 addition provided several classrooms, a nursery, a gathering space for member events (the Fellowship Room), and some new bathrooms. The office and kitchen were moved to the new addition and were enlarged.

In the original long range plan, Phase 3 was to be an extension of the original sanctuary, creating a larger worship area. When the time came for expansion, the building committee, charged with making the enlarged sanctuary happen, decided to build an entirely new sanctuary attached to the southwest corner of the original building. The new addition included a basement with several new classrooms.