Original Sanctuary , Page 2
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

Building Program Phase 1

Because the building is located above a thick layer of shale, the building committee decided that digging a basement would be too expensive and a slab foundation was used. When the contractor was preparing the ground, the front loader tore huge slabs of shale from the ground, perhaps 6 foot wide (or more). The contractor was paid an additional $1,500 because of the difficulty in removing the shale and another $1,500 because of various change orders.

Notice in Figure A2 how the main entrance aligns nicely with the entrance to the Nave. Both entrances are double-width glass doors. In the evening, when cars drive past the building on Route 31, drivers can look right through the two sets of doors and see the altar, with the light shining on the cross. This was a truly lovely, inspiring sight.

Another distinctive feature of the building was the huge cross, taller than the building, sited about 2 foot in front of the building and about 40 foot to the right of the main entrance. The white cross, constructed as the intersection of two massive steel I-beams, was donated by The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard, 132 East Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, PA.

A Ground Breaking Ceremony, for the new church, was held on November 26, 1967. The announcement, inviting members and friends, read as follows.

"Abiding Presence Lutheran Church of Ewing Township, New Jersey broke ground for a first unit on the church property at 2220 Pennington Road. The Reverend Paul. E. Carl, Assistant to the President of the New Jersey Synod, brought greetings from the Synod and spoke about the development of this congregation. Pastor Raymond Mitchell and Mr. Fred Harris, Chairman of the Building Committee, led the ceremonies."

Seating in the Nave used metal chairs, arranged as two groups with an aisle on the left side, the right side and the middle. This arrangement totalled about 175 seats, including the choir and two seats for the pastor and the acrolyte.

Music presented in the new sanctuary was of the highest quality. Several trained musicans, including some voices with professional experience, have always been in the choir. In 1968, the congregaton had the fortunate opportunity to acquire a fine tracker action organ at a very good price.

Some of the members traveled to Schwenksville, Pennsylvania to disassemble the organ, number each of the many pieces, transport the pieces back to Ewing, and finally assember the parts again. Andy Franz, an instructor of wood shop at the Princeton Day School, constructed a wood cabinet to house the new organ.

From time to time, professional organ players have been invited to perform using the organ, giving members and community the chance to enjoy some great music. You can read more about the organ in Appendix B1. The Tracker Organ at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church.