A Home at Last, Page 1
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

As building progressed, furnishings were ordered and installed. Altar, cross, flower stands and font were installed in October. The possibility of using the organ from Church of the Saviour was investigated but found to be too expensive. A 1908 Bates and Cully tracker organ was located. Originally installed in the Zion Swedish Church in Philadelphia, the instrument had been moved to the residence of Mr. Robert Whiting of Schwenksville, Pa. The organ was moved and installed by the men of this congregation at a total cost of $2,000. Somewhere there is a photo of Ted Warwick looking at the hundreds of pieces spread out across the stone floor of Abiding Presence, scratching his head and praying for heavenly guidance in reassembling the instrument! The organ was given in memory of the Rev. Alford R. Naus by Josephine Naus Jacobsen and the friends of Pastor Naus from the Lutheran Church of the Saviour.

Dedication of the new building took place on October 20, 1968, just a few weeks after the fifth anniversary of the congregation. The organ installation had not been completed and so was dedicated a few months later. Much of the finishing work of the building was done by members and friends. Mrs. Hook, our resident garden expert, spent many hours over the next few years planting flowers and shrubs to enhance the outside of the building. At last we had a place to call our own.

An Altar Guild (Louise Wigley, President) and a Property Committee were established to meet the needs of our growing congregation. Pastor Mitchell averaged 50 calls and 40 home communions each month. Patricia Rammer replaced Linda Kerr as choir director; Glen Eshbach, a student at Westminister Choir College, was the organist. The Lutheran Church Women group (Suzanne Bowman, President) collected enough coupons to purchase 112 place settings of stainless ware. Sunday School attendance averaged 70 per week, with a highly qualified and conscientious staff. Nancy Osborn was the coordinator, as well as teacher of the nursery school-aged class. Gary Marco was Christian Education Chair. In December, the following was included in the Council Minutes:

Pastor Mitchell will get extra keys for the church door made and distribute them to persons who need them so that a key will not have to be kept above the door.

The year 1969 brought new choir robes (RED), and a new organist-choir director, Carolyn Cushine. Under the direction of Nancy Ervin, Anna Fort, and Sally Biewener, LCW participated in visiting the State Home for Girls, State hospital, and Widows and Single Women's home in Trenton, as well as being represented at three Theological Lectures and the annual convention Layettes were completed for Lutheran World Action. The Easter Breakfast, Mother and Daughter luncheon, Christmas dinner were prepared. Betty Neidt was chair of the Visitation and Sick committee.

Despite the loss of several significant members in 1970, Abiding Presence continued to grow. Scholarships were given to children from the city to enable them to attend Camp Beisler and the Redeemer Saturday program. The Youth Group, under the leadership of Martin van Zant and Paul Conners, provided fifty-five inner city children at Redeemer with Christmas gifts and a party. Trenton State students were "adopted" by APLC families who invited them to dinner and ballgames, and transported the students to church other activities during the school year.