Some Random Comments, Page 4
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church

There were no social committees. Because we were all in touch with each other during the week, we always knew when someone needed help and filled the need without a big fuss. We sadly helped some of the members pack to move on to new places when they were transferred to new jobs. Some of us kept in touch for a long time afterwards. Abiding Presence seems to be a place of a lot of Hellos and Good-byes. After more than 40 years, there are not many of the original group still around.
 
There was no question that we were to construct a new church building. The mission church had already acquired 20 acres in Ewing, so it was just a matter of reaching a critical mass in planning, membership and financing. Looking back, it all seemed to just happen. I remember several meetings, held in the homes of various members, to decide what we were going to do. Decisions were made by consensus, usually after long discussion. Meetings were held either at someone's home, or perhaps impromptu after a Sunday service. After Roy and Frieda were married, the church provided a parsonage on Lower Ferry Road, that then became the official meeting place.
 
I remember the construction of the building as fairly uneventful, without major difficulties. Except, I believe the building may have been located at a rather poor spot, because of all the shale that had to be dug up and removed. The digging was so difficult that the workers used dynamite to loosen the shale. One weekend, Gary and I carted huge chunks of shale to his house to be used as part of a patio. Because shale has a tendency to crumble with exposure to air, I don't think that worked out well. Later, when the second and third phases of the building were added, we did not encounter similar caches of shale.
 
The new sanctuary, Phase 1, was very noticeable by the distinctive roof line. Many people thought we were a temple. Members would often gather on a Saturday to clean and polish the church for Sunday. We didn't have committees, if something needed doing, someone did it. There were no Work Days, again, if someone noticed something needed doing, they would call some other members and it would get done.
 
The Harris family and the Biewener family were two of the moving forces in the construction process. Plans were drawn up, and everyone in the group added their thoughts to the project with all opinions heard seriously and all suggestions taken into consideration. Fred Harris had more of a financial background and understood how to organize, while John Biewener was more managerial and knew how to make things happen.
 
The final building was small, but we were happy to be in our own home at last. We met often during the week - the women sometimes got together for informal coffee klatches so their kids could play together. Almost none of the kids went to a preschool. There was little adult interference; they learned to share and take turns with only occasional adult intervention. Sometimes we did a Bible study, sometimes just talked about events and problems in our lives. We were our own support group. Once in awhile, the women's group went to another church for a Lutheran Church Women meeting. If they provided coffee and had a baby sitter, we were there. If they also threw in lunch and a speaker, we thought we were in heaven! Before the mandatory seat and seatbelt laws, I remember packing our old VW bus with kids and moms and driving all around New Jersey.