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April/May 2015
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ABIDING PRESENCE LUTHERAN CHURCHABIDING PRESENCE LUTHERAN CHURCHABIDING PRESENCE LUTHERAN CHURCHABIDING PRESENCE LUTHERAN CHURCH
A P l a c e o f G r a c e . A l l a r e W e l c o m e .
Holy Week
Schedule on page 10
Easter Egg Hunt April 4
Mission Partner
Operation Comfort
April
11-12
Business Quarterly
Meetings
April
18-19
Golf Tournament April 24
Outdoor Worship and
Picnic April 26
SWTX Synod Assembly May 1-3
Blood Drive May 3
New Member
Orientation begins May 3
Congregational
Meeting May 17
Confirmation May 31
M a r k Y o u r C a l e n d a r s
Responding to God’s gift
of grace in Jesus Christ
and energized by the
Holy Spirit we
Invite,
Serve,
Worship,
Give, and
Grow in Faith.
Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion Jesus begins this week outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Soon a loud demonstration erupts with crowds of supporters shouting and chanting his name. On a borrowed donkey, Jesus rides into the city. As Jesus makes his way through the city gate, he is accompanied and acclaimed by a cheering crowd. But this is only the beginning of the week we call ‘holy.’
Each year, on Palm Sunday, a parade of kids and adults and musicians gathers outside the walls of our building and with palm branches waving above our heads and crying out “Hosanna!” we make our way into the sanctuary. We will share prayers and Holy Com-munion. Before we are sent out to serve our neighbors and share our faith, we will hear the story that will unfold as this holy week continues.
Maundy Thursday After several days among the worshipers in Jerusalem, Jesus oversees the preparations for cele-brating the Passover feast with his followers from Galilee. In a borrowed room, Jesus cares for his followers. He washes their feet and serves them the bread and wine of celebration and re-membrance. Jesus speaks a mandate: “Love one another as I have loved you!” When the meal is ended, Jesus leads his followers out of Jerusalem to Gethsemane.
We will remember this holy night by gathering around basins to wash hands and feet. Washed and clean, we will kneel at the Lord’s table sharing the bread and cup. Before we depart this Maundy Thursday, the cups and plates of the feast will be carried away and the colors that drape the altar will be taken. A quiet darkness surrounds us in remembrance of the quiet darkness that surrounded Jesus in the garden.
Good Friday But the week isn’t over. Jesus is arrested in the garden in the early hours of the morning, put on trial, and convicted of threatening Caesar’s place as world leader. He is crucified.
In silence and in prayer we come together to listen to the events of this day when Jesus suf-fers the deathly power of fear and violence and gives his last human breath. In the presence of such suffering, we can find no words of our own. We borrow ancient liturgy to sing and listen again to the gospel’s words of Jesus’ passion. We return to our homes in silence and we wait for the next word.
Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil The long week continues for the followers of Jesus. For them, life with Jesus seems to be over. They hide in fear, in silence, in grief and in confusion.
Worship begins in the same silence as we gather and listen. In our confusion we go back to the beginning, hearing the story of God reaching out to creation with love and mercy begin-ning with Genesis, through the voices of the prophets and culminating with the Good News: the resurrection of Christ. Our silence gives way to songs of thanksgiving and rejoicing.
Easter Day The tomb is empty! An angel proclaims, “Jesus is risen!”
In worship we pull out all the stops to join in response, “Christ is risen, indeed! Hallelujah” In singing and praise, with trumpets and pipes, we celebrate. Christ has passed through death into New Life and calls us to live and to love without fear!
During Holy Week the Church re-tells and re-hears the whole story that is the core of our Christian faith
Come and worship
HOLY WEEK — Hosanna! To Hal lelu jah! in Eight Days
Page 2 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
Holy Week has a noisy beginning! Crowds shouting “Hosanna”
and cheering Jesus as he rides into town on a borrowed donkey.
But Holy Week gets quiet pretty quickly, especially in our worship
services.
During Holy Week we re-hear the gospel’s telling of the suffering
of Jesus. We hear about his arrest and torture. We hear about his
execution.
Our response is mostly silence.
I wonder if we learned this silence in witness to suffering from the
story of Job.
Usually when we talk about the story of Job we are remembering
Job’s innocent suffering or we are remembering his friends’ fool-
ish accusations or we remember God’s speech from out of the
whirlwind.
But when the Grace Circle read from the book of Job last month,
the thing that caught our attention first was the silence of Job’s
friends. They came to sit with Job in his impossibly deep suffering
and they sat with him in silence for seven days and seven nights.
Complete silence.
They knew there were no words that could change Job’s suffering
and no words that could comfort him. So they said not one word.
In the presence of some kinds of suffering, we are called to speak
out. When we can name the cause of suffering and when we can
work to change it, we are called to speak out and to work for the
end of suffering.
Jesus wasn’t silent when he saw the suffering of others. He lis-
tened to each person who told him of their suffering. When he
saw hunger, he called on his disciples to work with him to provide
food. When people came to him with illnesses, he spoke up and
healed them. When he met people who were outcasts, he called
them back into community.
As we journey with Jesus through Holy Week, silence will envelop
us. For three days.
When the tomb is empty, voices return - voic-
es to praise God and voices to call each other
to pay attention to suffering and to go to work
to relieve it in the name of Risen Christ.
Peace
Pastor Dawn
SUFFERING AND S ILENCE
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the Christian church year,
the day we contemplate Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.
Good Friday worship at Abiding Presence will be a traditional
Tenebrae Service which features extinguishing of the light as we
get nearer and nearer to Christ’s death. This year the sanctuary
choir and orchestra will offer an extended piece of music called
Sunrise Mass, by young Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo. It
was composed just five years ago and is scored for choir and
strings. How could a Sunrise Mass possibly be appropriate for
Good Friday? The paradox that Christ teaches us is that only in
losing your life can you save it. The paradox in the music is that
sunrise can only happen after moments of great darkness. The
traditional mass text includes four movements:
1. The Spheres: Kyrie
2. Sunrise: Gloria,
3. The City: Credo,
4. Identity and the Ground: Sanctus and Agnus Dei.
In the first movement, the music seems to be coming from heaven
itself and the voices float above the strings in long notes. By the
end of the piece, the music comes down to earth with a simple
chorale like melody. Ola Gjeilo says the music takes a
“metaphysical journey from the heavens to earth.” He wants peo-
ple to feel “transcendence, resolution and the feeling of redemp-
tion, joy and peace that the resolving of discord can yield.”
Martin Luther said that the foundation of our faith is “Christ cru-
cified.” The moment of Christ’s death on the cross was the saving
act for all of us as Christians.
Come experience the awesome mystery of the cross, the Tree of
Life, this Good Friday.
Shelbie Simmons, Minister of Music
(For a preview of the music, go to YouTube and type in the name
of the piece and the composer. You will find numerous record-
ings of this beautiful piece.)
GOOD FR IDAY TENEBRAE WORSHIP
APR IL 3, 7:00 PM Sunrise MassSunrise MassSunrise MassSunrise Mass
Page 3 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
WE SERVE …
March Mission Partner—
Lutheran World Relief
At Abiding Presence, our visible contri-
bution to LWR is through the Project
Comfort Fund. A growing group here focuses on sewing quilts
and assembling health and school kits to be distributed to people
in need. Ordinary items are turned into tangible symbols of ex-traordinary love for people who may feel they have been forgot-
ten by the world.
Grace Ohlenbusch shared
the story of her personal
passion for making the
quilts. She says, “Every time
I sew a top or back together,
I think of the recipient. My
twin sister, Helen, was able to go to Africa with an LWR
trip and she hand-delivered
one of her quilts to an elev-
en year old girl. A photo of
that moment hangs in both
our sewing rooms. A small
girl holding a large quilt,
tears streaming down her dusty face. To me that is the
success of Project Comfort.”
Thanks to the generosity of Abiding Presence our shipment to
Lutheran World Relief on April 11 will include 120 quilts, 60 per-
sonal care kits, and 100 school kits. In addition, your “red enve-
lope donations” will fund needed service to sewing machines and
replenish supplies for this ministry. And, over $2500 will be
sent to the LWR Shipping Fund this year.
Fun at the LWR Packing Party on March 17
April Mission Partner
Operation Comfort
Friday, April 24, come out and play a round of golf at our spring
golf tournament. Come and enjoy this relaxing golf outing and
help raise some funds for our April Mission Partner, Operation
Comfort.
This year we are playing at Olympia Hills Golf Course. The reg-
istration fee of $65.00 per person includes a bucket of range
balls for warm up, green fees and cart rental.
We will play a four person scramble-best ball format. Golfers of
all ages and ability are invited. Friends and family are welcome,
just put together a 4 person team and sign up by April 19. This is
a great way to introduce a friend to your church family in a non-
traditional way.
Whether you are a great golfer or a hacker like me, come have
some fun. If you are not a golfer at all, maybe you’d like to pay
the registration fee for one of the recovering soldiers who are
part of the Operation Comfort program and who will be our
guests. Other sponsorship opportunities are available as well,
give me a call—Mike Ceyanes, 210-494-8884 or email
REGISTER ON THE WEBSITE
OR PICK UP A REGISTRATION FORM AT APLC.
April 24, 2015
Olympia Hills Golf & Event Center
Abiding Presence
Spring Golf Tournament
You are invited to share in a fun morning of
activities sponsored by the middle and high
school youth groups .
Bring your basket, bring a friend,
bring your parents and grandparents.
All preschool through 5th grade children and
families are welcome.
Page 4 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
WE GROW IN FAITH
ADULT FAITH FORMATION
Monday Night Women’s Bible Study
GOD created YOU to be A Woman of Wisdom! This 10-lesson study on the Book of Proverbs by best-selling author and beloved Bible teacher Dee Brestin zeroes in on qualities that describe A Woman of Wis-
dom with vivid illustrations of biblical women who embraced or rejected God’s wisdom – women who will make the prov-erbs come alive for you. Come join this growing group of women excited about growing in faith together. Monday evenings 6:45 in room 206 March 16 through June 1
Study Groups for Men and Women
Wednesday Night Coed Bible Study The group is studying the Gospel of Mark… and John and Luke and seeing how the Gospels work together proclaiming Jesus as the fulfillment of scriptural promises. 7:00 pm in room 206. Come early for pizza and salad dinner and fellowship in the gym.
Reading and Discussion Group Interesting and lively conversation and fellowship is enjoyed on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month as this group ex-plores a variety of topics and reading mate-rials. April 28 and May 26 7:00 pm in room 206. Contact Pastor Dawn for monthly reading assignment.
Adults in the Corner Sunday School Each Sunday morning at 10:00 in room 6B discussion of scripture for the week and other topics.
Women’s Monthly Bible Studies Two groups of women meet on a monthly schedule for Bible study and fellowship. Both groups use study materials from the Lutheran women’s magazine, Gather. We have several extra copies of the magazine in the church office. Come and pick up a copy from the information kiosk by the receptionist’s desk. Grace Circle—First Thursday morning of each month at 10 a.m. in room 206. Mark your calendars for April 2 and May 7. Contact Judy Kibler with any questions 830-336-3718. Joy Bible Study—Third Tuesday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m. in room 206. Mark your calendars for April 21 and May 19. Contact Barb Fitzgerald with any ques-tions 210-490-4639.
Vacation Bible School—June 22-26
God has a message for you! Can you hear it? Samuel heard it during the middle of the night. Mary heard it
through an angel. The disciples were hard at work when they
heard it. They all heard God's special message just for them!
Message Received: Hearing God's Call lets children know that
God continues to call all kinds of people—including them! Peo-
ple are called to love God and follow Jesus every day. Those
who hear God's message and respond are forever changed.
Vacation Bible School is for children ages 4 through 5th grade
AND helper volunteers ages 6th grade to 104. Come and spend
the week growing in faith as we all see Bible stories come to life
in the dramas during worship time, in reflections time, and
through crafts, games, and other activities.
Registration opens April 15—Sign up on the website or pick up
a registration form at church.
Page 5 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
This year our confirmation ministry has welcomed five new 8th
graders to the program. Watching this has really had me appre-
ciating how welcoming our young people are to new people join-
ing our various groups. The members of Abiding Presence have
taken to heart our vision, “All are Welcome” and our youth are
right on board. Many of them know what it is like to be the new
kid and I think that is why they have such open hearts.
This kindness was never more evident to me than at the January
Confirmation Retreat. Three of our 8th grade girls were asked to
lead trust walks. During these walks they would be in charge of a
group of youth who were blindfolded and not allowed to talk.
The only sight and sound the group had was that of the leader
who was guiding them. They formed a chain and followed each
other over, under and around obstacles all around camp. This
task was way outside of the comfort zone of many of our youth
who constantly want to be in control. Tavia, Ann, and Clara did
a great job making sure that everyone in their group made it
through the obstacle course successfully. Each of the three
young ladies had very different methods for accomplishing their
mission. Some used their voice in different ways from talking
softly, to getting louder as they came close to an obstacle, to
straight up screaming, “Zane put your head down or your gonna
hit a tree!” One of them was very hands on and would tell the
front of the line to stop while she went back and physically
moved the other youth through the obstacle. They all had their
own style but one thing they had in common was they wanted to
protect their group and they were determined to finish the
course no matter how long it took. They were frustrated at
times, patient when they needed to be, and praised people when
they accomplished their goals. It was the first time I can remem-
ber doing this exercise where everyone finished, not even any
minor injuries, and not one group had a complaint about their
guide.
We look forward to celebrating “Confirmation” in May with this
8th grade group. I can’t wait to see what wonderful young adults
they are going to grow into. Next year as they enter high school I
am confident their compassionate nature will continue to grow
and flourish. APLC grownups, your continuing examples and
support of these young people in the ministries here will help
keep them engaged as they move on to adulthood. Let them
know you are glad they are here.
APLC YOUTH MINISTRY by Mike Ceyanes
Apri l 26—Annual Outdoor Worsh ip and
Raymond Russell County Park—Pavilion #2
20644 W. Interstate 10, San Antonio, TX, 78257
Directions From APLC
Travel West on Loop 1604—Exit onto I-10 West (toward El Paso)
Exit #552 (toward Dominion Drive) Merge onto the Frontage Road
Turn right at the park entrance—Pavilion #2 is the last pavilion
on your left—across the creek.
When cool weather turns warm -- it calls us to leave our kitch-
en tables and take our meals out-of-doors to have a picnic!
When we do that on a Sunday, and also bring worship outside,
it’s APLC’s annual tradition of Outdoor Worship & Picnic!
This event brings together those who worship on Saturday
evenings with those who worship “early” and those who wor-
ship “late” on Sunday. For this annual event, we are all togeth-
er, under one pavilion. Come and meet people you don’t know
yet; come and celebrate the warm season; come and worship
in the beauty of one of Bexar County’s most beautiful parks.
Bring along a side dish or dessert to share for the picnic.
Hotdogs, hamburgers and drinks are all provided. After the
meal you’ll be free to join in games, play on the playground
equipment or take a nature hike along the well-marked trail.
April 26—Gather at 10:00, Worship at 10:30, Lunch at noon.
The pavilion is completely handicap accessible and there is
plenty of parking.
Page 6 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
It’s no secret I picked Abiding Presence because of the opportunity to become part of a quilting group – a detail I found on the church website when I was searching for churches before we moved here from El Paso in July 2013. My husband Chris is in the Army and was selected for a training program in San Antonio. I was excited about moving to San Antonio but nervous about the road ahead.
I had never been part of a quilting group before; apparently it’s not something someone my age typically does. I make baby quilts and Halloween costumes for my kids, but I am a self-taught crafter and typically sew alone. I don’t know why I was so adamant about joining a quilting group. Maybe I was looking for a non-threatening social circle. I knew joining some kind of group would be good to help with the move and transitions. We had just lost our infant son, Adam, and I needed a reason to get me out of the house. The couch is a nice, safe place during the grief process but not necessarily the healthiest choice. After we moved to San Antonio it was tough to meet new people and make friends. I wanted to grieve privately and I wasn’t ready to tell my story right away.
In a determined first step, I joined the quilting group right after we moved here. The group welcomed me AND my chil-dren (Carlee age 5 and James age 2 ½ at the time) with open arms. They were loving and supportive without knowing my story. During the quilting time, I could be quiet and listen and be around great women without having to talk or be too “social.” In between piecing, pinning, and sewing they would tell their stories and I soon learned these women had experi-enced hurt and grief as well. I realize why people attend sup-
port groups for different challenges; it’s easier to share and be open when the people you are talking to have been through similar situations. This group of women have raised children (buried children) had occupations, been/are married, etc. And we’ve become family.
In life, like sewing, I don’t have it all figured out, but I’ve learned a lot in the last couple years. As we piece and pin and sew, what seem to be scraps come together in a beautiful relationship of colors and shapes in a life and love giving quilt.
PIECING IT TOGETHER by Amy Larson
STEPHEN MINISTER
COMMISSIONING
April 11-12, Walt Prescher
and Denise Barnes will be
commissioned as Stephen
Ministers at Abiding Presence.
They have received 50 hours
of training and are prepared to
provide confidential Christian
care to our congregation
members.
We welcome Walt and Denise
as they join the growing group
of APLC Stephen Ministers
who show God’s love by car-
ing for persons in need.
If you or someone you know
are grieving the loss of a loved
one or going through a difficult
change in your life, contact
Last month, Gethsemane Lutheran Church was the site of the first annual Lutheran Legislative Days event. Six members of APLC participated with dozens of fellow Lutherans from around the state in listening and learn-ing about some of the issues that our Texas Legislature will be considering. The group then discussed the calling of our faith and settled on the following values to share with legislators, asking that they consider these things as they
make their decisions:
Health: Providing Reliable Access for Every Body - We call on the Legis-lature to provide reliable access to health care for all Texans. We urge lawmakers to correct inadequacies in our state’s health insurance system, which leaves behind many of the least of our brothers and sisters, whom we are called especially to serve. We encourage lawmakers to maximize Texas’ federal health care funding,
especially through expansion of health insurance to low-income adults using
federal Medicaid funds.
Public Education: Developing Gifts for the Common Good - The Legisla-ture should affirm its constitutional obligation to provide high quality public education for the benefit of all children in our state. We oppose legislation that would shift funding designated for public education to private schools, including the establishment of any voucher programs. Current arguments for vouchers serve to highlight system-ic inadequacies in Texas public educa-tion; we prefer to see these inadequa-cies addressed so that every Texas child can receive an excellent educa-tion, for their own benefit and the bene-
fit of our whole state.
Immigration: Welcoming Sojourners Within Our Borders - We advocate for fair, humane policies toward immi-grants in Texas. We call on lawmakers
to leave off consideration of abolishing the Texas DREAM Act. We entreat Texas legislators to advocate with our Congressional delegation for federal policies that prioritize family unification, due process and hospitable accommo-dation of those who find themselves
sojourning within our borders.
Criminal Justice: Embodying God’s Grace - We call on legislators to guar-antee fair treatment for all Texans caught up in the state’s criminal justice system. We urge legislators to remove barriers to successful reentry into the community after incarceration; in par-ticular, we call for an end to Texas’ draconian restrictions on SNAP and other important benefits for former drug felons. We encourage lawmakers to consider the frequent co-occurrence of mental illness with criminal behavior, especially substance abuse, and to ensure those in the criminal justice system with mental health needs re-
ceive appropriate, timely and effective
care.
Water: Conserving and Preserving Life-Giving Resources - We urge lawmakers to prioritize our state’s water infrastructure investments around the primary principle of fair access to clean water for all Texans. We affirm the inherent worth of all creation and call on lawmakers to protect all of Texas’ natural resources. We applaud legislators’ focus on con-servation, and pledge our active sup-port and participation in a strong state planning process to ensure a radiant
water future for Texas.
As Lutherans, we affirm the dedica-tion of every member of the Texas Legislature. We thank them for their service to our state and we look forward to thanking them for their good work in the 84th legislative session.
LUTHERAN LEGISLATIVE AGENDA UPDATE
Page 7 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST TEAMS NEED MORE COOKS by Ed Stavola
Here at Abiding Presence all are welcome
at Christ’s table and on Sunday mornings,
all are welcome at the breakfast table. Our
Sunday morning breakfast time is a nice
opportunity to share a meal, conversation,
and to meet new people.
Over 20 years ago, Fellowship Breakfast
began with a limited menu and if we served
25-35 plates on a given Sunday it was con-
sidered successful. These days we now
serve up to 120 plates on a given Sunday
and on occasion we’ve even run out of food.
Is it the cooking or the fellowship? I’ll let
you decide, but I’d like to think it’s a little
bit of both and that was the whole idea.
Today with the growing congregation and
the support of our pastors, the volunteers
who serve you breakfast every Sunday are
in need of help. Some of our volunteers
have been with the program since its incep-
tion, some have moved on, and some have
gone to be by our Lord’s side. Because of
this, we are looking for new members.
Can you volunteer 4 hours of your time on
a Sunday morning once every 2 months?
Would you like to spend some quality time
with your son or grandson? Do you need
high school community service hours?
New cooks are always welcome! For more
information and to be placed on a team,
please contact Ed Stavola, 210-385-4290,
No experience necessary.
What a great night we had for our annual Family Night and Silent
Auction! We had over 220 people enjoying a catered dinner and
bidding on all the wonderful items in our silent auction. Thanks
to the generosity of the Day School parents, grandparents,
friends, family and APLC church members, we raised over
$11,500! It is heartwarming to see families come together, enjoy
fun and fellowship and at the same time support the Day School!
APLC Day School will become a Dual Language program begin-
ning in September. One teacher will speak Spanish and one
teacher will speak English in each classroom. Part of the funds
raised from our silent auction will be used for equipment needed
to support this endeavor. We have limited openings remaining
for the 2015-2016 school year. For more information concerning
registration, please contact the Day School office at 491-9565.
PreK-3 News Spring has sprung for us this month. For March, we will embrace the warming weather and the blooming of trees and flowers as we discuss “Things that Grow”. We will talk about what plants need to grow, the importance of bees in nature, and sample the won-derful fruits that come from plants. We will use our fine motor skills to cut up fruit to make fruit salad, and use eye droppers to paint beautiful flowers and butterflies. We will use our sense of smell and taste as we sample our fruit salad and try the honey which we have learned comes from bees.
Many activities will promote comprehensive skills, such as plant-ing our own seeds and watching what will happen to our seeds when provided sun light and water. We’ll continue to learn letters, letter sounds, parts/wholes, and story sequencing. It will prove to be an exciting month where the wonders of nature will surround us and our senses!
PreK-5 News This month the children will be exposed to all kinds of music and we will be exploring musical instruments to see which ones we like the most. We will use music to move and to paint and find out how certain types of music affect us. If you play an instrument we would love for you to come and share with us! Let us know if you’re interested.
In Spanish we will learn new songs and we will get to meet a Let-ter Person from the Spanish alphabet! I’m sure the children will be very excited!
The children have been very interested in making their own books, so we will talk about the different parts of a book and also the different kinds of books we read here at school (fiction, non– fiction). We will encourage them to think of stories or other ideas that could be put in a book.
Spring will also be an important theme this month, as we observe how our environment gradually changes and we plant a seed.
APLC DAY SCHOOL NEWS
Page 8 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
ONLINE GIVING
Summer tends to be one of the most expensive times for ministry in a
church, yet it also comes with the most inconsistent giving patterns in any
12-month giving period. While you may be on vacation, the church is not. Now would be a great time to think about online giving as a way to simplify
and keep your giving consistent through the summer months.
Abiding Presence offers a private and secure system for online giving where
you can:
• Give any amount you choose. • Give using your checking account, debit card, or credit card. • Give just once or set up a regular weekly or monthly giving schedule. • Designate your giving to the general worship fund, the building fund, or
a designated other fund.
To set up online giving, visit the church website. www.aplc.org Select the Giving page or click on any
of the blue GIVE ONLINE buttons. You’ll be guided through the process to give one time or create an ac-
count for recurring donations. Or scan this QR code to get started right now from your smart phone.
Boy Scout Troop 90 was chartered at Abiding Presence in 1989—
26 years ago and has over 70 registered Scouts. Troop 90 Scouts
and Eagle candidates have completed several projects which ben-
efited local organizations, schools, and churches. Monthly camp-
ing trips, summer camp, and community service are major com-
ponents of this well rounded program. The Troop sent three
crews for a week of sailing at the BSA Florida Sea Base in 2014
and will send two crews for ten days of backpacking at the
Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico this June. 2015 Summer
camp will be at the Lost Pines Scout Reservation near
Bastrop. The Troop meets on Tuesdays in the APLC gym at 7:15
p.m. Come check us out or visit our website at Troop90sa.net.
Scouting helps youth develop academic skills, self-confidence,
ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that influence their
adult lives. While many programs teach basic skills and promote
teamwork, Scouting goes beyond that and encourages youth to
achieve a deeper appreciation for service to others. To support
the opportunities Scouting affords, Troop 90 holds an annual
Dinner and Silent Auction. This event raises capital to acquire
and maintain Troop equipment and to reduce the cost of summer
camp, high adventure camp, leadership training, and other activi-
ties. Selling tickets allows Scouts to raise funds for future pur-
chases of personal scouting gear or to pay for his participation at
Scout Camp. Funds are also used to assist Scouts in need of fi-
nancial assistance. In short, "No scout will be left behind".
The 23rd annual fund-raiser Dinner and Silent Auction is
Saturday, April 11, 3:30—7:30 p.m. Your entire family is
invited to come for a night of great food, door prizes, and a fun
silent auction! The menu this year is smoked chicken and brisket
with sides and drinks. Desserts will be available for pur-
chase. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and un-
der. Dine with the Troop or "take out" meals are available. Come
check out our wonderful silent auction! Door prizes will be given
throughout the evening. You do not need to be present to win.
Tickets are available for purchase from any Troop 90 Scout or
Scout Leader. Tickets will also be sold at the door. If you would
like to donate items or services that would make a great door
prize or silent auction item, please contact Chris Beaird (210)
274-8951 or Hal Brown (210) 496-0713.
Boy Scout Troop 90 BBQ Dinner and Silent Auction Fundraiser by Chris Beaird
Page 9 A B I D I N G P R E S E N C E
APLC Staff
Steven J. Cox
Pastor
Dawn Silvius
Pastor
Dr. Shelbie Simmons
Minister of Music
Sandy Musk
Music Associate
Mike Ceyanes
Minister of Youth
Sue Evans
Business Manager
Gaye Hank
Communications Manager
Frances Harrelson
Day School Director
Executive Council
Michael Guerrero
Executive Director
Curtis Ruder
Assistant Executive Director
Cori Rodriguez
Secretary
Roger Schievelbein
Treasurer
Ministry Action Teams
INVITE
Sandy Liwang
Evangelism
SERVE
Linda Janszen
Care and Nurture
WORSHIP
Jordan & Sigrid Stern
Worship, Arts, & Music
GIVE
Steven Hart
Stewardship
GROW IN FAITH
Becca Cox
Faith Formation
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P NOTICE OF BIENNIAL MEETING TO ELECT NEW EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
On May 17, 2015 members of Abiding Presence will meet to elect a new Execu-tive Council for the 2015—2017 term. The meeting will be held in the sanctuary following 11:00 worship. All members are encouraged to participate. Please mark your calendar for this important business meeting.
Call for Nominations A nominating committee is currently in the process of reviewing leadership openings and wants to hear from you if you have interest in serving with any of the five Ministry Action Teams. See the sidebar to the right for positions. God calls us to serve in many ways. Those who are called to lead and care for his church find it an opportunity to both bless and be blessed as we grow in faith together. Please contact Jeff Small by email—[email protected]—to let the committee know of your interest.
NOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Still looking for a 2014 Tax Statement? End of year giving statements are available on the church website: www.aplc.org.
Login to MyAPLC. On your overview screen, select My Giving History. Your giving for
the current year displays. In the date drop down, select 2014 to display last year’s giv-
ing. Click on the PDF Tax Statement button to print your giving statement.
If you do not have access to the church website, please call the office. A printed state-
ment will be made available to you.
Financial update through February 28, 2015Financial update through February 28, 2015Financial update through February 28, 2015Financial update through February 28, 2015
At the end of February we sit with a small surplus of $2,944 in offerings received versus
actual expenses. February giving was, however, $12,000 below our anticipated budget
with that amount split equally between operating and building fund pledges. While this is
a positive position, we have not yet been able to move any surplus from the building
fund into the major repair account as was approved at the annual congregational meet-
ing in January.
Ministries are growing here at APLC. The Family Lenten Retreat has doubled in size
with nearly 80 people planning to attend. Twenty-two women participated in the Monday
night Bible study in Jan/Feb. Five new students have been welcomed to our confirma-
tion program making this year’s eighth grade class one of the largest in recent years.
Your support at this year’s Pancake Supper will greatly reduce the cost for twenty APLC
youth attending summer confirmation camp. Attendance in worship, at Sunday breakfast
and Wednesday Lenten worship and meals all show an increase over previous years.
And, members are finding ways to participate regularly as worship assistants, in small
groups, and in the community.
It is through the donations and participation of every individual and family in the congre-
gation that we carry on in Christ’s mission. Thank you for your gifts of time, talent and
treasure.
Offerings anticipated $149,793
Offerings received $137,392
Expenses anticipated $139,683
Expenses incurred $134,448
Year to date actual offeringsYear to date actual offeringsYear to date actual offeringsYear to date actual offerings————expenses $2,944 surplus expenses $2,944 surplus expenses $2,944 surplus expenses $2,944 surplus
Nonprofit Org. U.S.
Postage PAID
San Antonio, Texas
Permit No. 653
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
14700 San Pedro Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78232
210-494-8884 www.aplc.org Apr/May 2015
Worship Times
Sunday 8:30 & 11:00 am Breakfast 8:00—10:30 Saturday 5:30 pm
Holy Week Worship Maundy Thursday, April 2—7:00 pm
Foot washing and Holy Communion
Good Friday, April 3—7:00 pm Tenebrae Worship with special music by
the Sanctuary Choir and orchestra
Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 4—5:30 pm (NEW this year at APLC)
Easter Sunday, April 5
7:00 am Sunrise Worship
at Arneson River Theater
9:00 & 11:00 am Festival Worship
at Abiding Presence
