Into The Nineties

The special choir presentation for 1990, utilizing the newly renovated organ, was John Rutter's Requiem, a stunning modern mass. A portion of this piece was repeated the following year during the memorial service for Linda Adams.

Fred Gould announced in April that Gus Glaser, long time Treasurer of Abiding Presence had tendered his resignation. Lynn Britton resigned as council secretary. Each of these people had served church and council for more than 10 years. Bill and Rachel Wascher, good and faithful members, moved to Virginia. New robes for acolytes and the newly formed Junior Choir (led by Carol Olson and Mike McElheney) were purchased, and a pair of torches was made by Bob Guest for Festival services. Plans were made to refurbish the education wing, now vacated by the nursery school. An effort was made to offer more opportunities for adult fellowship. Spearheaded by Jack Palmer, a drive was launched to purchase additional hymnals. The new Constitution, in accordance with ELCA guidelines, was approved by Synod. In order to provide computer programs and support, Frank Mears contributed hundreds of hours of time that resulted in the savings of hundreds of dollars to the church. Frank also prepared and printed a new publicity brochure about APLC. Barbara McElhaney supervised the largest Vacation Bible School program council members could remember -- 64 children and 21 staff, including 39 non-member children. A library was set up at APLC, under the direction of Louise Fitzgerald. Members participated in a Mercer Lutheran Coalition Reformation celebration at Redeemer in Trenton, during which Rosemary Sinniger was installed as Coalition Coordinator.

In 1991, Social Ministry included the donation of hats and mittens to the Trenton Soup Kitchen, support of Bread for the World through financial contributions and letter writing campaigns, and strong support of the food pantry at Redeemer Lutheran church. The choir presented a Mozart concert in March. A prayer chain was initiated, coordinated by Debbie Burd. A new combination lock was installed on the front door, eliminating the need for keys. Mission '90 video tapes, "What does it mean to be a Christian?" were viewed and discussed. Preliminary meetings were held to implement "A New Venture in Bible Study" beginning January, 1992. A "Services Auction" was held in November as a fund raiser to offset the loss of income from the nursery school. The front of the sanctuary was redesigned, adding a 2 piece riser for the choir and a platform for the altar. All pieces were covered with red carpet and are movable to afford a variety of configurations for worship, musical and dramatic events held in the sanctuary. The Youth Group held an overnight baby-sitting service for New Year's Eve, much to the delight of many parents.

 

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