An ELCA Congregation at the Corner of 25A and Sunken Meadow Road
Abiding Presence Lutheran Church sits at 4 Trescott Path, right at the corner of Route 25A and Sunken Meadow Road in Fort Salonga, on the Northport side of Long Island's North Shore. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is part of the Metro NY Synod. Pastor Robert Schoepflin serves as the parish pastor, supported by Deacon Gavin Schwen, the parish secretary Debra Nicholas, and a Director of Christian Education, Aubrey Minton. The church is best known locally for a steady rhythm of Sunday worship, weekday formation for all ages, a thriving music program, and an on-site preschool that shares the property.
Worship on Sundays, Fridays, and Second/Fourth Mondays
Sunday worship is the centerpiece of congregational life. The 9:30 a.m. liturgy includes Sunday school, with children dismissed to their classes during the service. The Rite of Confirmation Liturgy is held during Sunday morning worship when young people affirm their faith.
Worship extends into the week. A quiet Taizé service of prayer, simple song, Scripture, and meditative silence is held on Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in a candlelit setting. A Monday Evening Worship is held at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
Both Sunday morning and Taizé services are livestreamed and archived on the church's YouTube channel, with bulletins posted alongside each video.
Christian Formation from Preschool Through Confirmation
The Christian Education program runs Sunday school from September through May during the 9:30 a.m. service for children age 3 (by December 1) through fifth grade. Children gather for games, music, stories, and crafts. Third graders and any new older children are presented with their own personalized copy of Holy Scripture at the altar during the liturgy, then sent to Sunday school classes with the Bibles they will use in the program.
Confirmation is offered for students in grades 6 through 8, meeting on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. The class combines instruction, service projects, and a retreat, culminating in the Rite of Confirmation during Sunday worship. An annual VBS Summer Camp is also part of the children's ministry. First Holy Communion preparation is offered as well.
Adult formation includes a Wednesday Bible Study at 10:30 a.m. at the church. A Men's Breakfast and Bible Study meets on announced dates. The church distributes a weekly lectionary-based daily Bible reading guide for those who want to follow the Sunday readings throughout the week.
Music: APLC Choir and Resounding Praise Bell Choir
Music is a long-standing strength of the congregation. The APLC Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 6:45 p.m. and sings for Sunday worship. The Resounding Praise Bell Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. Worship bulletins and hymn suggestions for weddings and funerals reflect the breadth of ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship) and All Creation Sings (ACS) hymnody, with licenses through Augsburg Fortress.
Abiding Presence Preschool
Sharing the property with the church is Abiding Presence Preschool, a licensed program under the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The school is led by Director Marialaina Sheehan. Teachers and assistants are background-checked, hold a minimum of a master's degree, are CPR trained, and complete 15 hours of professional development each year. Classrooms are equipped with air purifiers and air conditioning. It is a nut-free school with large indoor and outdoor play areas and uses Kaplan's All About Preschoolers curriculum. The preschool is nondenominational with a religious influence, drawing children from across the Fort Salonga and Northport area. The school can be reached at 631-269-4898 or aplcpreschool@gmail.com.
Scouting: Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Girl Scouts
The church is a charter organization for Scouting America programs. Cub Scout Pack 539 and Scouts BSA Troop 539B and Troop 539G meet at the parish, and Girl Scouts of Suffolk County troops use the building as well. The scouting ministry is one of the most visible ways the parish serves local families beyond its own members.
Community Outreach and Partnerships
Outreach is woven through the year. The congregation supports the Ecumenical Lay Council Food Pantry in Northport, which serves more than one hundred Long Island families each week from its location at 330 Main Street. Abiding Presence participates in the ELCA's annual day of service, joining congregations across the country in local acts of service.
Two seasonal mission efforts are central to the parish identity. Through Christmas at Sea, the church partners with port chaplains to assemble satchels for merchant mariners who spend six to nine months at sea away from their families. The satchels are packed in November and delivered at Christmastime to crews regardless of faith or nationality. Through Operation Christmas Child with Samaritan's Purse, the congregation fills shoeboxes with toys and gifts for children who may be receiving their first gift; items can be shipped directly to the church.
The parish also supports the Lutheran Counseling Center, a nonprofit providing individual and family counseling from licensed pastoral counselors, social workers, and psychologists in a Christian context, available to people of any background. The church partners with Thrivent, a fraternal financial services organization, to access Choice Dollars and Action Teams project funding for qualifying community efforts. Other supported efforts include Tackle Hunger, Soles4Souls, and the Northport Pridefest.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
Religious ceremonies are led by Pastor Schoepflin. In Holy Baptism, the congregation promises to bring each child into the life of the church, teaching the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Christian faith. Couples planning a wedding meet with the pastor to plan the liturgy; the church has compiled a list of Scripture readings (such as 1 Corinthians 13, the wedding at Cana, and the Beatitudes) and hymn suggestions from ELW and ACS to help couples shape the service. For funerals, the pastor works with families on arrangements, with a similar list of readings and hymns including Psalm 23, John 11, and "Abide with Me."
Giving and Practical Information
Gifts to the church can be directed to several funds, including the Pasta & The Word ministry, the Northport Food Pantry, the APLC Emergency Fund, the Capital Fund for Building and Grounds, and seasonal fundraising efforts. Online giving is available through the church's secure giving portal.
Sunday morning worship begins at 9:30 a.m. at 4 Trescott Path, Fort Salonga, NY 11768. The church office can be reached at 631-269-6454 (Pastor Schoepflin, extension 12; Parish Secretary Debra Nicholas, extension 11). Prayer requests can be submitted online, and home communion can be arranged through the office for those unable to attend. Visitors can also sign up to receive parish email updates and follow the church on Facebook and YouTube.