CHURCH OF THE ABIDING SAVIOR, LUTHERAN IS A CONGREGATION OF THE North Carolina LUTHERAN SYNOD OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
Pastor TERRANCE JACOB
Pastor Terrance Jacob is a native of South Africa. He was ordained in 1992 having earned a M.Div equivalent degree from Univ.of Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) that year. He accepted an invitation to serve the ELCA in Minnesota in 2007and served two congregations there, while earning a preaching fellowship at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN and then earned a scholarship for a DMin on Prophetic Preaching there.
Pastor Jacob served as Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM) for the Sierra Pacific Synod, CA and then as DEM for the North Eastern Ohio Synod. He returned to parish ministry in 2017 as pastor of University Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL. In the Florida Bahamas Synod he served as Interim DEM and as Conference Dean.
While in South Africa, Pastor Jacob worked for the Council of Churches. He was a church based community activist, which led to his being imprisoned in isolation at a maximum security prison, held without trial indefinitely by the Apartheid government. When South Africa won democracy Pastor Jacob served as Peace mediator and Official Election Observer. He also served as International Election Observer/monitor at Mozambique’s first democratic election. His church based community organizing took him to many parts of Africa and many US states, when he served as Central Senior Staff of the Gamaliel Foundation out of Chicago for 10 years.
Pastor Jacob’s wife, Crystal is a retired public school principal in special education and they now live in Durham, NC. They have two adult children, Kemuel, an IT project manager in Florida and Sharai who is in her final year internship in Illinois, to become an ELCA pastor next year.
OUR HISTORY
OUR BEGINNING
• 1963 a call was extended to Pastor Lawrence Hunt to begin a parrish mission in Durham NC
• First organizational meeting held at the home of Paul and Jessie (Claudette) Kelley.
• The Church Of The Abiding Savior, Lutheran was chartered February 7, 1965 with 19 confirmed members and 22 baptized members.
• The current church building was dedicated on March 14, 1965
OUR CHARTER MEMBERS
• Mrs. Helen Battle Mr. Robert Battle
• Mr. Roger Brown & Sr. Mrs. Virginia Brown
• Mrs. Betty Burnette & Mr. Harvey Burnette
• Mrs. Gloria Cardwell & Mr. Roland Cardwell
• Mrs. Carolyn Hunt & Rev. Lawrence Hunt
• Mrs. Claudette Kelly & Mr. Paul Kelly
• Mrs. Mary Pinson & Mr. Thomas Pinson
• Mrs. Lois Turner & Mr. Walter Turner
• Dr. Theodore Speigner
• Mr. James Warren, Sr.
• Mrs. Edwina Williams
PASTORS 1965 – 2020
• Rev. Lawrence Hunt
• Rev. Virgil O. Wittenburg, Dr. Theodore Speigner (Co-Pastor) Rev. Donald Huber (Interim)
• Rev Michael D. Wendt Rev. Hugh Beck (Interim)
• Rev. Paul K. Palumbo Rev. Jack Bernlohr (Interim)
• Rev. Gordon Myers, Rev Ken Schmidt (Interim)
• Rev. Tim Taylor (Re-development)
• Rev. Margret Hertz-Lane (Interim)
Rev. Paul Myers (present)
ABIDING SAVIOR IN ACTION OVER THE YEARS
Early years through the 1990's
- Abiding Savior Youth “Are You Listening” tour
- Sponsored many youth activities and programs including an active Girl Scout Troop
- Formed Ecumenical alliances with local churches
- Participated on local, synodical and churchwidje organizations, committees and boards
- Organized Lutheran Men in Mission
- Women became active in Women of the ELCA (WELCA)
- Actively supported Campus Ministry at NCCU and DUKE
- Added programs to reach out to surrounding youth including “Saturday Fun Days,” summer day camp and vacation Bible school
- Purchased. renovated, and supported Phoenix House, a model non-profit that served hundreds of men
since 2000
- The congregation was designated as a Horizon Internship Site
- NCCU Outreach was led by interns (Vicar CC Mills, Michael Sewell, Justin Coleman, Linda Norman, Lisa Parker, Ben Krey, Jennifer Moore)
- The youth produced video< “What’s Color Got To Do With It.” which recieved honors by Durham Human Relations Committee
- Youth video was disseminated nationwide and was used for workshops at a national ELCA Multi Cultural Youth Leadership Event
- Youth actively participated in National Youth Gatherings
- Increased Involvement in Campus Ministry as the North Carolina Synod’s site for Campus Ministry at NCCU
- Continuing outreach in the Durham community providing support for programs to address hunger and the needs of children and adults at Urban Ministries of Durham and at local elementary schools
- Continuing participation and support in North Carolina Synod and Churchwidje (ELCA) ministries
- Actively participated in Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA)
- Used the church grounds to reach out to surrounding neighborhood with fun activities designed for your and adults with fall and spring carnivals
- Supporting a community garden to help develop food sustainablilty
- Continuing prison advocacy through “Solidarity Beyond the Walls”
ABIDING SAVIOR – A HEART FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
- Interfaith Food Shuttle Backpack Buddies program and adoption of a local elementary school
- McDougald Terrace outreach
- Urban Ministry Homeless shelter
- Evangelism Laboratory 2009-2015
- Prison outreach