The Story of the Memorial Gardens

In 1997, the Holy Spirit began to move in a small group of church members to dream and imagine a design and landscape of the wetlands behind the current church building. The five acres of wetlands are owned by the church but subject to the permission and review of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as the church might consider landscape and design of wetlands.

A member of Ascension named Haskell Reichert, was inspired to create a Memorial Green area in memory of his wife, Loretta. During the next few years, conversations and dreams became meetings and tasks planned and communicated to the growing, faithful community of Ascension. It was decided that an Ash Garden, where we could scatter the cremains of loved ones, would be planned and added to the designs for the Memorial Green space. A plan for landscaping was designed, a gravel path was poured, an island of rock was created above a natural creek that runs through the property, and the Ash Garden began to take shape. Members of Ascension donated their time to help the Memorial Green take shape and then donated their dollars to bring in more than 200 plants and trees to help form the Memorial Gardens into what you see today.

A pavilion was added in the summer of 2010 to provide a sense of place for outdoor worship during the summer months. It is now used to host weddings, receptions, funerals, and a multitude of other moments in the life of the church. Mark Otto blessed the pavilion with the addition of a brass cross to match the cross that hangs over the altar in the main sanctuary of the church.

In the summer of 2016, after the death of Fabricio Aparico, a fellow member of the youth group, Ethan Saye, dreamed of an Eagle project where there might be a permanent witness to the glory of God. The Memorial Gardens were again refreshed with the planting of a tree in honor of Fabricio and the placing of a large rock with the Bible verse from John 14: 1-2, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

In 2017, after the death of their son Ryan, Mark and Debbie Pichler gathered donations to offer some permanence to the gathering space where we scatter cremains including large, carved rock steps down to the creek, a bench for reflection, and a trail to the Ash Garden allowing for greater accessibility for those with mobility challenges. Again, countless volunteers, members and friends of Ascension heard the call and joined in the construction and planting of additional plants.

In the 2021, member Kurt Werner created a Butterfly Garden as an Eagle Scout project, adding a gravel path connecting the Ash Garden to the main Memorial Gardens with additional seating to rest and reflect. A beautiful triple cross metal art fixture was added in the summer of 2022 under the skilled hands of church member Paul Maass. In 2023, Addison Jahner, also ready to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, dreamed of finishing the gravel path from the Ash Garden and the Butterfly Garden all the way to the parking lot while also adding more beauty to the space. A plan was formed, and once again members and friends rolled up their sleeves to bring the dream to life. In the spring of 2024, a member of the congregation had a vision of making the Memorial Gardens accessible to all and provided the seed money to extend and complete the cement path from the parking lot to the Ash Garden. Within weeks the money was raised, and the path was completed in early May 2025, providing access for all who feel the call of God to enter into a space of reflection and remembrance.

Today, Ascension’s Memorial Gardens are filled with life to the glory of God. In the midst of death, there is always the promise of life. The Memorial Gardens serve as a living reminder of the power of God in the promise and presence of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Thanks be to God!

The Light of Resurrection

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

What a joy it is to live in these Easter days. Regardless of the current state of the world, the suffering we witness, the grief we bear – still, still – there is joy to be found in the light of the resurrection. The empty tomb reminds us of God’s promise of abundant life. The power of life over death – no matter how heavy the burden we bear.

On a recent Sunday, Pastor Tony preached about the disciples on the road to Emmaus, saying that the resurrection reminds us that “the worst thing is never the last thing.” Sharing with us that although we are well-acquainted with suffering and death – neither will have the last word in this life or the next. That is a reminder I need again and again. This is the good news of God for each of us. 

Ascension continues to stand as a beacon of that good news in this community and beyond. On Sunday the 19th of April, we had no less than seven first-time visitors. That is amazing and a little shocking. I was able to greet each one and learn their names, introduce myself, and welcome them. We never know why first-time visitors enter our doors.

  • How did they learn about Ascension?
  • Have they watched the livestream before considering an in-person visit?
  • Did a current member, who might be their friend, invite them?
  • What are they looking for in a spiritual home?

These are the questions I consider asking each visitor – recognizing that I might overwhelm them at any moment with even one question. So, I am more content to simply welcome them and share that I am glad they found their way to worship on that first visit. But the second visit- all bets are off. It is a wonderful thing to be able to share the joy of Ascension. For visitors to share their perspective with us. I often hear visitors say that they are surprised to be greeted by pastors or other members of the church. I often here a visitor share the lively energy they feel when experiencing worship. And sometimes I hear visitors say they felt welcome before anyone even talked to them. It just might be true that new flooring, bright walls, and good lighting to speak to visitors before ever a member opens their mouth in greeting. I feel like I might have said that once or twice in the last sixteen years as one of your pastors. It is also true that the tending of the outside of our church – the flowerbeds, lawns, parking lot, Memorial Gardens, Ash Garden also speak welcome before ever we greet someone in person.

Here at Ascension, we bank on our hospitality – the welcome we offer to everyone who enters our doors. It is one of our non-negotiable lines in the sand. Everyone is welcome. We love, because God first loved us. I think I read that somewhere as well. It is wonderful that we, the community of Ascension, continue to learn and grow in our understanding of that welcome for all people. 

Over the past month I have asked for people to come and clean-out the sanctuary and then for people to move everything back in. We had more than 20 for the move-out and more than 30 for the move-in. I am grateful beyond words for the ways in which people show up to help. Two weeks ago, I asked for twin beds for Pastor Edwin’s newly-arrived family. We had no less than four beds in the matter of an hour. Dear People of God – this is what it means to welcome, to show up, to love, and to live this life in the glow of Easter joy and resurrection promise. 

See you in church!

Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the May 2026 newsletter)

Easter Doesn’t End

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

The Easter season doesn’t end on Easter Sunday morning. It continues – quietly and persistently, like the shift we now feel as spring gives way to summer. The days are growing longer, schools draw closer to their end, and plans for vacations and get togethers begin to take shape. Life seems to open up again, inviting us to move forward.

And yet, even in this season of light and growth, we carry questions. Some of them are small and practical. Others are heavy and complicated – questions about our families and friends, our future, our nation, and our world. Turn on the news or scroll through your phone, and you’ll see how uncertain things can feel. Political division deepens, global conflicts continue, and it’s easy to wonder where stability, or truth can be found.

So when we need answers, especially to the tough questions, where do we go? Many of us instinctively reach for Google or YouTube. Within seconds, we can access opinions, explanations, and advice on nearly anything. It feels efficient and immediate. But it’s worth remembering that not so long ago, finding answers required something more personal. You had to seek out another human being. You had to ask, listen, and trust. Wisdom was shared in relationship, not just discovered from an internet search

The Easter story reminds us that the answers we most deeply need aren’t just pieces of information, they’re found in a person. In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Notice what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t claim to simply give directions or offer truth as a set of ideas. He says that he is the way. the truth, and the life. When we’re searching, and really searching – for meaning, for guidance, for hope, we’re invited to not simply look things up, but to draw near to him.

After the resurrection, the disciples were filled with questions and uncertainty. The world they knew had been turned upside down. And yet, it was in encountering the risen Christ, walking with him, listening to him that their fear was transformed into courage and hope.

That same hope speaks to us today. It speaks when we’re overwhelmed by the noise of competing voices telling us what to believe. It speaks when we feel anxious about the future or are discouraged by the state of the world. It speaks in our everyday struggles – in the quiet worries we carry that no search engine can resolve.

As we move into the rhythms of summer – graduations, travel, and family time just to name a few – there’s an opportunity that lies before us. Not just to rest or to stay busy, but to reconnect. To sit with Scripture. To pray honestly. To talk with one another. To seek not only quick answers, but lasting truth.

Hope, after all, is not the absence of questions. It is the presence of Christ with us in the midst of them. Easter hope reminds us that we’re not alone in our searching. The risen Christ meets us where we are whether in moments of joy or uncertainty and gently calls us forward.

So when the tough questions come – and they most certainly will – I pray that we remember where to turn. Not only to the tools that give us information, but to the One who gives us life.

Peace be with you throughout this Easter season, and in all the questions and possibilities that lie ahead.

 Pastor Tony

(Reprinted from the May 2026 newsletter.)

Little Easters Every Day

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

Last month’s article was written in a time of unknowing. Two of our Ascension families were facing immigration hearings in Chicago and my last two siblings still in El Salvador had their green card interviews after years and years of waiting. Thanks be to God, two of the three hearings were successful. Sadly, one of the families was denied the opportunity to renew their legal status here. The judge opened the hearing with the offer that if they withdrew their case and did not share any of their evidence, they would be allowed to self-deport to their home country. Should their lawyer present their evidence, both of the danger they would be in back home and all of the ways they had contributed to the US, they would lose the right to self-deport. If they argued their case to be able to stay, they would have to pay the US a deportation fee and the government would potentially lock them up while waiting to deport them. There was also no guarantee of what country or even continent they would end up in. With no real choice, the family made the decision to leave. 

While we were very happy for all of those with the happy decisions, our hearts were broken by the family that needed to leave. This family was my niece, a young widow, who had been living in our home for three years. She and her daughter had become part of our family. This weighed heavy on my heart as we were celebrating the resurrection while preparing for their departure.

But the story of the resurrection reminded me that God cares for our lives here and now as much as our eternal lives. When Jesus taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, He didn’t ask us to pray only for an escape to a distant paradise. He taught us to pray like this: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus teaches us that God desires us to work together to create glimpses of heaven here on earth in every season. Every season brings moments of joy, but also difficult times. We worship a God who shares in our joy, but also a God who does not delight in our suffering. Through the prophet Jeremiah, He tells us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” A sure hope that leads us to a new life, a new beginning.

We all face times when dreams fade despite our best efforts. At some point in our lives, we have all experienced, and will experience, deep pain, loss, and disappointment so intense that it makes us feel like our world is ending. That is precisely what the disciples felt on Good Friday when their teacher was sentenced to crucifixion by the very people who, just days before, had welcomed him with euphoria. A new season had begun for the disciples.

The disciples entered a new season of great uncertainty. They began to hide for fear of being captured and sentenced in the same way as their teacher. But Jesus, from the very beginning of that season filled with shadows, anguish, and tears, walks with them and walks with us, promising us a new life both in the future and in the present. This new life, both present and future, was the same one offered to Mary Magdalene in the midst of her anguish and in the midst of her tears.

Brothers and sisters, there is always a new beginning. When you lose your job, there will always be a new beginning waiting for you. When a relationship breaks down, there will be a new beginning found in healing or in a newfound peace. When you lose a loved one, there will be a new beginning. When there is persecution against immigrants and the vulnerable, there will always be a new beginning found in the emergence of justice and love. When Latino families in our ministry are forced to leave the United States, we remind them that there is a new beginning, and in that new beginning, Jesus will continue walking with them.

When Jesus rose from the dead, his life did not simply return to what it was before. He bore the scars, but he was transformed. New beginnings don’t drag us back to the past; on the contrary, they propel us toward a new and transformed future. Many of us will begin a new season with a mix of emotions. Whatever your emotions may be, may our God of love, joy, peace, and above all, the hope of new life be with you wherever you are.

Pastor Edwin

(Reprinted from the May 2026 newsletter.)

Summer Worship Begins

Our summer worship schedule begins on Pentecost Sunday, Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday, May 24, when our worship schedule moves to 8:30 and 10 a.m. We will use these worship times through Labor day weekend. Mark your calendars.

Outdoor Worship Is Coming!

Outdoor Worship begins on Sunday, May 24, when we shift to our summer schedule. We will have our normal 8:30 worship in sanctuary and then celebrate our first outdoor worship service of the season at 10 a.m. in the Memorial Gardens. Enjoy the beautiful weather and bring your own chairs or blankets!

Visit from Bishop Cortés

The Greater Milwaukee Synod’s theme for their annual assembly is Collaboration and will feature special guests Bishop Elias Kitoi Nasari from Tanzania; and Bishop Guadalupe Cortéz and Rev. Christian Chavarría Ayala from El Salvador. While she is here, we are happy to be hosting Bishop Guadalupe Cortéz for worship on Sunday, May 31.