Author: Amy Gilgenbach

A Christmas Miracle

This year the Hallmark Channel premiered the first of their thirty-one new Countdown to Christmas movies on Friday, Oct. 21. While that’s a bit too early for me, it nevertheless has been the growing trend of introducing new Christmas themed content and it seems there are now more Christmas specials than ever before. These specials often celebrate the “spirit of Christmas” or the “magic of Christmas” without ever really defining what that spirit or magic is, but to reveal it they tend to utilize the predictable plot device of the Christmas miracle.

The idea of a Christmas miracle is something we’re all familiar with. One website defines a Christmas miracle as: “when some highly unlikely stroke of good fortune comes to the characters in the time where they need it most, simply through the magic of Christmas.” In the countless television Christmas specials that have ended with a Christmas miracle, just when everything seems to be lost, everything instead works out perfectly in the end to create a perfect Christmas full of warm and fuzzy feelings. There is, however, a true Christmas miracle, and it doesn’t involve an angel getting its wings. The true Christmas miracle does however involve a baby and a divine love so great that it would redeem the world for all of eternity.

A miracle isn’t just some impossible coincidence that happens. A miracle is when God actively meddles with the way the world works. A miracle is when the rules of reality are broken, and something truly incredible, truly impossible happens. The Bible is full of miracles: The Red Sea parts, water comes from rocks, the walls of a city fall down, loaves and fish multiply, and people walk on water. But the most miraculous of all miracles is the birth of a holy child to be the Savior of the world. This is the miracle of all miracles, Emmanuel – God with us. Christmas is all about celebrating that miracle. The miracle that God so loved the world that God himself invaded the world to redeem it and bring it out of darkness. The magic of Christmas is the miracle of God’s love that began at a cradle in Bethlehem and reached its fulfillment at a cross in Jerusalem. So the way that we celebrate Christmas should first and always be based in our humble thanksgiving for this love and our sincere and faithful worship of the God that loves us. But it doesn’t have to end here, we can also celebrate Christmas through our actions.

Christmas is all about the celebration of a miracle, and in this season of Advent we should be expecting miracles to happen. Remember, a miracle isn’t just a stroke of good luck. A miracle is God at work in the world. It’s the unexpected that can only happen because of God doing something incredible, and God often chooses to not perform these miracles alone – God works miracles through God’s people.

Dear friends, we’re in a season meant to celebrate the greatest miracle of all time. So may we celebrate this miracle by seeking to be his miracle workers. This Advent, as we prepare for Christmas, may we spend less time looking for the perfect gift and more time looking for ways to join in God’s holy work to become someone else’s miracle. Merry Christmas!

Pastor Tony

Christmas 2022 miracle

Everything Old Is New Again

This time of the year is the end of both the liturgical year and the calendar year. The end of one year and the beginning of a new one is often a time for looking back at the year that was. I recently had an experience that caused me to look back not just at my own past, but at the history of Ascension.

During our outdoor services during the pandemic and during the remodeling of the Spanish Sanctuary, we were looking for ways to create a beautiful, yet portable, altar. This lovely cross became part of Spanish language worship. I never gave the history of this specific cross much thought until we put together our ofrenda for All Saint’s Day worship.

Pastor Chris came in to look at the ofrenda and he asked me if I knew the story of the cross that was the center of the ofrenda. I had no idea. It was the cross from the original church. I thought of the twenty-four founding members. When they founded Ascension in the small town of Waukesha in 1949, I doubt any of them would have seen that in the future, their altar cross would be in the center of a Mexican-style Dia de los Muertos ofrenda.

It made me think about what it means to be people of God in a church. Some things are always changing, the language we worship in, the songs we sing, the way we celebrate special holy days. On the surface, worship today in the East Hall looks very different from what it looked like when it was the only sanctuary of Ascension starting in 1967. Yet when we take a deeper look, things are more alike than we realize.

Even when we see things looking different than they did before, the Advent message of Peace, Hope, Love, and Faith are still pillars to remind us of God’s never-ending love and grace. As we go through this season of Advent, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide us in this multi-cultural journey of discipleship. We change, but God never changes.

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern, Spanish-Language Minister

Welcome to Advent

Into the stable they straggled, poor and dirty, hardly suitably dressed for polite society.
Had we been Joseph, we would have feared robbery.
Had we been Mary, we would have feared germs around our newborn.
Had we been God, these are not ones we would have chosen to come and see the Child.
After all, they showed a certain carelessness about the rules of the church.
And yet, God-chosen, they came to kneel and worship him whom we would later call the Good Shepherd.
Perhaps we could brush up on our humbleness. (Ann Weems, Kneeling in Bethlehem)

Welcome to Advent.

With the beginning of Advent, the church turns the page and begins a new year of storytelling in the life of Jesus. We return to the book of Matthew at the beginning of the New Testament. The story of the birth of Jesus begins with these words:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”

It is a far cry from the entry into the story of the birth of Jesus in the book of Luke that begins with the words: “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.” What surprises me in both accounts of the birth of Jesus, is the challenge presented. In Matthew, there is a question of Mary’s faithfulness to Joseph. In Luke, there is an oppressive government looking to receive taxes and control the population by learning of the demographics of the population they control. Not exactly the Christmas story of Hallmark cards. Advent feels the same way.

I believe our work as people of faith is to invite others to settle into the waiting with patience, promise, and hope. Year after year, I offer the reminder to tend your hearts, your souls by finding moments to slow down, to appreciate the snowfall on a winter’s evening or wrap gifts while remembering stories or praying for the person for whom you are preparing the gift. Perhaps there is a lingering visit around coffee or hot cocoa to tend a heart that is working to heal. Maybe it is your own heart looking to heal. Advent can be a season of reflection, healing, restoration, reconciliation, and hope, always, hope.

The New Testament begins with the birth of Jesus Christ. Four hundred years of prophetic silence after the prophet Malachi speaks at the end of the Old Testament before the silence is broken by John the Baptist’s announcement that the promised Savior had come. A long time to wait. A long time to hope. And yet God does not disappoint. The Savior comes to us.

Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth. Welcome to Advent. Merry Christmas.

O Come let us adore him.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Advent 2022

Jesus Is Here

Well, sabbatical has come and gone. And as one author writes, “into the mess I go.” Not the mess of the church. The church is far from a mess. Pastor Tony, our staff, and lay leaders were an incredible gift of confidence and stability during my time away. No, the “mess” I refer to is life. Life with all its journeys of mountains, valleys, twists and turns and even roadblocks. Yet we are here. And so is Jesus.

When we are broken. When we are hurt. When we are led astray. When we are treated poorly. When we struggle to breathe. Jesus is there.

When we are sinful. When we hurt others. When we betray a confidence. When we treat others poorly. When we are a stumbling block to someone else. Jesus is also there.

This life, for all its roads, is the only life we have. Jesus reminds us in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Thanks be to God. When we are living out our faith in this world as a beautiful reflection of the love of Jesus and when we forget that each person deserves the dignity of the image of God placed upon them that we might love them and offer both welcome and hospitality. Jesus still offers us life. The gift of forgiveness. The gift of mercy. The gift of God’s grace is still ours by the generous hand of our God.

I share all of this to remind us that we are not alone on this journey. Nor does God leave us to fend for ourselves though many people believe they are on their own. What that means for me is that there are days I need to be reminded that God honors my efforts and forgives my failures. Of which, if I am being honest, I have many. Don’t we all?

One of the ways, at Ascension, in which we have begun to tend the challenges we face in this life is through a new ministry still in its infancy. “Pathways to Mental Wellness” began as a longing and a hunger among members to tend the fear, anxiety, worry, and other burdens either we, ourselves, are carrying or those we know are carrying in these days. On Sunday, Oct. 16, we had our first gathering. “A Pathway to Peace” offered an opportunity to rest in the cool darkness of the sanctuary illuminated by candlelight and enveloped in the gentle sounds of piano music where one could sit in relative anonymity and release all the gasping moments of these days. In the darkness there were holy sounds of tears and sniffles and sacred moments of sobbing. I am grateful that Ascension provided a place for release. A place for people to let go of their tightly wound lives and removal of the many masks we wear. An opportunity to choose not to keep spinning all the plates in the air. There was time for candle lighting and private prayers and people left with a blessing for all that we carry. I could not have hoped for a better entrance into a new ministry that is still being discovered and shaped through the movement of the Holy Spirit.

If you would like to join myself, Pastor Tony, and Brenda, our Director of Care Ministries, in the dreaming for what is next – you are most welcome to join us. We are looking to gather other dreamers and those who long for other pathways to explore as our mental wellness is tended by the power and promise of God. We are hopeful to explore possible roads in the following directions: A Pathway to Restoration, A Pathway to the Place Between, A Pathway to Revelation, A Pathway to Joy, A Pathway to a New Beginning, and A Pathway to Hope. And of course, so many other ways to dream. Even if you do not have a dream – consider joining us to listen and to imagine what could be in the days ahead. We are gathering on Monday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m. I would love for you to be there.

There is much more to celebrate in the life of Ascension. As you read through this newsletter, you can almost feel the joy of the full return of ministry after the long hibernation and slow awakening back to life as much of the covid cloud begins to lift. May you be blessed as you consider the days ahead to the glory of God.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Mental Wellness Pastor Chris

Church Together

And my internship is over!!! It seems like yesterday I started my eighteen month internship. During this period, I had the opportunity to learn new things in our multicultural context here at Ascension. I am grateful for the support with both the English ministry and Latino ministry; with the English community, for having opened their doors to me and listening to my preaching, and the Latino community for having been patient during my absences from worship services. These words sound as if this type of experience will not be repeated, but it is not like that, as you heard in my last sermon Pastor Chris told me that, “It was not my last preaching.” Sorry. You will have to continue to struggle listening to the Spanglish sermons.

I am sure that this post-intern period will bring new experiences in my journey of formation and discernment. Within these new experiences last month, I had the opportunity to attend a training for mission developers of the ELCA program REDIL Ecumenical Network for the Development of Latino Churches. The training consisted of bringing together leaders from all over the country to share their experiences with each other, and thus learn from each other.

One of the learnings that caught my attention was the way in which most of the missions are working. In all of the other congregations that were represented there that day, the Latino congregations were operating as separate congregations from the English-speaking congregations. From what I experienced that day, Ascension is pioneering a new type of bicultural ministry in a way that is unique in the ELCA. Most of our meeting time was spent talking about topics like collecting enough money in their offering to pay rent to the English-speaking congregations. Other churches talked about the lack of voice in the direction of their church, no representatives in council or otherwise.

After returning from this event, I began to work with the mariachi band Voces de America. They were so thrilled to be asked back to our event. They provide the music for a variety of Las Posadas events around the Milwaukee area and they told me that Ascension is their favorite due to the participation of so many people from the church. May we continue to be brave as we find new paths to being the body of Christ together.

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish Language Minister

Latino Ministry Mission Outreach pastoral intern seminary serve

Ascension’s Community Partners

We often refer to community partners in our articles in the newsletter, bulletins, and the Ascension Mission Outreach Facebook page. What is a Community Partner? Waukesha is blessed to have many agencies that support the needs of our community. We would love to support them all, but we know it is better when we can have a deeper relationship to make the partnership more meaningful. We also serve to promote the programs within our congregation for those who may have a need.

Our Mission Outreach Ministry leaders selected the partners based on several factors. We need to be able to provide some hands-on experiences as individuals but especially as small groups (volunteering). Volunteering can be either on a scheduled basis or for a one time special event. We provide financial support from the budget and when there is an extreme need, in the form of special offering requests, (financial). The final arm of our partnership is providing in-kind support. We realize not everyone is able to volunteer personally but is willing to provide for the needs of the partner. We have leaders to keep in touch with the agencies who identify their specific needs. Just as we work under the guides for accompaniment for our global partners, we do the same for community partners. Rather than collecting things we think they might need, we work with them to identify their greatest needs. We also agree to promote their services on a regular basis thereby being true partners.

The choice of partners is reviewed each year as we prepare the budget and review how connected we have been in the previous year. Some partners focus more on in-kind. Each of the agencies we have identified provide much needed services within our community. We cannot as a congregation do individually what they can do for the neediest in our community when many congregations all work together. We are working as a team to carry out our Matthew 25 pledge:

“When I was hungry, you fed me, when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink, when I was homeless, you gave me shelter, when I was a stranger, you took Me in. When you took care of the least of these, you did it on to Me.”

NAMI Southeast Wisconsin: Do you love someone struggling with a mental health condition? Join NAMI for this virtual, two-evening session directed towards those who love someone with a mental health condition, or just wants to learn more! NAMI Family and Friends is for any adult who wants to know more about mental health treatment and options for a loved one from someone who “has been there.” This virtual experience will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 15. Contact Susan, sschoenmarklin@namisoutheastwi.org, to get the link to participate. NAMI has been one of our long time community partners.

Healing Hearts: Healing Hearts has a few program nights in November and December that still need food provisions for families and facilitators in their support program. The comfort and community that a warm meal cultivates is immeasurable. Simple foods are requested such as pizza, tacos, sloppy joes. Contact Shirley Wehmeier for more information on how your small group could do this as a service project.

Hope Center: Hope Center is in the process of restocking their NEW baby items for new and expecting mothers. The most needed items are baby wipes, newborn and size 1 diapers, (although diapers of all sizes are welcomed), hooded towels, burp cloths, receiving blankets, nighttime baby wash, baby wash and shampoo, 0-3 and 3-6 months outfits for boys and girls. The Layette program is geared to provide expectant mothers with items they will need once their baby arrives. It is often described as “a baby shower in a bag”. Donations are accepted Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Hope Center or if you can’t get it there, put your items in the Hope Center box in Ascension’s Donation Center. Large amounts of donations should go to Hope Center directly.

Waukesha County Food Pantry: Did you know that the Waukesha County Food Pantry ensures that people with chronic medical conditions have the foods they need to stay healthy? As you think about donations, these are often overlooked. The pantry accepts foods that meet special dietary needs: Low sugar, gluten free, vegan and supplemental drinks like Boost or Ensure. Please remember the people who struggle with taking care of their special health needs when you shop or if you find that during this time of inflation, you struggle to get the foods you need for a special diet, you may be eligible for help through the Food Pantry.

Hope Center Mission Outreach NAMI serve

Global Partnerships

Tanzania Partnership: Travel Plans

As vice-president of the Meru Coffee Project, Ascension’s Rick Frowein is traveling to Tanzania with two other leaders from the coffee project. During his time in Tanzania, Rick will also spend time in Samaria parish visiting our partners there. We wish Rick safe travels and look forward to hearing about his trip.

If you like the idea of joining a delegation to Tanzania, we are planning a trip for summer 2023, tentatively June 30 – July 10. If you are interested in learning about the trip, we will have an informational meeting on Sunday, Nov. 13, between services.

Use this QR code to donate directly to the Tanzania hunger appeal or mail donations to: The Greater Milwaukee Synod, Meru Hunger Relief—Food Crisis, P.O. Box 341695, Milwaukee, WI 53234.

Drought Conditions: Pastor Makenge and others from Samaria parish ask for our prayers. They continue to suffer from excessive heat and a lack of water. Both people and livestock are suffering. Church attendance has decreased as farmers spend most of their time desperately searching for water for their animals.

School Lunches: The money that Ascension sent to Tanzania this summer was put to good use in purchasing food to provide all of the children at Samaria and Savana Primary schools with a simple lunch every day. For many children, this will be the only meal they receive all day. Thank you for your support!

El Salvador: Hurricane Julia

On October 10, Hurricane Julia hit the Central American region hard, leaving in its wake the death of at least 28 people.

Among them, ten people died in El Salvador, five of them were soldiers who were crushed to death by a retaining wall that collapsed where they sheltered from the heavy rains. In San Jorge, there was no significant damage or loss of life.

Our brothers and sisters in El Salvador have shared with us that this was the strongest storm they have ever experienced and it was a very frightening experience. Ascension is sending a small financial gift to support families with home repairs and lost crops from the storm.

Drought El Salvador hurricane Meru Partnership school lunches Tanzania

Sabbatical Gratitude

Now that sabbatical for Pastor Chris and Ascension has come to an end I feel it’s time to share my gratitude to everyone who helped make this time of growth, discovery, and renewal everything the Holy Spirit gifted it to be.

Thank you to my family for their patience and support leading up to and over the past 3 months; it gave me the courage and strength to trust that God prepared me to be pastor in this moment.

Thank you to Pastor Chris for all the prep work he put in before he left to ensure things would run as smoothly as possible while he was away.

Next I’d like to thank our staff for their openness to a period of new leadership and for their willingness to jump in without hesitation and take on extra tasks to ensure that we continued to offer the very best of Ascension to our members and visitors.

And no Thank You would be complete without thanking you, the members of Ascension. You reached out daily with phone calls, emails, and texts; you volunteered to help bake bread, assist in worship, set up, clean up, and everything in between. And there was no shortage of others who regularly stopped in the office or pulled me aside to ask a powerful question that I’m only starting to fully comprehend or appreciate – “What can I do to help you?”

We, and by we I mean the whole community of Ascension, welcomed and embraced this sabbatical time and we learned, laughed, and played. We struggled, pondered, and dreamed, and we mourned and celebrated. What I rejoice in most is that we did all of it together. I’m honored by God’s call to be your pastor, colleague, and friend and I am so excited for whatever God has planned for us in the days ahead as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit – together.

Please know how grateful I am to you and for you. As we launch into the next steps of our journey together I pray that the energy and excitement that has been building throughout the summer and as we welcomed Pastor Chris back, will inspire us to confidently continue to be the people of God in this place and beyond. I pray that the Spirit of God will stir, challenge, empower, encourage and send us to be light for the world.

All this brings me to my final but most important thank you of all – God. I thank God for calling and refining me to be who I am today and continuing to love me into all God created me to be. What a gift we have to be the people of God and what an even greater joy we have to be God’s love to the world around us.

~Pastor Tony

sabbatical

The Beginning of the End

I started seminary knowing that I would be away from home for the first week of each semester for prolog week. My first year of seminary was also Tony’s last, so we were on campus together at the start of both semesters. The next year-and-a-half of prolog weeks were entirely virtual due to the pandemic, followed by an optional face to face in January of 2022. With the hours my wife was working and a difficult holiday season, I was happy for the opportunity to participate in prolog week from home. This September, it was time for me to go back to campus. It felt like it was my third prolog week and not my seventh one. In El Salvador, I commuted to and from university for my undergraduate degree. This was the first time in my life for me to go on to campus and stay there without anyone looking out for me. It felt like I was achieving a milestone in life, even if it was twenty years after most people in the US have that experience.

At the same time, it became very real that I was in my last year of school. In addition to the course work, a whole new list of papers and projects has been added to my plate as I work through the synod’s candidacy process to be approved as a potential candidate for a pastoral position. So if I seem a little jittery, no need to worry – it’s just a sign of too much coffee.

Coming to my final year also brings about the uncertainty of what happens next. My back has started to let me know that my years as a landscaper are coming to an end. What will my next chapter look like? I do not know. Is it back to school for a new career? I do not know. Does it mean moving? I do not know. Will there be enough opportunities here in the Milwaukee area? I do not know. What I know and I believe is God’s promise that he will always guide us on our journey in life, even when there are more questions than answers.

Although my anxiety is great, it does not compare to the anxiety that many of you and those around you are suffering. People of God, we all need to remember that God is dwelling and accompanying us through the work of the Holy Spirit.

“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.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern

Latino Ministry pastoral intern seminary