Walk With Ascension

Pathways to Mental Wellness

Do you ever feel like you are living in a world that is turned upside down? It’s hard not to when day after day we are all faced with violence, economic challenges, political unrest, COVID fears, family and job stresses. You name it!

We recognize people’s hurt, anxieties and fear. To support one another through these challenges, we are launching a new ministry here at Ascension which we are calling “Pathways to Mental Wellness.” Our goal is to offer support, resources and a listening ear to help one another navigate the waters of our everyday lives.

We are kicking off this new ministry by inviting you to attend a special reflective prayer service on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. At this service we will offer some scripture, music and prayer in hopes of offering you some much deserved moments of calm and respite. Think of it as a time to just “be” so you can clear the noise and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

These moments of time are intended for everyone: Young, old, men, women and children. We encourage you to invite your friends, neighbors and anyone that is feeling weighed down by everything going on in our world. Come….You are invited…..Peace be with you!

Steve & Carol Spieker, Ministry Leaders

GriefShare

We are in a full 12-week session of GriefShare again this fall. If you or a loved one has a suffered loss and would like some help and support, this may be the program for you. This group will provide help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend. Our program continues through November 15th in our Youth Room at the church. We will meet for 12 consecutive sessions. Mary Lou Charapata and Brenda Lytle will facilitate the Grief Share group. If you would like to be a part of our Grief Share program please contact Brenda Lytle, RN, Director of Care Ministries at brenda@ascensionelca.org or 262-547-8518.

Care Ministries Needs Volunteers

Are you looking for some volunteer opportunities to help others? We have openings in two of our Care Ministries!

  • Meal Ministry: We need additional people to make meals for members in our congregation that may need some short-term assistance. Please contact Iva Richards.
  • Transportation Ministry: We need drivers to assist some members of our congregation (short-term) that need to get to an appointment or to get to church on Sundays. You don’t need to lift or carry medical equipment. Please contact Kay Stone.

Pastoral Assistants

If you or a family member is hospitalized and would like a visit from a pastor or pastoral assistant, please call the church office at 262-547-8518.

Cancer Care Ministry

Our Cancer Care Ministry helps members of our congregation. If you know of a congregational member or family that could use some assistance walking their cancer journey, please contact Brenda Lytle.

Young at Heart (55+)

Young at Heart meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month starting at noon for a potluck, play cards and enjoy fellowship. Bring a dish to pass if you’re able.

Be the Village Ministry

In September, supporters from Ascension helped raise awareness for foster care by walking through the Milwaukee County Zoo wearing Chosen t-shirts, bags and buttons. Supporters learned important fostering information at specific passport check-points and gathered for a picnic lunch.

All About the Kids!

So many activities, classes and fun begin for Ascension kids over the next few weeks!

JOLT (6th-8th gr.)

It is time! We are so excited. We meet Thursday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. (Note time change!) Parent and student are expected to join us for registration and time together. We will do our best to have you out of here by 7:15 p.m. JOLT registration fee is $40 and you can use our contactless payment, CC reader, write a check, or pay cash. Questions: Email Pastor Chris, pc@ascensionelca.org.

CRASH (9th-12th gr.)

Confirmation Meeting: Are you a 9th grader ready to be confirmed? This message is for you! Prospective confirmands and a parent should join Pastor Chris and Pastor Tony at 12 p.m. this Sunday, Sept. 25, for lunch and information around Confirmation Sunday, Oct. 30, at both the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. services. Questions to Pastor Chris, pc@ascensionelca.org.

CRASH Is Coming! CRASH will meet on Oct. 9 at 12 p.m. for lunch and time to catch-up. Bring a parent with you.

BLAST (ages 3-5th gr.)

BLAST Begins This Sunday: Families with children ages 3-years-old through 5th grade are invited to the first BLAST of the year at 9:50 a.m. in the sanctuary on Sunday, Sept. 25. Register online https://tinyurl.com/BLAST2022-23, or just show-up and sign-in.

Kindergarten Stepping Stone: Kindergarten students and parents are invited to join Pastor Tony this Sunday, Sept. 25, at 9:50 a.m. in West Hall for some fun Bible exploration to hear about God’s love for them and prepare them to receive their first Bibles. RSVP and questions to Pastor Tony, tony@ascensionelca.org.

BLAST @ Green Meadows RSVP Due This Sunday! Please RSVP and pay no later than this Sunday, Sept. 25, https://tinyurl.com/GreenMeadows2022 for this family event on on Sunday, Oct. 2, including worship on the farm and a potluck. Cost is $12 per person (under 2 free).

Music Ministries for Youth

Sing and Ring With Us! Choir and handbells have resumed but there is always room for you! Both groups welcome ages high school and up, and meet on Wednesday evenings. Need to miss a rehearsal or a Sunday morning? No problem; everyone misses from time to time. Email vicki@ascensionelca.org, with questions or to join.

Children’s Choir Resumes: Children’s choir for grades K-6 begins on Thursday, Oct. 6, 5 to 5:40 p.m. Busy with fall sports? Children are welcome to join in at any time during the year. Contact vicki@ascensionelca.org to sign up.

Welcome ~ Bienvenidos!

Join us on Sunday, Sept. 18, for a special worship service at 10 a.m., incorporating our English worship services and our Spanish worship.

After worship, plan to stay for a time of fun and fellowship. BLAST Rally Day is hosting kid time with inflatables in the garden area. There will also be other games and activities and door prizes. Food trucks will start serving right after the service and will serve until 1 p.m. or as needed. There will be $4 pizza slices or empanadas, $5 sides, $10 sandwiches, $15 dinner plates. There will also be an ice cream cart and snow cone tent. Since food trucks often can’t accept credit cards, please bring cash to pay for your lunch!

We will have door prizes, conversation and a chance to re-connect with old friends and meet some new ones. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since you or a friend has been at church, Sept. 18 will be a day to come home or make a new home. Please invite your friends who may be in need of a church home.

Welcome Home

What does it mean to you to be welcomed? Welcomed home, welcomed back, welcomed in, or welcomed for? When and by whom have you experienced welcome? And how did it make you feel?

Being welcomed makes us feel accepted, appreciated, embraced and there’s usually a sense of gladness connected to it. I think it’s safe to say we all want to feel welcomed – by our family, friends, community, church, colleagues, and maybe even more so by those who are strangers to us.

I’m not sure I can identify just one feeling that comes with being welcomed, but I do know when I’m welcomed I feel joyful, valued, a sense of belonging, and I’d dare even say, loved. And if we’re being completely honest then we also have to be mindful that there will be some who will undoubtedly experience a lack of welcome or even worse, being unwelcome.

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 

Matthew 25:35-36

When we’re welcomed and extend the same there’s something deeper that takes place. Welcome at its most basic level is about inviting and being invited in. It’s an invitation into a relationship that reflects openness, acceptance, care, forgiveness, and understanding. And as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25, when we extend welcome to one another, it’s ultimately God that we’re inviting in and accepting welcome from.

There’s also another aspect of welcoming that I think we tend to take for granted, and that’s the importance of celebration. Picture the running embrace a parent receives from a small child when they return home from work, or the rejoicing that happens when a child returns from college, or the celebration of a loved one who returns from a vacation. Being welcomed is a celebration, no matter how many times we experience it, or take it for granted.

With this in mind, welcome is the theme that gathers us together again as we launch into a new season of fall programming. On Sunday, Sept. 18, we’ll celebrate the return of Pastor Chris and family from a 3-month time of sabbatical rest. That same day we’ll celebrate Rally Day and the welcome back of BLAST, JOLT, and CRASH students and families as children and youth ministries resume again. We’re also excited to welcome back Ascension members who have stepped away for a time and have been longing to return. And finally, we’re thrilled to welcome in friends and visitors that we’ll invite to join us in celebrating the amazing community of Ascension.

Our Welcome Home Celebration on Sept. 18 begins with a gathering of the entire diverse community of Ascension at a single, blended, bilingual worship service that will take place in the sanctuary at 10 a.m. Following worship, there will be a variety of food trucks on-site selling delicious items so the celebration can continue over lunch. BLAST will be providing several inflatables in the memorial gardens to entertain kids and families. And it will all be a wonderful celebration, well at least it has the potential to be…but that’s only if you come to be welcomed – welcomed home…welcomed back…welcomed in…and welcomed for. You are welcome! All are welcome! And I am so excited to welcome you!

Pastor Tony

God’s Work, Our Building

The Holy Spirit continues to guide us in our call to proclaim the living word. I remember a few years ago when Ascension only offered worship in English. Thanks to the work that the Holy Spirit has done through each one of you, today we have the blessing that we worship in English and in Spanish. 

A few weeks ago a visitor came to our Spanish service. I had the opportunity to talk and share with her the kind of community we are. The highlight in our conversation was her happy surprise at hearing the services in English and Spanish take place at the same time. She said, “Here if in a family some speak only English or only Spanish, they have the option to attend together and worship in the language of their choice?!” Her mom only speaks English, she speaks English and Spanish. Now she has found a community of faith where she has the option of coming to church with her mother and worshiping each of them in their preferred language. In the past, they were not able to go to church together.

This is not the only story. For a few weeks, a couple has been attending Spanish worship. They want to get married. The man speaks English and Spanish, the woman speaks only English, however she has been attending the service in Spanish. I had the opportunity to talk with the couple and offered them the option that if they wanted to worship in Spanish some weeks and in English other weeks, they would be welcome to do that at our church. They have the option of a bilingual wedding at Ascension so both sides of the family feel welcomed and included. I don’t know if they will take advantage of this opportunity, but they appreciate that as a family they will all be authentically welcomed at Ascension. At Ascension, families don’t have to choose between worshiping in their chosen language or worshiping at the same time as a family. 

All these things have only been possible thanks to the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in each one of us. I pray that God will continue to enlighten each of us. 

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with each of us as we find ways to use what we already have to do God’s work.

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern

Council Welcome

Welcome Back!

This month we welcome Pastor Chris back from his sabbatical. We look forward to seeing him and his family again and sharing our stories.

But they are not the only ones we welcome back. Perhaps you, like I did, returned recently from a trip out of town. Perhaps you have missed a few (or more than a few) Sundays due to a busy summer schedule. Perhaps you have been away from church for a longer time, for whatever reason.

We also look forward to the return of music ensembles and Sunday school and small group (and more) programs after their summer hiatus. To all of you, we say, “Welcome back!”

At our summer meeting, your church council reviewed the list of projects that have been completed or are on-going in and around our church building. A lot of work has been done, much of which we can see, as well as some maintenance and repair items that aren’t as visible. We are amazed that this work has been done (and paid for!) without seeking additional loans. The council appreciates the financial commitment and support of the congregation. We are already starting the budget process for 2023 and look forward to that support as we continue and grow our work.

It is an exciting time and a wonderful thing to welcome all to our beautiful church home.

Sincerely,

Susan Otto, Council President

Upcoming Worship August/September

Join us for special worship services with varying times over the next few weeks.

  • Aug. 21: 8:30am (Sanctuary) & 10am (Memorial Gardens), 10am Spanish (East Hall)
  • Aug. 28: 8:30 & 10am (Sanctuary), 10am Spanish (East Hall)
  • Sept. 4: 9:30am Combined worship (Sanctuary), 10am Spanish worship (East Hall)
  • Sept. 11: 8:30 & 10am (Sanctuary), 10am Spanish (East Hall)
  • Sept. 18: Welcome Home Worship, 10am Bilingual (Sanctuary) (Rally Day)

The Light Shines in the Darkness

As I reflect on the current state of our world, I find myself overcome by moments of sadness and anger. And I imagine many if not all of you who read this can relate in some way. The level of people’s stress, uncertainty, fear, worry, and anxiety are elevated to unhealthy levels and daily I hear from people at a loss about what to do or where to turn for comfort much less find any answers how to make things better. 

And even though I’m skilled and experienced in dealing with difficult, stressful, and traumatic circumstances I too need to be careful not to allow these things to overwhelm me. From lost jobs, failed relationships, and difficult diagnoses, to parade tragedies, mass shootings in schools and churches, senseless global wars, political division, environmental destruction, and a global pandemic that just won’t go away, it seems there are plenty of reasons for fear, worry and sadness and sometimes it all feels like a lot to take in.

So, what are we to do then? Where will we find rest or relief from these things that pull us further away from the abundant life that God promises? I know that many of you are exhausted and discouraged, and wonder what’s the use in trying, but I urge you not to give up – don’t lose hope – even if you can’t see the light right now. You are not alone in your suffering, and I don’t mean this to be grim or discouraging, instead I want to remind you that you are not alone – that you do not bear your struggles, grief, fear, sadness, or any of it alone.

In this, I hope you will find encouragement to keep moving forward, keep believing in the possibility of a different reality, keep working toward changing and improving – yourself, your family, your workplace, your church, your neighborhood, community, country, and world. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) God is reminding us that the darkness in our lives can never extinguish the light, there is always hope, there is always possibility. “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

My friends, I pray that you will trust in God’s promise, presence, and strength to be with you and carry you through this and every difficult season of life. Even as I struggle alongside you, please know that I am grateful to be on the journey alongside you holding you and our world in prayer, confident that God is working in all things to bring us the peace, joy, and abundant future God is preparing for us. And I hope that each of us will see the worship, community, and ministries here at Ascension as a beacon of God’s light in the darkness and as we do may we each know God’s peace that passes all understanding.

Pastor Tony

A Month of New Learning

I am three months away from finishing my internship serving both the English and Spanish speaking communities at Ascension. There has been a lot of learning and a lot of experiences! Before beginning these 18 months of pastoral internship, I spoke with Pastor Tony and Pastor Chris about how important it was for me to have more participation in the ministry in English. Both pastors have shown me their collaboration and have opened spaces for me to gain confidence through practice.

July was a month filled with much learning — Family fun night, celebration of a quinceañera, serving in two services in English, covering for a Latino pastor from another church who was on vacation, preparing and officiating my first funeral in Spanish, and singing the Kyrie in English for the first time.

Family Fun Night: It was wonderful to see people from the English ministry and the Spanish ministry play together. What happened to the language barrier? Let me tell you that language was not a barrier. We all enjoyed and lived as one family.

Singing: Several months ago I had a conversation with Vicki Taylor. I told her that I wanted to learn to sing in English and Spanish. Even though the music director doesn’t know Spanish, she is doing her best teaching me once a week to sing the Kyrie in both languages. And as you have been able to see, this month I was finally able to achieve my goal of singing the Kyrie in both languages. I was far more nervous the first time I had to sing in Spanish. Hopefully you couldn’t see my knees shaking the first time!

Leading the services in English: Four months ago Pastor Tony told me: “Edwin, in July, I have a family vacation. I will not be in the church one weekend. I am going to find a pastor to come and officiate the services that Sunday, and you can help him in the 8:30 a.m. service.” My response was: “No Pastor Tony, I am in a learning process. This is a great opportunity for me. You do not need to find another pastor, I will officiate both services in English. And I will look for a substitute for the service in Spanish.” Well, let me tell you that the anxiety in me was present during both services, however God through the Holy Spirit helped me control the anxiety. I humbly admit that I need to improve to lead the service in English, but I know these first steps are part of a long journey of learning.

Substitute Pastor at Faith /Santa Fe in Milwaukee: For the first time I had the opportunity to lead a Latino Sunday service at a different congregation in the US. The congregation and I learned a lot. They had the opportunity to experience an Ascension-Waukesha style service incorporating a message for children, not just the adults. I learned that Sunday services do not start at the time they are scheduled; the service was scheduled at 12 p.m., but we finally started at 12:30 p.m. A little different compared to Waukesha! Here the service starts at 10 a.m. with people or without people; by the time of the children’s sermon, we usually have a full sanctuary. However, for me it is important to experience what the services of other Latino ministries of the synod are like.

Quinceañera: I had the opportunity to officiate a quinceañera celebration for a family at Faith / Santa Fe. In the meeting with the family for the preparations, it was agreed that the service would start at 3 p.m. with quinceañera or without quinceañera (the girl being celebrated). One day before the celebration, the musicians and the president of the council told me: “Let’s hope we start on time.” The wonderful thing was that we managed to start the service at 3 p.m. Both sides learned!

My first funeral: The Sunday that I was serving at Faith / Santa Fe, after the service, a family approached me to ask if I could officiate at their funeral service on Tuesday of that same week. I had originally been asked to cover for the Sunday service, then they added the quinceañera. No one had mentioned a funeral and now I had just one day to make plans. That Sunday afternoon I received the authorization from the bishop, and on Monday morning I had the meeting with the family to plan the service and for the burial.

July was a month full of many experiences inside and outside the community. As people of God, we just have to be attentive to every detail in our lives to see the new things that the Lord wants us to know.

I will instruct you and teach you the way to go, I will advise you and I will keep my eyes on you.

Psalm 32.8

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish Language Minister

Music Ministry Begins

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

Psalm 100:1-2

 You are invited to join in making a joyful noise with the Ascension music ensembles! Join us in September, or at any time throughout the year. Contact Vicki Taylor with questions or to sign up.

Ascension Choir Begins Sept. 7

The Ascension Choir provides musical leadership in worship approximately three Sundays per month, primarily at the 8:30 service (occasionally at 10:45), and at special evening worship services throughout the church year. 

Ages high school through adult
Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Sanctuary

Ascension Ringers Handbell Choir Begins Sept. 7

Joining the Ascension Ringers does not call for previous experience with handbells, but does  require the ability to read music. Reading music is an acquired skill and those interested in learning to read music with the goal of joining the handbell choir are encouraged to contact Vicki Taylor, Director of Music Ministries to arrange learning opportunities.

The handbell choir rings 5 octaves of Malmark handbells and 5 ½ octaves of Malmark handchimes. Ascension Ringers provide music in worship once per month, primarily at the 8:30 service (occasionally at 10:45), and at special services throughout the church year.

Ages high school through adult
Wednesdays, 6:00-7:15 p.m., Sanctuary

Ascension Children’s Choir Begins Oct. 6

The Children’s Choir sings approximately every 4-6 weeks, rotating between the 8:30, 10:45, and Spanish Language worship services.

Grades K-6
Thursdays, 5:00-5:40, Music Room

Instrumentalists

Instrumentalists of all ages and stages are invited to offer their musical gifts in worship; contact Vicki Taylor, vicki@ascensionelca.org, to indicate interest.