Partnership Update

El Salvador

El Salvador continues to be in a nation-wide lockdown due to the coronavirus. Schools and most businesses are closed. The agroferreterrias are closed, so those workers are without any income. Only one person per family is allowed to leave the house to go to the store; everyone else is expected to stay at home. There is a lot of fear about the virus and people who lived through the civil war are used to having to stay home and go without in order to stay safe, so there has not been much unrest about the lockdown.

The federal government has promised a one time emergency payment of $300 per family and most families in San Jorge have received their payments. Some families do not have current government ID cards, so they are still waiting for their payment. While $300 is a lot of money for most families in San Jorge, the cost of food in the local Super Selectos grocery store is the same or more than in our stores here in Wisconsin. The $300 will not go far. The municipal government is doing what it can to provide families with emergency supplies of food. As of now, the nearest case of coronavirus is in Santa Elena, about 8km from Usulután and 18km from San Jorge.

Pastor Julio and Pastora Blanca are beginning to use Facebook to share worship services and mid-week Bible study since many families have at least one smartphone. Neither one of them is familiar with technology, so their children are helping them. During this crisis, evangelical churches are loudly proclaiming that the end of times is here and people must join their church in order to be saved. These churches are beginning to grow as people continue to be afraid.

Tanzania

The good news from Tanzania is they are having sufficient rain and the crops are growing well. However, a recent report from Facebook tells us that the rains have intensified in the Meru area. On April 23, the floods destroyed over 50 homes and took two lives.

As of the writing of this article, there are 147 people in Tanzania with the coronavirus. Crowded markets and places of worship are still open, but schools and many other businesses are closed. There is no online or homeschooling. The markets have started to have some scarcity due to border closings. Their president continues to rely on prayer as the best method of preventing the spread of the virus. He has said that all worship services should continue and declared April 17-19 as days of prayer for people of all faiths against the virus. In spite of the president’s declarations, attendance is beginning to lessen at Samaria due to both fear of the virus and lack of transportation as many independent transportation operators have stopped driving people.

Pastor Makenge and other church leaders are traveling around the community, educating the members of Samaria about the coronavirus. Samaria leaders have shared concerns with us that people are not taking the virus seriously enough and worry that if the virus spreads, their country does not have the medical capacity to deal with an epidemic. Pastor Makenge has used some of the funds from Ascension to purchase hand sanitizer, handwashing stations, face masks and other medical supplies for Samaria and the other preaching points.

(Reprinted from the May 2020 newsletter.)

Holy Week 2020

Even in these days of the pandemic, we continue to mark the days of the journey of Jesus in life, in death, and in resurrection joy. Join with us as we worship in a new way, online (and in print in this newsletter).

Palm Sunday: “Hosanna in the highest!” will be our cry as we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into the gates of the holy city. We will celebrate the beginning of this holy week with the reminder that our expectations and God’s expectations are not always exactly the same. Where the people want a powerful king, Jesus comes as a suffering servant riding a donkey. Through our online worship experience, we will be reminded of the coming of the promised Messiah – the chosen one of God. This worship will be posted on Palm Sunday morning.

Maundy Thursday: We will gather in the upper room with Jesus and the disciples to celebrate the Last Supper. This year, we will hear words of confession and forgiveness and be reminded of the powerful image of the Savior washing the feet of the disciples. As is tradition, we will honor the memory of Jesus’ humiliation at the hands of those in power before he is led to the cross to be crucified by the stripping of the altar and the chanting of Psalm 22. This worship will be posted on Maundy Thursday at 6 p.m.

Good Friday: The ancient title for this day is “the Triumph of the Cross.” A reminder for us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ’s life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the cross as a symbol of new life. We will share in the unfolding drama as Jesus is led to the cross. We will hear the Seven Last Words of our Savior from the cross. And we will give witness to the closing of the tomb. This worship will be posted on Good Friday at 6 p.m.

Easter Sunday: First we hear only hoped for whispers on the wind. Resurrection? Are you sure? We gather to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus, the Christ. We will hear the story of that first Easter sunrise and be surrounded by the joyful sounds of songs that have been sung for generations and songs that new generations are singing. This worship will be posted on Easter Sunday at sunrise around 6:15 a.m. on our website and Facebook.

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

The Wilderness of Lent

I wonder where you are in this wilderness of Lent. From ashes marked on our foreheads weeks ago on Ash Wednesday to our entrance into the wilderness and the story of the journey of Nicodemus, who travels at night, to visit Jesus – Lent is not exactly a quiet ride. Add to this season, the unfolding drama of the coronavirus and the up and down of the stock market and well, perhaps you are considering just staying home in hopes that the wilderness will calm down and then you can venture out once again.

The reality for most of us is that we cannot simply barricade ourselves inside our homes waiting and praying for the world to calm down. In fact, our call from Jesus is to “be in the world but not of the world.” In Matthew 10, Jesus shares these words, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” The world around us can often feel like a wilderness we are forced to navigate instead of a paradise to be enjoyed. In truth, I live with both ideas of approach. The wilderness can bring great challenge but also provide excitement, adventure, and new understanding. When I find myself in the wilderness, I know that I will be expected to reexamine my ideas and renew my understanding of how the world works or at least how I think the world works.

On March 8, we celebrated a new thing at Ascension. We hosted a new mission outreach ministry – a Winter Farmer’s Market in the midst of all the other excitement that a Sunday morning at Ascension offers. We could have put lots of rules and confines around the farmer’s market experience – it can only happen between this time and that time; it can only be in these spaces. Instead, as the planning unfolded, we simply tended the details that arrived at our doorstep and did our best to approach each new wrinkle as an opportunity to be welcomed not a problem to be solved. The Farmer’s Market was a huge success. After all was said and done, the Food, Faith, and Farming Network’s 8th and final farmer’s market of the winter season was its second-best sales totals for the season. I am grateful to Lynn Parkhurst who championed this first Winter Farmer’s Market. I am grateful still more for the countless individuals who stepped out of their comfort zones to help cook, set-up, serve, clean-up, host and greet. As with any venture into the wilderness, we will have some adjustments to make before next year – but for a first experience – Ascension was a wonderful partner for the Food, Faith, and Farming Network.

It turns out that I seem to always expect the wilderness to be a place of struggle. What I often find is that the wilderness is much less about the struggle and far more about learning new ways of walking with others. What more would Jesus ask of us in the wilderness of this Lenten season?
I wonder if I have asked for too much time walking with others. Well not with all of you but with my wife, my children, my dog. Already I have entered into a new wilderness with my family inside the ever-shrinking walls of our house. It is a new experience to have so much togetherness on this journey of Lent. Usually, I long for more of you to gather for worship, for soup, for ministry. Yet, in this moment, I could use a little bit of space and some really long walks to provide space for all of our family members in the wilderness this year. Social distancing at its finest – I think. Our house has never been so clean. Our basement has been purged. The laundry room/mud room is organized. And soon the garage. But then what? Holy Week will be upon us and we will walk the road from the gates of Jerusalem to the upper room to Calvary to an empty tomb – all of that walking happening in solitary and silent moments. The crowds that gathered to welcome Jesus into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are silent – yet still Jesus comes. The disciples who gathered with Jesus in the upper room are absent – yet still Jesus prays. The people who gathered at the foot of the cross will be far more distant this year – yet still Jesus remembers us. And come Easter dawn – there will be no visitors at the tomb – yet still Jesus rises.

We now know that we will not gather together in worship until the beginning of May at the earliest. A long time to be apart. Our plan, when we are allowed to gather once again, is to mark our first Sunday back together as our “homecoming Sunday.” A chance to engage, connect, celebrate, weep, and rejoice for the long night that will be over. And then hold on! The following Sunday – will bring us together for the great celebration of Easter and the joy of the resurrection. No longer apart and alone. Now all together as we praise our God. Thanks be to God!

Until I see you in church.
Pastor Chris

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

A Word from Council

It’s hard to sit at the computer today, Sunday, March 15. It’s time for church and the doors are closed. What a strange feeling. At the council meeting on Saturday, surrounded by council members and staff, making that decision to close the doors of Ascension through March 29. It was a decision not easily made. None of us have been through this or experienced this before. The best is to look for opportunities in the midst of obstacles.

The closing maybe hard, but also gives us an opportunity to dig deeper in our faith, trust in the love of God. Set aside time – talk to God, pray, read your Bible or devotions. Rest. Turn off the TV for a while. Stay in touch with family – including your church family. Finish that long forgotten project. Take a walk. Yes, and even get your spring cleaning done early. We can do this.

One last note, Ascension is a living and viable influence on us and in our community. It needs your support financially, so it can make a real living impact to our community and our love of God. Please continue to give to Ascension. I am available by email. Please let me know if you have a concern or question or just want me to call you and talk. Looking forward to seeing all of you soon. I know in my heart that great things will be happening at Ascension this year because all of you make a difference.

With God’s love and our faith, we can do anything.

Karen Simington
Council President

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

Latino Ministries Update

Our Spanish-speaking families are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic just as our English-speaking families have been.

Most of the families have at least one family member that works in landscaping, so they just returned back to work after many months of unemployment. Most of the other employed members work in fast food, so they appreciate you continuing to visit drive-throughs since they have had their hours reduced. At the same time, they are worried about still working when much of the world is isolated for safety. Several of the families have six to eight people living in a two bedroom apartment, so they are very much looking forward to social isolation programs coming to an end.

Our Latino families are missing the feeling community at church and are especially saddened at the cancellation of Holy Week (Semana Santa) activities. In Spanish-speaking countries, this is the biggest holiday week of the year.

Edwin has been in frequent contact with the families, with regular phone calls. He has also been holding Sunday services and nearly daily devotions on Facebook. The primary goal has been to provide a moment of reflection, comfort, and worship for the Spanish-speaking members of Ascension. Pastors in many Spanish-speaking countries are not comfortable with social media, so these videos have filled a gap in many other countries as well.

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

Ascension’s Mission Partners & Coronavirus

El Salvador
El Salvador began to prepare for the coronavirus by closing schools, limiting large gatherings, and closing the borders to non-citizens on March 11. In the days that followed, there began to be laws limiting travel within the country. The first cases of the virus arrived from Spain on March 18. As of the writing of this article, there are 13 confirmed cases. There have been lots of photos on social media of our friends wearing facemasks. With the airport closed by the government, many American citizens and residents that were visiting El Salvador are now stuck there indefinitely. Included in that number are Benecio and Marta Liliana Aparicio who winter in El Salvador and were planning to return to Waukesha at the beginning of April. Church in San Jorge and Usulután is on hold until the virus has passed. For now, Pastor Julio and Pastora Blanca are calling members by phone to keep in touch. The agroferreterias have been forced to close and they are not able to pay their employees during this time. Pastor Julio has asked Ascension for help with this. All of the churches in the Greater Milwaukee have received a request from Bishop Gomez about packages of emergency food supplies for pastors throughout the country that are not receiving pay during this time. If you are interested in making an offering to support either of these needs, please contact Sarah Aparicio.

Tanzania
Pastor Makenge sent us a message on March 16 the moment it made the news that the first case of coronavirus was identified in Tanzania. The first case was in Arusha, which is in the same part of the country where our sister parish, Samaria parish, is located. As of the writing of this article, there are 13 confirmed cases, with most of them in the area around Mount Meru. Pastor Makenge, like many Tanzanians, has taken to wearing a facemask much of the time. Schools and large gatherings have been cancelled, but the president has stated he wants religious worship services to go forward as normal. The preaching points of the Samaria parish now have hand sanitizer and buckets of water for people to wash their hands when they arrive at church. They are planning to discontinue Sunday School and confirmation classes, but at the moment, they plan to continue worship as normal. The people are staying home more often than normal, but there is no social distancing at this point. There is great fear of their ability to recover from a pandemic related recession.

If there are any big changes with either partnership, we will keep you posted on the Mission Outreach Facebook page, facebook.com/Ascension.ELCA.MO/.

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

Worship & Ministry Cancellations

Dear Friends,

As we live through this season in the unknown of a new wilderness, I am sharing with you the decisions made by the Ascension Church Council as of this morning, Saturday, March 14, with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. In keeping with the guidelines put forward by public health organizations and in listening to the advice and counsel of members of our church community who work in the medical field as doctors and nurses, the Church Council has made the difficult decision to close the church building to ALL events effective immediately.

This means that through the end of the month of March, we will not offer any onsite activities. Worship, BLAST, JOLT, small groups, soup suppers, office hours, daytime activities – are all suspended through March 29 when the Church Council will re-evaluate the situation.

To continue to be a church community and to foster connection, Ascension will be offering messages of hope and faith through our website, Youtube channel, and Facebook. If you have a need for pastoral care, please call the church office or email a staff member.

Please know that the staff and council continue to tend the needs of our community and the building during this time. Because we will not be collecting offerings in church, we encourage you to consider online giving or mailing in your offering.

Our prayers are with you and our brothers and sisters throughout the world as we navigate this new reality. Take heart and do not be afraid and please, my friends, be safe and wash your hands.

Pastor Chris

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. ~ Isaiah 41:10

Coronavirus Update

It’s difficult to keep up with all the breaking news this week, but we are working to be responsible and healthy as we minister in Christ together as a congregation. I’m so thankful for all of you. We are keeping the health and wellness of our community, and communities across the globe, in prayer this day.

Based on everything we’ve received and read so far, I think we have been taking the correct steps as a congregation around COVID-19, and I’m proposing these additional action steps and preparations moving forward:

For worship this Sunday, we will change our worship practices. From the moment you enter the church, we will ask greeters to simply greet you by voice but without touch of handshake or hug. We will ask all of us to refrain from handshaking and hugging. (At Ascension that can be really difficult for us but absolutely necessary in tending the health and care of each other.) The offering plates will not be passed but placed on stands where you can share your offering. We will also no longer share the peace during worship. During communion, we will no longer offer the common cup or bread. Everyone will be invited to receive a wafer and drink from individual cups. After worship, Tony, Edwin, and I will not greet in receiving line where there is a temptation to shake hands. Additionally, please know we have already implemented additional cleaning measures around the church.

The staff has met and the church council is meeting this weekend to make sure all necessary steps are in place for us to continue ministry whether we gather in person or via the internet. Last night, in speaking with our Director of Care Ministries, Brenda Lytle, RN, we have decided to discontinue pastoral assistant visits to all members. If you are in need of a visit, you may reach out to the church office or Pastor Chris.

It is a strong possibility that we will choose to close the building to all outside community groups and ministry activities this coming Sunday. If that becomes the reality, we will inform you as quickly as possible.

If we cancel worship and other events for a period of time, we will offer additional communication in various formats, providing spiritual resources (worship/sermons on our website, Youtube channel, and Facebook and by e-alerts). We also encourage you to consider online giving. Remember that setting up recurring online giving is the best way to ensure financial support of our church. Please know that the staff and council continue to tend the needs of our community and the building during this time.

This is a continually-evolving situation and could change tomorrow or next week. We will keep you updated. We’re in this together. My prayers for peace surround each of you and our brothers and sisters around the world.

Pastor Chris

The Value of the Lenten Journey

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” —Isaiah 58:6-7

The words of the prophet Isaiah are particularly fitting for our journey into the season of Lent. A couple of years ago I wrote a newsletter article on the season of Lent. I revisited those words in preparation for this coming Lent. Even the word “Lent” has become foreign to much of the world. And should you desire to deepen your relationship with God or sacrifice some aspect of your life in reverence and obedience to following God, you will no doubt be met with strange looks and questioning glances from those you might choose to share the faith journey you travel.

And yet, I am here to tell you that there is value in the journey of Lent. A season of 40 days of wilderness wanderings where, even in our presumed loneliness or suffering, God is present. As we are reminded of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, our own Lenten journeys can be opportunities for us to learn new directions; discern God’s will for our lives; and experience deeper moments in our worship and in our relationships with others. Regardless of the road you choose to travel in these days of Lent, God is with you. I believe, God has a deep desire to know you more deeply so that you can learn your value and worth through God’s eyes. And in learning your own value and worth, we can begin to understand that value and worth of those around us. Where each person is both a treasured creation of God and a beloved child of God.

It sounds good on paper; in reality we must find ways to let go of who we think we are in order to learn who we are in the eyes of God. The same is true for our brothers and sisters who sit next to us in worship; live across the street; gather at our borders and learn the story of God’s love for their own lives in the far corners of this world. What will this world look like when all God’s people walk together towards one Kingdom where all are welcome, and all are valued as beloved children of God. My friends, we have a long way to travel this season. My hope is that you will consider stepping into the wilderness of your life to find where God is leading you. Until everyone is given honor, freedom, and love…to the glory of God.

See you in the wilderness.

Pastor Chris
(Reprinted from the March 2020 newsletter)

Latino Ministry at Ascension

Who are the Latinos of Waukesha? Many people believe that nearly all Latinos in Waukesha are Mexican, except for the Salvadorans in the Latino ministry at Ascension. The Latino community in Waukesha is a diverse community with Spanish speakers from all over the Western hemisphere, with a wide variety of cultures and dialects. In the month of February alone, I have accompanied a family from Venezuela at their immigration hearing, met with a family from Ecuador that has begun to attend our tutoring program, and had a pastoral visit at the home of a young Puerto Rican woman suffering from cancer. In some of these situations, the people I have ministered to are fluent in English, but there is special comfort in praying in their first language in times of uncertainty, stress, and failing health.

I am receiving more calls and texts from Latino families in Waukesha that want to learn more about prayers, baptisms, and weddings at Ascension. Slowly the word is getting into the community that you can have your infant baptized without paying the $200 that some churches in Waukesha charge for baptism. Prayers are also free, not $50 a prayer. This year, we will have an Ash Wednesday service in Spanish and our first quinceañera service. It is a blessing for many Latino families to know they can have the same religious celebrations they remember from their Catholic youth without paying the high prices. They are grateful to have a new faith home.

Edwin Aparicio
(Reprinted from the March 2020 newsletter)