Adventures, Risks & Rewards

If you have been in worship on any Sunday in the month of June, there is no doubt you have heard the pastors talk about preparing for Adventure Camp, praying for Adventure Camp, or giving thanks for returning home from Adventure Camp. It is always a week full of surprises. Junior high students who tell us they are not planning to swim – eventually end up in the water. Students who look up at the height of the zipline towers and tell us they are not going to zipline – eventually find themselves flying down a cable at 30 mph. It is always a surprise to see them rise to the challenge, proving to us and themselves that they can do hard things. To do hard things we often must take risks. Those risks can often be accompanied by a list of questions before we commit:

Am I brave enough? What will happen? Can I do this? Who is watching? What will others say?

Those questions might fly through the thoughts of a junior high student before they take the risk. I find it amusing that many of us probably ask those same questions as we consider stepping out of our comfort zone into something new. For the junior high students there is great reward for their courage. Feelings of satisfaction, accomplishment, pride, validation – all contribute to their next big decision. Usually, the next zipline platform where they must leap into thin air, once again, with only the cable to keep them airborne. What we often witness is the willingness of students to make the leap once again. Once you have decided to leap; once you have taken the first step; once you let go from being completely in control and trust that God’s got you- the journey is usually far beyond what any junior high student or any one of us can imagine.

It is a good reminder for each of us. The adventure is worth the risk. In life, in faith – the actual risk is far less scary than the risk we have built up in our minds before we step off the platform. I have been walking alongside our Monday night Amen group as we have studied the book, “Wild at Heart.” The book invites us to consider what it is to be a man of faith in the world today. It might be a little bit dated in its examples, but the book has provided some incredible moments of risk as men around the table have found themselves brave enough to ask deep questions, share honestly, and risk a moment of vulnerability in a world where vulnerability is often looked upon as weakness. I am grateful for their willingness to dig deep on Monday nights. Grateful they have chosen to take the risk.

We often talk about this life of faith for the ways in which we follow Jesus – gather in worship, kneel in prayer, serve in selflessness. Important attributes of a life of faith. Yet, I recognize that our worship, prayers, and service are not often risky. Sure, come to worship at Ascension and Pastor Chris might call you by name at one time or another during worship. Risky, maybe? Yes, worship at Ascension and you might find someone introducing themselves by name and asking for yours? Risky, maybe. Is the risk worth the reward? It absolutely is. And so is every other part of this journey of faith Jesus invites us to live. 

At one of our AMEN Monday nights, one man asked how we hear the voice of God. I explained that in all my life, I do not know that I have ever heard God speak to me in words. I believe I have felt God’s presence in countless moments of music, times of prayer, reflective pauses where I was able to close off the distractions of this world. One man described the presence of God in his life as that moment when there was an overwhelming sense of peace, almost a warmth, that surrounded him. So often, in our rush to the next adventure, we are often unable or unwilling to pay attention to such fleeting moments and yet , if we are willing to take the risk of being open to what God might be doing, there can be great reward in the risk of letting go of what we know to be wrapped in what we so often can only imagine, namely – the very presence of God. It is risky to let go, to surrender to the presence of God. But my friends, that is often when the adventure begins. Here is to all the adventures ahead – to the glory of God.

See you in Church,

Pastor Chris

Jump Into June

The gray days of May are out of the way. Hopefully! There were long stretches of days of gray in May that reminded me of weeks and months of gray days in Tacoma, WA while I was an undergrad at Pacific Lutheran University. I learned to appreciate the gray days while I waited for the few precious days when the sun would shine brightly across the campus. Gray days made it easier to study and write papers and be in class. On the days when the sun brought warmth to the campus, everyone moved outside to revel in the warmth of the sun’s rays.

Today, on the campus of Ascension, the sun is shining. It is beautiful. The leaves move just enough to tell us a breeze is blowing. The Memorial Gardens, flowerbeds, and butterfly garden are alive with blossoms and fresh, tender green leaves. As I type, I contemplate moving my laptop outside. I am grateful for countless hands with dirt under their fingernails that have tended our garden beds and renewed this house of God in spectacular ways as a sign of hope within the community of Waukesha. We give thanks to God for the countless hours that many of you have offered to bless this house of worship with grounds that give glory to God.

Although our regular ministry programming slows down in the summer months, it is always a good time to enjoy the gift of God’s creation. Our 10:45 a.m. service moves to 10 a.m. and is outside in the Memorial Gardens behind the church on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. The Praise Band provides the music and we still do all the things – music, prayer, children’s time, reading, sermon, and communion. It is BYOC (bring your own chair) and we will enjoy BBQ on the 1st Sunday of each month offered by AMEN (men’s ministry). You are invited to bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Friday, June 2, is the beginning of the Synod Assembly for the Greater Milwaukee Synod at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. Pastor Tony, Edwin, and I are hosting worship for the Synod once again this year. If you have free time from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. we would love to have your help setting-up the ballroom and preparing the worship space. We would also happily host you at lunch in the Third Ward … something to think about. You can send me an email if you are interested, pc@ascensionelca.org.

JOLT leaves for Adventure Camp in the Wisconsin Dells area on Sunday, June 11, around 2 p.m. for three days of adventure and “challenge by choice.” Your prayers are appreciated. June 11, we are also hosting the Rev. Roy Nelson from Hope Center to share with us the new plans for the remodel and move of the old Chase Bank location downtown into the new Hope Center. Plans are already in progress. Roy is excited too. He will present during worship and then in-between services to share the many layers of ministry addressing homelessness, hunger, and other challenges facing a number of men, women, and families in Waukesha.

We will also meet at 11:30 a.m. on June 11, for a congregational meeting to vote to call Edwin Aparicio as our third pastor here at Ascension. You must be present to vote. Assuming the vote is a yes, and Edwin says yes, there is a Service of Ordination tentatively scheduled for Sunday, June 25, at 3:30 p.m. with a dinner reception to follow. We will be hosting a delegation of friends from our partner churches in El Salvador during the week of the 19th of June all the way through the ordination. And before you know it, June 29 will arrive and 12 of our members will travel to Tanzania to renew our partnership with our sister churches – Samaria, Neema, and Galilaya in addition to our two elementary schools, one secondary school, rehab center, special needs school, and coffee project. We return on July 10. Watch the Facebook page updates and pictures, pictures, pictures.

And on a personal note, you have been so incredibly gracious and caring in receiving the news of my upcoming surgery. Thank you for your kind words and for your prayers before, during, and after. Ileen and I are grateful for your concern.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Facing Our Fears and Grief

What a way to start summer 2022! Adventure Camp with the confirmation youth and Latino Ministries Camp with the Spanish-speaking families of the Greater Milwaukee Synod and the South Central Synod all in the same week. In both activities it was my first participation with this type of ministry.

Adventure camp was a wonderful experience surrounded by many activities next to the wonderful natural resources that God has given us. I had the opportunity to live and interact with young people that I didn’t have the opportunity to connect with  during our confirmation classes. I was able to face my fear of heights during the rock climbing and zip line. If the confirmation students experiences were similar to mine, their parents will be happy to know that there was a lot of prayer at this church camp in those moments.

There was a lot of joy and a lot of energy, but my time at the lake and at the Kalahari were also filled with a lot of difficult moments and spiritual meditation. During the time at the lake my mind was thinking about my nephew Fabricio and wondering what he was feeling in those last moments of his life in the lake at Adventure Camp. Seeing the young people enjoying the Lily Pad that Pastor Tony and Pastor Chris rented and watching everyone’s joy motivated me to join them. I tried to enjoy the moment, but at the same time I had my eyes on all of them, mainly the two young men from the Latino Ministry who did not know how to swim.

Entering the Kalahari was another big moment. The day the tragedy happened, my wife and daughters and I were at the Kalahari. We were in the lobby outside of the water park when we received the news of Fabricio’s death. I told my wife we would never step foot in the Kalahari again, yet here I was. Let me be honest. When we were about to enter the Kalahari the only thing I said was “God, please I don’t want to receive any more bad news in this place.” We had only been inside for 10 minutes when suddenly I saw three missed calls from my brother Carlos and three calls from my dad. My anxiety went through the roof for a few minutes. The wonderful thing was that the calls weren’t about bad news, just mundane ordinary things.

My first experience in the camp with the young people has been very helpful for me personally because it has allowed me to face fear and uncertainty in those moments and places where I have had only bad experiences. It is difficult to face those bad memories, but it is important that we remember that the only way to get out of that cycle of fear is to walk through it. This is how we become more resilient people, facing difficult and even frightening situations. When we are walking through those moments of fear and grief, we do not walk alone. God walks alongside us.

Another activity in June was the family gathering held by all the Latino ministries of the Milwaukee Synod and the South Central Synod of Wisconsin. We had the presence of five Latino congregations. Families had the opportunity to meet and interact with other ministries in the area. They are even asking us when we will have our next family retreat. This retreat had been planned since 2019, but over the years it had been cancelled over and over again due to covid. The fact that families are asking for a family retreat in 2023 is a sign that there is a desire for interaction with other ministries. We will continue working so that our Latino ministry has more interaction activities within our Church and outside of it.

May you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit walking alongside you as you face your fears and moments of sadness. And may those moments be few and far between.

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish Language Minister