Looking Forward, Looking Back

Going to university in the United States is different than in my country. In the place where I grew up, university options are few and the application processes are different and much shorter. Few people live on campus, so your choices are limited to what is on the local bus line for daily commuting. Here the processes are longer and there are more requirements in the process of applying. I experienced this myself when I went to seminary. I was blessed because God put people on my path who guided me throughout my process. And to be honest, as I looked for a Lutheran seminary that would allow me to stay in Waukesha, I didn’t need to explore many options. But for many young people, there are a multitude of options. More options are wonderful things, but the flip side is that it makes the decision more stressful.

But what happens to those young immigrants who want to go to university but do not have anyone to explain it to them and walk with them in that process? As part of my new position, I am leading the high school ministry. Many of the high school juniors and seniors I am working with are going through the process of choosing and applying for college. If I don’t know what this process looks like, it makes it difficult for me to have empathy and understanding for what these young people are experiencing.

This fall, I have the opportunity to accompany a young woman from the Latino ministry as she visits some universities. We had the opportunity to attend Warhawk Preview Day at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and later on we will be attending a similar day at the ELCA’s own Carthage College. Both the young woman and I learned about the steps needed to be accepted into schools. Not only did we learn about the application process, but we were also able to obtain information about the costs and scholarships available, especially in this particular situation, for immigrants. The costs of studying are high but there are various options to obtain scholarships and help with costs. This was a wonderful experience for me because I had the opportunity to learn about and experience the process of choosing a university in the United States. As a Latino Pastor, I believe that it is important to know about these processes because it will allow me to give better guidance to those young people who want to go to university but do not have anyone to walk with them. I also am able to more fully understand the pressure our CRASH families face as they fill out mountains of paperwork and balance the options to make the best decision for their future.

While our high school families are looking to the future, at this time of the year our Latino families are preparing to remember loved ones that have passed away. As many of you already know, the Day of the Dead is a celebration that takes place in the first days of the month of November in Latin American countries. The celebrations in many countries are different. In some places the celebration consists of visiting the cemetery on November 2 and decorating the grave with flowers. Families usually bring food, drinks and even music to brighten the time. In other countries, the party is a little more extensive and bigger. The decorations are not only carried out in the cemetery but are also carried out in each of the homes.

As a way to honor these traditions, on Sunday, Nov. 5, we will create a small altar so families can bring their photos and flowers. After the worship, we invite you to join our potluck lunch and to watch the movie Coco (in Spanish)  in West Hall. We hope you join us!

Pastor Edwin

Advent & Christmas 2023

Join us this Advent and Christmas season for this inspiring activties and worship opportunities. Let the light of world shine in your life this season.

Deck the Halls of Ascension

9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, to prepare the church campus for the season of Advent and Christmas. 

Jubilate Chorale Christmas Concerts

Usher in the Christmas season with the Jubilate Chorale and Friends as they present Song in the Night on Saturday, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., St. John’s Lutheran Church, Brookfield, and on Sunday, Dec. 3, 3 p.m., St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa. Tickets are available from Ascension members Scott Greger and Vicki Taylor, or jubilatechorale.org.

Advent/Christmas Concert Worship

The musicians of Ascension will offer Advent/Christmas Concert worship on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 9:30 a.m. followed by brunch. Invite a friend and join choirs, praise band, handbells, and instrumentalists for concert worship on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Sunday, Dec. 10.

The Annunciation / Festival of Guadalupe

We will have a 5:30 a.m. worship in Spanish on Tuesday, Dec. 12, the day of Guadalupe, to remember the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary. Mariachis will lead the music and we will have a potluck breakfast following worship.

Children’s Christmas Program

BLAST children will share the joy of Jesus’ birth through story and song at 10:45 worship on Sunday, Dec. 17. Rehearsal for BLAST children’s Christmas program is Saturday, Dec. 16, 9-11am.

Las Posadas

Remembering the journey of the holy family through the streets of Bethlehem where they were turned away again and again until an innkeeper took pity on their plight. This event, hosted by our Spanish-speaking members, continues to grow year after year. Incredible food, a mariachi band, and a pinata round out the night. It is a glorious gathering of the multicultural community of Ascension. It begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, with hot cocoa and coffee. Mark your calendars.

Christmas Eve Worship

Sunday, Dec. 24, 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. (Regular Sunday morning worship at 8:30 a.m. for Fourth Sunday of Advent; no 10:45 worship on Dec. 24). Spanish worship will only be offered at 1 p.m.

Christmas Day Worship

Monday, Dec. 25, 10 a.m.

Amazing Grace

Jesus told his disciples “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” This is a direct command to share the Gospel message to all those who do not yet know it. The question we should ask ourselves is what kind of Gospel has been shared? A Gospel of forgiveness, joy, peace, love and hope? Or are we sharing a Gospel of fear and punishment?

As many of you know, I had to travel to El Salvador to hold my dad’s funeral in my homeland. Funerals in my country and in most Latin American countries are different from funerals here. During the vigil, family, neighbors and friends gather to accompany the family in their grief. As soon as the community knows that a person has passed away, they arrive at the family home to sit with the family. The home of the deceased is filled with the singing of hymns, crying, praying, preaching, and eating tamales, day and night. No one sleeps until after the funeral and burial.

I made the decision to preach here and also preach in the land where I grew up. On the night of the vigil, we had a service. My former pastors from El Salvador Pastora Blanca and Pastor Julio were in charge of the evening service, and I was in charge of the funeral service. As I was preparing my preaching for the funeral, one of the things that came to mind was that the message I was going to share was going to shock everyone in attendance.

My message focused solely on the salvation that Christ brought to the entire world… The Gospel affirms that salvation is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to pay the price for the sins of humanity… He opened the way for us to eternal life… The tomb will never be closed again… Christ defeated death, death no longer has power over us… if Christ is resurrected, we will also be resurrected…salvation is by grace and not by works…. After the death of Lazarus, Jesus told Martha, ​​“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”… A few verses later, when Jesus saw that Mary was still doubting, He said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”… Grace leads us to salvation, not works… works are the result of the work that God is already doing in us… salvation is a gift from God… Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”

A day after this message, family, friends and pastors said that some people had said that they had never heard of God’s grace before. A pastor told me that a member of his church asked her if we are saved by grace and not by works, then why you have preached to us that we are saved by works. I knew that these reactions were going to happen. I knew it because where I’m from they don’t know about grace. They have been about punishment, fear and resentment. Catholics, Evangelicals and even some Lutherans share salvation through works and not by grace.

On my way back home to Waukesha, I was thinking about all the reactions that grace had provoked in the minds and hearts of many. More than 2000 years have passed since grace came to us and there are still people in many parts of the world who do not know it. Brothers and sisters, as we continue on this continuous journey of learning and discernment, let the light of Christ continue to illuminate us to share the message of grace with all those who have not yet received it. 

Pastor Edwin

Ordination & Installation

By the grace of God and the call of the Holy Spirit, the honor of your presence in worship and prayer is requested by the community of Ascension Lutheran Church at the ordination and installation of Edwin Alexander Aparicio Ortez into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

3:30 p.m., Sunday, June 25, 2023
Ascension Lutheran Church
1415 Dopp Street, Waukesha, WI  53188

A dinner reception will follow the worship service.

Bishop Paul Erickson – Greater Milwaukee Synod, Presiding
Reverend Christian Marien, Preaching

Clergy are invited to vest and process for worship. The color of the day is red.

What’s Next?

Graduation is now a memory. As you know, on Sunday, May 14, my family and I had a wonderful weekend. My wife even took a day off of work for the first time to extend our stay in Dubuque. On Friday, we visited the aquarium before heading to the seminary. My daughters, Marta and Luisa, were very surprised when they saw Wartburg for the first time. Luisa said this, “Did Daddy go to Harry Potter’s school?” Having toured the building a bit, Luisa wanted to visit the seminary playground. Marta and I joined the cricket game for faculty, students and their families. Marta loved cricket and she’s ready to bring it to Ascension.

Edwin graduating from seminary,
May 2023

Saturday was a day of much practice and celebration. My daughters were part of the baccalaureate procession, so even they had to attend practice. That evening we all attended the banquet where families and friends participated and witnessed the wonderful stories of this brilliant Christian community called Wartburg Theological Seminary.

After four years of waiting — Sunday — graduation day arrived, but the day did not start the way I wanted it to start. I realized that morning that in my excitement I had never written the prayers of the people to send to Pastor Jay, who was subbing for me at Ascension. I stayed in the hotel room, but in my excitement, it took me longer to write the prayers than usual. Finally, my parents-in-law offered to drive to campus with our daughters to save us seats. They got there just in time to get the last seats in the last row! Finally, the prayers were finished, I emailed them to Pastor Tony. My wife and I arrived at seminary and we were able to walk in one minute before the procession started. 

In the afternoon, we had the graduation ceremony. During the ceremony, I was flooded with memories. Remembering my past as a child in my country El Salvador, memories of my time working with the Iglesia Luterana Salvadareña, thought of the ever-present support of the Ascension community, and reflections of all the things my family had to bear due to my absence and my stress. At last the diploma was placed in my hands. The first thing I did was check my name. It was misspelled in the program, so I was worried, but they got it right where it matters — my diploma was written correctly. 

In the month of May, I received an invitation from the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Service of the ELCA to participate in a workshop in Mexico from June 5 to June 9. The workshop consists of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Processes for companions in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. This will be my first learning experience in this type of event.

The continuous life of learning and discernment continues. A cycle has ended. Now, I’m waiting for what the Holy Spirit says about the next journey he has prepared for me, my wife and my daughters. Psalm 32.8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” 

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish-language minister

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I find myself struggling with trying to decide what to write about this month. Do I write about the exciting aspects of ministry this past December? We had our first early morning celebration of the annunciation. And when I say early morning, I mean 5:30 am worship on a Monday morning. And not just any Monday morning, but the Monday after the Advent concert when nearly all of our families had already been at church both Saturday night and all morning Sunday. We were unsure what to expect, but we had a full sanctuary, including several visitors. We enjoyed worship led by mariachi musicians who sang the traditional songs of the Festival of Guadalupe and shared breakfast together at the end of worship.

Las Posadas

Or what about Las Posadas? It was our fourth year hosting this living advent devotion and celebration and it was bigger and better than ever, even in the cold. We were excited this year to open the children’s pageant to all of Ascension’s children, so we were led by a multicultural parade of Bible characters, sheep, donkeys, and cows. We needed two piñatas for all of the fun! It was a fun night of fellowship between native English speakers and native Spanish speakers, Ascension members and many visitors.

Personally, I finished my seventh semester of seminary and was approved for ordination. There is so much I could write about what it is like to be this close to the end of school!

Perhaps it would be better for me to write a more forward looking article on all of the exciting things to come. On January 3, I will be leaving for sixteen days for a seminary course in Israel. For reasons that I don’t understand, according to seminary I have not had any cross-cultural experiences. While I feel like the work I have been doing as a Salvadoran immigrant in a US seminary should have counted as my cross-cultural experience, I won’t complain too much if it means I “must” go to Israel with experts on the area. I am both excited and nervous about this opportunity.

Maybe this is an opportunity to tell you about our next Holy Day we will be observing.

Los Reyes Magos

The Three Kings will be arriving at Ascension on Sunday, January 8 at 10:45 am. We will welcome them with a potluck lunch after worship. Special music guests, Puerto Rican Band Cache MKE will provide music for worship and lunch.

In several Spanish speaking countries, this is the day children receive their gifts, just like baby Jesus did. The Magi are the ones that bring presents, not Santa. In keeping with the tradition of exchanging gifts on Three Kings Day, there will be a $5 secret Santa gift exchange at lunch. You are invited to bring a gift that matches your category (Girl, Boy, Man, Woman) and participate.

Lunch will include a traditional rosca. If you’ve never eaten a rosca before, it includes a surprising ingredient, plastic baby Jesus. Find out what it means to receive the Baby Jesus in your rosca!

There is so much to celebrate here at Ascension, whether we are celebrating what just happened or looking forward to what is on its way. May you find the moments in your own life to enjoy the memories of the good times of the year that has just ended, or happiness in looking forward to what is to come.

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern

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.

Pastoral Intern Edwin Aparicio

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

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

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

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