Hunger Crisis in Tanzania

The people of Tanzania are in the third year of drought and failed crops. Occasional locust swarms have exacerbated the problem. In the past, Tanzania like much of East Africa, has relied on grain from Ukraine to supplement what they are not able to grow. In fact, most years at least 30% of their food supply is imported from Ukraine. Due to the war, this food source is no longer available. This has driven the cost of food to record highs. This happens on the end of the Covid pandemic, which damaged the economy that heavily relies on tourism. Like the rest of the world, Tanzania is also being impacted by inflation. Imported food is available, but at a very high cost. Families are selling off what they can to keep from starving.

Sixty percent of the Diocese of Meru has serious drought conditions and 8000 families are in urgent need. Many of the families live in areas where there are not direct sister parish partnership since there are more Lutherans in Tanzania than there are in the US. The Diocese of Meru and the Greater Milwaukee Synod have partnered to collect funds to attempt to purchase food for all of the families to save lives. Like the school lunches, the food will be simple meals of corn and beans. $10 is a meal for 6 people, $20 for 13 people, $50 for 33 people and $100 for 66 people.

Give online on the Milwaukee Synod website, milwaukeesynod.org/giving. Scroll down to Meru Diocese Gifts
4th one down: Meru Hunger Relief—Food Crisis

November Mission News

Cross Partnership

Cross provides a Food Pantry twice a month for the community and will continue into the coming months. They have informed us that they do not need food at this time but there is a need for paper towels and toilet paper, Kleenex, hygiene products and plastic grocery bags. Donations can be placed in the marked bins in the Donation Center. Cross depends on their partners to be able to continue their outreach into the community. Due to COVID restrictions, they are not planning to restart the meal program at this time.

Hope Center

This year’s Denim and Diamonds dinner will be held on Nov. 18 from 5-9 p.m. The new venue is the Brookfield Conference Center at 325 S. Mooreland Rd., Brookfield. Tickets: $125/person or $1250 for a corporate table of 10. This is the major fundraiser for the Hope Center, one of our Community Partners. The Hope Center provides for those most in need in our community. Register online at hopecenterwi.org.

SOPHIA Prayer Breakfast

SOPHIA’s annual Prayer breakfast will be held on Nov. 6 from 10 to 11 a.m. in Ascension’s Memorial Garden parking lot. Breakfast by Mama D’s will be provided. The event will be held rain or shine. Bring your lawn chairs or sit in your car to hear the presentation by Carl Fields: Stand Up When It Matters. Buy tickets at: https://tinyurl.com/Nov6SOPHIA. Tickets are $30. Contact Iva Richards or Bob Stoll with questions. 

Creation Care

The Waukesha Green Team is a great resource for our Creation Care Ministry. This month we focus on weatherizing our homes. As the air gets chilly, it is time to think winter! Heating our homes is the biggest energy expenditure we have. Save $$ and stay warmer by weatherizing your home now. Prevent heat loss by sealing around your attic door and basement windows. Check doors for air leaks and put plastic on your windows if they are older. Doing these simple tasks can save up to 30% on energy bills and can save valuable fuel. www.waukeshacountygreenteam.org.

Winter Farmers Market Returns

We had a very successful market two years ago when we held our first market and then the pandemic kept us from hosting in 2021. Our market leader, Lynn Parkhurst did such a good job that Food, Faith and Farming Network has hired her to be the coordinator for all the winter markets in the area. That means we are in need of a new leader for our March market. Contact Lynn at weeziewilliams@gmail.com or Shirley Wehmeier shwehmeier@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer. Lynn will be a great helper in the planning.

Refugee Resettlement

Several Ascension members have been meeting with LSS and the synod Immigration and Refugee Task Force to learn as much as possible about ways to assist the refugees who have come to the US from Afghanistan. Congregations are needed to cosponsor families but there is also a need to gather supplies and clothing for the refugees. There are also a variety of ways to assist those who may not be assigned to a new home and who may remain at Ft. McCoy for many months. If you are interested in learning more information or meeting with a group from Ascension who will plan how we can best serve these new refugees, please contact Shirley Wehmeier. Ascension has a long history of being a welcoming congregation to refugees from all over the world for the past 20 years and we want to be ready to serve in the best way possible. 

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.)

El Salvador Mission Trip 2019

Ascension’s seven delegates had an amazing trip visiting our brothers and sisters in El Salvador at the beginning of August. Upon following the Facebook updates on the trip, one of Paw Pa Soe’s friends messaged her and said “It looks like you’re on a field trip!” And so it was.

Together with the community from our sister parish, we traveled to Algeria and Jucuapa to Lutheran World Relief’s cocoa project to learn the latest about sustainable cocoa farming, from seed to pod, to fermenting and drying.

The next day, we all traveled together to Playa El Tamarindo where we learned about the endangered sea turtles that nest on the beach and what steps we can make in our lives to prevent these beautiful animals from going extinct. With this knowledge, we worked together to clean the beach at Espino later in the week. The community from San Jorge took the lead, stopping to speak with other beachgoers about the importance of keeping garbage out of the ocean.

We visited homes in San Jorge to see goats and trees from Ascension. We worshipped together on Sunday and we traveled to San Salvador where we were some of 4000 Lutherans marching through the streets to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church.
As we shared experiences side by side, our bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood where strengthened and tears were shed by both visitors and hosts when it was time for us to say goodbye.

(Reprinted from the Sept. 2019 newsletter.)

Worship. Grow. Walk. Serve.

We are well on our way. Our first Spotlight Sunday celebrating our Joyful Worship wing of the Ascension butterfly is in the books. I am grateful to the ministry leaders among us. What a joy to share in the journey of discovery of all of the aspects and logistics of worship life at Ascension.

Worship. Our first mark of discipleship. Gathering together to give thanks and praise to God is what we are created to do to the glory of God.

So what’s next? Are you ready?

We explore the Spiritual Growth wing of the butterfly on October 8. Where are you in your journey of faith? In what ways are you exploring the journey of your faith? When do you take the time to offer your spiritual life the opportunity to grow, to ask questions, to move deeper in your relationship with our God? Grow. Our second mark of discipleship. We grow in our knowledge of God and in our faith life by reading our Bibles, studying God’s Word together, and asking questions that sometimes need the gifts of time and tending to be answered. Through the Spiritual Growth wing of the butterfly, our community of faith can seek out new moments of understanding about our God, our faith, and our life together to the glory of God.

And then what?

October 15 invites us to serve God in new ways through the Mission Outreach wing of the butterfly. Learn about the different ministry partners that we serve alongside in our community, state, nation, and world. Explore new opportunities to get involved in something bigger than yourself and live out your faith by serving God as you serve others. Serve. Our fourth mark of discipleship. We serve God by serving others. Ask questions. Hear the stories of the ways that our faith community impacts the world around us to the glory of God.

Okay, now what?

It takes four wings to fly. On October 22, we complete the image of the butterfly as we discover the Caring Relationships wing. Join us as we walk with each other learning about the different ministries of the congregation that build relationships within the body of Christ. Walk. Our third mark of discipleship. Small Groups, Care Ministries, Purpose Groups such as Knit Wits, Spirit Spinners, and many more invite us to find more intimate ways of connecting with other believers. In a church of our size, sometimes it is easy to get lost in the whirlwind of activities. The Caring Relationships wing offers the opportunity to walk together in smaller groups inviting deeper relationships where community can flourish to the glory of God.

The journey continues all to the glory of God.
Come and join us on the journey to the glory of God.

See you in church,

Rev. Christian Marien

(This article first appeared in the October 2017 Newsletter).

Mountaintop Moments

July 2017 and the grace of God took Ascension to the mountaintop!

What joy it brings to share with you the events of the last month and all that is coming in the days ahead. July gathered our CRASH high school ministry to a first-time “Mission Next Door” event, in which each day, the students and adult leaders gathered for devotions and breakfast and then headed out into the community. Day one took our high school servants to the Memorial Gardens and flower beds all around the church campus. A full day of weeding, tending, and shaping the space all the way to the ash garden. An incredible day! Later in the week, the Waukesha food pantry would get a cleanup inside and a makeover outside complete with mulched flowerbeds. Thursday took the students to one of our member’s homes for a healthy weeding of flowerbeds and the tending of a relationship. In the middle of “Mission Next Door,” Ascension welcomed the arrival of our brothers and sisters from El Salvador. Bienvenidos!

Thursday was full of feasting and canning and swimming at Ottawa Lake. Friday was busy with tours of partner churches in Milwaukee, community gardens, and captured rainwater projects. But, my favorite part came Friday afternoon when we gathered to bowl at Bayshore, where there are video screens and glowing neon lights. Explaining bowling in Spanish was fun to watch. Explaining in signs and gestures was even better. Watching the smiles unfold when just one pin fell down and the ball stayed out of the gutter. Now that was priceless.

I tell you God is at work! I am grateful to our Mission Outreach Team under the leadership of Wing Leader, Shirley Wehmeier. It is wonderful to watch the church be exactly who the church should be with hospitality overwhelming and joy overflowing. Edwin and Sarah Aparicio have been incredible hosts and representatives of Ascension as they have navigated translation after translation after translation and every blessed detail of the delegation’s visit. A moment of great celebration took place on Sunday, July 16 with a gathering at the home of the Wehmeiers for the delegation, church staff, church council, and partner churches. It was a glorious day. We heard updates on EVERYTHING! But most importantly – we feasted – we played volleyball – we had one-on-one conversations with Pastor Julio about healthcare, challenges of ministry in El Salvador, and especially the deep concern and request for prayer for the children and young adults of El Salvador. Please include them in your prayers – especially for the opportunity to simply and safely grow up. In my sermon from July 16, I spoke of the belief that the visit by the delegation from El Salvador was nothing short of a miracle. It is true – every word. The journey is a gift of God in every single way. Thank you for your hospitality of the delegates through the days of the visit and in worship.

What can you learn from the stories of these mountaintop moments? So very much! In all these things, we are reminded that God goes before us. We remember that we need to hear the story of God’s love as much as we tell the story of God’s love. We remember that the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds our worship and our faithfulness to God has grown once again – with the great and faithful servants of CRASH serving our God and God’s people; with the visit of the saints of San Jorge and Usulutan; and with the great gift of good news shared by Pastor Angela!

I give thanks to God for all of it. I give thanks to God for each of you. Gracias a Dios. Thanks be to God! See you in church.

Rev. Christian Marien

(This article was first published in the August 2017 newsletter).

A Glimpse into the Future

Two very important moments in the life of your church occur in these November days. First, Sunday, Nov. 1 is All Saints Day. This is the day we spend time in worship remembering those who have gone before us. You will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of loved ones. This day is a gift of God reminding us of the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. Please consider inviting family members to join you in giving thanks to God for loved ones who now rest in the Kingdom of God.

Second, we are incredibly blessed by the committed leadership at Ascension. Church council, staff, wing leaders, and ministry leaders have spent more than 170 hours over the past eight months preparing ARISE 2025, Ascension’s vision for the next 10 years. It is ready for your review and reflection.

We are excited to find ourselves at this moment looking into our future. The next ten years at Ascension will prove to be years that shape the future of, not only our church community but, the world in which we live. How we live out our faith shapes the world around us. I am hopeful that you have had an opportunity to review the vision statements and actions plans for each wing of ministry at Ascension. However, if you have not had the opportunity or are interested in reading them with time to pray over them, I want to make sure that opportunity is available to you as well. As we look towards 2025, these are the visions statements that give us direction, bring us hope, and offer us a path to the future.

JOYFUL WORSHIP ENVISIONED STATE

The sanctuary is bursting at its seams, and every room is filled during the week with a variety of worship opportunities. [There is a] continued variety of music with more members of the congregation sharing their talents. [Ascension provides] regular communication through a multitude of channels in order to engage all generations and styles. [There are] more volunteers than opportunities to serve during worship and through outreach. The makeup of our congregation begins to better reflect the neighborhood and surrounding community.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH ENVISIONED STATE

Our Spiritual Growth mission statement reads: A church family engaging generations through faith experiences. Children’s ministries are experiential, relevant, and multi- generational. JOLT (Journey Of a Life Time) and CRASH (Christians Reaching And Sharing Hope) ministries extend far beyond the walls of our church due to rampant outreach and enjoy extensive investment by the congregation. Faith formation empowers our entire community, regardless of where people may be in their faith journey, to claim their identity as disciples of Jesus. Our stewardship ministries teach the power of God’s presence and work among us and invite all to dream about the next step in our journey as Ascension.

CARING RELATIONSHIPS ENVISIONED STATE

Caring Relationships has a strong foundation of care ministries that require minimal budgets. They are growing rapidly and are open to people of all ages. Passion fuels new ministries, but replenishment of resources for existing offerings stretch the core group of volunteers as they represent only a small subset of our worshippers. As the offerings expand, it is always a struggle to communicate what is available to the congregation and the community. Ascension offers a unique small group experience with a church-wide program every fall; however, while some groups have been together for years, many people feel left out or don’t know how to build groups for themselves. There are also numerous social groups for members to get involved with. Fellowship activities occur throughout the year for special occasions, but the kitchen facilities are limited and hamper our ability to make this a regular occurrence.

MISSION OUTREACH ENVISIONED STATE

Ascension has a vibrant Mission Outreach Wing, with all congregation members finding a way to serve. Mission Outreach is woven into each of the wings so that it is an integral part of the culture of the congregation. Members realize that all Christians have a calling to participate in mission and justice issues. We live out our baptismal promise of following Jesus by serving others, especially those who are vulnerable and most in need. Through our actions and ministries, the good news of Jesus is shared in word and deed. Ascension is a welcoming community to people of all races and backgrounds and actively reaches out into the community through volunteering and hospitality. We have a vibrant Hispanic ministry, and the neighborhood sees Ascension as a place to participate in worship, fellowship, and education events. Our mission partnerships are active, many people engage in trips to visit our partners, and we welcome visits from them. Members seek to include partnership activities in our normal congregational experiences.

Our annual meeting of the congregation is Sunday, Nov. 8, at 12 p.m. We will share in a potluck lunch. Please bring a dish to share. We hope you will join us. At our annual meeting, as required by our church constitution, we will approve a slate of candidates to serve on the church council for the 2016-2017 term; we will bless the ARISE 2025 vision for Ascension; we will hear a report on the finances of the congregation through the end of October 2015; and we will approve a budget for 2016. It is my hope you will make time for this important conversation in the life of your church and in the growing of your relationship with our God and this community of faith.

Peace and joy be yours in these days of crisp winds and falling leaves.

Pastor Chris

(This article was taken from the November 2015 newsletter).

So Much to Celebrate! Come and See!

If you have not heard the shouts of joy coming from the rooftop of Ascension, let me share the good news. At the end of July, our mortgage balance finally found life under the $800,000 mark. In 2011, we began the journey of debt reduction with more than $2,200,000. It has been a long journey to this moment, but God has been faithful to us! We give thanks and praise to God for the faithful hearts the Holy Spirit continues to shape within each of you to eliminate the power our mortgage debt holds over Ascension.

We are quickly approaching our fall programming. Sept. 6 welcomes a new Sunday morning worship schedule with the movement of our 9 a.m. service to an 8:30 a.m. start time. Our 10:45 a.m. service remains the same. On Sept. 6 at 10:45 a.m., we will worship outside in the Memorial Gardens to celebrate the beauty of God’s creation. Please joins us. On Sept. 13, we kick-off our new Children’s Ministry programming, which begins at 9:45 a.m. under the ministry umbrella of Tony Acompanado, Director of Faith Formation. We are retiring the legacy of the title Sunday School from our ministry at Ascension and using the title Children’s Ministry. We celebrate the strong energy of volunteers who are coordinating, teaching, storytelling, and helping to shape the fall ministry experiences for our children. Where can you serve? Email Tony, Tony@ascensionelca.org, and he can share a number of short-term or one-time opportunities in which you can be involved to share the gifts God has given you.

We are also re-introducing pastor-led Adult Education on Sunday mornings. On Sept. 13, Tony will share the scope of Faith Formation and the new path for Children’s Ministry. Beginning on Sept. 20, Pastor Angela kicks off our six-week Small Group Campaign, Engaging Scripture Through a Lutheran Christian Lens. I am especially excited to have Ascension offer a pastoral perspective on reading, studying, and interpreting the Bible and then to have small groups dig deeper each week of the campaign. In early November, I will offer three Sundays of education on the book of Luke, which will be our primary preaching text for Dec. 2015–Nov. 2016. There is so much more already being planned and I am excited!

Our Music Ministry is preparing to make a joyful noise in new ways this fall. Please consider taking a leap of faith by joining the choir or ringing a bell. Do you play an instrument? Then, Vicki Taylor, Director of Music Ministries, would love to talk with you about sharing your gift in worship. We are always happy to add communion assistants, readers, ushers to our ministry volunteer lists and we are happy to train you.

Mission Outreach is preparing to offer a wonderful resource and connecting point for members and visitors to share in hands-on ministry outside our church walls. Interested? Keep watching the e-alerts and Facebook for more information. Caring Relationships continues to tend to the connection points in our lives. GriefShare, DivorceCare, and DivorceCare4Kids are all beginning on Sept. 1. These programs offer support structures for people working through some of the most difficult times in their lives. If you know someone suffering through grief or in the midst of divorce, please reach out to Brenda Lytle, Director of Care Ministries, Brenda@ascensionelca.org.

A new member experience called Starting Point begins Sept. 27. I am excited to get to know those who are considering Ascension for their new spiritual home.

And just when it is time for a deep breath – ARISE 2025 is coming together in great ways. The Church Council and ministry leaders have been working on our 2025 vision since last February. We are very excited to watch God shape the years ahead. The council has done much of the behind-the-scenes work and will be ready for the congregation to share in the joy on Sunday, Sept. 27, for a first-round listening/sharing session. The council will revise the visions using comments from the congregation and then be ready to share again at a listening/sharing session on Oct. 25. Finally, with more revision by council, we will hold an unveiling/blessing/acceptance by the congregation at our Annual Meeting on Nov. 8. What a joy to trust in God’s guiding hand.

Finally, on Sept. 13 and 20, we invite everyone to wear nametags to help all of us get to know names and faces – reminders are always a good thing! Speaking of faces, the photo directory is off and running. Have you had your picture taken and updated your information? We are doing the pictures/directory in-house. No pictures to buy! This directory is all about bringing our community together and celebrating the community God has created at Ascension in this time and place.

So much to celebrate! Come and see!

Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was taken from Ascension’s September 2015 newsletter).

Good News of Great Joy

I am writing this article as junior high students are preparing to scale the Tower of Terror at our JOLT Adventure Camp, near Crivitz, WI. It is an exciting time to watch them encounter the “challenge by choice” model. They are responsible for their own level of challenge, and almost all of them will choose to move far beyond their original decision to only go “so high” on the Tower of Terror. I often speak of this life we live as a journey of faith. We are certainly watching that journey unfold for our junior high students during this week of Adventure Camp.

The Angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy.” In this adventure we travel as the people of God at Ascension, God has smiled on us with great blessing in these last weeks of June, and I can share joyful news.

First, I am excited to announce that Vicki Taylor, our Director of Music Ministries, has agreed to accept responsibilities and provide leadership as the Handbell Choir Director as of August 1. What wonderful news for our community!

Second, with the deep and abiding faithfulness of God by our side, we have pondered and prayed about the Children’s Ministry of Ascension. We have had a dedicated team of teachers and parents meeting, interviewing, and researching throughout the region best practices for children’s ministries. After several months, we are now ready to move forward.

I am thrilled to share with you that on August 1, our Director of Youth Ministries, Tony Acompanado, will accept the responsibilities for the shape and direction of Children’s Ministry into the future. Council has invited and Tony has accepted a newly created position – the Director of Faith Formation. Tony will now oversee our children’s ministries, junior high JOLT ministries, and our senior high CRASH ministries. We are already looking to the fall with great anticipation.

The month of July will also see the next step in our 2025 Visioning Process. Caring Relationships and Mission Outreach will each present their current and future vision statements to the church council for review and reflection. Joyful Worship and Spiritual Growth are now in the second phase of redrafting their current and future vision statements for the church council to review a second time. In September and October, we will have the opportunity for the congregation to reflect on and ask questions about the statements and action plans to move us to 2025.

God is offering so much in the midst of these summer months. Please join us in the celebrations of the new design of staff positions and in the continuing visioning for Ascension’s future.

On a side note – July 7 is the day Tony and I leave for the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit, MI, which begins on July 15. We covet your prayers for the final planning, the 20 participants from our own congregation, and the 30,000 other high school students, adult leaders, bishops, and pastors who will join us on the journey. Peace and joy be yours in these summer days.

Pastor Chris Marien

(This article was taken from Ascension’s July 2015 newsletter).