Pastor Chris: 1984

What do you remember most about 1984?

  • Ronald Reagan was president.
  • George Bush was vice-president.
  • The cost of a new home was $97,600
  • A first-class stamp would run you about $0.20.
  • Gas for your car would cost you $1.20.
  • A dozen eggs would set you back $1.01.
  • A gallon of milk would cost you $2.26.
  • Ascension was celebrating its 35th anniversary in 1984.

The community of Ascension was worshipping in our former sanctuary, what we now call East Hall (where our Spanish language members worship at 10:45.) A gifted young woman entered the doors of Ascension and began sharing her talents at the organ bench as a substitute organist and accompanying the choir on occasion. 

In 2024, we are celebrating 40 years of ministry for that same woman. What a joy it is to call Vicki Taylor, Director of Music Ministries, our colleague and friend, as she continues to glorify God through her gifts of music and choral and handbell direction. Over the years, Vicki has worn many hats here at Ascension and continues to have something magical up her sleeve to offer to the worship life of our congregation. She brings energy, joy, passion, dedication, and a deeply faithful heart to the ministry she provides to and through this community of faith. 

It is pure joy to continue to partner with Vicki in ministry to the glory of God as we imagine the ways in which our worship inspires, comforts, challenges, and brings praise to our God. Please take a moment to speak a word of thanks to Vicki for the many years of ministry and celebrate her for her continued commitment to “make a joyful noise to the Lord.” We are grateful for all that the Lord has done with and through her gifts and we are excited for what is to come in the years ahead.

We will celebrate Vicki at our 8:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, June 2, and honor her continued ministry with a reception between services. 

Thanks be to God!

Pastor Chris

Paid in Full: Organ Renewal

We are thrilled to announce that the recently completed organ renewal project is the fully funded to amount of $64,000 as of Sept. 26, 2021. Thank you for the generous gifts from 17 families and individuals that made this project possible.

More information about our organ from Vicki Taylor, Director of Music (Reprinted from the May 2021 newsletter):

Thirty-five years ago members of Ascension sacrificed time and treasure to make our magnificent pipe organ a reality. We have had more than 32 glorious years of leading worship with this beautiful instrument of praise, and anticipate many more to come, as a well-built and appropriately maintained pipe organ is designed to last for centuries.  

The organ was designed and built by the Berghaus Organ Company located in Bellwood, Illinois specifically to meet the worship and music needs of Ascension. It was originally installed in late 1988 in what is now known as East Hall. Several years later, as the current sanctuary was under construction, the organ was dismantled and placed in storage while new construction and renovations to the building took place. The instrument was subsequently moved to its current location and voiced for the new space. The complicated process of voicing an organ takes into account the specific acoustical environment, and ensures all the pipes sound balanced and blended when played together, allowing the instrument to “speak” appropriately in the room.

The mechanical key and stop action of our instrument employs the same basic principles used by organ builders for over 400 years; in other words, there are no electronics involved. The keys are connected mechanically to the sliders that open to allow wind to enter the pipes. The blower, which forces air into the pipes, runs on electricity.

The organ consists of two manuals, or keyboards, plus pedals. The manual natural keys and pedal sharp keys are made of rosewood. Boxwood provides the contrasting material for the manual sharp keys, and maple for the pedal natural keys. The organ includes pipes made of copper, wood, and other metals; most all of the pipes were built in Germany. There are a total of 18 stops (knobs used to activate a rank, or set of pipes that create a specific sound, i.e. flute, reed, etc.), 22 ranks, and 1,098 pipes. Think of it as 18 musicians playing 22 different instruments with 1,098 valves or positions on the instruments to create varying pitches and timbres.

While our organ is relatively young, it does require an extensive cleaning and minor restoration approximately every 25 years to keep it in shape and maintain its longevity. This process includes the removal, cleaning, and minor repair of the pipework, which will improve tuning stability and tonal clarity; polishing the facade pipes; cleaning, adjusting, and lubricating all moving parts; cleaning the interior of the case of more than 30 years of built up dust and dirt; repairing the wind supply bellows. The cleaning and restoration process will take place off-site in the Berghaus shop. Once the organ has been reassembled, Berghaus artisans will spend a week on-site in the sanctuary working with every pipe to ensure proper tone and timbre throughout the instrument. The project is estimated to take 6-8 weeks, during which time the instrument will not be playable. The estimated replacement value of our organ today is between $650,000 and $700,000, making it the largest resource of the church outside the building and property.