Serving in October

El Salvador / Tanzania Partnership Meeting

Are you considering traveling to El Salvador or Tanzania with Ascension in the next summer or two? International travel not your thing, but you want to be a part of our partnership? Have you previously traveled with us?

We are meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m. A few things on the agenda include: Rick Frowein’s upcoming trip to Tanzania with the coffee project, discussing financial requests from Pastora Blanca in El Salvador, making initial plans for our next trips and hosting, and hearing the latest on our exploration to begin a chocolate project in El Salvador. Contact Sarah Wehmeier Aparicio if you have any questions, or you are interested but you can’t make the meeting, sarah@ascensionelca.org.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Ascension had good participation in the Greater Milwaukee Synod Immigration and Refugee Task Force event in early September. The response was NOW WHAT? Ascension’s SOPHIA leadership team is taking on the challenge since the topic so closely links to SOPHIA’s goals. Join us on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6:30 p.m. at church if you have questions about immigration and refugee resettlement and how to live out your faith in response. You are invited to attend whether you were at the synod event or not. We will learn together and prayerfully discuss our next steps. Contact Joan Mikecz, joanmikecz@sbcglobal.net, with questions.  

There will be a series of Did You Know? questions and answers on the Mission Outreach Facebook page beginning on October 1 to help us all have a clear understanding of terms and the myths and misunderstandings of the many aspects that impact refugees and immigration. The synod taskforce has provided some good resources that will guide us. Please follow us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Ascension.ELCA.MO.

Walk for NAMI Oct. 5 

This annual event helps to end the stigma surrounding mental health and to help achieve the goal of mental health for all. NAMI has been an Ascension Community partner for many years. We support their work in areas that impact all of us at some point in life. 

Join Ascension’s team on Saturday, Oct. 5, to walk for NAMI at the Milwaukee County Zoo beginning at 9:30. Sign-up online https://www.namiwalks.org/team/68935 or https://www.namiwalks.org/participant/teamascensionchurch.

Celebrating 50 Years of ELCA World Hunger

Are you aware that Ascension supports the ELCA World Hunger program each month as a part of our budget? When we work with the larger church body, so much more can be done than if we tried to conquer hunger on our own. Through ELCA World Hunger, 66 countries and 41states and territories received support in 2023. Here are ways you can participate in the celebration via the ELCA announcement.

  • World Food Day Celebrating 50 Years of ELCA World Hunger
  • When: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Central time
  • Where: Zoom webinar. Register online.

Back to School Supplies Collection

In partnership with Hawthorne Elementary, we are once again collecting school supplies for the elementary students. If you are willing to pick-up an a couple of items and drop them at Ascension on Sunday, Sept. 8, or Sunday, Sept. 15 (and of course during the week), the students and teachers will be grateful to receive any of the following:

  • Large backpacks
  • 1-inch binders
  • Over-the-ear chord headphones 
  • Dry erase markers (5 count)
  • Highlighters
  • 1 pkg of 3 glue sticks
  • Gallon-size and sandwich-size Ziploc bags
  • Playdoh
  • Kleenex
  • Crayons
  • Colored pencils
  • #2 pencils 
  • Boxes of black felt tip pens
  • A full change of clothing for a student
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Clorox Wipes
  • Pencil pouch with three holes for binder
  • Plastic folders with holes for binder
  • Regular folders

Look for the bin in the Donation Center to make your donation.

Who Is My Neighbor?

The Greater Milwaukee Synod Immigration and Refugee Committee is hosting an informational gathering here at Ascension to help people understand the realities of immigration and refugee resettlement. This special event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Topics to be covered will give you a better understanding of terms like migrants, asylum seekers, refugee resettlement. There will also be a chance to hear myths and factual information so you can better answer questions and more fully act on Jesus’ answer to the question Who Is My Neighbor? Learn how we can live with a better understanding of people who don’t look like us or have the same background as we do.

The hope is to show how we can show Christ’s love in this hostile world. Mary Campbell from ELCA Amparo and our GMS Bishop Paul Erickson, who is on the board for Global Refugees, will be two of the speakers.

Please sign-up to help with hosting duties.

Serve with Ascension in August

SOPHIA Multicultural Fair

SOPHIA is hosting their 3rd Annual Multicultural Fair at Frame Park on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please note the change in the location of the fair for this year. Enjoy this free-admission event and get to know the many cultures represented in the Waukesha area. There will be international food, arts and crafts, music and dancing, resources and so much more. Stop by the Ascension Multicultural Ministries Display to support our ministries.

Hope Center

A generous donor has issued a mid-year $100,000 matching gift challenge. Make a donation now until the end of September and your donation will be matched. If you pay via check, be sure to put match in the memo line. Send to Hope Center, 101 W. Broadway, Waukesha, WI 53186. To give online, go to https://secure.givelively.org/donate/hope-center-inc-waukesha-wi. All proceeds will go to new building costs.

Ascension Planning a Habitat Build

Ascension will be participating in a Habitat Build on Wednesday, Sept. 25. This event will most likely be at the Domenica Park site, where Habitat is building new homes for 20 families over the next three years. Hours for the event are roughly 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We’ll be assisting the professional construction crew and Habitat Saints on the build site. No prior construction experience is needed. All safety gear will be provided. You must be 18 years of age to participate. If interested, you will need to first create an account at https://habitatwaukesha.volunteerhub.com and then register for the “Ascension Lutheran”; event on 9/25/2024. We need a minimum of five volunteers for this group event. Please let Nick Wagner know if you are planning to participate in this event or if you have any questions, nwagner703@yahoo.com.

Tutoring News

Ascension’s tutoring program has been working quietly in the background the past two years. Individuals have continued to work one-on-one with students who came to us for specific help. This has worked well but has been very limited. Our contact people with the Burmese community are going to check with their families for children or adults in need of support for this fall. We will also encourage our Latino members who need help with learning English, homework assistance for children, school readiness for children, assistance with studying for the written drivers’ test or the citizenship test and help with filling out forms. We will also have the information available at the Multicultural Fair in August.

Once we know what the need is, we will have a meeting for interested tutors to identify matches for tutors and students. If you are interested in helping as a tutor, or if you know someone who could benefit from the program, contact Shirley, shwehmeier@gmail.com, so you can be included in the meeting.

New Blessing Box and Little Library

New Blessing Box and Little Free Library are complete and already in use. Please place your donations of food or pantry needs directly in the box or in the bin in the Donation Center. If we have extremely hot weather again, be mindful of the type of foods that are not safe in hot weather. The new boxes are insulated but we can’t accept garden products or other unstable foods. During the extreme temperatures, other basic items are suggested in the handout. See the UMN Extension article on storing cans and glass jars in extreme temperatures, https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/storing-canned-food.

The library books can be for adults or children. Please be mindful that the box belongs to the church and we do not want inappropriate books placed in the box.

Serve With Ascension

Hope Center

Calling all golfers! Hope Center is hosting their annual Tee-Up for Hope golf outing on July 15 at Broadland Country Club. Registration opens at 9:30am/Shotgun start at 11:30am. Registration form and all the details are online.

Donations: With the opening of the new building, making a donation is much easier. There is a bin right at the entrance where donations can be dropped off. There is a sign there that clearly details what is accepted as far as donations. See the photo. We will continue to accept donations in our donation center but they must meet the same criteria.

Creation Care

Waukesha County Creation Care Team is sponsoring a virtual Energy Hour on Monday, July 1, from 6 to 7 p.m. This is a free, online event for community residents to ask a panel of energy and climate leaders about home energy programs, incentives and upgrades. With the extreme heat we have already had, we are all looking for ways to save on our energy bills and to protect the wonderful earth God has given us. See this link for more information and to register. If you are interested in helping with ideas on caring for creation, contact Mary Ellen Comp.

Blessing Box & Little Library

Our original Blessing Box and Little Free Library have served us well for many years. Over the past few years, we have had some vandalism with items in the boxes that has carried over to the park, prompting the city to request that we move the boxes. We have also had items left at the base of the Blessing Box that are not appropriate, especially in extremes of weather. We recognize that our neighbors often want to help but it has been a challenge to manage the items that appear on the ground and attract rodents and insects. The items need to be disposed of rather than put to use.

It was also time for new boxes since the originals were showing wear and tear and have faced some bitter weather. The good news is that a Boy Scout has built insulated and weatherproof boxes. They will be installed east of the current location next to the entrance drive. There will be clearer notice about appropriate donations.

With the extreme heat during June, it was noted that some of the donations were not compatible with the temperatures. Fresh products should never be placed in the box. Even with an insulated box, they will not be safe. Research has shown that even canned goods cannot be guaranteed safe in extreme heat. We will keep you up to date about what foods can be donated once the new boxes are installed. Watch midweek and Sunday announcements and the Mission Outreach Facebook page. You can always place donations in the bins in the Donation Center any time the church is open.

SOPHIA Multicultural Fair

The third annual SOPHIA Multicultural Fair will be held on August 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Frame Park. Enjoy ethnic music and dancers, crafts, international food, Community Resources, children’s activities, food trucks, vendors and more. This event has grown each year and is a wonderful opportunity to see all the various cultures in Waukesha and the surrounding area. Mark your calendars for this special event and the new location.

Pastor Tony: Thank You!

Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon has a reoccurring bit where he publicly writes thank you cards on his show. I really like the idea of thank you cards, but if I’m being honest, well, my follow through isn’t all that great. Just ask my wife and she can point you to the pile of them on our desk or in my closet that I’ve started writing but are unfinished, or even worse, finished but never sent – a conversation for another day. And while Fallon usually writes his thank you cards for comedic effect; I’m feeling compelled to borrow from his idea and use my article this month to follow through on some thank you’s that have been tugging on my heart.

I’d like to start out by thanking everyone who volunteers. From taking donated items to the Waukesha Food Pantry or Hope Center, to helping prep the monthly newsletter for mailing, or providing a snack for those who attend our grief support ministry, or donating food when we host a funeral, or serving the monthly Healing Hearts meal, or greeting, ushering, reading, or serving communion for worship, there are so many of you who volunteer in so many ways. I just want to make something very clear – you make a difference!

Thank you to those who serve (or have served) on the church council. Since 2020 when I was ordained and called to serve as one of your pastors, we have certainly been through some unprecedented times. When you said yes to being a leader in the church, you likely had no idea just what kind of uncharted waters we would have to navigate through – a global pandemic and the aftermath of a new normal. I am thankful for your leadership and the many ways you show up to lead and move this congregation into a new, exciting, and uncertain future.

Thank you to those who serve and support our children, youth, and young adult ministries. Your help with BLAST projects, college care packages, and support for JOLT and CRASH mission and adventure trips is often incomprehensible. To everyone who has ever dropped a little change in the noisy offering buckets, or read a Bible story in BLAST, or served as an adult leader on retreat – you are invaluable supporters. I believe it’s vitally important that churches create a place for young people where they can feel included, supported, and wanted – and I’m so thankful that so many of you have been so faithful in doing this for the young people of Ascension.

Thank you to those who participate in the various bible and book studies both on and off campus, those led by pastors and those led by other members. After working with young people, my second favorite thing to do in the church is teach and lead these studies. I’m thankful for opportunity to do this and I hope we can continue to learn and grow from one another for a long time to come. It’s also my hope that those of you who participated in a study I’ve led got even half as much out of being a part of them as I got from your insights and our conversations.

Thank you to all those who lead and provide music for worship. Music is very much not a gift of mine. However, those of you who play the organ and piano, sing in the band or one of the choirs, or take part in any of the special musical offerings – you are all so incredibly talented. I am deeply thankful that you share your giftedness, and you make our worship services incredible because of your contributions.

And finally, I’d like to thank all of you. I’m thankful for all of the ways you have supported and encouraged me and my family especially as I’ve shared the various challenges of being a pastor, and I am thankful for your graciousness in the times I may have fallen short. Most of all I’m thankful that as a congregation you truly want to change lives by being God’s instruments of peace and love in the world.And so it will be my ongoing prayer that together we continue to open ourselves to always live into the mission of being God’s transforming presence in our world. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Pastor Tony

June Mission News

Mustard Seed Ministry Update

I was so excited about my mustard seed plant growing and thriving on my window seat. I even shared it on the Mission Outreach Facebook page as a way to demonstrate how together we can have a big impact if we each take a step out in ministry. I was so excited to see the little seeds grow into many small plants that grew taller each week. Then, I got busy with the Ministry Fair and other personal things that distracted me from my goal of taking good care of my little plants. My busy schedule made me forget the plants until I went to transplant them into bigger pots. Imagine my shock when they had shriveled and stopped growing. I had only one or two plants that survived my neglect. What a follow-up to our Ministry Fair! So many people with so many fresh ideas and so much interest in our ministries added excitement to the Fair. Then people got busy and distracted and by the time ministry leaders called on them, they were too busy or had forgotten all about the sign-up sheets. Just like the neglected plants, the ministry commitment withered without attention and determination. Busy schedules can be adapted and energy can be recharged so that the mustard seed of faith can grow into something bigger. Together, our mustard seeds of faith can have a huge impact in our own lives, in our church, our community and our world. Where are you planting your mustard seed? 

Shirley Wehmeier, Serve Wing Leader

Hope Center Open House

You have likely heard about the new Hope Center building. You are invited to attend an open house to see all the programs that they offer on June 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be a dedication at 6 p.m. Ascension was one of the founding congregations back when they were located in the M & M building on Main and Maple offering Mission and Ministry. The program has outgrown two buildings and now occupies the entire old Chase Bank at 101 W. Broadway which has been completely renovated to meet the program needs. What a great way to learn more about one of our community partners! You may even find a way you want to serve.

Habitat for Humanity Dream Builders Gala

Habitat for Humanity is hosting their annual Gala at the very site where the dream of home ownership becomes a reality: the Domenica Park Neighborhood, on June 14 at 6 p.m. Garden party attire is recommended. Join Habitat for an inspiring evening beneath a glamorous tent and on the actual build site where homes are being built. Enjoy drinks, delicious food catered by Sendiks, entertainment and a chance to help create real and positive change in Waukesha and Jefferson County. More information and tickets available at https://www.habitatwaukesha.org/dreambuilders.

SOPHIA Multicultural Fair

Save the date for the SOPHIA Multicultural Fair on August 17 at Frame Park, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several of our members have participated in this in the past two years and have really enjoyed the music, the food, the resources and the dancing. More information will follow but please mark your calendar and take note of the new location.

Tanzania Partnership News

For the past several months, we have been following the sad story of the Tanzanian government taking the land of Galilaya church and the homes of the people that live in the area. They have been promised compensation for their land, although it is far below market value. Since losing the church building, they have worked together to create a new worship space. A member who did not have his land seized, donated some land for a new church. Members saved their money to buy lumber to create a short-term worship space. Church members worked together to build the new temporary space as well as to dig the foundation for a more permanent church.

We also received news that a fourth preaching point has been added to Samaria Parish in May. Kijenge is the newest church that is part of the Samaria parish network. Like Galilaya preaching point, the members of Kijenge are worshipping in a temporary space for now. They have asked for our prayers to support these ministry challenges.

Gracias from the El Salvador Delegates

At the end of July, a multigenerational delegation of twelve Ascension members, alongside five Lake Park members, will travel to El Salvador to visit the ministries of our sister parishes in El Salvador. On May 18, over 100 Ascension members and friends came together to celebrate our partnerships and to raise funds to support this summer’s trip. It was inspiring the way Ascension came together with donations, writing for Thrivent grants, donating food and beverages for the dinner, and bidding on the items, playing games, and joining together in fellowship for the purpose of celebrating our partnerships in Tanzania, and this year, especially in El Salvador. A special thanks for Cynthia Carlson and her team for stepping in at the last minute to takeover the catering.

NAMI

Mental health conditions are common among teens and young adults. Fifty percent of all lifetime mental illnesses develop by age 14 and 75% develop by age 24. A mental health condition isn’t your fault or your family’s fault — these conditions develop for complicated reasons that researchers are only just starting to understand. Ascension partners with NAMI to help understand the scary and confusing aspects of mental health in ourselves or our families. There are a variety of ways that NAMI programs can help us understand more about mental health and the help that is available. See their website for more information. 

Serve with Ascension in April

Mustard Seed Ministry

The parable of the Mustard Seed in Matthew 13:31-32: “He put before them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field, it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in it branches.” The parable of the mustard seed is a lesson to us that huge things can happen as the result of a very small thing. We are challenging each Ascension member to think of one new way to serve God either at Ascension or in the community or with one of our global partners. Just imagine, if each person took one step out in service, what an impact this would have at Ascension, in Waukesha or in the world!

What can I do?  Where do I fit in? Where can I use my skills?  Where can I get involved?  On April 14, we will be holding a Ministry Fair after each service. There will be opportunities to learn more about ways to get involved. Many people are concerned that they just don’t have the time but we are called to set serving God as a priority in our lives. “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10) If you look at the various ministries, many are just a short term commitment or are just a chance to see what it feels like to serve. Please plan to spend some time walking through the displays to learn more about the wonderful ministries at Ascension. To make the time more fun, there will be a chance to win some gift cards by completing your Passport book. You will have to attend to see how to earn your stamps for your passport. Snacks and other fun ways to connect will give you a way to learn more not only about the ministries but it will also be a chance to meet other Ascension members and visitors. Remember, just one small step in faith can grow into great results at Ascension, in Waukesha and in the world! Mark your calendar for April 14 after each service!

SOPHIA

We are really excited about SOPHIA’s Community Breakfast fundraiser this year. We are celebrating 20 years working for justice and community building! Ascension was one of the founding congregations and we have had a SOPHIA team ever since. Each year, friends and supporters of SOPHIA gather to celebrate their accomplishments, learn more about the issues, and raise funds to continue the mission of restoring hope and dignity to individuals and families in Waukesha Community. Buy your tickets now! Tickets are $50.

The keynote speaker is Justice Castaneda who is the Executive Director of Common Wealth Development in Madison. He will present his innovative perspective of community development considering sustainability, equity, and justice. His presentation will highlight the importance of SOPHIA’s campaign for housing justice, immigration reform, and transformational justie. The brunch is at La Casa de Esperanza on April 20 from 9 -11:30 a.m. The silent auction will be online from 12 p.m. Sunday, April 14, through Friday, April 19. Thank you to those who donated to our Wisconsin Basket for the silent auction!

Healing Hearts

Thank you to those who donated food and/or served at the recent meals for Healing Hearts. They have expressed gratitude for the special food and smiling faces from Ascension.

You are invited to help celebrate the blossoming of healing and hope since 2010 at the annual gala on April 20 beginning at 6 p.m. at Western Lakes Golf Club. Enjoy a wonderful dinner, an inspiring program, a Silent Auction, raffle and balloon pop. Tickets are $100 a person. Register online.

As one of the founding congregations of Healing Hearts, we would like to donate a basket for the auction. If you are interested in gathering donations for the basket, please contact Teri Quam.

Taco Dinner for El Salvador

We have a delegation of twelve Ascension members traveling to El Salvador to visit our sister parishes in August. They will be traveling to continue to build connections with the people of Usulután church and San Jorge church, participate in learning projects, and learn about both the ministries of the Salvadoran Lutheran church and El Salvador in general.

You can help the delegation by supporting our Taco Dinner and Auction on Saturday, May 18, at 5 p.m. It is a fun-filled evening of fellowship, learning about our partnerships, and enjoying delicious food.

How can you help? Save the date and plan to attend this always popular event. For now, we are collecting items and gift baskets for the auction, as well as smaller gifts for our raffle. Thrivent Members can apply for Action Team grants. If you have something for our auction, please contact Sarah Aparicio. As we get closer, we will also be asking for help with appetizers, beverages, and desserts. ¡Gracias!

Food, Faith, and Farming Network

Thank you to all who made the farmers’ market a great success. We especially thank Marge Schroeder and Cynthia Carlson who were the leaders of the event. Without their commitment to the market, we would not have reached out to as many people. We had a great group of volunteers helping in the kitchen on both Saturday and Sunday. Friendships form when people of the church work together. We had a larger number of non-members who came for the market. Just think, they came to shop but heard the joyful sounds of worship in two languages and experienced what is like to worship at Ascension. On top of all of this, we raised money for the farmers through Food, Faith and Farming Network.

Community Partners

Our Community Partners are agencies within the community that do great work that we could not do on our own. Our partner agencies are identified as those who carry out the Matthew 25 commission of serving God by serving others: “Whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done on to Me.” A true partnership is more than sending a monthly check. It includes learning about the partner and educating the congregation. We try to support and promote their fundraising efforts and we listen to them for ways we can support them through in-kind donations and volunteering.

We promote them on our Ascension Waukesha Mission Outreach Facebook page where we keep the congregation informed of their activities and their needs. While each of our partners have wonderful fund raisers which we promote, we also realize that not all people are able to participate in them. One simple thing we can do is to develop a basket for silent auctions. We just need a few people to decide on an idea and then promote the basket, deliver it to the program and watch to see how much money is raised. We can help get donations through e-alerts, bulletin, and Misssion Outreach Facebook page.

Serve With Ascension

Healing Hearts Meal March 18

We have committed to providing several simple suppers each year for the families who participate in the sessions on grieving and healing through Healing Hearts. Did you know that Ascension played a key part in bringing this much needed ministry to our community? We value the service they provide and have had members of our congregation benefit from their program. We recognize that we cannot do everything on our own but by supporting community partners that do the needed service, we are making sure the work is being done.

As with each of our Community Partners, we seek out ways to provide a service that helps them do their mission. The meals assure that families are fed and ready to participate in the groups. March 18 is the next meal that we will serve. We would love to have someone step forward to plan a simple meal, prepare or donate food and serve the meal. This would be a great service project for a small group. You don’t have to make all the food on your own. We can request help from the congregation. They prefer very simple foods that can be quickly served so the families can get to their group or class. Ascension members who have participated report that they really enjoyed the experience. Watch for a Sign-Up Genius to volunteer or contact Teri Quam.

Mustard Seed Ministry Fair April 14

The parable of the mustard: Last fall, we were inspired by a guest minister at the SOPHIA breakfast as she shared with us the parable of the mustard seed. She spoke about how Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed could grow into a great plant that would help many people. A small seed can yield great results and blessings but it has to be planted. When we think of all the needs of the world, the community and our own church, it can be overwhelming. If each person would step forward and do one new thing, it would change our church, our community and our world. Rather than thinking  that we can’t tackle a big problem, we each need to ask what is one new thing we can do to serve God.

On April 14, we will be holding a Ministry Fair to share all the wonderful ministries of Ascension and to encourage each person to sign up for one new thing that they are willing to do in the coming months. This will be a chance to get more information about all the ministries within the congregation and with our community and global partners. 

Often, people don’t know enough about the needs or what the commitment involves. The Ministry Fair will give everyone a chance to ask questions and even to suggest new ministries or ways to serve. Many of our community partners are in need of volunteers and many of our own congregation ministries need people to serve.  If each person in the congregation pledged to do one new step of service, we could change our community, our church and our world. “Whatever we do for the least of these, we do unto Christ Himself.”

Follow Mission Outreach/Serve on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Ascension.ELCA.MO/  to keep up with all the service opportunities.

We don’t just go to church. We are the church.

Farmers Market

March 10 is the date of this year’s Winter Farmers’ Market in cooperation with the Food, Faith and Farming Network. We will have a great variety of vendors selling eggs, preserves, salsa, mushrooms, honey, meat, soaps and body care, apples, cider syrups, oats, granola, wool products, rustic breads and pastries, sweet breads, gluten-free and vegan bread. As we get closer to the market, more vendors may be added. Bring your own bags or purchase an Ascension bag to use.

Volunteers are needed to help make the market a success. Please sign-up online to help.

In addition to the market, we will have a brunch with all locally sourced foods from the farmers. The menu includes egg bake, spinach bake, sausages, hashbrown bake, oatmeal/fruit muffins, cider and beverages. The cost is $10 adults, $8 seniors and $5 kids 4-10 (under 4 free). There is a maximum of $30 per family. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend to visit Ascension. They can join us for worship or at least hear the joyful worship sounds as they shop.