Walk With Me

Earlier this year, a new song came across my Spotify app. The song is entitled, “Walk with Me.” The lyrics at the beginning go like this:              

Walk with me, Lord. Walk with me. Walk with me, Lord. Walk with me.
While I’m on this road, I don’t want to go alone. I want Jesus to walk with me.

The song goes on, but those are the words to carry us in the month of October and beyond. Some of you will no doubt recognize the same theme in one of our hymns in the red hymnal, “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” As a community of faith, we have organized our ministries into three areas: Worship, Grow, and Serve. After living with these three umbrellas for a season or two, those involved in the Serve area of ministry asked for some reconsideration of our branding for our third umbrella.

We have worked with intentionality and integrity to develop and design our ministries outside our walls to encompass the model of accompaniment – the idea of walking alongside our ministry partners instead of “bringing our ideas to their doors.” In earlier days, this area of ministry was called “Mission Outreach.” In the month of October, we are redefining and reforming our meaning and purpose once again to align our ministry with the important work of accompaniment. Those involved in the hands-on work of accompaniment asked us to consider rebranding this area of ministry under the umbrella of “Walk.” It makes sense. The renaming allows us to focus our ministries outside our walls on a parallel track alongside those who invite us to “walk” with them in our local, national, and global ministries.

As we look to the dreams of our Arise 2035, our Ten-Year Strategic Plan and Vision, your voice and your dreams for your church are important contributions to the days ahead. Beginning in October, you will have the opportunity to add your dreams to the “action items” on the posters in the narthex/lobby of the church. As you dream, consider sharing your ideas on those posters, so that we can offer the greatest imagination to the work God will lay before us in our future.

The hymn in the red hymnal begins with these words:

I want Jesus to walk with me. I want Jesus to walk with me.
All along my pilgrim journey. I want Jesus to walk with me.

I believe that is all any of us ever want in this life. I, for one, am happy to have each of you to walk alongside me on this journey of faith and life. To God be the glory.

See you in church,

Pastor Chris

Welcome to September

I confess – September is a welcome respite from August.

August began with the mission trip to El Salvador. It was spectacular. Pastor Edwin and Sarah were amazing in their planning and tending as we walked alongside our sister church, El Milagro de Dios (Miracle of God) Lutheran Church in San Jorge. It was pure joy to finally meet Pastora Blanca and the members of the congregation. We were fed more than we could possibly eat. There were stories to tell and time for prayer through the expert translation of Pastor Edwin and laughter and games alongside the children of the church and the entire community of San Jorge. Bumpy roads and deep water-traced ruts reminded us that we are blessed to complain about potholes in Wisconsin. The heat was, well, hot! But the air conditioning and cool water offered us respite at the end of the day. We visited historical sites and were often overwhelmed by the beauty of the country and her people. We spent time with Pastor Edwin’s family who hosted all 24 of us for dinner – no easy task in any country! We were graciously welcomed by the newly elected Bishop of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church – Bishop Guadalupe Cortez. She and her staff shared greetings, reflections on the church in El Salvador, and a meal with the most amazing plantains cooked with a pudding in the center. We prepared a lengthy beach for sea turtle nesting and somewhere along the way my wife and daughter became stuck in an elevator. It was a very good trip to build relationships with sisters and brothers in the body of Christ.

We returned to Wisconsin for a brief six days before my family traveled to California to say goodbye to my larger-than-life father-in-law. He was indeed one of a kind. The funeral was full of loud Easter hymns, and big feelings, and well lengthy preaching (guess who preached) and all those things reflected my father-in-law perfectly. Two days after the funeral, we returned home, where we packed up my oldest child and returned him to the University of Wisconsin – Madison for his sophomore year. One daughter is neck deep in volleyball tryouts and the other is tackling volleyball and soccer practice simultaneously. And my mother-in-law was here for the rest of the month – so if you see her in early September, please say hello. All that to say that August was full – completely full – and somewhere in those days were also several meetings preparing us for the fall here at Ascension. Deep breath!

September at Ascension is pure joy and all life to the glory of God. Worship returns to our program year schedule on September 7th, with worship in English at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. and worship in Spanish at 10:45 a.m. JAM, BLAST, JUMP, JOLT, and CRASH all return the week of September 7th. And if you are unsure of one or more of the acronyms for ministry among our children and junior and senior high school students – keep reading – all is explained later on in this newsletter. We are preparing to launch a young adult ministry as well this fall – for those in the 18-30 year age range because they have asked and the Holy Spirit is moving – but an acronym is still in the dreaming phase – have any ideas?

We return to Monday morning and evening Adult Study gatherings with season 4 of the CHOSEN. I am so excited to see how this next season unfolds as we gather to reflect on the stories already deep in our bones. By the time you read this article, our music ministries will already have begun rehearsals to bring glory to God in our worship life – have you thought about joining the choir or ringing a bell – there is still room for you. I promise Vicki will find a place for you.

In late September and/or early October there will be listening sessions available to help the pastors and church council reflect and dream about our future. Ascension Arise 2035 will be available for review and comment in the weeks ahead. Your input, about your church, is important and welcome as we look to all that God has in store for the days ahead. And there are ministries waiting for your “yes.” Healing Hearts of Waukesha County, the Hope Center, and the Food Pantry of Waukesha County are all supported by our congregation and in need of our hands-on ministry as well as our financial support. If you are considering joining our community of faith, we will host conversations in-between services later this month and early in October as we prepare to welcome new members on Sunday, October 19th. I am ready for all of it and more. I hope you are too!

See you in church.

Pastor Chris

Reprinted from the September 2025 newsletter.

Living the Good Samaritan’s Call

We recently heard the familiar Gospel story of “The Good Samaritan” during a Sunday reading. Jesus recounted:

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” Jesus then asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This powerful parable serves as a timeless reminder of God’s constant call to us: to be merciful to one another. This call continues to resonate deeply within our Christian community today.

We’ve seen this call answered in inspiring ways recently. In April, our CRASH students held a community service event at Hope Center. They rose early to prepare and serve breakfast to over 40 people. After their service, during a 10-minute reflection, the students eagerly asked about the possibility of another summer community service. Their enthusiasm led to our first summer service event, where Grandpa Art even joined us, preparing his delicious cookies with the students! Together, the students fed over 60 people, embodying the very spirit of the Good Samaritan.

Another deeply moving experience came last month when I received a call from a man in our Spanish ministry. It was news that filled me with joy, making me exclaim, “Thanks be to God!” As you might imagine, I try to stay on top of all calls from our Latino ministry families. When my phone rings with one of those numbers, I often close my eyes and pray that the call isn’t related to ICE. But this call was different. The man simply wanted to make plans to take lunch to someone sleeping under a bridge. He had just left church on a Sunday and was eager to put compassion into practice.

Jesus consistently calls us to practice compassion, regardless of who the person in need might be. Their appearance, beliefs, background, social status, or even their past should never be barriers. We are called to extend compassion to everyone whose humanity is in distress.

Like the priest and the Levite in the parable, it’s easy to let our own busyness, anxieties, prejudices, or even our established religious routines prevent us from seeing and responding to human suffering. Jesus urges us to break down these internal barriers. He calls us to actively seek opportunities to serve with love, rather than looking the other way. The Good Samaritan didn’t just feel pity; he acted, getting directly involved. This is the very essence of Christian love. It’s not passive empathy; it’s active and practical compassion. It means being willing to be uncomfortable, to step outside our comfort zones, and sometimes even to sacrifice our own resources and time for the sake of others.

Brothers and sisters, we live in a world where wars, natural disasters, poverty, injustice, and loneliness can feel overwhelming. Yet, the parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that our calling often begins with the individual right in front of us, or with a need within our own communities that we can directly address. It could be a homeless person on the street, a struggling family down the street, an elderly neighbor in need, a friend battling a hidden illness, or communities facing persecution.

How can you “go and do likewise” in your own life today?

Pastor Edwin

To the Glory of God

“So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”  1 Corinthians 10:31

With August upon us, I’m shocked by the simple reality that summer is just about over. Some of us are still trying to squeeze in one last vacation or get outside for just a little bit longer. But for the most part, we’ve started the annual transition back into the swing of our fall routines.

How did this happen? It feels like just yesterday that kids were getting out of school, gardens were being planted, graduations were being celebrated, and we were just getting used to the longer days when the sun decided to show its beautiful face.

I once read an article by a psychologist who said that time seems to pass more quickly as we get older because we’re experiencing fewer “firsts.” When we’re continually experiencing new things, time tends to stand still while we’re living them. After we’ve repeated those events numerous times, they don’t faze us much anymore – and before we know it, months have passed, seasons have changed, and it’s time to start the annual cycle again.

Yet, we shouldn’t allow our time to be something that simply evades our grasp, trickling through our fingers. After all, time itself – every moment on this earth is a gift from God. We each have 24 hours today and seven days this week to use however we please. Not one of us gets more time than another.

Perhaps at the end of this summer, each of us would take time to look back and see how we chose to use our time these last few months. Did we set aside time to pray? Did we dedicate any time to serving others? Did we devote time each day to serve God? Have we been kind, helpful, generous, creative, or curious? When we assess the use of our time, we should be asking ourselves, “Have I been a good steward of the time given to me?”

Maybe now is a good time to make some changes in our lives and get more involved or do a new thing. Afterall, there’s no better time than right now to seek out ways to serve God and those around us or improve something in our life or the life of the world. This is what it means to be a good steward!

As the lazy days of summer give way to all the routines and activities of fall, remember to keep God in your hearts, in your minds, and on your lips as we continue our journey as people and a community of faith.

Pastor Tony

Time Flies

I have heard from more than one of the wiser, experienced members of Ascension that the days go by faster than one expects. Honestly people, how are we already entering the month of August? Easter was just last week, and the last day of school was yesterday, right?

Summer seems to have a mind of its own. In earlier days, summer was rest and restoration. Now, summer feels like a fourth quarter of programming with just a little less ministry at night. My wife and I used to say that Wisconsin had a slower pace of life than California – perhaps that was true when our children were young and uninvolved in anything except running through the sprinklers and chasing the dog. But the times they are a changing. Now, summer just continues a pace of chasing after kids who drive cars and stop in for food before they are off to the races again.

These summer days are my reminder to set time aside to rest the rhythms of my spirit. There is a deep longing for time to breathe, reflect, and savor the longer span of daylight that lets the sun linger on the horizon just long enough to enjoy the breeze and a conversation about the events of the day without gasping for the next breath. I have found a few of the moments in these summer months, granted, they are moments captured between mountain climbing with junior high students and worship preparations for Sunday mornings and last-minute details before our travel to El Salvador. I, sometimes, need to remind myself to enjoy these moments for what they are, “gifts within the gift” of all that God grants me in this life.

Here, at Ascension, the rhythms of life are only a little slower. Our worship life is full of joy with just a seasoning of irreverence at times – especially when the pastors take a jab at each other. We have been the Grateful recipients of the sharing of special musical gifts from a variety of individuals and ensembles. Our Amen ministry completed a summer book study; the Knit Wits continue to work their magic as their hands create offering after offering from balls of yarn; countless members show-up to tend flower beds all over the campus; ashes are scattered in the ash garden thanks to greater access through the gift of the path; small groups continue to study God’s Word and nurture faith; visitors are welcomed again and again and again; coffee is served; companion synod committees continue to meet and plan; meals have been served at the Hope Center; calendars are planned and prepared for the fall; new ministries are preparing to launch; visitors and members alike are inquiring where they might serve in the ministry of this community of faith; our average worship attendance is up over last year at this time; our financial support of the ministry inside and outside our walls has increased; and I believe the Holy Spirit is just preparing us for more to come.

Summer might be a time to find a little rest, but as the psalmist says, “God will not let your foot slip—God who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, God who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I am grateful for this promise of God’s care and grateful still more for your faithfulness in sharing this journey of life and faith to the glory of God. Blessings on these continued summer days.

See you in church,

Pastor Chris

Serving and Growing With Ascension This Summer

Read all about our activities this summer!

Community Partner: SOPHIA

This month’s Ascension’s Community Partner focus is SOPHIA (Stewards of Prophetic Hopeful Intentional Action). SOPHIA is made up of people of faith united by a passion for justice, a commitment to community and a practice of hope. SOPHIA builds relationships in the public and private sectors, uniting people with common values to have a powerful voice; to stand together to change injustices affecting those who are marginalized. Together, this group can make our communities places where everyone has a chance to succeed.

Currently, there are three task forces working for change: Housing Task Force, Criminal Justice Task Force, and Immigration Task Force. Each task force meets monthly to identify how to have an impact in their specific area. SOPHIA is non-partisan and does not endorse candidates. SOPHIA is part of Wisdom, the statewide organization working for justice. Micah 6:8 states, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
 
Ascension hosts the Immigration Task Force on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30. If this topic is something you are interested in, please join the group. If you would like more information about the other task forces, see the SOPHIA website at: https://www.sophiawaukesha.org/. For specific information on Ascension’s role in SOPHIA, contact Joan Mikecz at: jdmikecz@gmail.com.

Sunday Morning Coffee

Coffee hour between services is enjoyed by many members and is a great way to engage visitors. During the summer, it is hard to get volunteers to be coffee hosts. Please let Al Gilgenbach know if you would be willing to take a Sunday. It is an easy way to get involved. Meru coffee is always for sale for you to enjoy at home. Check out the coffee cabinet by the glass doors in the Hearth Room or ask the coffee host. Purchasing coffee helps the farmers in the Meru Diocese of Tanzania to be able to support their families.

Hope Center Golf Outing

The 17th annual Tee Up for Hope Golf Outing is July 14 and Hope Center is hoping that YOU will join the fun this year. You can look forward to the usual on-course fun events including prizes, a putting contest and raffles, along with a post-golf program with appetizers! The event will be at Broadlands Golf Club to raise funds that will allow Hope Center to continue to help people of Waukesha County meet their basic needs. Get a group of golfing friends together or register on your own for this special event. Visit their website to register and for sponsorship information.

Support Hawthorne Elementary School

Show our support for the students and teachers at Hawthorne by helping to ensure that the teachers have all of the supplies they need for a successful school year. You can purchase the items from their Amazon Wishlist and have them delivered directly to Hawthorne. The school office is closed from July 11- August 4, so deliveries outside of that window would be greatly appreciated.

El Salvador Mission Trip

From July 29 to August 6, Ascension’s largest delegation yet is headed to El Salvador to visit our sister parish, San Jorge. We have a full schedule as our delegation of twenty-four strives to fulfill the agreements in our partnership covenant. We will be celebrating our 15th anniversary of partnership and the 10th anniversary of the signing of our original covenant. We will gather in homes, visit the sister parish school, meet with church leaders, do a beach clean of a sea turtle sanctuary, lead a field day for the children of the community while their teachers are at professional development, and worship together. We will continue to dream and plan for a chocolate project that will be both an economic development project as well as a way to lift up the Lutheran church in the eyes of the community. We will be the first church that brings in the artists from the Fernanado Llort studio in the capital to our rural sister parish community for the people to learn about their national artist as together we fulfill Llort’s vision of community art created for and by the common people. If the land cooperates, some in our group will climb Chaparrastique, also known as the San Miguel Volcano, while others in our group explore a monkey sanctuary and Jiquilisco Bay. In San Salvador, we will learn about the ministries of the national church as well as more about the history and current events shaping the lives of our brothers and sisters in El Salvador. Our mission is to leave with strengthened bonds of Christian brotherhood and a greater understanding of the human experience in other parts of the world. Please keep our delegates in your prayers as we travel.

Soul Sisters at the Beer Garden

Soul Sisters will be hosting a summer get together at the Tap Yard Beer Garden at Minooka Park on Thursday, July 10th. We plan to meet at 5:30 p.m. Please bring a lawn chair and an appetizer to share. Benets BBQ will be onsite and free trivia begins at 6 p.m. 

Who are the Soul Sisters? The Soul Sisters is our rebrand of Super Moms to be more inclusive of women in the under 60 age group, regardless of whether or not they are a parent. Sign up is not required for this event. If you do not have an annual park membership, you can purchase a daily park entrance pass up to 5 days prior to the event. You can purchase your pass online or in-person at Retzer Nature Center, S14 W28167 Madison St., or the Waukesha County Courthouse – Park System Main Office, 515 W Moreland Blvd AC 260. Please reach out to Lori, Sarah, or Ileen with any questions.

Young at Heart

On July 16, Young at Heart will have a band “A Little Bit of Heaven” playing at Ascension. They play 50’s and 60’s music, polkas and gospel. Anyone 55+ is invited to attend and bring a friend! We will start with a potluck lunch at noon. The band will play from 1-2 pm. Hope to see you there!

Farmers Market

March 9 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. 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.

Join us for brunch and fellowship! Locally-sourced meal including: egg bakes (including gluten-free), oatmeal bars, sausages, herb-roasted potatoes, caramel apple crisp, mixed melon salad, and beverages. Tickets are $10 for an adult, $8 for a senior, $5 for kids ages 4 – 10 (under 4 is free) $30 maximum per family.

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.