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

November updates include Pastor Julio’s visit, NAMI, a new minsitry, Christmas parade, Christmas Clearing Council, Habitat for Humanity Gingerbread House and Thank You’s.

Pastor Julio Visits Ascension

After many years of brotherhood with the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Usulután in El Salvador, their pastor was finally able to visit and worship together with our community. Pastor Julio had the opportunity to attend one of the Bible studies on Grace that Pastor Tony is conducting. He helped lead JOLT and was part of all of the fun. He toured the Hope Center facilities to learn about this ministry project. In the absence of both Pastor Chris and Pastor Tony for Sunday worship, Pastor Julio was able to accompany Pastor Edwin in the English service and in the bilingual service. He even had the chance to enjoy an early Thanksgiving dinner.

Pastor Julio is surprised with all the great work Ascension is doing. He believes that many of these things can be implemented in El Salvador, for example work with children and young people. With adults he hopes to implement bible study sessions using the same Max Lucado book, Grace, that Ascension is currently using. Ascension gave him the book in Spanish so that he and Pastora Blanca could read it and decide if they would like to do a Bible study. If they do the Bible study, Ascension will purchase the books in Spanish and send them to them so that the Bible study is a success.

The intention of Ascension is to share with our brotherhood part of the resources that are available. These types of resources are sadly not available to the pastors and leadership of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church. Ascension will continue to be illuminated by the guidance of the Holy Spirit on our journey of sharing his love with another. Thank you to everyone who made Pastor Julio feel welcome during his time here.

Mental Health in Families of Faith

NAMI Mental Health in Families of Faith will be Nov. 14 2 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 631 N 19th St., Milwaukee. Come to hear Meg Kissinger and Kathleen Geuder-Martin bravely share their personal and moving stories of growing up in families with mental illness and how their faith helped them. They will be sharing from their newly-released memoirs. All are welcome.

Mustard Seed Ministry

On October, 5 Ascension members attended the annual SOPHIA Community Prayer Breakfast. What a wonderful day it was to be inspired by people of faith who see that by working together we can accomplish so much more than as individual congregations or even denominations. We were reminded of the great needs in our community for a reformed immigration system and ways to assist immigrants and refugees in adapting to life in this country. Affordable housing is becoming a crisis in the entire county not just for the very poor but increasingly for the younger and the older ends of the age spectrum as new construction tends to meet the needs of the middle. Affordable housing has many barriers that can be overcome. These are just two of many areas of justice and opportunity that SOPHIA is working to resolve. We were challenged by a Moravian pastor to stand and take a step forward and follow Jesus’ parable of planting a mustard seed of faith. When we love and nurture our seed, a giant plant will grow. Would you like to meet to discuss Mustard Seed Ministry? We think Thanksgiving time is a great time to be thankful for the harvest already completed through the work of SOPHIA and now we can take that leap of faith and plant some new seeds that can help grow a field of Ministry Mustard plants that can make a difference in our community. Each small step can lead to a big result. The prayer breakfast closed by a reminder from a Catholic priest that “Whatever we do for the least of these, we do unto Christ Himself.” This just happens to be the motivating force behind all that our Mission Outreach Team is doing. Join us between services on Nov. 19 to discuss the planting strategy for Ascension. “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”( Micah 6:8)

Waukesha Christmas Parade, Dec. 3

One of our goals has been to make the community more aware of Ascension’s unique ministries and how we are bringing the good news of God’s love for all into the community. The Christmas parade provides us with this opportunity. We need your help. We need people to help with the final preparations before the parade. We need candy donations for handing out on the parade route. We need people to hand out candy and keep the candy bins full. We need costumed characters to walk in the parade and we need other people of all ages to walk with the procession as we portray Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. It will be a moving Posada! We will be handing out a special invitation with details in English and Spanish about all the worship activities and special events at Ascension during December. See the Signup Genius to volunteer. We need your help to make this community event a success in telling how we share God’s love at Ascension.

Christmas Angel Tree

This year, the Angel Tree will be set up in the narthex from Nov. 2 through Dec 7. The Thursday Afternoon Women’s Nurture Group is coordinating this activity to benefit the Christmas Clearing Council. They are requesting Target and Walmart gift cards of $25 for children and teens over 12. Angel ornaments can be taken from the tree with Target or Walmart on them and placed in the marked box in the office with your gift card. The group will deliver the gift cards to the Christmas Clearing Council in time for them to be delivered to families in need. If you have any questions, contact Linda Hansen, lindahansen@wi.rr.com.

Habitat for Humanity News

Join Habitat for their tiniest, tastiest build of the year! Showcase your sweet skills for a great cause by building a Gingerbread House. All proceeds go towards funding their mission. Build, vote for, or buy one of the gingerbread houses and support affordable housing in Waukesha County! The Gingerbread Build is Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Corners of Brookfield. Register online, habitatwaukesha.org/gingerbreadbuild.

Getting a new car for Christmas? Did you know by donating your vehicle to Habitat you can help build and repair affordable homes while also helping the environment? Since launching the national vehicle donation program, Cars for Homes, in 2005, Habitat has accepted over 120,000 vehicles for reselling or recycling, raising funds for Habitat to partner with local families to build stability and security that a safe affordable home allows. Cars, trucks, RV’s, vans, SUV’s, boats and motorcycles are accepted whether they are running or not. Towing is free! Donate now.

So Many Thank You’s

  • To all those who walked, ran, rode, volunteered or donated to Outreach for Hope
  • To all those who participated in the NAMI Walks to help raise awareness for mental health
  • To all those who donated to the Tend a Teacher Program for Hawthorne School
  • To all those who donated to feed the children at the schools of our parishes in Tanzania
  • To all of those who donated food locally to the Food Pantry or our Blessing Box

What a joy and blessing it is to experience the generosity of a congregation that lives out their faith in big and small ways to accomplish great things! Praise be to God for the gifts and service to Him through the gifts and service to others in need.

¡Gracias! from Hawthorne

Dear Ascension Church,

On behalf of the entire Hawthorne Community, I want to express our sincere gratitude for your unwavering commitment to supporting our school and families. Your generosity and partnership have made a real difference in the lives of our students and families.

From providing financial assistance to supporting our teaching, you have consistently gone above and beyond to create a vibrant and supportive learning environment. You dedication to our school is truly inspiring.

We are particularly grateful for your support in granting our teacher wish lists. Your funding has helped prepare our teachers prepare their classrooms with new items!

We are so fortunate to have you as a partner. Your support helps us to create a school where all students can thrive. Thank you for believing in our scholars and our school.

Sincerely,

Taheréh DeLeón, Principal

Serve With Ascension, August

Drought in Tanzania Creating Economic Crisis

In addition to the health impact of the drought in Tanzania, it is also damaging the economy. For many of the families in the region where we partner, their only income is from the sale of crops or livestock. After three consecutive years of failed crops, these families have no money. As a result, they can no longer manage to pay school fees or hospital bills. Some parents have stopped sending their children to school because they are unable to pay the fees. The Diocese of Meru sister parish office just shared with us that for the most part, their schools and hospitals and clinics have been unable to pay their staff in eleven months. Even though they haven’t been paid in nearly a year and there is no sign of a paycheck on the horizon, the doctors, nurses, and teachers are still showing up to work every day. Most pastors are in the same situation. They have faith that God will provide. In the meantime, they are unable to pay the new higher costs for food and fuel.

There is good news. We were able to send the money from our recent fundraiser for school lunches for Samaria and Savana primary schools in July. It was sent just in time. Pastor Makenge sent us a message a few days prior to the wire transfer that the school had run out of food and the children were going days at a time without eating. Thanks to Ascension’s continued support, the children once again have food at least once a day.

The sides of Mount Meru itself have not yet experienced drought, so there will be at least one more year of a thriving coffee crop. More than ever, it is improving the lives of coffee farmers in Tanzania and keeping some money flowing into the economy when you purchase Mt. Meru Coffee.

Ascension also generously stepped up following our July 9 appeal to support the hunger crisis fund for the 8000 families in crisis in Tanzania. We ask that you prayerfully consider making a recurring gift to provide ongoing support until a more sustainable solution can be figured out. Go to https://tinyurl.com/GiftatGMS and scroll down to find Meru Diocese Gifts > Meru Hunger Relief Crisis (4th down). 100% of your donation goes directly to the purchase of food. Asante Sana! (Thank you!)

Celebration Day in San Jorge, El Salvador

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are big days of celebration in the Salvadoran Lutheran church. Typically, the church would provide a gift to every honoree on that day as well as provide a celebratory luncheon for the entire congregation. In order to save money, this year their council decided to have one big celebration for both days, as well as honoring all graduates at the same time. Pastora Blanca’s extended family all donated prizes for a series of raffles to raise money for the gifts and they also cooked and donated the meal for the luncheon. They were all happy to be together for the celebrations again!

Care for Creation – Solar Power

Are you curious about what is required to add solar power energy to your home? Ascension’s Creation Care Ministry is hosting a Solar Power Hour on August 31st at 6:30 to help homeowners understand the basics of solar energy, and inform about helpful resources and programs that are available to implement solar power. The Waukesha County Green Team will provide an overview of the 2022 group buy program called “Grow Solar Jefferson+Waukesha” where homeowners can obtain substantial discounts. This event is open to Ascension members and the local community. For additional information, visit Grow Solar.

SOPHIA Multicultural Fair ~ Aug. 13, 11a-6p, Cutler Park

SOPHIA Waukesha has dreamed for years of bringing a multicultural event to Waukesha. It is a great opportunity to celebrate and share our diverse rich cultures and heritages with our neighbors through dance, art, music, fashion, food and community resources. SOPHIA is a social justice organization in Waukesha County working to build healthy neighborhoods where everyone has a chance to succeed. There will be music, dancers, art, informational booths, story tellers, food trucks and more. If you are interested in being part of this event as a volunteer, email admin@sophiawaukesha.org. More info.

Local Assistance for Food Crisis

We have heard about the hunger crisis in Africa but we are also aware of the need for food support in our own community. Rising food prices have led to challenges for both families at home and those that offer support. The Waukesha Food Pantry has higher numbers of people seeking food assistance and has seen a decrease in donations. It is also important for the Food Pantry to have wide varieties of food for those who have special dietary needs. Currently, it has had to reduce the amount of food it can provide to those coming for help. Summer normally sees a decrease in donations due to vacations and changes in routines. With the impact of higher prices for all of the basic life necessities, the Food Pantry is in greater need. To help, bring your donations for the Food Pantry to the Donation Center or deliver them directly to the Food Pantry on Sentry Drive in Waukesha. You can also volunteer to serve and provide a meal at the Hope Center.

Outreach for Hope Ride, Run, Walk

Sept. 24 is the date for the 2022 Outreach for Hope Ride Run Walk, which is vital to the work of supporting Greater Milwaukee Synod central city ministry partners. Register or pledge your support online, https://outreachforhope.org/ride-run-walk. Beth Hoffmann is the Pace Setter for Ascension. Please contact her with questions or to be part of the Ascension team.

Waukesha County events include:

  • 30-mile road ride for the more experienced rider
  • A 14-mile family friendly trail ride on the Glacial Drumlin Trail
  • A 2 mile walk
  • A 5K run (new this year!)
  • A fellowship-only option for those who plan to attend the event, but not participate in a ride, run or walk

Remember that if you give via one of the envelopes in the bike basket from the church narthex, your gift will be doubled by the $5000 matching gift.

October 2020 Mission Update

Lutheran Disaster Support
Lutheran Disaster Response brings God’s hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. Currently, the focus is on providing help to those impacted by the fires in the western part of the US and the hurricanes in the gulf region. Donations can be made by a check to Ascension and putting Lutheran Disaster Response in the notes. 100% of donations goes to those in need.

Food Pantry
We will continue to collect donations for the Food Pantry of Waukesha each Sunday during outdoor worship. You may also drop off donations at church during the regular office hours by placing them in the bins in the donation center in West Hall. Thank you to all of you who have donated items and cash to keep up with the needs to feed our neighbors in the community.

Tutoring
Tutoring leadership is reaching out to tutors and students to link them up via Zoom or limited face to face rather than our group classes. Priority will be given to those working towards learning enough English to prepare for citizenship and school age students who need extra help with virtual learning. Hopefully, we will be able to gradually add more tutors and students as time goes on. Three students passed their citizenship tests this summer with the help of tutors who worked remotely with them!

Blessing Box
The Blessing Box has had heavy use in these challenging times. We continue to see neighbors stop by to benefit from your generous donations. We also are noticing that members of the community are dropping off donations to share! We will continue to have the bins out on Sunday morning services. You may also drop off donations at church during the regular office hours by placing them in the bins in the Donation Center in West Hall.

Community Partners
Ascension’s Mission Outreach Community Partners are agencies in the community that provide support to the people in our area who are most in need. While Ascension has been a part of the founding of many of these agencies (Hope Center, SOPHIA, Healing Hearts), we look to support a variety of agencies where we can provide support through volunteering, education, financial and donations of things they need. Since the pandemic began, our partners have been challenged in many ways. The need for food, housing, mental health and social justice has increased dramatically. Services have had to be offered in new ways which has challenged staff and volunteers. Major fund raisers have had to be cancelled, re-scheduled and re-designed often being virtual rather than in person. As individuals have had hours reduced at work or even lost their jobs, personal donations have decreased. Through our Mission Outreach Wing, we keep you informed of the needs of our partners and opportunities to serve or donate. We regularly post updates on our MO Facebook page. Please like or follow this page to stay informed of how you can be part of the solution to the challenges faced by our partners.

NAMI
NAMI Waukesha joins groups from around the country in a National Day of Hope on October 10th. Supporters from around the country will walk in person or virtually to support mental health and help NAMI achieve the goals to end the stigma toward mental health, increase awareness and provide advocacy for individuals and families impacted by mental health here in our own community. Things will look different than previous years due to the pandemic. Instead of large, in-person walk, we will “Walk YOUR WAY” and have a combination of virtual and responsible in-person connections. On the morning of October 10th attendees can pick up their t-shirt and suggested walk route via drive through, take photos and get signs to display while they walk. Donations will also be accepted at this time. Meet at Fox River Christian Church, S46W24130 Lawnsdale Rd. in person 9:00 to 12:00 and virtual all day. For more information or to register, go to: https://www.namiwaukesha.org/walks.

SOPHIA
Coming soon to a parking lot near you! Please join SOPHIA on October 3 at 10:00 at Church of the Resurrection in Pewaukee for the annual fundraiser and hear more about the past, present, and future of this organization, as well as a call-to-action for racial justice. This year, attendees will gather in their cars to listen live to speakers from SOPHIA or watch virtually from the comfort of their own home. Additionally, SOPHIA will host the silent auction completely online, starting September 28. More information can be found at www.sophiawaukesha.org and on the SOPHIA Facebook page.

Food Pantry
We will continue to collect donations for the Food Pantry of Waukesha each Sunday during outdoor worship. You may also drop off donations at church during the regular office hours by placing them in the bins in the donation center in West Hall. Thank you to all of you who have donated items and cash to keep up with the needs to feed our neighbors in the community.

Tutoring
Tutoring leadership is reaching out to tutors and students to link them up via Zoom or limited face to face rather than our group classes. Priority will be given to those working towards learning enough English to prepare for citizenship and school age students who need extra help with virtual learning. Hopefully, we will be able to gradually add more tutors and students as time goes on. Three students passed their citizenship tests this summer with the help of tutors who worked remotely with them!

Blessing Box
The Blessing Box has had heavy use in these challenging times. We continue to see neighbors stop by to benefit from your generous donations. We also are noticing that members of the community are dropping off donations to share! We will continue to have the bins out on Sunday morning services. You may also drop off donations at church during the regular office hours by placing them in the bins in the Donation Center in West Hall.

(Reprinted from the October 2020 Newsletter)