Worship:
Saturday 6 PM
Sunday 9 & 11 AM
This Week At Ascension
Called to create opportunities for all people to become devoted followers of Christ
April 16, 2023
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!
The Easter eggs are now on clearance, the world has moved on, and we get to figure out what it means to live as Easter people the rest of the year.
That’s what the disciples had to do, too, and we continue to hear stories of both great joy and great fear. That is where Jesus meets us. Not in our perfection, but in the reality of an on-the-ground faith that wants to follow but doesn’t always know how.
Join us this weekend to dive into what it means to be resurrection people.
I’m grateful for each of you and your imperfect Easter faith.
EASTER 2023 AT ASCENSION
What a remarkable year it was! We had more than a thousand people in attendance for our Easter worship services.
Saturday evening there was Nancy Lee’s gorgeous piano playing, the always top-notch musicianship of Country Spirit, and the lovely Hawaiian Easter spirit of the hula dance.
The glorious outdoor setting of the morning’s sunrise service was complemented by youth leadership in song and prayer. Thank you!
At 9 o’clock, our choir was at its finest, and we loved Pastor Julie’s children’s chat and Pastor Tim’s sermon that took us to the heights of fear and joy.
We had upwards of 45 kids here enjoying the Easter Egg Hunt. With 1,000 eggs, all the enormous preparation paid off.
At 11, Praise Alive with Jeanette Ruggiero truly brought the joyful songs! We are grateful for all the hard work that went into these services, in front of the crowds and behind the scenes, in preparation all the way through cleanup. This community is special, and that’s what makes Ascension so special. See more below.
AN UNFORGETTABLE CANTATA:
Congratulations to Choir Director Wyant Morton, the members of Ascension’s Chancel Choir, and our musician accompanists. The Good Friday cantata, The Seven Last Words, proved to be an exceptional experience. People describe being profoundly moved, feeling particularly connected to our Lord and his suffering, riding home in silence.
There were more than 300 in attendance – many of whom had never visited Ascension until now. We thank everyone involved for their gifts of talent and time. Our choir even stayed late after the cantata to rehearse for Easter Sunday. Bravo!
In Need Of Prayer
Thank You for Supporting Our Youth at Easter Breakfast!
The Senior Luther League high schoolers send a huge thank you to all who joined us at Easter Breakfast and helped support our group! We served 155 people and raised $1025 that will help fund the youth going to Luther Glen this July along with other future events as well. We are so very grateful for all who came to breakfast as well as all the parents and other adults in the congregation who came to help out on Saturday and Sunday to prep, cook, and clean up.
As the leader of these youths, I want to say how blessed I feel to be part of their lives. They not only helped serve breakfast but also participated in the Sunrise Service as greeters, readers, musicians, and communion helpers. These young people are humble about it, but they are incredible people, as are the parents and other adults who pitched in to help and support these youth.
This event was truly an example of God’s light and love shining through his people at this place we all know as Ascension Lutheran Church. It is a blessing to be a part of it. Thank you to everyone for making this a joy-filled celebration of our Risen Jesus.
In Peace and Love,
Dianne Beck
LAST CALL for College Scholarship Applications!
You still have the chance to apply for scholarships! Please click HERE for all the details and forms.
The deadline for applications including letters of recommendation is this Friday April 21, 2023.
All scholarships will be awarded by May 23 for the academic year starting next fall. The recipients will be informed in writing and will be recognized in a church service on June 11, 2023.
THIS SUNDAY:
Beware of Fraud!
A special Adult Ed. opportunity is coming up this Sunday. Gain knowledge that can help you and your loved ones avoid romance scams, money mule scams, mortgage frauds, charitable scams and, especially in the news of late — crypto currency scams. FBI agent, white collar crime expert and Ascension member Lynne Zellhart, whose terrific, informative Adult Ed. was among our most popular in the past, will be on hand this Sunday, April 16, at 10:10 in Founders Hall.
Don’t miss it!
Adult Education April 30:
Bread for the World Sunday
At our April 30 class we will observe Bread for the World Sunday. Join the class to learn about the Farm Bill, and then to write letters to Congress. Personalized letters and emails stand out. They tell senators and representatives that you, as a constituent, really care about an issue.
The impact of the farm bill is significant. It not only affects the agriculture and food sectors – it can play a huge role in ending food insecurity and hunger in the U.S. and save the lives of millions abroad. Tell your senators and representatives to support reauthorization of the farm bill in order to build healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems. We know how important feeding the hungry was to Jesus in his ministry, and now for us as well.
The class will be led by Pastor Steve and our Global Ministries Team, at 10:10 AM in Founders Hall. We thank Eloise Cohen for leading our partnership with Bread for the World.
Call for Worship Help
Click HERE to check out what help is needed in worship, and sign yourself up any place you see a need.
Living Easter
Did you know that the Season of Easter is actually 50 days on the church calendar? How might you continue to live in the spirit of Easter?
Join Pastor Chamie in reading Eugene Peterson’s book Living the Resurrection. She will be doing weekly blog posts on the book at www.pastorchamie.com. A book club discussion will take place on Tuesday, May 23, in the Delkeskamps’ backyard garden.
Fair Trade Road Trip … to California Lutheran University!
Ascension’s Fair Trade Ministry is on the road to the CLU campus – pack your bags & join us! Our friends at the Center for Global Engagement at CLU have organized a great event and they’ve invited us to join them. We’ll be joining the Center for Global Engagement, the CLU Earth Society Club and Tlalipani in Kingsmen Park for Fair Trade fun & fellowship on Friday, April 21st.
The event starts at 11 AM and will run until around 2 PM. We thank our friends at the Center for Global Engagement for this opportunity to be messengers of hospitality for Ascension and Fair Trade.
We’ll need help packing and unpacking our bags and boxes – if you’d like to help out for some part of that day, send us a note. We’re at . Never helped out at an event like this before, you say? No problem -everyone’s qualified. Bring your wonderful selves and a spirit of welcome and we’ll figure the rest out as we go. Let’s wear our Ascension name tags too! (We will bring some “do it yourself” name tags just in case.)
Pastor Chamie’s Garden Class
This past December, Pastor Chamie completed a year-long program through the Horticultural Therapy Institute at Colorado State University to earn her certificate in horticultural therapy. She loved reading about healing plants and how science shows what we already know to be true about God’s good creation… time digging in soil and holding seeds and clipping flowers and tending plants is good for our health. It lowers our stress levels and helps our anxious hearts find some rest. Join Pastor Chamie four Wednesdays in a row this spring: April 19, April 26, May 3, and May 10— at 6:30-7:45 PM. Sign up HERE.
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ATTENTION SPACE EXPLORERS
This summer’s Stellar VBS is looking for a few good builders to construct two primary set decorations for the week-long program in July; a LUNAR LANDER, and a ROVER.
Ideally, pieces for each item will be created and assembled by a two-person team. Instructions, specs and materials will be provided. Some tools and experience are necessary.
Soon, we’ll also be looking for crafters to help us build stars, portholes, etc., from home.
Sign on to the job by visiting the display in the narthex after service, or contacting Pastor Julie: . Mission command thanks you!
Offerings & Attendance
The services in the total are Saturday night, Sunday Sunrise 7AM, Sunday 9 AM, and Sunday 11 AM. Additional services through Holy Week were Good Friday at 301, and Maundy Thursday at 98.
Our Prayer
We pray that you may once again meet the Risen Christ through the Word and Sacrament ministry, and through the fellowship of this family of faith.
If you do not have a church home, we would like to invite you to worship with our Ascension family again.
All people who are baptized and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are welcome to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
May God bless you in your worship!
Pastors Tim Delkeskamp, Julie McCain, and Steve Herder
Don’t miss another TWAA
Pericopes
This Week:
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
Next Week:
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 (13)
1 Peter 1:17-23
Luke 24:13-35
