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 9, 2023
Easter Sunday
Easter Blessings 2023
Resurrection mosaic in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Grace and peace to you my family in Christ!
In Matthew’s telling of the story of Easter, he mentions that Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” (verse 28:8) were filled with fear and joy. Note, this is not the fear of joy, which can be a real issue because people can be afraid to be happy. No, instead the Marys had fear and joy because what they had hoped for was now real and Jesus was calling them to be “all in.”
In this way, faith in Jesus involves both fear and joy.
Many people don’t have faith in Jesus — not because it is hard to believe that the resurrection happened but because it is hard to be “all in.” But not being “all in” causes us to miss out on the life that Jesus has for us. So, as it turns out, faith is a fearful and joyful experience. So let’s be all in because: He is risen. He is risen indeed!
I can’t wait to see you this weekend as we celebrate the day that changed everything!!!
Holy Week Services
Maundy Thursday Evening Service 7 PM
April 7: Good Friday Chapel 11:15 AM,
Good Friday Evening Service
Cantata “The Seven Last Words”
with Chancel Choir, soloists 7 PM
Easter Services
April 8: Saturday Evening Service Observing Easter
with Country Spirit 6 PM
April 9 Easter Sunday:
7 AM Outdoor Sunrise Service
9 AM Traditional Festival Service,
11 AM Contemporary Easter Service
Holy Communion will be served at each Easter Sunday service.
10:30 Easter Egg Hunt
Easter Breakfast by Ascension Youth served from 8-11 AM
$10 Adults, $5 children
Looking Forward to Easter
We are in the last days of our Lenten Calendar, HERE
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.
Good Friday Cantata
On Good Friday this year, we have a special addition to our evening service at 7 o’clock. Our Chancel Choir, joined by vocal soloists and instrumentalists under the direction of Wyant Morton, will perform “The Seven Last Words,” written by Michael John Trotta.
The Seven Last Words are a set of texts that have their origins in the Bible and are often referenced in liturgical services during Holy Week. Musical settings capturing the emotion and depth of the final words spoken by Jesus on the cross exist as far back as the 16th century. Trotta composed his piece in 2016. As one reviewer wrote, while “The Seven Last Words” is rooted in liturgical tradition, it also has a contemporary sound. In fact, “It wouldn’t be a stretch to observe that several extended passages are reminiscent of what might be heard in a contemporary film score.”
Please join us April 7, and be sure to invite family and friends, as we come together to experience this worship service and its music, and remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us.
Easter Sunrise Service
The Easter Sunrise service will take place under the oak tree in the future garden oasis area. This area is located at the far end of the big parking lot behind the “bungalow” (the modular building). You may enter through the modular front door and exit down the back door and ramp. If you need assistance of a walker or wheelchair, this is the best route. There is limited seating on the sidewalk around the sand pit. Most of the seating will be located on the grassy hill that descends to the oak tree. It is a beautiful location for an early morning Easter service!
$10 Adults $5 children
Served 8-11 AM
Pederson Hall
Youth Fundraiser!
pancakes eggs
sausage fruit
orange juice
coffee, tea, hot cocoa
Sunrise Service Help Needed
Easter is coming, and we are so excited to celebrate this year by helping at the Sunrise service and also with making and serving breakfast!
If you’re interested in helping, we would love all the help we can get, and of course we’d love for you to spread the word about the service and the breakfast too!
For the Sunrise service, we would love help with music (singing or playing instruments), serving Communion, and greeting.
For breakfast, we need lots of helpers for the day-before prep as well as cooking, serving, and cleanup on Easter morning.
Breakfast will be served from 8:00-11:00 in Pederson Hall, so you can either come after the garden Sunrise Service or come before the 9:00 and 11:00 services that are held in the sanctuary.
If you can help with prep the day before or cooking and serving Easter morning, please reach out to Dianne Beck ).
We’re looking forward to a beautiful day of celebrating our risen Jesus and serving our wonderful congregation members and friends.
A Note of Gratitude
With grateful hearts, we say Thank You to Ascension supporters the Dickey family, who have contributed mightily and generously to the well-being of One Ascension. That includes helping with roof patching in the aftermath of our severe storms, and working on our air conditioning systems.
“We love Ascension,” says Jamie Dickey, when their contributions of time, talent and treasure are discussed. “My kids love it there. I love spending my extra time there.”
Jamie and her husband, Branden, CEO of Conejo Valley Heating and Air, Plumbing & Rooter and LocalRoofs.com, heard about Ascension Lutheran School and our Early Childhood Center through friends. “We were moving homes at the time, and looking to go private, and we found out about this cute, quaint little safe school. By chance we ran into the Day family at our social club and they couldn’t say enough about the school and how great it was. So I toured it the next week and here we are.”
Jamie’s father-in-law, Wally Dickey, is an Ascension alumnus; he attended the school when it was in one building. Coincidentally enough, she notes, “I didn’t know that until he came to the campus one day and said, ‘I used to go to school here.'”
The Dickey family: some of the people who make Ascension so special.
Deadline Nears 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 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.
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.
Thanks for the Cookies!
The Library Committee wants to thank all of the people who brought cookies for the Lenten Cookie Fellowship in Founders Hall. The cookies were wonderful and everyone enjoyed the great opportunity for fellowship after the service!!!
In Need Of Prayer
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!
Upcoming Memorial Services
Don Johnson
Saturday, April 15
1 PM
Founders Hall
Norma Cretal
Saturday, April 22
1 PM
Sanctuary
Offerings & Attendance
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 (Easter):
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4
Matthew 28:1-10
Next Week:
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
