Worship:
Saturday 6 PM
Sunday 9 & 11 AM
Wednesday 9 AM
This Week At Ascension
Called to create opportunities for all people to become devoted followers of Christ
June 19, 2022
Grace and peace to you, my sisters and brothers in Christ,
This weekend in church we are going to be looking at Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
Did you know that Galatians was Martin Luther’s favorite letter of Paul’s? Luther enjoyed it because it has a simple and straightforward message: In Christ you have been set free.
It was liberating to Luther because he struggled with perfectionism and worry. He could never know that he had God’s approval until grace grabbed ahold of him and changed his life.
My question for us is: how does the simple message of Galatians strike us today? Could it be as powerful to us as it was for those original Christians in Galatia and Luther? The answer is that it could be.
Let’s talk more.
See you in church!
Blessings,
Conejo Valley Days Fundraising Opportunity for Youth
Conejo Valley Days is here! We are being provided with a wonderful opportunity to raise funds for our youth group by helping with trash pick-up.
There are 4 people required per shift and you will be required to travel in pairs.
During your shift you will also be provided free food and drinks as well as ride passes for when you aren’t working your shift.
Shifts are available from now through Sunday, June 26th.
If interested, please go to this Sign-Up Genius Link to sign up.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you for help!
Fair Trade Pop-Up Sale
June 19th is Juneteenth – a time to remember and commemorate the end of slavery in the United States – a time to redouble our efforts promoting justice.
Fair Trade is one of many ways we can promote justice. Fair Trade is about human justice, economic justice and environmental justice. Fair Trade is more than the delicious products we can eat and drink or the beautiful artisan handcrafts we can wear and share – Fair Trade is about discovering, sharing and learning from the stories of the people fighting for justice behind each and every delectable and delightful item.
We remember the story of New Communities Farms in Albany, Georgia — their visionary leaders and their work to break down obstacles, repair decades of harm from systemic racial injustice and build a thriving, democratically-organized farming co-op community. All of this on land once owned by one of the largest slaveholder estates in Georgia. All of this packaged in the delicious Equal Exchange Pecans we can enjoy.
Everyone is invited to the Fair Trade Pop-Up Sale – Sunday, June 19th – 10 to 11 AM – on the West Patio. We’ll be outside with Fair Trade products like coffee, tea, snacks, chocolate & cheese and a few Fair Trade “shareable” surprises too! This is “last call” for purchasing Fair Trade items before our summer break. Ask us about the stories of the justice-seekers who bring us wonderful Fair Trade items—great stories are meant to be shared!
Next Week:
We’re having a celebration and we’d like you to come.
It’s not your usual celebration or party, although there will be refreshments and great speakers.
It’s where we’ll be conducting important business for One Ascension. It’s our annual June Congregational Meeting, where we will be electing new officers and approving the budget.
It’s planned for 10:10 a.m. on Sunday, June 26th, in Founders Hall – in between our two Sunday worship services.
Refreshments will be served. We figure that people often don’t come to congregational meetings because they sound boring, often run long, and are held at inconvenient times. We had a great turnout and wonderful feedback at our Sept. 26th meeting, in which we focused the agenda on key items, kept the meeting to under an hour, and, yes, served refreshments.
To save time on one of the key agenda items – next year’s budget – we’ll give you a look at it beforehand. Once Church Council provides preliminary approval, we’ll make the budget available for your review about a week before our meeting. We’ll also provide a summary and some frequently asked questions to help everyone understand the key points. That should help make approving the budget easier and more time-efficient at the meeting.
Please mark your calendar and plan to join us. I’ll even buy you a pastry and a cup of Christian’s great coffee.
With thanks,
Senior Pastor
Congratulations to All of Our 2022 Graduates and Scholarship Recipients
Flat Jesus Challenge
Pastor Julie recently talked about the Flat Jesus Challenge in her Children’s Chat at worship. Kids can color in this drawing of Jesus and take it with them wherever they go! It’s a vacation time activity that reminds us Jesus is with us always, near or far.
Here are the instructions:
Take me with you on vacation…To the beach, the park, and even the gas station. Snap a pic and include me, too. Remember I am always with you!
Download your Flat Jesus HERE.
Post pics on facebook or Instagram—and tag Ascension
Note: There will be no Sunday School this week, Father’s Day.
We will be back with the full Summer Sunday School schedule soon. See you in church!
On World Refugee Day, we acknowledge the adversity faced by some 100 million individuals who have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement ever on record. We also remember that as Christians it is up to us to welcome the stranger, as Jesus told us to (Matthew 25:35).
As our Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) World Refugee Day statement puts it, “It is our belief that these vulnerable individuals should be protected, embraced, and empowered in a world of just and welcoming communities. We also celebrate the vibrancy and new beginning that refuge provides for so many when we lead with our values to ensure welcome in our communities.” This video shows the story of World Refugee Day and how people are helping refugees right now.
Also, see the Faith Forum on Refugees (including Ascension’s Eloise Cohen) at https://alcto.org/global.
In Need Of Prayer
Willing hands needed:
Saturday July 9 & Sunday July 10, afternoon
We need people to help decorate for VBS!
Decorations will already be planned and purchased—this is the fun part of making it 
all come to life!
We will also have some need for prior help in assembling things, so if you want to help but can’t help on the day of, please let me know.
Youth are welcome to help, too! If you can help (for a few minutes or a few hours) email
Ascension Vacation Bible School July 11 – July 15
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Sign up for a HOWLIN GOOD TIME!
Fun with Friends – Amazing Experiments – Creative Games-Fun Snacks – Surprising Faith Adventures
(Children Ages 4 – entering 6th Grade)
We continue to support Ukraine through prayer and contributions to any or all of these organizations:
Lutheran World Relief All checks received by ALC designating LWR-Ukraine Crisis will be forwarded by ALC to Lutheran World Relief. Please indicate on the memo line on your check “LWR-Ukraine Crisis.”
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Jubilee USA, to help with Ukraine’s financial crisis.
Those entering 6th-8th grade next year:
Join Pastor Julie for a week of faith-filled fun at Camp El Camino Pines!
You can invite your friends, too!
It’s July 17-22. Information, including cost, available HERE.
Even though it’s called Confirmation Camp, students don’t need to be a part of Confirmation–that just means it’s the week they let pastors come to camp, too.
Pastor Julie worked there for 4 summers and can tell you all about what it’s like and how awesome and transformative a week at camp is, if you have questions!
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, Steve Herder, & Julie McCain
Don’t miss another TWAA
Pericopes
This Week:
Isaiah 65:1-9
Psalm 22:19-28 (22)
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
Next Week:
1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16 (8)
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
