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 5, 2022

Pentecost Sunday

Grace and peace to you, my sisters and brothers in Christ,

Happy Pentecost!

We will remember this weekend that day recorded in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit, as prophesied by the prophet Joel, was poured out and fell upon the disciples.

When they received it, they began to proclaim the good news in the languages of those who were visiting Jerusalem that day. It was a spectacular miracle, and it will be good to remember.

But let us also remember that we have the Holy Spirit too. That just as it was poured out upon those original disciples, so too is it poured upon us for the same purpose: to proclaim the truth of the good news.

I look forward to seeing you in church this weekend!

Blessings,

 

 

This Sunday is Pentecost!

 

June 5 is Pentecost Sunday, when we wear RED in commemoration of the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

This will be an especially memorable Pentecost Sunday. At the 9 AM service, we will celebrate Pastor Paul Gravrock and Carillons Director Christi Labrenz, who are each retiring after years of blessing and enriching our church life with their respective talents.

We will also be seeing Faith Quilts given to high school seniors. Be sure not to miss it.

Thank You, Pastor Paul

When Reverend Dr. Paul Gravrock talks about worship, he lights up with a passion that is absolutely contagious.

“I’ve always felt that the genius of the liturgy is that it has both constancy and the ability to surprise,” he notes lovingly. “Experiencing it again and again, it settles into your bones, becomes part of who you are. That doesn’t mean there are no changes; it’s not a static thing. But the ritual allows people to step into it, to feel comfortable… MORE

Thank You, Christi

For Christi Labrenz, Ascension’s handbell choir has provided a ring of continuity and camaraderie for more than half her life.

Tuesday night Carillons rehearsals have been a fixed point of activity through raising her son and daughter, working as a senior accountant for Dole Foods and for W.S. Shamban & Co., serving as Ascension Senior Accountant and myriad other challenges and triumphs. MORE

Adult Ed June 5:

Sing a New Song

From where do the words of a song come?  What is the inspiration?  What is the intention behind the words?

I have written texts for twenty-seven hymns, many of which we have sung here at Ascension. Some were written in preparation for significant events, and some were written in response to events. Some just seemed to happen.

In every case, it was and is my hope that God is glorified through the words of these hymns. I invite you to join me for the Adult Sunday School class on June 5, where I will share with you the stories behind my hymn texts. We will likely sing a bit too.

 

Pastor Paul

GOOD SPORT: Principal Rich Gregory made good on his school auction item last week. Our intrepid principal vowed to spend an hour in the bell tower for each $1,000 raised – and $3,000 were raised! He spent at least part of his time up there doing this. As you can see, AL School students loved it. Principal Gregory stayed an extra hour – four hours in all — just for fun. Catch, kids! (Thanks to Paul Hoffmeier for the great drone video.)

Dear Partner in Ministry,

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

Join Us For:

Baby Book Group!

Parents and little ones 3 years and younger are invited to join us in the school courtyard next to the lawn Sunday, June 5 at 10:30 to read an age-appropriate, faith-based book together.

Bring a blanket to sit on (or we’ll have extras). Light snacks provided. This is an opportunity to connect with other families!

You’ll get a FREE copy of the book to take home too!

?s:

Conejo Valley Days Fundraising Opportunity for Youth

Conejo Valley Days is coming soon in June and 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 Thursday, June 16 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!

Dianne Beck

Honoring Dads

Nancy Lee is preparing an after-Saturday-service Apple Pie treat honoring dads and grandpas and all those who show fatherly love. If you want pie, shoot us an email at

June 18, Father’s Day Eve, after 6 PM service.

AND: Nancy would like to include photos of Ascension dads in a video for this special occasion. If you would like yours included, please email as soon as possible to

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A FAIR TO REMEMBER:

Congratulations to our Country Spirit leader, Nancy Lee. Her group won honors for best in parade and best in arena at the Memorial Day Weekend Mule Days festivities in Bishop, California. She sang at the cowboy worship service there, and the group, which had a Civil War cortege theme, sang hymns all along the parade route. Her hat was an authentic horse hair mourning hat from the Civil War.

News Briefs

Voting Is Here

June 4, 5, 6 and 7, Ascension is supporting our community by hosting a voting site in the Bethlehem Room, so don’t be surprised to see voters making their way in and out.

Check Out Our Alcto Calendar

Did you know, our ALCTO.org calendar is chock full of news you can use? Just go to the church website and click on Calendar at the top of the front page or the Calendar link in the fat footer (or just click here). Not only are events listed, but you may also find handy items such as order forms and flyers to click on and download. 

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!

Email  if you’re interested, so she can gauge interest.

Coming up in Adult Ed June 12:

Let your voice be heard!

Advocacy 101 and Offering of Letters for Bread for the World

Join us as we learn more about what it means to be an advocate for our neighbors experiencing hunger and poverty, and for God’s creation.

As Lutherans, we believe God is calling us into the world to serve together. We believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.

God uses our hands, through our direct service work and our voices, through our advocacy efforts, to restore and reconcile our world. Through our advocacy work, we impact systemic, long-lasting change.

We will learn more about the Lutheran Office of Public Policy, Lutheran Lobby Day, and Bread for the World. Examples of letters as part of Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters will be given.

Led by Eloise Cohen

“We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16).

Can you help?

VBS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

If you or anyone you know (7th Grade and up) is able to lend a helping hand it would be greatly appreciated!

There are many roles and a lot of them require no prep.

Please reach out to Amy, our VBS Coordinator ), if you are able to help, or sign-up using the link below!

For more information call 805-495-0406

CLICK HERE.

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)

CLICK HERE FOR LINK!

Scandinavian Festival This Week!

Scandinavian Festival lovers, pay attention: the 45th Scandinavian Festival will be held June 4 and 5 at Cal Lutheran this year, with extended hours from 10 AM to 6 PM each day.

So, save the dates!

* The festival is looking for volunteers, with many different opportunities.

* A fun lineup of talent will be on hand.

* There’s a chance to win an 8-Day European river cruise for two.

To find out more, CLICK HERE

 

Last Call — Graduates & Families of Graduates!

We are planning a congratulations tribute to all of Ascension’s sons and daughters who are completing milestones in education this year — and WE DON’T WANT TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT! Families, we need your graduating student’s NAME, SCHOOL and, if applicable, COLLEGE DEGREE—NO LATER THAN FRIDAY JUNE 3.

Please email , or drop off your information at the church office.

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

Pericopes

This Week:

Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b (30)
Romans 8:14-17
John 14:8-17 [25-27]

Next Week:

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalm 8 (2)
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15

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