September 16, 2018 Sanctuary Rededication We are grateful for the ever-faithful helping hands, for the encouragers, for those who dug deep and found more energy, more strength, more means to make this vision for our future into a reality. We are adding a new chapter to our history. Thanks be to God. Church founded: July 4, 1948 Ascension Lutheran School founded: 1963 Early Childhood Center founded: 1967 Mul -purpose building completed: 1976 Current sanctuary completed: 1989 Infant Center opened: 2005 Dugout youth room completed: 2008 Early Childhood Center expanded: 2015 Sanctuary refurbishment completed: 2018 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 bap zed and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are welcome to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Children who have not received First Communion instruc on are invited to come forward and receive a blessing. We offer both juice and wine during Holy Communion. As our Communion assistants serve you, they will present the tray with the grape juice and wine for you to take whichever one you prefer. The wine is the dark liquid, and the grape juice is the lighter colored of the two, usually found in the center of the tray. Gluten-free wafers are also available on request. May God bless you in your worship today! Pastors: Tim Delkeskamp, Steve Herder and Julie McCain
By Susanne Hopkins The (Amazing) History of Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church In Fall 2015, a er Senior Pastor and Youth Director Larry Wagner re red, Ascension was faced with a key ques on: Where do we go from here and who on the ground will help us get there? As Ascension sought to find its foo ng in the wake of Pastor Larry s re rement, two events occurred that brought together the past, the present and the future. Rev. Dr. Paul Gravrock, a re red pastor and son of Ascension s founding pastor, Pastor Walter Gravrock, accepted the posi on as interim senior pastor; and a process to study where Ascension was in the present and where God was calling it to go in the future began taking shape. When I was invited to serve as the interim senior pastor at Ascension, two thoughts ini ally shaped my response, recalled Pastor Paul, now Ascension s director of worship. The first was that I was incredibly honored to be asked to take on this important ministry at such a wonderful congrega on. The second was that there was an amazing symmetry being able to give pastoral leadership to the congrega on my father, Rev. Rev. Paul Gravrock Walter Gravrock, founded in 1948. The Three Amigos: Pastors Tim, Larry and Steve in 2015 I o en wonder how many of you, when you enter these doors, realize what it has taken to build this church. --John Beyer, founding Ascension member Like his father before him, Pastor Paul would help maneuver Ascension into posi on for the future. The visioning process would offer a guide for pinpoin ng that posi on. When Pastor Larry re red a er 38 years of service at Ascension, the Part Nine congrega on decided it was me to step back, do some self-reflec on and re-calibrate as we moved into the future, said Rev. Dr. Tim Delkeskamp, then one of Ascension s two associate pastors. That fall of 2015, Ascension embarked on a study that involved interviewing scores of members and surveying the congrega on for input on numerous aspects of church life. In March 2016, the Visioning Team, comprised of seven people whose membership at Ascension ranged from four to 40 years, issued its findings in a 50-page document. The team iden fied five cri cal factors for Ascension s success : Worship: Reinvigorate the weekend worship experience to address all age groups, leverage new technologies and encourage individuals of all ages to remain on campus to par cipate in other opportuni es; Evangelism and outreach: Develop and promote an evangelism culture and purposefully equip members for outreach ; Youth: Focus on family, youth and young adult ministries to engage demographic groups whose par cipa on is declining significantly ; Staffing: Determine whether Ascension should embrace a lay ministry or staff-driven model, and then train and provide appropriate support and staffing ; One Ascension : Introduce greater alignment and touch points between church, school and Founda on and different ministries. The leadership of the congrega on then used the data to shape the senior pastor posi on and, in turn, create a new children, youth and family pastoral posi on moving forward, said Pastor Tim. [The process] also led to a reshaped master plan document, a new way to structure the church staff, and a renewed effort to engage members of what has come to be known as One Ascension into ministry. Thirty-six years a er the establishment of the Founda on, (con nued next page)
Ascension History, Part Nine (Con nued) the last of the three en es (the church, the school and the Founda on), all the pieces of Ascension finally coalesced into One Ascension. Ascension leadership took seriously the study s findings. The master plan now reflected the congrega on s interest in building a new, larger early childhood center and refurbishing the red, worn sanctuary with its dated ligh ng and technology. Pastors and staff renewed efforts to invite members into ministries, reac va ng Cursillo and Fellowship teams, reinvigora ng the Evangelism Commi ee, star ng a Eucharis c Ministers ministry and working on a new small group model. The future, we believe, is in God s hands, and God wants Ascension to con nue to find crea ve and life-giving ways to serve locally and globally, said Pastor Tim. We will con nue to teach the faith and develop young people into leaders; we will con nue to grow together; and we will con nue to glorify God with our worship. We trust and believe that the Lord of the church calls us into the world for His sake. It wasn t only ministries that changed and expanded. Personnel changes led the way to a new staff configura on. I was very much aware that Pastor Larry s re rement marked a major change in the life of Ascension and that there would be challenges, Pastor Paul said. I knew that we would need a new youth director, but I did not know that our long- me administrator and our finance director would also be leaving in the year ahead. Pastors Tim and Chamie Delkeskamp the day of his installa on In rela vely short order, Addie Behm joined the staff as youth director; Kaylee Searway as director of administra ve ministries, and Jim Glynn joined the finance team. In 2017, Pastor Tim was called and elected to the senior pastor posi on, a er an 18-month call process and a congrega on-wide vote. Pastor Julie McCain joined the staff as the children, youth and family pastor in April 2018. Director of Music, Howard Sonstegard, re red in June 2018 a er 25 years of leading the chancel choir; Wyant Morton stepped in as the director of the chancel choir; and Pastor Paul became the director of worship. Rev. Julie McCain As is always true, God has provided what we needed: a new senior pastor; children, youth, and family pastor; youth director; director of administra ve ministries; and finance person, Pastor Paul said. In the fall of 2017, Ascension launched a capital campaign under the able direc on of Past President Todd Klipp. Mission Possible s goal is to raise $7.3 million for a number of projects over me, the most urgent being the building of a new early childhood center and the refurbishing of the sanctuary. Future projects, as funds are available, include expanding the east narthex, crea ng a new music room, sacristy and vestry. In their appeal to the congrega on to par cipate in the campaign, the pastors referenced Ascension s amazing history. We have risen to challenge a er challenge, all for the sake of the mission of crea ng opportuni es for all people to become devoted followers of Christ, they wrote. A er nearly 70 years of doing this we have come to realize this is who we are. We are the ones who, with God s help, rise to the challenge day a er day, year a er year and season a er season. And when we do, we discover just how faithful our God truly is. The campaign has so far raised $3.2 million, allowing the sanctuary to be updated. Today, our sanctuary refurbishment is completed. Construc on of the new early childhood center is set to begin next August. God is (con nued next page)
Ascension History, Part Nine (Con nued) faithful indeed. And so have been countless members of Ascension, all the way back to that me 70 years ago when those stalwart half-dozen people told Pastor Walter Gravrock that they wanted to con nue working toward their goal of establishing a church to spread God s word. Where there is a will, there is a way. It is up to us to find that way, said those faithful six. And so it is, 70 years later. The goal has not changed. We s ll exist to spread God s word. The people may change, the facility may be altered, the methods may differ. But there is s ll work to do for God s people. As we celebrate our 70 years, we look back in gra tude, Pastor Tim reflected. We celebrate the faithful saints who have gone before us, sacrificed, and made Ascension what it is today. But we also look into the future. Building our new preschool, refurbishing the church sanctuary and crea ng our new garden space to make us a church and school in a garden is our gi to the future, a future that we entrust into His hands. Let John Beyer, that stalwart, faithful man of God and co-founder of Ascension, have the last word. At the church s 25th anniversary dinner, Beyer prayed: That the seed planted July 4, 1948, shall con nue to grow. God bless us! In His holy name we pray. Amen! PROJECT RESPONSE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FOR CHURCH FOOD DRIVE! Project Response is part of the community concerns ministry where volunteers collect groceries from our Church Families to restock our food pantry and distribute te groceries ries to Lutheran Social Services es and Manna, a, a local food bank. On Saturday, ay October 20, 2018, groceries will be collected cted from church members who reside in Thousand Oaks, zip codes 91360 and 91362. (In May, groceries will be collected from the church members mber ers who reside in the other zip code areas.) as.) We need Callers to contact ct members in their area to donate groceries, and pick up and deliver groceries. ries es. If you are interesteded in volunteering, contact Tom Saldin at (805) 492-9742 or email ldsaldin@msn.com. Observe the Season of Crea on by Plan ng Peas! As One Ascension lives into the vision of being a church and school IN a garden and encouraging nature-connec ons near and far, members and friends of the congrega on are invited to plant snap peas, sugar peas, shelling peas, and/or sweet peas at their homes. September to early October is a great me to plant peas in the ground or in a pot. All of the students at Ascension Lutheran School are plan ng peas in the teaching garden as they study President Thomas Jefferson and how he and his neighbors would have a first peas to the table contest each year. Packs of various pea seeds - complete with instruc ons - are available for a $1 dona on a er worship services or in the church and school offices. If you have ques ons or wonders, contact Pastor Chamie at cdelkeskamp@alschool.org. Save the Date: September 26 ALECC Toppers Pizza Night 3:30-9 PM
Coming Up In Adult Educa on Next week, September 23 --The Secrets of Mother Teresa, led by Ed Klodt. We all think we know the story of Mother Teresa... An Albanian Roman Catholic nun who serves the poor and the dying in the slums of Calcu a and in the process shows us how to love the most unloved amongst us... Dies as impoverished as the people she is serving... Canonized as a Catholic saint in 2016. Yet there are two things about this remarkable woman that mostly remained hidden un l her death in 1997. One was the source of her life s inspira on two words Christ spoke from the cross. The other was the crushing burden she carried for most of her life that o en threatened her rela onship with God and her ministry to the poor. At 9:30 and 11 in the library. (This class was rescheduled from July.) Next week, September 30 -- The Storytelling Power of Jesus, Seeds, & Land, led by Pastor Chamie Delkeskamp In 1993, Kathleen Norris wrote a book called Dakota: A Spiritual Geography which was required reading in an English class that Pastor Chamie was taking at college. The phrase a spiritual geography has stuck with her ever since. She invites you to come to class to ponder your own spiritual geography and how the story of land and seeds and Jesus are all intertwined. At 9:30 and 11 AM in the library. Sunday, October 7, The Art of Spiritual Direc on, led by Amanda Berg, Bea a Lundeen, and Chamie Delkeskamp Come find rest for your souls as Amanda Berg, Bea a Lundeen, and Chamie Delkeskamp - all three of them cer fied spiritual directors - invite you into spiritual prac ces while also sharing the history and present prac ce of spiritual direc on. Calling all College-Age People: Kids of the Kingdom Back to School celebra on! Wednesday, September 19 at 3:30 in Pederson Hall. All 4th-6th Graders are invited to help us kick off the new school year with old and new friends. Come check us out, play lots of games, have some snacks, meet new friends and hang out with old friends! This event is free. Please fill out the registra on at h ps:// nyurl.com/kokparty Campfire & S mores & Fun! Thursday, September 27 @ 7:30 PM At the garden fire pit Ques ons? pastorjulie@alcto.org
C A L E N D A R Sunday, September 16 10:00 am Sanctuary Rededica on Worship Service 12:15 pm Chris an Life Hour, Univ. Village-Oak View 7:00 pm NA Women s Group, Library Monday, September 17 6:00 pm ACA, Modular classroom 7:00 pm Stephen Ministry, Library 7:30 pm Senior Luther League Bible Study, Dugout Tuesday, September 18 6:30 am Men s Bible Study, Sidestreet Cafe 6:30 pm Carillons Hand Bell Rehearsal, Sanctuary 6:45 pm Narco cs Anonymous, Bethlehem Room 7:30 pm Small Group Bible Study, Library Wednesday, September 19 9:00 am Chapel, Sanctuary 10:00 am Chris an Life Hour, Senior Concerns 3:30 pm KoK Back-to-School Party, Pederson Hall 7:00 pm Church Council Mee ng, Bethlehem Room Thursday, September 20 9:00 am Coffee Talk With Pastor Tim, Library 1:30 pm Women s Book Club, Bethlehem Room 5:00 pm Confirma on, Pederson Hall 7:00 pm Men s Bible Study, Library 7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Friday, September 21 12:30 pm Grief Share, Library 7:30 pm CODA, Library Saturday, September 22 10:00 am Alanon, Bethlehem Room 10:00 am Overeaters Anonymous, Library 6:00 pm Saturday Evening Worship, Sanctuary NOTES: BACK TO REGULAR SERVICE HOURS NEXT WEEK; CONGREGATIONAL MEETING SEPT. 30 AT 12:30 PM I N N E E D O F P R A Y E R Our printed prayer list focuses on Ascension members and immediate family members. We do pray for people listed on the blue cards during church services and we do refer them to the Prayer Tree. A name is added to this list only with the permission of the person or the person s family. Prayer Notes and Care Notes are in the West Narthex and the library. Prayers of comfort for: Karl Alanize on the death of his mother, Elizabeth Helzhauer Heather Harner and family the death of her grandma, Barbara Kristen Wa s and family on the death of her father New prayers for: Connie Angress, for excellent recovery from surgery Tom Heller, Julie Herder s father, for healing from lung cancer Carlene Schultz, hospitalized for blood clots in her lungs and also for coli s, for strength and healing Bill Swiontowski, for excellent recovery from surgery Con nuing prayers for: Bonnie Abbo Robert Benson Debi Bing Lillian Carter Martha Glynn Jared Li le Helen Nenne Baby Logan Redmond Cleo Sarff Barbara Webb Prayer Focus: For all those who worked so hard, so relessly and so carefully to refurbish our sanctuary For Ascension, for God s faithfulness over our 70 years and for His con nued guidance in the coming years For our Peru mission: Pastor David, Sister Emilia, the Pachacamac community (please pray for them each Wednesday at 6 pm, as they do for us) Prayers for safekeeping: Connor Braaten, USMC Sco Clark, U.S. Navy LCpL. Alexander Daley Tim David, U.S. Army Col. Karl L. Johnson, U.S. Army ET2 Patrick Maccarone, USN, USS Green Bay Sco Mochatel, U.S. Coast Guard LCJG Caroline Truesdell, USCG
First Communion Blessing of Our Pets Sunday, October 7th, 6-7 PM We know that God is Lord of all crea on and that God calls on us to take care of all of crea on, including the animals. Our pets, we know, become very important parts of our families. This outdoor worship service gives thanks to God for our pets and asks God s blessings on all of us, pets and people alike! Come early and stay longer to visit with friends and new people. Each year in October we remember Francis of Assisi. This is a tradi onal me to bless pets and other animals, creatures Francis called his brothers and sisters. The worship service will take place in the middle of the large upper parking lot. You may park in the lower parking lots or around the edge of the upper parking lot. We ll start promptly at 6 PM! If you can t bring your pet, bring a photo! If you don t have a pet, come any way and join the celebra on, or bring a stuffed animal! Ques ons? Email pastorsteve@alcto.org. This service is coordinated by the Ascension Lutheran Church Prayer Team. As we sing in one of our hymns, All Creatures, Worship God Most High! First Communion is a highlight of our church year as well as an important faith milestone for families to celebrate together with the whole church. This year, First Communion will be offered the weekend of Oct. 14-15 during regular services Saturday at 6 PM, and Sunday at 8, 9:30 and 11 AM. Please plan to be there to celebrate with our First Communion families. First Communion instruc on targeted toward first graders will be available Sunday, Sept. 30, from 3-4:30 PM in Founders Hall, or Sunday, Oct. 7, from 1-2:30 PM in Pederson Hall. Students in the first grade who have been bap zed, along with their parents/guardians, are asked to a end one of the classes. If your child is not yet bap zed, or if you have a child in a different grade who you d like to receive First Communion, please contact Pastor Julie McCain (pastorjulie@alcto.org, (805) 495-0406).
LOTS OF WAYS TO PARTICIPATE! LSS Walk to Fight Poverty Our Ascension Community s connec ons to Lutheran Social Services are long and strong! The folks at LSS are not just our friends they are a part of our Ascension family. So, let s all show up to help our friends at LSS and their life-saving work in our community. LSS Walk to Fight Poverty Saturday, October 6, 2018 -- Kingsmen Park California Lutheran University Registra on: 8:30 AM; Walk Begins: 9 AM Sign up to par cipate in the Walk as part of Team Ascension Church, School & Founda on. Our Team Ascension will take sign-ups via emails (below), or you can also sign-up at Ascension Saturday, Sept 22 and 29 in the Narthex, Sunday Sept 16, 23 and 30 on the Pa o between worship services. Ascension s Community Concerns and Ma hew 25:35 Outreach Ministry invite volunteers to share me & talents with the planning team to make this a great day for all! Please contact one of the planning team members: Jessica Placas: jessplacas@gmail.com Eloise Cohen: eloisephoto2@gmail.com, Carol Bjelland:carolb@ netscape.com Ascension Community Concerns, Ma hew 25:35 Outreach Ministry and Global Ministries Teams Li le Voices, Big Joy: Join the Cherub Choir! Three-year-olds to kindergarteners are invited to come join the Cherub Choir, led by Jean and Kari Gravrock. Singing at church is such a joyful and enriching experience! Come and see for yourselves. September 23, 10:30-11 AM (between worship services) in the music room in the back of Founder s Hall. Contact the office if you have any ques ons. The amount you wish to donate is your message. For example: 25 Calling all Fi h and Sixth Graders! This year we ll start training acolytes in the fi h grade, so fi h and sixth graders are invited to be trained on Sunday, Sept. 23, 12:30-1:30 PM, or Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 4-5 PM in the sanctuary. Seventh graders will be trained during confirma on. Please join us!
Bonus Items Through Designated Gi s Have you ever fixed up a room in your house? I have. It s work. It s expensive. It s exci ng. And when it is all over, you have what you envisioned. But there is another effect too, isn t there? Suddenly you realize that despite all the planning you did, there s something more required for that final touch. It is something that you wouldn t have thought of before, but now that the project is pre y much done, you realize you need. We ve discovered this is the case with our sanctuary build as well. For as much as we ve done and as beau ful as it is there are just a few more things that are needed to complete the job. These are items that didn t get into the original budget, so we consider them to be bonus items that we would love to have in order to complete our project. Here is a list of some of the items and their approximate cost. As you can see, donors have stepped forward to pay for some items already: Krumhorn Rank for the Organ- $9,000- paid! Bap smal font- $6,255- paid! Upgrade front benches- $500- paid! Conversa on chairs for narthex- $6,000- paid! Rug for narthex- paid! Might you consider dona ng toward one of these items that have yet to be paid for? John August Swanson Murals- Please visit with Pastor Steve Ligh ng of the stained glass from outside- $10,000- par ally paid Paint for the Welcome Center Counter- $150 Light the Bell tower at night- $2000-$5000 Scripture prints for above doors- $500 Pressure wash exterior- $2,400 Extend Campus ethernet & online channel, ALC TV- $1,000 Blessings,
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Weekly worship - Summer Saturday 6 pm Country Sunday 8 am and 9:30 am Tradi onal 11:00 am Contemporary Childcare at all Sunday services Pastoral Care Emergency Line: (805) 405-7431 Give by text (805) 360-5092 Exodus 3:1-12 Come One, Come All! Jeremiah 11:18-20 Psalm 54 James 3:13 4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37 Sat. Oct. 6, 4 PM Ascension Lutheran School