Dear People of Ascension,

After the recent assassination in Haiti, I wrote to Fr. Sam Owen to assure him of Ascension's prayers for the people of Haiti and to ask how the folks in Martel are doing, as well as anything else he can share about the situation. Here, slightly edited, is his response.

Please continue to keep the people of Haiti, and the good work of the New York Haiti Project, in your prayers. If you want to make a special gift for St. Luke's School, you can do so at haitiangoodsam.org.

Peace,

Liz

If you do not have a device with a camera, you can still join with your phone by dialing the following number: 929-205-6099, and enter the meeting ID: 322 793 633.

All of our online services, with their links, can be found on our public calendar, and are listed below.

Click this link to read up on some best practices for Zoom meetings.

Online phishing emails are becoming more and more rampant these days and the church is not exempt from vulnerability. Please read our notice below in the announcement for ways to protect yourself and others.

Now thank we all our God,

with heart, and hands, and voices,

who wondrous things hath done,

in whom his world rejoices;

who from our mother’s arms

hath blessed us on our way

with countless gifts of love,

and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God

through all our life be near us!

With ever-joyful hearts

and blessed peace to cheer us;

and keep us in his grace,

and guide us when perplexed,

and free us from all ills

in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God

the Father now be given,

the Son, and him who reigns

with them in highest heaven,

eternal, Triune God,

whom earth and heaven adore;

for thus it was, is now,

and shall be, evermore.

Celebrant:   Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

I will bless God at all times, *

    and praise shall ever be in my mouth.

I will glory in the Holy One; *

    let the humble hear and rejoice.

Proclaim with me the greatness of God; *

    let us exalt God’s Name together.

I sought, and God answered me *

    and delivered me out of all my terror.

Look upon the Most High and be radiant, *

    and let not your faces be ashamed.

I called in my affliction and God heard me *

    and saved me from all my troubles.

The angels encompass those who fear God, *

    and God will deliver them.

Taste and see that God is good; *

    happy are they who trust in the Most High!

Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

O for a closer walk with God,

A calm and heavenly frame;

A light to shine upon the road

That leads me to the lamb!

Return, O holy dove, return,

Sweet messenger of rest;

I hate the sins that made thee mourn,

And drove thee from my breast.

So shall my walk be close with God,

Calm and serene my frame;

So purer light shall mark the road

That leads me to the lamb.

God of heaven and earth, through Jesus Christ you promise to hear us when we pray to you in faith with thanksgiving.

We pray for one another, for our families and friends, through whom we learn to love and to be loved. Thank you for all who care for us. ​We give joyful thanks for George Carr's 72nd birthday this week. Give us grace to serve Christ by serving our neighbors and our community, loving others as he loves us.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. We pray for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn; for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic; for all healthcare workers and all whose labor supports our common life; for those developing and distributing vaccines, for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy.

We thank you for the unfailing love you hold out to everyone in Jesus Christ. Comfort and heal those in sorrow, need, sickness or any other trouble, especially Robert, Ed, Janet, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Harold, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Michael, and Todd. Give them courage and hope in their distress, and bless those who minister to them.

We remember with gratitude your many gifts to us in creation and the rich heritage of this land. Help us and people everywhere to share with justice and peace the resources of the earth. Give wisdom to those in authority among us and to all leaders of the nations. Today we remember particularly the people of Haiti, all impacted by the floods in Germany, Belgium, China, and India, and the fires in the Northwest. We pray especially for those seeking to end white supremacy and establish racial justice.

We pray for your Church throughout the world, thanking you for all who serve Christ and his kingdom. By your Spirit strengthen your people for their work and witness in the world. Unite us in your truth and love, that we who confess your name may also reflect your glory.

We remember with thanksgiving all who have died in Christ, especially James Locker, Ceal Martinez, Barb Holub, Kathy, mother of Charles Goldman, and the deceased members of the Carr family: Zack, Annabel, Mary Sue, Zack, Jr., and Peter. We rejoice at the faithful witness of your saints in every age, praying that we may enter with them into the unending joy of your heavenly kingdom.

Priest Merciful God, you look with compassion on all who turn to you. Hear the prayers of your people.

God of all mercy,

we confess that we have sinned against you,

opposing your will in our lives.

We have denied your goodness in each other,

in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us,

the evil we have done,

and the evil done on our behalf.

Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.

 Our Father, who art in heaven,

     hallowed be thy Name,

     thy kingdom come,

     thy will be done,

          on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our trespasses,

     as we forgive those

          who trespass against us.

 And lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

 For thine is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory,

     for ever and ever. Amen.

I am the bread of life;

they who come to me shall not hunger;

they who believe in me shall not thirst.

No one can come to me

unless the Father draw them.

The Bread that I will give

is my Flesh for the life of the world,

and they who eat of this bread,

they shall live for ever.

Unless you eat

of the Flesh of the Son of Man

and drink of his Blood,

you shall not have life within you.

I am the resurrection,

I am the life.

They who believe in me,

even if they die,

they shall live for ever.

Yes, Lord, we believe

that you are the Christ,

the Son of God

who has come into the world.

We are delighted to welcome Stacey Carpenter as our guest preacher and forum leader this Sunday. Stacey is sponsored for ordination to the priesthood by Ascension, and is preparing to enter her senior year at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX. Welcome home, Stacey!

Please check us out at ascensionnyc.org/give to find out how easy and secure it is. Click the envelope on the right to go the Ascension Website for more information and to give, whether a one-time donation, pledge payment, or make a new pledge.

(If you experience any issues with Abundant Giving, please email us at websexton@ascensionnyc.org)

A Note about Using Abundant Giving: When you donate and pledge through the Abundant Giving app or go through the website, you need to direct your donation to the correct category. There are multiple categories to choose from:

These categories change as we update categories during the year. (An example would be when we delete the Easter flowers category after Easter and add Christmas flowers for the weeks leading up to Christmas.)

To donate through your app or the website, click the link above. The next screen will prompt you: "How Much Do You Want To Give?" Next to that, is a drop-down list of categories. Offering plate is always listed first. Click on the little arrow and the list will appear. Click on which ever category you want your donation to be credited. It is important to identify which category you are donating to so that your year end statement will be correct.

You should have received your year-end statement for 2020. Please review it carefully and contact the parish office immediately if there are any issues.

In order to enhance the Zoom functioning for Evening Prayer, we have upgraded the Zoom link.

Please use the new link below. (The old link will no longer work!)

Meeting ID: 880 1981 1224

Passcode: 773437

Dial by your location

    +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

    +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

    +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

    +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

    +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

    +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 880 1981 1224

Tuesdays and Fridays - The Church is open from prayer and meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m. Open Church will begin with Noonday Prayer, led by Brother Andrew, OSF.

Volunteers Needed for Open Church! We would like to start opening the church from Noon to 3, Monday through Friday, but we need volunteers to make that happen. If you would like to volunteer, please call or email the parish office (212-254-8620; info@ascensionnyc.org)

Racial Justice Discussion Group - Our next meeting will be Thursday, August 12, at 6:30 PM.

Dial by your location

    +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

    +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

    +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

    +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

    +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

    +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

Meeting ID: 993 3293 9318

Fraudulent emails, Facebook accounts, instagram and Messenger accounts are on the rise! These annoying and scary intrusions into our lives go by many names, but most commonly they are referred to as spoofing, phishing, or cloning. They usually start out friendly enough - enough to lure you in - but sooner or later they will ask you for money.

It seems there is little you can do to stop someone from spoofing your account, but you can be smart about it if you are on the receiving end. Here are some things you should know and look out for:

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Sunday – August 8 – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers & Music (Facebook.com/AscensionNYC)

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m. 

Church open from prayer and meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Finance Committee (Zoom) 11:30 a.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Racial Justice Discussion Group (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.)

Church open from prayer and meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Sunday – August 15 – Twelfth unday after Pentecost

In-Person Holy Eucharist (Parish Hall) 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers & Music (Facebook.com/AscensionNYC)

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

Clergy | Staff | Parish Leadership