Dear People of Ascension,

 

This Sunday is our annual parish meeting! I hope you will come!

 

This year we do not have hotly contested elections, but we are blessed with three wonderful candidates for vestry and an excellent, experienced warden who is nominated for re-election. We are continuing with the online voting practice we learned during the pandemic, so by the time we gather on Sunday this piece of essential business will be done. We will focus on hearing from our parish leaders about the accomplishments and struggles of the year just past, and the challenges and opportunities that face us in 2023.

 

One of those challenges is a large budget deficit, which brings with it the invitation to make a difference with our own ideas, energy and commitment to our parish. Please come and hear where we are as a parish, and bring your faith, your questions, your dreams for Ascension and your sense about what is most important for us to be and do in Christ's name during the year to come. The meeting will be structured so that we can talk with each other as well as receiving reports, and I am eager to hear what is on your hearts and minds in these uncertain but hopeful days.

 

The meeting will follow the 11 am Eucharist, and be held both in person and on Zoom. Lunch will be served in the parish hall; if you're joining online you will have a few minutes to get a sandwich and settle in before the meeting starts. I am so grateful for you and what you bring to our life at Ascension. We need each and every one of you! I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

 

Blessings,

 

Liz

Say Thank You. If you watch our services online you may notice in the lower left-had corner you'll see the name of our producer, Jasmine B. She has been our producer a little over a month now and is doing a great job! Next time you're watching, be sure to give her 5 stars!

How to Add Prayer Requests Online for Sunday Service - Go to Ascensionnyc.org/Prayers and type in your prayer request. Be sure to add them before the end of the sermon.

In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

Open Church - Mondays through Fridays, Noon to 3pm. If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Gretchen Dumler or contact the church office (info@ascensionnyc.org or 212-254-8620.

And now that we are back to activities that feature maskless eating and drinking (looking at you, coffee hour), it’s probable that some participants will later test positive. If you do, we ask that you think about whom you might have been close to for more than 10 minutes. If that’s the case, give them an email or call.

In accordance with the Religious Corporations Law of the State of New York, the Annual Meeting of The Church of the Ascension in the City of New York will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2023, immediately following the 11 a.m. service, for the purpose of electing a Warden for a term of two years and four* Vestry members to the Class of 2026, for three year terms, and for the conduct of such other business as should come before the Parish.

Nominee for Warden: Isabel Spencer

Nominees for Vestry: Kyle Cheseborough, Ned Fitch, and Michael Surabian

Click here to read the nominee's bios.

* This year only 3 candidates were nominated. The vestry will consider appointing a 4th during the upcoming year. 

A light lunch will be served at the Annual Parish Meeting.

All eligible voters received an email on Wednesday, January 25, when the polls opened, instructing them on how to vote. To be eligible to vote, you must have been a pledging member of the Church of the Ascension for the prior year- in this case, 2022.

If you did not receive an email and you feel you should have, please check your spam or junk folder. If you don't find it, contact the church office (212-254-8620 or info@ascensionnyc.org) as soon as possible.

The Annual meeting will be held in person this year, with Zoom access for any that would like to attend remotely.

To access the meeting via Zoom, please click here.

Musical Notes - Music for this Sunday - For Annual Meeting Sunday we will have three very significant pieces. Starting at 10:45 the Prelude will be perhaps the greatest masterpiece of César Franck, his Choral in E Major. The Offertory Anthem will be the highly dramatic and inspiring “In the Year that King Uzziah Died” by David McK. Williams. And the Postlude will be Bach’s formidable “We all Believe in One God.”

Racial Justice Discussion Group, Thursday, February 16; 6:30 pm. We will be exploring the religion of whiteness and white Christian nationalism. Please listen to this podcast with Michael Emerson, and the sermon preached by the Rev. Yejide Peters Pietersen at the recent Diocesan service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. (The sermon begins at 32:30.) All are welcome!

Visit the Jewish Museum with the Episcopal-Jewish Relations Committee of the Diocese- 10 am, Tuesday March 21. Following our forum about Christian responses to the rise in anti-Semitism, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Judaism and Jewish history. Please click here for more information and to register!

Celebrate the Life and Work of Blessed Absalom Jones- Saturday, February 11 at 10:30 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Please speak with Mother Liz if you would like to attend; in the past we have been well represented with acolytes, clergy and our banner as well as joining the congregation! Click here for more information (please do not register online, but speak to Mother Liz about registering.)

The Diocese of New York Ecumenical and Interreligious Commission invites you to take part in a program "Same but Different," an ecumenical dialogue between leaders of Catholic and Episcopal Churches. For three Monday evenings, we will explore these two historic churches’ history, structure, and worship, highlighting their traditions and spirits. Join Father Brian McWeeney, D.Min. and Rev. Robert Flanagan, D. Min. for a lively, enriching presentation and discussion of the topics that define where we come from, who we are, and where we’re going.

We will meet on Zoom on Mondays in January/February (1/30, and 2/6 from 7:30 to 8:45 pm). To sign up, please, contact Rev. Robert Flanagan or Father Brian McWeeney.

Same but Different is a program designed by the ecumenical dialogue leaders of the Archdiocese of New York and the Episcopal Diocese of New York and is the fourth in a series of programs that began during the pandemic. The Nicene Creed states, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, apostolic church." Many wonder how "catholic" applies to Roman Catholics and Episcopalians and the differences between the two denominations' beliefs, practices, and traditions. Also, what do they share, and how can they better welcome those outside their tradition by better understanding their identities? During the program's three sessions, leaders and participants will examine these questions and others to understand each denomination's identity and role in the wider church.

Have you made your pledge for 2023? Thanks to all who have pledged to support Ascension in the coming year. If you have not yet pledged, please prayerfully consider doing so. We need everyone's participation, and depend on your commitments for our budget planning. When you pledge online you must make a new commitment for each new year. Thank you for your generosity and care for our church!

To make or pay your pledge online, please check us out at Ascensionnyc.org/Give to find out how easy and secure it is to give. You can also download the Abundant app for iOS or Android. When donating, please choose whichever purpose you intend for your contribution.

Help Asylum Seekers - Our friends at Judson Church (239 Thompson St.) have created a respite and mutual aid center for asylum seekers who have been bussed to New York from Texas. They are open every Monday from 10 am to 7 pm. You can help by volunteering time (Spanish speakers and those with medical, legal or social work training especially welcome), or by donating supplies. They need new (or like new) winter coats (men’s, women’s, & children’s), underwear (boxers preferably), and backpacks.

To learn more about volunteering, please contact the Rev. Micah Bucey at micah@judson.org. Donated supplies can be brought to Ascension, marked "mutual aid for migrants" and we will see that they get to Judson. Thank you!

Holy Eucharist (Church) 9:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 11:00 a.m.

Annual Parish Meeting (Parish Hall) After 11:00 service

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

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

Lectionary Bible Study (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

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

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

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

Holy Eucharist (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Needlecraft Guild (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

Building & Grounds (Parish Hall) 6:45 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

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

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

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

Vestry Retreat

Vestry Retreat

Holy Eucharist (Church) 9:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Parish Hall) After 11:00 service

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

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

Clergy | Staff | Parish Leadership