Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

The Church of the Ascension

in the City of New York

12 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10011

212-254-8620 | info@ascensionnyc.org | www.ascensionnyc.org

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Dear People of Ascension,

From November 1-12, leaders from all over the world are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26, the UN Conference on Climate. This moment is critical. The participating nations need to come forward with detailed and ambitious plans for reducing carbon emissions, targeted towards net zero emissions by 2050, with 50% reduction by 2030.

These plans must include a swift end to burning fossil fuels; development of renewable energy sources; preservation of biodiversity; financial commitments of at least $100 billion/year from wealthy countries, and justice for those most impacted by the climate catastrophe- often the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet, those least responsible for the way of life that has created the situation in which we find ourselves. Our own country needs to lead internationally although so far we are woefully unable to settle on bold steps to address the crisis at home.

Like many of you, I care passionately about earth justice. I am sad, frightened and angry about how little we have done, even though we know what is happening. Our advocacy is urgently needed, as is our attention to how we can live more justly, sustainably and lovingly with the land and all her creatures.

For the next two weeks, I invite you to join me in praying every day for those gathered in Glasgow. Pray for the leaders, that they may make bold decisions on behalf of the earth and all her creatures. Pray for the political will to act decisively and with ongoing commitment. Pray for adequate financing and attention to science. Pray for those suffering from floods, fires, famine and other climate disasters, for wise adaptation and compassionate mitigation. Pray for young people, who are offering vital leadership in this struggle, and for indigenous peoples who bring essential experience to it. Pray that we may find the grace and willingness to change, and to change in time.

May the Spirit who brooded over creation in the beginning breathe on us anew, and give us hope, courage and vision.

Wild blessings,

Liz

Services at Church of the Ascension

Join Us!

Click this link for this Sunday's bulletin & hymns.

A Note About Prayers - For our Zoom participants, in order for us to collect your prayer intentions, please put them in the Zoom chat after the service has started and before the end of the sermon.

Sunday Services

Holy Eucharist - in the Church - 9:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist with Music - in the Church - 11:00 a.m.

Coffee and tea in the front garden following the service

Livestream Service via Zoom at 11:00 a.m.

How to join the livestream service:

From your computer, laptop, pad, smart phone, or other device, click this link:

Ascensionnyc.org/Sunday or zoom.us/j/322793633

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.

Lights! Camera!... An Update on Livestreaming.

We are in the home stretch! The cameras are in place - now we need to balance the sound and get trained on how to do it. We can see the finish line from here!

When we go live, we will still need some on-line volunteers to act as Zoom hosts for our online participants. If that's something you'd like to help with, please email Andrew at info@ascensionnyc.org. Ideally we'd have a pool of Zoom hosts we can rotate through so no one person has to bear the brunt of it.

Weekday Services

This Week's Wednesday Night Service will the the Celebration of

All Souls' Day

6:00 p.m. in the Church

Evening Prayer Every Weekday Evening via Zoom

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.

Prayer & Meditation - Every Weekday starting at Noon

The Church is open for prayer and meditation every weekday; Monday through Friday, Noon to 3:00 p.m. Open Church will begin with Noonday Prayer, led by Brother Andrew, OSF.

Announcements

Halloween, Sunday October 31 - This year our Halloween festivities will be a bit different as we strive to incorporate safety and fun. During the coffee hour in the front garden we will have our usual merry band of witches, goblins, etc., at the gate handing out goodies to our neighbors. If you would like to help, please contact Isabel Spencer at isa.spencer11@gmail.com.

Perseverance, by Callie Kimball –In the fictional town of Hillcroft Maine, a 20th century African American schoolteacher is determined to elevate her students. One hundred years later, in the same place, a white teacher is running for office. As the two stories intertwine, ownership of history takes center stage. Vin Knight is currently in this production which can be seen online at now through October 31, 2021, www.portlandstage.org/events/perseverance/.

All Souls' Day, celebrated Wednesday November 3- Please join us for a special celebration of those we have lost in the past year at our Wednesday evening service on November 3 at 6 pm. All Souls is the commemoration of our particular beloved dead; it is also a time to remember those who have died and are known only to God. In this season some say "the veil between the worlds is especially thin" and we not only remember but sense the presence and communion of those who have gone before us.

The last eighteen months have been a time of such enormous loss, often with no communal ritual of grief. We include those who have died of Covid-19, violence and climate disasters in our memorial. Following the tradition of the church in Latin America, we will create an altar for those we remember as part of the service. Please bring photos, mementos, names, or other images that you want to share with you to the service. We will also read the names of those who are being remembered, and you can send us your names via email to info@ascensionnyc.org. All names must be received by Tuesday, November 2.

Please join us for communal remembrance, grief and celebration.

All Saints Sunday, November 7- We celebrate the festival of all the saints on the Sunday after November 1, which this year is November 7. If you would like to add names to the list of those we remember, please send via email to info@ascensionnyc.org, or fill out a form this Sunday at church. All names must be received by Tuesday, November 2. You can also contribute to the special flowers for that day through Abundant Giving or by writing a check to the Church of the Ascension with "All Saints flowers" in the memo line.

Monday Evening Lectionary Bible Study -- Join us Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. This is an opportunity to read and discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. If you are interested in joining, please contact Sibyl Piccone.

Needlecraft Guild – Next meeting will be Wednesday, November 10; 6:30 p.m. – The next Needlecraft Guild is moved to November 10 (this month only!). We will meet via Zoom. For more information, please contact Mtr. Posey.

Next Racial Justice Group meeting Thursday, November 18 at 6:30 pm. we continue to read and discuss Clint Smith's How the Word is Passed: a Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America. In a review of the book earlier this year in the NY Times, Julian Lucas writes, "Gregarious, learned and engagingly open-minded, the book meets America where it is on the subject- which is to say, all over the place. Beginning in his hometown, New Orleans, Smith visits nine places that memorialize or distort their link to the legacy of slavery, from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan. He skillfully braids interviews with scholarship and personal observation, asking, 'How different might our country look if all of us fully understood what had happened here?'" Please join us for what will surely be a lively conversation! For November 18, please read the fourth and fifth chapters (pages 118-206).

Support the Parish! 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.

Our parish can only continue its mission and ministry because of the generosity of parishioners, visitors, and friends of the parish and we are working hard to make our online giving as easy and seamless as possible.

(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:

Offering Plate
Stewardship Pledge 2021
Rector's Fund
Memorial Gift

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.

This Week at Ascension

Sunday – October 31 – Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

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

Holy Eucharist w/ Music (Church) 11:00 a.m.

(Live Stream of the service will be available)

Coffee & Tea (Front Garden) following the service

Halloween Candy At the Garden Gate; 12:30-1:30

Monday – November 1

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