"I have been out walking with ghosts again, the shimmering images of my ancestors, always present, but barely visible, walking before me in the cool shadows of evening. I know better than to talk too much, for silence is the language of the sacred. Instead, I listen, as any youngster should, to the wisdom of those who have seen more seasons than can be counted. I receive their thoughts like a benediction. I hold their vision in my mind like a familiar dream. Do not be afraid, they whisper, as we walk on to find the moon already waiting."                      - Steven Charleston

Dear people of Ascension,

These words from Steven Charleston, who is both a retired Episcopal Bishop and an elder of the Choctaw nation, strike me as especially apt for this moment of the year. As the weather grows darker and colder, as the leaves fall from the trees and a sense of letting go pervades the natural world, we are drawn into a liminal time. The ancient Celts said "the veil between the world is thin" as they celebrated Samhain, their new year. In this same season, the church commemorates all the saints: the great heroes of our faith, our ancestors, the faithful departed and those whose faith is known only to God.

It actually takes three days. All Hallows Eve, otherwise known as Halloween, is of course a supposedly secular holiday in which we confront the unsettling and fearful dimensions of the uncanny, often unseen world by dressing up as what we fear, maybe laughing at it (often a good strategy) and offering some sweets. Do join us if you can for Haunted Church this Monday, when we welcome our youngest neighbors and their families for a playful and only slightly scary Halloween.

The center of the Christian feast, All Saints, comes on November 1, but we will celebrate it on the following Sunday, November 6. We remember the myriad diverse, quirky and holy people who have showed us the grace of God "with skin on" and ponder our own call to "be one too", singing a song of the saints of God through our own particular gifts and ministries. This year we baptize several new saints, rejoicing in the blessing they bring to our community and renewing our own baptismal vows.

Finally, on November 2 we mark All Souls Day with a special service remembering our own beloved dead (human and other species too). Please join us at 6 pm next Wednesday to create a special altar with your mementos (pictures, symbols, etc.). Mother Posey's wonderful quilt for the Day of the Dead will adorn our pulpit as we share stories and reflect on the mystery of the communion of saints, the intertwining of the living and the dead across time and space.

Wishing you blessings, wisdom and deep communion, dear friends! With whom are you walking and talking in this thin time?

Liz

As the COVID numbers drop and the city and state relax restrictions, we no longer require attendees to wear a mask – although we do strongly encourage everyone to be masked when indoors, and to be sensitive to the concerns of others. Clergy, servers, and choir will remain masked during services.

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

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.

We strongly encourage everyone to wear masks while indoors and to be sensitive to the concerns of others.

Vaccination is strongly encouraged.

All Souls and All Saints Days Flower Subscriptions – If you would like to add names to the list of those we remember on these Holy Days, click this link - or fill out the form found in the Sunday bulletin (and place in the offering plate or mail them to the office). You can also send an email or call the office to provide the names (info@ascensionnyc.org; 212-254-8620). All names must be received by THIS Sunday, October 30. 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.

All Souls Day, (Día de los Muertos) Wednesday November 2; 6:00 p.m.- Please join us for a special celebration of those we have lost in the past year at our Wednesday evening service on November 2 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 two and a half years have been a time of such enormous loss, often with few communal rituals of grief. We include those who have died of Covid-19, violence and climate disasters in our memorial. We remember the species lost as well as our human departed. 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. To provide names, please see the announcement above.

Gardening & Gathering Party - Join us as we gather in the garden to enjoy its beauty and the crisp fall day on Saturday, October 29th from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We'll have some gardening tools and gloves on hand so you can help us get the garden ready for winter. No particular gardening skills or knowledge are necessary, just a desire to hang out with fun people in our church garden. Extra bonus: John Merryman will give a tour of the garden's various plants and stories of how they got there AND we'll have some autumn themed refreshments as we garden and gather with each other! Contact Gale Lynch to RSVP or if you have questions- lynchgale@gmail.com

Haunted Church is Right Around the Corner - and for it to happen this year we need YOU! This Halloween! Our Haunted Church will be held on Monday afternoon, October 31, at 3:30. This is a fun time for neighborhood children and a great way to introduce others to the parish. but we need your help to make it happen. If you would like to help, please reach out to the church office (info@ascensionnyc.org or 212-254-8620).

Harvest Dinner and EmberArts! Thursday, November 10th please join us in the Parish Hall at 6:30 pm for our return to an in-person Harvest Dinner. What you will remember is great food (including lasagna) and joyous community. What is new is that we have asked EmberArts, an applied theatre company, to collect memories and stories from our parish, particularly around Covid and reopening times. They will weave the collection into a narrative performance for us that night. We are also diligently working on including an online interaction for this dynamic event.  

Make your Harvest Dinner Reservation Now! Because we are still aware of the threat of Covid, we are asking for everyone to reserve your spot at our abundant table. To make your reservation, please complete Harvest Dinner Reservations form, which will only take 4 minutes to complete. Be sure to submit your response by Monday, November 7.

Racial Justice Group- for our next meeting on November 16, we will begin The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham. Dr. Lanham is an ornithologist, professor and poet, and tells his own family story about land, race and the natural world. For this session we will read pp. 3-79. Please join us!

New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union – Clergy and lay in the diocese are working together to create an independent, federally accredited credit union serving the communities within the Diocese of New York. The Credit Union will open banking services to the underserved, while providing low-cost emergency loans and financial counseling. Click here to learn more and see how you can become involved.

Diocesan Prayer for the Bishop Search - The candidates have been announced. To learn about them, click here. The Search Committee for a Bishop Coadjutor asks for your prayers. Here is a prayer you might use:

Looking for ways to get involved? Ascension has many guilds and groups and one of them is bound to be the right fit for you. Take a look at our leaflet describing them and reach out to the contact person to get involved. For a description of guilds and their contacts, please click here.

Haiti Project – Ready for Classes! Thanks to your generosity the school building in Martel is finished. All the finishing touches are completed: paint, tile, doors, everything. The school is ready. Click here to read Fr. Sam’s update.

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.

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

Audit Committee Meeting (Zoom) 1:00 p.m.

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

Haunted Church (Church Narthex) 3-6 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.

All Souls Day Service (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Building & Grounds (TBD) 7:00 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.

Food Pantry (12 W 11th St) 8:30 a.m.

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

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

With Holy Baptism

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

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

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