CONNECTIONS Ascension Lutheran Church

May 2017

Communion Worship every Sunday-9:30 AM. Education hour at 10:45

For an updated schedule see our webpage

www.ascensionlutheran.com

May 5-7 Synod Assembly

May 6 ALCW Spring Luncheon

May 21 60th Anniversary Celebration

May 29 Memorial Day-Office closed

Special Dates

Hearing Devices and Large Print Bulletins are available—

ask an usher for assistance.

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF MINISTRY

When: May 21

What: Special music during our worship hour Bar-b-que Plus after worship

Historical displays and presentations

Balloon Man and Bounce House

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60th ANNIVESARY CELEBRATION

May 21, 2017

In gathering pictures and information for this event, we discovered that things have changed! One change is the way we have our special congregation

meals. Many of us no longer have cooking facilities, don’t like to cook or don’t have time to prepare something for a potluck. The committee members think we have the solution!

After the Service on the 21st, we will celebrate the end of Sun-day School and the Anniversary with a BARBEQUE PLUS. We will have hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings, a special Anniversary cake and the “PLUS”.

The PLUS gives you 3 options. If a barbeque is not complete unless you bring your favorite side-dish, please bring it. If you would rather pick up your favorite deli item, please do that. If you would rather make a donation and “let George (or the com-mittee) do it”, we can make that happen also! We will have a receptacle labeled “Anniversary PLUS” available near the en-trance to the Sanctuary each Sunday in May where you can put your donation before the 21st. If these choices don’t match your needs, be sure and come anyway, we always have enough food for everyone!

Other “pluses” will be the Balloon Guy and a Bounce House activities for the children. Various pictures, stories and displays will be in Blaar Hall for you to look at, read and enjoy during and after the meal. These items will remain for several weeks so you can take time to see them all.

Do you have stories to share? Do you have any questions about our history you would like answered. If either of these is true, please contact Jeanette Eliason, Greg Applen, or the church office.

Please plan to celebrate with us! Congregation Life Committee

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Families of our children and youth of all ages, please mark May 23rd on your calendar. Pastor Doug and Susan are asking parents to come and meet at 7pm. We will provide childcare for those that need it. This is important time in Ascension’s journey to look at where we are going and what we are doing.

Questions: contact Susan Detwiler at

susan@ascensionlutheran.com or call the church office.

COMMUNITY LIFE NOTES”

Community Life gives heartfelt thanks to all who participated in the Ice Cream Social event on Sunday, April 23rd. The event was a huge suc-cess due to your generous support plus the matching funds of $500.00. We raised over $1500 in support of First Presbyterian Church and their program to provide meals to feed the homeless. Thank you so much for your support of all of our out-reach programs and a very special THANK YOU to our anony-mous matching funds donor.

Community Life is planning to plant the Ascen-sion Garden on Friday, May 5th at 9:30 a.m. We welcome anyone who would like to help with the planting to show up at that time. The only thing you need to bring is a pair of gardening gloves and a hat.

Thank you, Community Life Committee

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Faith Formation invites you to join us once a month to study, share and work our way through “Faith, Sexism, Justice: Conversations toward a Social Statement.”

On May 9th, 6pm to 7pm, we will en-gage in a lively discussion around: “How do we challenge the misuse of Scripture against women and girls?”

This is event open to everyone and each ses-sion is an independent conversation so please come and join in. Bring a Brown Bag Supper and we will sit together and eat, think and

share our thoughts.

How are projects with animals selected and how is it deter-mined that this is the best answer to alleviate hunger in a community?

When World Hunger funds are disbursed to purchase goats, chickens and other animals, the recipients have requested them. “We listen to what our compan-ions say they need,” Marete said. “We only give [grants for animals] where they are needed and requested.”

To ensure sustainability, she said staff discuss with partners such details as “How will you manage the environment? How can you use animal products such as manure to improve soil fertility or make biogas for cooking?”

Marete and other staff then review the proposal and make rec-ommendations to improve the plan.

Hensel, L. (2016, December). Debunking myths about ELCA Good Gifts. Living Lutheran, Volume 1, Number 9, 36-37.

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ALCW Board Meeting, May 4, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. Sarah Circle, May 9, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. Martha Circle, May 10, 2017, at 12:30 p.m.

ALCW thanks all those who donated prom dresses. They were gratefully accepted by Hearts With a Mission.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Spring Luncheon, on May 6 at 11:30 a.m. If you forgot to get a ticket and still wish to attend, call Peggy Skeele or Jeanette Eli-ason; there may still be room. We are sponsoring the Teen Moth-ers Program for this event, and request that you provide layette items for a child from newborn to 24 months of age. Our congre-gation has always been generous in its giving and the charities we sponsor are very grateful for what they have received. At this luncheon, we are not having a speaker, but we have planned an interesting menu with a surprise dessert and an activity to spark your interest as well.

Grandma’s Parking Lot Sale, September 16 will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. We ask you to donate items you no longer use, never used or no longer want, such as tools, small furniture and household items. If you want to get them out of your way soon-er, please contact Peggy Skeele, Terry Helmling or Jeanette Eli-ason. We cannot take large appliances, books or clothing. Bob Ruth will be in charge of the donations of furniture. Most im-

portantly, PLEASE PRICE ALL DONATED ITEMS YOURSELF!

Looking forward – the June edition of Connections will have some news about some of the other interesting events being planned for this Autumn.

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THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION

The Augsburg Confession, written in the midst of the Refor-mation tumult, is the core statement of what Lutherans believe. It was produced in 1530, thirteen years after young professor Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg. A lot had happened in those thirteen years. Thanks to Luther’s creative ex-ploration of the gospel and its implications, his colorful personali-ty (opponents had other adjectives), and the availability of the printing press, his views on religious matters as well as the poli-tics of the day had been widely distributed. In many parts of cen-tral Europe, people were responding favorably, to the consterna-tion of the Church of Rome, which had been accustomed to being the single expression of the Christian church in that region.

In the sixteenth century there was no nation called Germany. Rather, the various duchies and electorates made up a key part of the Holy Ro-man Empire, a remnant of the Euro-pean territory once governed by ancient Rome. For much of Refor-mation times, Charles V governed as Holy Roman Emperor. He had watched his empire become in-creasingly fractured by divisions among princes favorable to Lu-ther and other reformers, and those who kept their loyalty to Rome and the pope. The emperor needed the princes to be uni-fied, not least because a Turkish invasion of Europe had reached the gates of Vienna. And so, in January 1530, the emperor called for a diet, or general assembly, in the German city of Augsburg. He asked the German princes and imperial cities to explain their religious convictions.

And so, reforming theologians and the rulers who supported them headed for Augsburg— among them, Luther’s colleague Philipp Melanchthon and his pastor, Johannes Bugenhagen. Luther him-self could not accompany them because he had been named an outlaw at a previous diet. He had also been excommunicated by the pope. He was, however, consulted on the final text via mail. Upon their arrival in Augsburg, Melanchthon, consulting with previous preliminary documents, composed the final text of the

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confession. The German princes who favored the Reformation viewpoint agreed to it and signed it. On June 25, 1530, the Augsburg Confession was read aloud in German before the emperor and presented in written form in both German and Latin.

The Augsburg Confession (sometimes called Augustana from its Latin title) is now found in a larger collection of Lutheran confessional writings called The Book of Concord. It con-tains twenty-eight parts, or articles. The first twenty-one of these stress points of agreement with the Roman Church of the time, though sometimes with crucial differences. In the last seven, the writers lay out what they see as abuses com-mitted by the church.

The Augsburg Confession continues to guide the teachings of Lu-theran churches to this day. Though a product of troubled times, it is filled with witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 2016 Augsburg Fortress. Permission is granted for congregations to reproduce these pages provided copies are for local use only and this copy-

Philipp Melanchthon

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE—STEWARDSHIP

As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. How do we respond to God’s call to serve and love our neighbors? We faithfully steward the gifts God has so abundantly given to us. Although some think of stewardship as only a finan-cial response to God’s love, stewardship encompasses so much more than money. It is about how we use all that God has entrust-ed to our care — our time, our talents and our treasures — to love God and our neighbors, both inside and outside of the church walls and our homes.*

Ascension is in need of a Stewardship Chairperson. Once we have a coordinator in place, the committee will easily form. Do you know someone who would do an awesome job? Talk to that person. Maybe that person is you. The website elca.org has lots of guidance. Look it over. If you have some ideas, contact the church office or Pastor Doug. *elca.org

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Sun Mon Tue Wed

1

\

Com. Quilter 6:30

Confirmation 7:00

2

Quilters 8:30

Knitters 12:00

Youth Chorus 4:00

3

No Bible Study

Worship Mtg. 5:15

Choir 6:30

7

Synod Assembly

Worship 9:30

Education 11:00

8

Admin 3:00

Grace Notes 6:00

Com. Quilter 6:30

Confirmation 7:00

9

Sarah Circle 9:30

Youth Chorus 4:00

Faith, Sexism...6:00

FFEC Mtg. 7:00

10

Bible Study 9:30

Martha Circle 12:30

14

Worship 9:30

Education 10:45

15

Grace Notes 6:30

Com. Quilter 6:30

Confirmation 7:00

16

Quilters 8:30

Arts 10:00

Knitters 12:00

Council 6:30

17

Bible Study 9:30

Choir 6:30

21 Anniversary

Celebration

Worship 9:30

Celebration 11:00

22

Grace Notes 6:30

Com. Quilter 6:30

Confirmation 7:00

23

Quilters 8:30

Family Mtg. 7:00

24

Bible Study 9:30

Choir 6:30

28

Worship 9:30

29 Memorial Day

Office closed

Com. Quilter 6:30

30

Quilters 8:30

31

9

Wed Thu Fri Sat

No Bible Study

Worship Mtg. 5:15

Choir 6:30

4

Joyful Noise 9:00

ALCW Board 9:30

Girl Scouts 6:00

5

AA/Alanon 6:30

6

Spring Lunch 11:30

G.S. Movies 4:00

Bible Study 9:30

Martha Circle 12:30

11

Joyful Noise 9:00

Girl Scouts 6:00

12

AA/Alanon 6:30

13

Bible Study 9:30

Choir 6:30

18

Joyful Noise 9:30

Com. Life Mtg. 3:00

Girl Scouts 6:00

19

AA/Alanon 6:30

20

Anniversary

Celebration Setup

Bible Study 9:30

Choir 6:30

25

Joyful Noise 9:30

Girl Scouts 6:00

26

AA/Alanon 6:30

27

Synod Assembly

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The Lords’ Prayer

May 7th - Family Sunday … last one of the year! May14th - Lords’ Prayer Workshop May 21st - Ascension’s 60th Anniversary Celebration

2 to PreK Class:

The last class for year will be held May 14th!

2 to PreK is open to children that have outgrown our Baby Class but are not quite ready to move up to our Workshops.

Contact Susan at susan@ascensionlutheran.com or the church office if you have questions, need more information or would like to become involved in Children’s Ministry.

10:45am … Sunday Morning

May 7: Family Sunday School - Lord’s Prayer May 14: Bible Study with Pastor Doug

May 21: Ascension’s 60th Anniversary Celebration

…10:45am

May 7 - Home Bound Communion

May. 14 - Blessing Bags - supply for the summer! May. 21 - Ascension’s 60th anniversary

celebration!

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God gave us five senses - smell, taste, sight, touch and hear-ing. They help us navigate the world we live in. While they are all im-portant, hearing is invaluable because it is the way we communicate with the world around us.

Noise can damage your hearing. Sounds surround us, but prolonged loud or long-lasting noises, such as motors, pow-er tools, loud music or headphones, can permanently damage your hearing. Hearing loss can be immediate as happens sometimes with gunshots or explosions, which can rupture the ear drum or damage the bones in the middle ear. More commonly hearing loss results from long-term use of loud sounds from audio play-ers & headphones, lawn mowers, power tools, farm machinery or construction noises. Sound is measured in units of decibels (db). Sounds less than 75 db is unlikely to harm your hearing (normal conversa-tion is 60 db). Long or repeated exposure to sounds over 85 db can cause hearing problems. A typical hair dryer is at 85 db, but is used for short periods of time and is unlikely to cause hearing damage. At maximum volume an audio player with ear buds may produce 105 db and could cause damage in just thirty minutes. A siren is 120 db, a rock concert is 110 db, a motorcy-cle is 95 db, and a lawn mower is 90 db. Your ears have warning signals when noises are too loud. A noise is too loud when: you have to raise your voice to be understood by someone standing nearby, the noise hurts your ears, you’ve got a buzzing or ringing in your ears even though it’s temporarily, or if you don’t hear as well as you normally do until several hours after you get away from the noise. The only way to protect your hearing is to avoid sudden or prolonged loud noises. You can turn down the volume, wear ear protectors, or wear foam insert ear plugs. Walk away from loud noises, and don’t forget the children - their ears are extra special. Have a great summer and protect your hearing so you can enjoy all the wonderful sounds that summer has to offer!

Yours in Christ, Judy Dahl RN

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Acts 17 describes Paul speaking about God to the people of Athens in front of — incredibly! — a site that still exists. What is that site?

A. The Panathenaic Stadium B. The Areopagus C. The Acropolis and the Parthenon D. The Temple of Hephaestus

Answer: See Acts 17:22

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See Luke 12:27

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Ascension’s Finance Update

By Marsha Bones, Finance Chair

Wow! Four months of 2017 is almost behind us. Ascension’s current financial status continues to be good and strong, allowing us the ability and opportunity to do God’s work without financial worries.

Our 2017 giving through March 31st is $72,285.10. This is just slightly less than 23% of our Estimate of Giving for 2017 and slightly higher than our giving for the first three months of 2016. In addition, our first quarter expenditures were under 25% of our 2017 Approved Budget, totaling $95,135.54, which is 24.4% of our budget.

Our giving level is consistent with previous years and we were able to “frontload” our 2017 budget with $71, 398 that we had at the end of 2016. With thanksgiving, faith, and God’s blessings we move onward, continuing do our ministry works.

Ascension’s Memorial Scholarship ($500)

and the Mary Whitford Memorial Scholar-

ship ($1,000) applications are available in the

church office or by contacting Marsha Bones.

The completed applications need to be re-

turned to the church office by June 1, 2017.

MORE ANNIVERSARY PREPARTIONS

• Volunteers are need for set up and clean up. A signup sheet is available under the monitor.

• For those of us who would rather contrib-ute money for the and potluck and let the planning committee do the shopping. a donation box will be at the usher station Sunday morning and in the office during the week.

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PRAYER CHAIN

Ascension has an active prayer chain waiting to meet your needs. If you or a loved one has a need or is in crisis and in need of support and prayer please call Jeanette Eliason at 779-2912 or bandjeliason@hotmail.com or the church office. Our prayer chain is generally an email chain, but some phone calls can be made.

Prayer Shawls: If you have made a prayer shawl, you may leave it in the church office with a note "FOR PARISH CARE," or give it to Mary Ellen Campbell.

Each prayer shawl will be blessed at the altar before it is given away. A helpful website is: www.shawlministry.com and there are more patterns in "The Prayer Shawl Companion," a book available in the church office.

SONGS OF HOPE HYMN FESTIVAL, BASED ON PSALM 42

On Saturday, May 20, at 10 AM, at the First Presbyterian Church, Ashland (1615 Clark Ave., corner of Siskiyou and Walker), the Southern Oregon Chapter of the Ameri-can Guild of Organists will present a Hymn Festival of Songs of Hope, based on Psalm 42. Dr. Linda Borecki, formerly music di-rector of Grace Lutheran Church, Ashland, and now a teacher and musician at Concor-dia University and Christ the Vine Lutheran Church, Portland has designed the festival

to present the “back story” and poetry of lament and hope found in Psalm 42. The hymns, old and new, will be played by mem-bers of the Southern Oregon chapter and will be sung by those attending. Donations to First Presbyterian Church will be accept-ed to cover some of the expenses of the Festival. For more infor-mation, please contact Margaret Evans at 541-482-3075. Come and sing!

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