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Mission Statement
This brouchure is intended to introduce you to Ascension Church, our leadership, and our various ministries. Please feel free to ask any of the people named as ministry leadership in this brocure if you have more questions. The Episcopal Church recognizes that God calls every person, ordained or lay, to ministry. We welcome you to join with us in shared ministry here at Ascension.
Governance
and Administration
Under the guidance of the
Bishop and his staff at the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, the
Rector is the Head of Church of the Ascension. Our Rector has a 4 person staff, the Parish
Administrator, Sexton, Organist and Nursery Attendant.
The elected Lay Officers
of Ascension Church are the Senior Warden, Junior Warden and the Treasurer.
The Vestry is the elected Leadership and Board of Directors for the
Church.
The vestry is the body within
Church of the Ascension that, with the Rector, leads the parish. The vestry:
·
Helps to discern the vision toward which God is drawing
Church of the Ascension
·
Articulates and communicates the vision
·
Holds the community accountable for its realization
of that vision
·
Keeps the mission of the Church and that of the individual
congregation clearly before the parish community
The vestry is elected by the Church membership at the
annual meeting in February.
Worship
Ministries
Church of the Ascension along with all Episcopal Churches
honors and calls forth the ministry of every member, ordained and lay.
Everyone who comes through the doors on Sunday morning
is met with a smile and a bulletin. Our
greeters are the first ‘face’ of Ascension a guest sees and they are our hand
of welcome. Greeters are also able
to answer questions and act as a guide to Sunday School, Nursery, and Coffee
Hour.
The smooth flow of our worship is to a great extent
in the hands of the Users. They make
sure everyone is comfortably seated and has a Book of Common Prayer and a
Hymnal as needed. Ushers collect the
offerings of the people and present them at the altar. At Communion time we rely on the ushers to
direct us to the altar rail. We often
forget that the Ushers also take responsibility for putting the pews back
in good order after the service, ready for the next service.
The Lector is the lay reader of parts of the worship
service. Specifically a Lector will
read the First and Second Lessons and lead the congregation in the Psalm. After the Creed the Lector leads the Prayers
of the People. Many times Lectors
are called upon to lead a service from the Daily Office outside of the Sunday
worship.
The Ascension Choir add their voices to those of the
entire congregation on Sunday mornings to lift up music along with prayer. The Choir also spends time rehearsing special
offerings of music that they present as part of our worship. On special feasts like Christmas and Easter
the Choir works overtime to prepare lovely programs as their service of music
to the parish and to the Lord.
Acolytes are vested ministers who serve at the altar
with the priest. Their role is to light and douse the candles, to carry the
cross and torches in processions, and to assist in the in-gathering of offerings
and the setting of the Lord’s table.
The Eucharistic Minister is a vested assistant to the
priest. The Eucharistic Minister assists
in the setting of the Lord’s table and in the distribution of Communion, usually
offering the chalice to the communicants.
The general duties of the altar guild are to prepare
all the things necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist or any of the
sacraments of the church. In early times monks called sacristans performed
these duties but in the mid 1800s these duties were assumed by volunteers
who became known as the altar guild.
Education
Ministries
Godly
Play - Children 3 years old – 5th grades
Godly Play is the name of a Christian
Formation Education method for children.
The goal of the program is to teach children the art of using religious
language – parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action – to help
interpret what happens in their daily lives.
Children experience the word of God through the element of prayer,
song, The Word, and response.
How it Works
· Parents bring children at 15 minutes before the beginning of service
· Children are greeted by the “door person”
·
Children and Godly Play teachers return to the sanctuary for
the service of Holy Eucharist
Special seasonal activities are scheduled throughout the year for children
and adults together. The dates of
these events are published in the bulletins, in the parish newsletter, and
online on the parish web site.
The Nursery
The nursery at the Episcopal Church
of the Ascension welcomes infants and children to four years of age. Through love and acceptance, children learn respect and self-worth.
We strive to provide this atmosphere in a safe, clean environment.
The nursery is open on Sunday mornings in order that parents may attend the
10:30 am worship service. Nursery care may also be provided for other
parish activities.
Youth and Adult Education
Youth classes for Junior and Senior High School students and Adult education classes are scheduled as needed through the year.
Outreach Ministries
Eucharistic
Visitors
Our homebound
parishioners are remembered in our prayers every Sunday, but in a very real
way by the efforts of our Eucharistic Visitors.
They carry Communion to them, but more important, they carry our good
wishes and remind those who cannot join us here in Church that they are not
forgotten. This visitation ministry
is at the heart of Ascension’s outreach efforts.
Hospitality
Ministry
this is an opportunity
for each one of us to carry out our task to share God’s grace, which we have
been given, with each one around us – AS Jesus directed his disciples. It is a ministry to create a welcoming feeling
in the church, a community feeling. It
enables every guest to feel a part of the church.
Hospitality ministry
also hosts activities that help us interact and know each other better.
This is accomplished through working together on activities including
social events and by ongoing communication.
Pastoral Care
and Health Ministry
The Episcopal
Church of the Ascension promotes optimal health of the individual’s body,
mind, and spirit in the context of a faith community. Through core values of compassion, integrity and faithfulness, our
mission is to help people to care for one another and to live life more abundantly.
Projects in
planning and development are:
·
Development of
lay pastoral care and healing ministries
·
Health education
·
Health screening
·
Home and hospital
visitation