On behalf of the people of The Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Hayward, Wisconsin, I welcome you to our parish family.  We are a vibrant community of Christians, dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to those both within our immediate community as well as to those throughout the world.  We are rooted in the deep and rich traditions of the Anglican Church but are committed to allowing those same traditions to breathe and inform our ministry to those living in today’s world.  Our worship is reverent but lively.  Our fellowship is warm and inviting.  We are devoted to extending God’s love both through our words and in very concrete actions.  We understand that our lives are a pilgrimage and that we are called to support and encourage each other as we walk in faith.  I invite you to explore the pages of our website to discover the many areas in which we are living into our lives as followers of Christ.  I encourage you to visit us in person or to contact us by email or telephone.  And I welcome you to join us on the journey.  It is really quite an adventure!

Father Arthur Hancock
Vicar

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ASCENSION PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS for the week beginning 10.27.2019

ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY: Next Sunday we will be celebrating the Feast of All Saints. Each year a list is compiled of those loved ones who have passed in the previous year. There is a sheet in the narthex on which to list the names of those saints anyone would like included for inclusion in our bulletin, for remembrance, and commemoration during the Prayers of the People.

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH SCANDINAVIAN DINNER: The First Lutheran Church Women, invite us to their annual Scandinavian Dinner and Bake Sale on Friday, November 1, 2019. The Bake Sale, featuring Scandinavian delicacies (Lefse, Semla, Cardamom Rolls? Yum!) opens at 3:3 pm. The dinner will be held from 4:00pm to 7:00pm in the church’s Fellowship Hall. The menu comprises: Lutefisk, Swedish Meatballs, and all the trimmings. This is a popular event, so get your tickets ASAP! Tickets are $16 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under; Children under 5 and adults over 90 eat for FREE!
For tickets, contact the church office: 715-634-2141

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR DELEGATES TO DIOCESAN CONVENTION: Tom Dew, Gretchen Herdrich, and Rick Herdrich will be representing Ascension at the 91st Annual Convention of the Diocese of Eau Claire. Convention will be held on November 9th, 2019. It will be hosted by Christ Church Cathedral, Eau Claire. Business will include elections and presentation of the budget. The main work will be the future of our Diocese. As the bishop will be retiring in 2020, our most immediate work concerns the Episcopate.

COMMUNITY DINNER: Our next opportunity to serve the Community Dinner at First Lutheran Church is coming up! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 4th. We’ll be serving spaghetti, salad, bread, and dessert. Can you help serve or make a dessert to bring? Look for the sign-up sheet in the narthex. To offset the cost of providing the meal we are asked to bring a 2-pound box of spaghetti to church sometime between now and December 1st.

WEDNESDAY IS “CHURCH NIGHT” FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE: Our Ascension youth are working (with Dcn. Marlene and their parents) on their Girl and Boy Scouting religious medals. Anyone who wishes to join us can! We currently meet Wednesday after school at 4:00pm-5:00pm, then we break bread together with a simple soup supper from 5:15pm-6:00pm. During the course of their work the youth may ask for participation from our congregants in interviews, question and answer sessions, or assistance in completing portions of their work. Please be generous with your time and ideas as we grow our young people!

CHECK-IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA!: Are you on Facebook? If so, then be sure to check-in to let your friends know you were here! Our FB link is @AscensionEpiscopalChurchHaywardWi

ADOPT-A- PROJECT: Stop by the Peabody House to see the progress being made. The ceilings are being completed, drywall put up, and the countertops have been installed. The Peabody House project has been moving along! Take a moment to go next door to see. ant to help a project along? Consider if you would like to see the work progress to come to completion by sponsoring a piece of the many projects. In the narthex you’ll find a list of projects waiting to be adopted. Want to know more? Talk to Rick Herdrich.

VESTRY MEETING: The Vestry hold its next meeting on Tuesday, 19 November @ 5:00pm. Ongoing business includes the status of the search for a rector, the Peabody House renovations, and necessary outdoor property projects and repairs. A work list will be developed and the opportunity for every member of the parish to take part in the different jobs around the physical plant will be encouraged. Charline Huwe sends the minutes to everyone electronically. If you’d like an update sooner, talk to Sr. Warden Steven Salisbury, or Jr. Warden, Monte Lewis, or any other Vestry member! Meetings typically begin at 5:00pm and are completed by 6:00pm. Anyone is welcome to attend.

For the week beginning 10.27.19

WE HOLD IN OUR PRAYERS:

Our Church Family:
In our city: the people of St. Philip’s Roman Catholic Church, Stone Lake
In our diocese: Pray for retired priests and deacons, and clergy families
In our nation: The Diocese of Kentucky
In the Anglican Communion: The Church in Ceylon
Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
Jay Lambert, Bishop of the Diocese of Eau Claire

The Needs and Concerns of Our Congregation:
The world: Let love prevail in all places.
Our nation: May God lead the hands, hearts, and minds of its leaders
Our parish family: As we move into our future

The Sick and Needy:
The Kurdish people of northern Syria
The lives lost and the people affected by flooding due to Hurricane Imelda, especially in Texas
The Bahamas: Its people, creatures, and landscape, as they suffer from the aftereffects of Hurricane Dorian
Those in parts of the country dealing with the aftereffects, extensive property damage, and lives lost, due to extreme weather
Military personnel deployed away from home, and their families
The ill in our parish family: those who are hospitalized, in skilled nursing facilities, those who are recovering from surgery, those who suffer from chronic conditions
The family members of those who are in any need, sickness, trouble, or distress, as they come alongside their loved one(s)
All displaced people and refugees, especially children
Those who live alone
God’s people who are in any need, trouble, or distress

In Thanksgiving:
The love manifest in this congregation
Those with Birthdays or Anniversaries this week
The consecration of The Rev. Dr. Shannon MacVean-Brown, 11th Bishop of Vermont
The election of Susan Bunton Hayes, 11th Bishop of Southern Virginia
The election of Lennon Yuan-Rung Chang, 6th Bishop of Taiwan
The election of Marty Stebbins, 10th Bishop of Montana
The election of Jonathan Folts, 11th Bishop of South Dakota
The election of Bonnie Perry, 11th Bishop of Michigan
The election of Lucinda Ashby, 4th Bishop of El Camino Real

The Departed:
Members of our parish family who are currently mourning loved ones
The lives lost due to gun violence
All military personnel who have laid down their lives to secure the freedom of our nation's citizens, as well those of other nations

FUTURE EVENTS TO REMEMBER:
November 3: All Saints’ (transferred)
November 9: Diocesan Convention, Christ Church Cathedral-Eau Claire
November 10: Veterans Recognition Sunday
November 12: Ascension leads nursing home worship. Meet at church @ 3:00pm
November 19: Vestry Meeting in the Undercroft @ 5:00pm
December 4: Ascension serves Community Dinner at 1st Lutheran Church

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A letter from Rick to the Ascensionites:

To my fellow travelers on the journey and the church of God in Hayward, grace and peace to you from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

As we search for a new rector for our church, it is important to remain faithful and hopeful. Faithful not only to Jesus Christ, but to our community, meaning the Church of the Ascension and also to the community we live in. Having faith is the ability to believe without seeing.

It is also important to not lose hope, as our journey can be long and difficult. There are many factors that go into finding a new rector, but also them finding us. It is hard not to say “if we were not in the Northwoods and if, we had more money for salary and if, we were in a bigger city, maybe it would be easier to find a priest”, however, that is not the case and we have to continue to have hope that God will help us find the right person to serve us.

It is important for us to pray, individually and as we do as a community, for God’s help in finding a new rector and thankfulness for the community we have, along with Deacon Marlene and Father Kirby, who are serving our church during this journey.

Important work is being done preparing our church and our rectory for a new priest. Be thankful for a community that is sharing its time, talent and treasure to make this all possible.

The Search Committee will continue to look for ways to find and attract possible candidates. If you have any questions, please let me know or anyone on the Search Committee (Kris Thompson, Missy Olson, Tom Dew, George Gorbetenko and myself.)

Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Yours in the journey,

Rick Herdrich