March 2015 - Church of the Ascension

Holy Week and Easter at Ascension
Sunday, March 29
April 2 at 7pm
7:30am Eucharist
Blessing of the Palms and reading
of the Passion.
9am & 11am Eucharist
Both of our services will feature
the Liturgy of the Palms, a Festival
Procession and a dramatic reading
of the Passion narrative. Parents
Note: Children age 4 and older will
remain with their parents for the
service. Childcare is provided for
ages 3 and younger in rooms 101
and 102 of the Education Wing.
There is no children’s talk on Palm
Sunday, so please take your children to childcare prior to the start
of the service.
Sacramental Confession
Monday, March 30 Wednesday, April 1
In the Anglican tradition, there is no
requirement for private confession.
However, James 5:16 reads,
“Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that
you may be healed.” If you desire
to have your conscience unburdened
and to receive spiritual consolation
and ease of mind, you are invited to
receive reconciliation with God
through the aid of a priest. Jonathan
Millard, David Trautman and Ann
Tefft will be available by appointment these three days during Holy
Week to hear your private confession. Please call or email one of the
priests or call the church office
in confidence (ext. 218).
This year we will be doing something different!
As the culmination of Dr. Walker’s Lenten teaching series, Peter will be leading
us through a traditional Seder meal. This evening promises to be both instructive and moving as we more fully enter in to the Passover Meal that Jesus hosted
for his disciples on the night before he died.
We will begin in the New Catacombs at 7pm and then, at the point in the narrative
where they finished the meal and went out to the garden of Gethsemane on the
Mount of Olives, we will go in procession to the Nave. There we will conclude
our worship with readings of Psalm 22 and the account of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden, special music, and the Stripping of the Altars. The service will end in silence
and darkness at approximately 9pm. Also, please note: Though we will be eating
the various different parts of the Passover meal during the course of our worship
and teaching, it will not be a physically filling meal – so those attending might
like to eat something before they come!
Childcare will be provided for babies - 3 year olds in rooms 101 and 102 beginning at 6:45pm. Children age PreK - 5th grade will be in Hunt Rooms, where our
own Fr. Jack Gabig will lead the children through a rich, interactive Seder of their
own, teaching the symbols and meaning of Passover in a manner uniquely appropriate to children.
April 3 from Noon – 3pm
Because these are the hours Jesus
hung on the cross, we encourage worshippers to keep
vigil for the entire three hour period, but the service
will easily allow people to spend any one hour
(Noon, 1pm or 2pm) without loss of continuity.
There will be childcare for babies - 3 year
olds in rooms 101 and 102 from 11:45am
– 3:15pm. We will also have three, 1-hour
lessons, back to back, for PreK - 5th grade
in the Hunt Rooms. Each of the lessons will
begin on the hour.
Page 2
Holy Week &
Easter Help
Needed
Much assistance is needed to prepare for our
Holy Week services.
Palms need to be prepared for Palm Sunday.
Altar linens need to be
ironed in preparation for
Maundy Thursday and
Good Friday. The Altar
Guild works several
hours on Good Friday
after services and on
Easter Saturday preparing the Nave for Sunday.
CAN YOU LEND A
HAND? Please contact
Tissy Forsythe who will
give you a job to do and
arrange a time to do it!
She can be reached at
[email protected]
or 412-606-2690 (cell).
If you just want to show
up, she will be at the
church at 3pm Good
Friday and 9:30am Easter
Saturday. Meet her in
the Sacristy.
Easter Sunday
6am The Great Vigil of Easter
The first service of Easter Day begins with darkness and
includes the singing of the Exsultet, or Song of Praise, over
the year’s Easter Candle, the passing of the Light of Easter,
scripture, silence and Holy Baptism. Please remember to
bring your bells to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord!
Childcare is not provided at the Vigil. We will provide
coffee and breakfast in the parish hall after the Vigil. Please
join us.
9am and 11am Services
Our 9am and 11am worship will be much the same, but with
songs, hymns and anthems to celebrate the resurrection of
our Lord on Easter Day! Please remember to bring your
bells! Childcare will be provided for babies - 4 year olds in
rooms 101 and 102. There will be no Sunday School for 5
year olds - 5th Grade. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt for
children following both 9am & 11am services. To participate, please meet in the Hunt Rooms at approximately
10:30am or 12:30pm.
Easter Lily Memorials
As is our tradition, we will have Easter lily memorials and
thanksgivings Easter Sunday, April 5th. Please contact:
Melita Carter at [email protected] or
412-736-3540 or
Susan Glotfelty at [email protected] or
412-427-1009
Deadline: Monday, March 23. As always, donations of any
amount are welcome.
Annual Meeting
OWLS – Senior Citizen Ministry
Wednesday March 11 at 7pm
At our Annual Meeting we
will hear about the way our
church leadership stewards
every aspect of our church life,
including the money that is
received and distributed each
year. We will also hear more
about our vision, plans and
direction as we move forward
in faith. The rector will be announcing some strategic developments in our staff team.
Please mark the date in your
calendars and plan on attending. Childcare is available.
Thursday, March 12 at 12:30pm
The first of a series of pilot meetings for our new senior citizen ministry will be
held on Thursday, March 12 in the Hunt Rooms from 12:30 to 2:30pm. A
delicious lunch will be served as we focus on first getting to know one another.
At our meeting in January we chose the name OWLS to describe ourselves –
Wiser, Older and Living Still! If you are an “OWL” or just plain interested in
finding out more, please plan to attend. The cost for the lunch us $10.
An RSVP to [email protected] is greatly appreciated.
New Member Class
Saturday, March 14 from 9am - Noon
Would you like to become a member of Ascension? If you would like to find
out more, we will be holding a membership class on the morning of Saturday,
March 14 from 9am - Noon. Babysitting is provided by request. RSVP
to David Trautman at [email protected].
Missions:
Dave and Deb Kornfield
Both Dave and Debbie Kornfield grew up in Latin America (Bolivia and
Guatemala), but to their surprise God called them to a country where they
had to learn a new language: Portuguese. With their four children (Dan
almost 9, Karis 7, Rachel 5 and Valerie 2) they moved to São Paulo, Brazil
in 1990 with OC International. OC’s distinctive vision is to mobilize the
whole church to disciple the whole nation, with a focus on leadership care
and training.
Dave quickly realized that while pastors carried heavy burdens for their
churches, in most cases no one was caring for them. A pastoring of pastors
movement was born in 1992, which took shape as MAPI (support ministries for pastors and churches). MAPI functions across denominational
lines, offering mutual mentoring, training and care to pastors and their
families. MAPI grew to encompass hundreds of pastoral support groups
across the huge country of Brazil. Today MAPI Brasil is led by Dave’s
successor, Gedimar D’Araújo whom Dave continues to mentor.
Dave and Debbie learned that many pastors carried unhealed emotional
traumas and wounding. REVER (Restoring Lives, Training Restorers)
developed under MAPI’s umbrella but grew large enough to move out on
its own, as a partner to MAPI. Since 2001 REVER in Brazil has been led
at the national level by Luciene Schalm (our son-in-law Cesar’s mom).
Before moving to Pittsburgh with Karis in 2004, Debbie was deeply involved with REVER, especially in the area of sexual abuse.
As MAPI matured, Dave began working in several Spanish-speaking
countries and helping denominations to care more effectively for their
own pastors. When Dave moved to Pittsburgh at the end of 2010,
the Brazilian Bible Society invited him to write notes and small
group Bible studies for a “Discipleship Bible.” The New
Testament with Psalms and Proverbs is on target to be published
at the end of 2015, with the whole Bible and then a translation
into Spanish following a couple of years later. Dave works
on that whenever he’s in Pittsburgh and not traveling
to Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil,
or other countries for the World Evangelical
Association’s Pastoring of Pastors task force
(WEA POP) which he leads. Dave and Debbie are
deeply grateful for the care extended to their family
by Ascension through our daughter Karis’ many
surgeries and long illness. Since Karis died in
February of 2014 Debbie has been working on a
variety of projects in support of Dave’s work,
as well as some of her own in both
Portuguese and English.
Page 3
Prayer Requests
for the Mission Work of
the Kornfields
Pray for the Pastoring of Pastors
(POP) Summit in Cochabamba,
Bolivia March 10-13, gathering POP
leaders from Latin America for
sharing and encouragement.
Santiago, a prominent Christian leader in Paraguay, has been unjustly
sued for $300,000. A similar suit
recently shut down the Baptist
denomination for two years. Pray
against these attacks on the church
in Paraguay.
Dave is trying to enlist help from
Brazilians with the Discipleship Bible in order to meet deadlines amid a
very intense travel schedule this year.
Pray for discernment about who may
be able to help.
Pray for “discovery” of leaders passionate about POP in Africa and Asia
who can strengthen the WEA POP
task force and join meetings in London scheduled for June 8-11 to plan
for wider impact.
Pray for Gedimar and Luciene as
they lead MAPI and REVER in
Brazil, and for transition of the
Brazilian Alliance of Pastoring of
Pastors to Josadak’s leadership.
Dave and Deb at
their daughter
Rachel’s wedding to Brian
Becker in September 2014
Page 4
Featured Ascension Artist:
By Stacey Regan
One of the wonderful things about the
community at Ascension is the number
of gifted artists who enhance our offering
of praise to God. One such artist is Carol
Amidi, the creator of our current God as
Man bulletin cover series. Carol agreed
to share how she came to create the art
gracing our bulletin covers this season.
Can you describe the medium and process you used to create this particular
style of art?
It’s called encaustic and oil. Where I
needed control, I used oil sticks. For
broader areas I used wax which is applied in thin layers. I can mix the wax
with the oil or I can seal the oil under a
layer of wax.
Carol Amidi, the creator of our current
I have a griddle to keep the brushes warm
“God as Man” bulletin cover series.
plus pans of wax including a clear medium. I use a heat gun when adding each
layer so they bond together, although I can melt and mix some areas and leave others
as color created by the layering process. Since the wax is combined with varnish, the
finished piece can be polished and the melting
temperature goes way up.
I really like using oils and wax because there’s a luminosity and transparency you
get by layering. Sometimes it causes the painting to change direction, but I like the
inevitable surprises that occur in the creative process, kind of like God taking the
unexpected and turning it into a positive part of our story.
How did you come up with the idea for this series?
I wanted to approach the season fresh and found myself asking, what traits of Jesus
were human and what were God? Two scriptures in particular played into the concept: John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” and Philippians
2:6-7 “Though he was in the form of God... but emptied himself, taking on the form
of a servant, and being born in the likeness of men.”
How did you decide on the actual images?
I knew we had seven weeks including Easter, so I started making a list of the parts
of the body. At first I thought it was kind of creepy, but as I thought about Jesus’
having chosen to become flesh and live in it as we do, it made sense, and ideas for
their presentation started coming.
How are you hoping people will respond to this art series?
I guess I hope that the images are provocative enough to engage people in thought
about the mystery, that while Jesus was fully God, he became fully man, then consider what that means for us.
As a new image in the ‘God as Man’ series is released each week, the originals
will be placed in the nooks down the side aisles of the nave. Because the laborers
are worthy of their wages, they will be available for purchase sometime after Easter.
Kairos Prison Ministry
Kairos Inside
Kairos Inside (KPMI.org) is a Prison
Ministry comprised of well-organized
and trained volunteer teams of men &
women who present an introductory
3½ day weekend, described as a short
course in Christianity. This interdenominational team of volunteers - both clergy & laypersons - works in cooperation
with the prison chaplain who carefully selects up to 30 inmates to attend. Well
organized follow-up is part of the program.
The Program
The Inside Program strategy brings positive and negative leaders of the
institution together for a 3½ day weekend event of carefully coordinated talks,
discussions, chapel meditations, and music led by the loving servant spirit of
the volunteers. It is useful to think of the weekend as a series of carefully
planned events that flow one to another. For many participants, this experience
creates the desire to become a Christian and for others the desire to continue
his/her personal Christian growth. After the weekend, the Inside Program continues by helping the participants establish small, 3 to 6 person prayer and share
groups within the institution. These small groups meet weekly to share their
lives on a deep, spiritual level and to pray for one another, other residents, their
loved ones, and the staff of the institution.
The Weekend
The weekend is conducted in an institution by a team of volunteers of the same
gender as the institution. The weekend begins Thursday afternoon and ends
with a spirit-filled closing on Sunday afternoon.
The Kairos Ministry has enter the State Correctional Institute in Greene County
(SCI Greene, Waynesburg) to present 18 weekends. Ron Yadrick has been involved since 2010 and is on Kairos #19 (K#19) scheduled for March 19-22,
2015. Ascension members who have served on a Kairos team include: Scott
McKee, Jay Gilmer, Chuck Bader and Kevin Cox!
Volunteers who participate in the ministry make sacrifices of their time to prepare for and attend these weekends, and also commit to help with financial,
prayer and “agape” support. You may not feel called to serve God inside a prison, but you can still honor God’s word (Matthew 25:31-46) and help us make
the upcoming Kairos weekend possible.
4 Ways You Can Help Page 5
Share the Love of Christ!
First we need financial support to
sponsor the men who attend the
weekend. An individual sponsorship
is approximately $75 per person
(including team members), or sponsor am whole table for approximately $300.
A second way to share God’s love
with these men is to provide them
with a study Bible. We have an
arrangement to purchase Bibles for
$25 they are delivered to the prison
and given as a surprise gift to these
men during the weekend. (Please
note that Bibles must be purchased
from a distributor and shipped directly to the prison.) The men are
deeply grateful.
Third, sign up to pray during the 24
hour Prayer Vigil during the weekend. Look for the signup table in the
parish hall on Sunday, March 1 & 8.
The fourth way is giving hand written letters of Christian support and/
or children’s drawings. For some, it
is the only letters they’ve received in
years. We need letters/drawings for
each of the 24 residents attending.
Letters and drawings can be accepted if signed with “first name” only
(no prison bars, please).
If you feel God is asking you to
support us financially, make your
tax deductible check payable to
KPMI (Kairos Prison Ministry
International) and put SCI-Greene
WPA on the memo line.
Ron Yadrick can be reached at
412-720- 5253 or ron.yadrick@
gmail.com
These are the men serving
on the K#19 team
Page 6
An Ascension Profile:
Nancy Drew
Four Generations at Ascension
By Wendy Scott
My grandparents, Thomas and Emily L. Drew (photo) came to America
in 1912 from England. They had passage booked on the Titanic, but
w
e
r
they changed their plans due to a maiden aunt’s premonition about
D
.
mil y L
E
&
maiden voyages, and due to the high cost of the tickets. They left
s
Th oma
,
ts
n
Southampton on the Adriatic on the same day the Titanic sailed.
e
pa r
G ran d
When Daddy had his stroke, almost 80 years after their voyage, I
found the program from a memorial that my grandfather and several
Adriatic passengers sang for the passengers and crew of the Titanic.
My grandparents eventually moved to Pittsburgh and came to
Ascension in 1916. My father, (Samuel) Tom Drew, was baptized
here in 1920. Grandpa sang in the choir (photo). My grandmother
was part of the altar guild and the sewing guild. I remember her
100 th birthday party at Ascension in 1978.
Daddy grew up at Ascension. He was in the Boys’ Brigade and
r
sang in the boys’ choir. After his voice changed, he was an
i
o
en ’ s ch
m
e
acolyte. All the choirs then were boys and men. Daddy beh
t
, wit h
w
e
r
D
came
the
temporary
treasurer after he came back from World War II and
as
, Thom
r
e
th
served
as
Ascension’s
treasurer
for 48 years. He was a lay reader, and he taught
fa
G ran d
the acolytes. For many years Ascension would broadcast the Sunday morning
service, The Ascension Hour, on WEBO 810 radio. Daddy was the announcer.
Each week he signed off as “S.T. Drew, your announcer.” He had special prayers for whenever there was a lull. When I was growing up, we spent the last
Saturday of December here as a family putting labels on the pledge envelopes.
I remember, as a child, falling asleep to the sound of Daddy typing the treasurer’s reports at the dining room table. During the 1970’s my family organized,
held fundraisers for, started and played in the hand bell choir. When my mother
passed a few years later, some of her memorial money went to purchase additional bells.
Tom Drew making pancakes for the
Fat Tuesday pancake supper
We had an evensong and dinner for Daddy when he retired as treasurer, and
another party for his 80th birthday. We made periodic trips to England to visit
family and after each Daddy would put together talks for everyone at Ascension.
He and Ormsby Phillips, another Ascensionite who was also an avid photographer, organized the talks. We have been
into nearly all the English cathedrals and
he photographed them in detail. One of his
favorite was Yorkminster, where a carving
depicts the Ascension literally with the
bottoms of two carved feet.
In 2000 Daddy had his stroke, and a prayer
request for him was the first altar call for
prayer from Doug McGlynn, the predecessor to Jonathan Millard. Daddy’s stroke
resulted in paralysis on the left side, but no
Ormsby Phillips
Tom Drew
Tom Drew is on the right and Ormsby
Phillips, is on the left.
cognitive impairment. I offered to take him to England again if he worked hard in
rehab, so we took him to England in his wheelchair with his grandkids. We used to
practice his walking in the parish hall. By God's grace, we also went to Canada; he got
to see his grandkids; we went to church almost every Sunday. I took him to Virginia
for school plays and holidays. We had ten more years with Daddy. I remember one
particularly moving moment. Daddy used to read the psalms as the altars were
stripped on Maundy Thursday. In 2001, I held the book and mic while Rob, my
brother in law, held the flashlight so Daddy could see to read Psalm 22 in the dark.
He had worked hard with the speech therapist to be able to do it. It was very moving.
I was also baptized at Ascension. Sunday school met upstairs in what are now the
offices. My Sunday school class was small, but it was nice. Girls weren’t allowed to
be acolytes, except in the summer when the boys were on vacation. Our older Sunday
school was in the room under the sacristy so the boys could come and go to acolyte. I
was the only girl in the class. I thought, why can’t I acolyte? Girls were allowed to be
acolytes when my younger sister Linda and Ann Bradbury, the rector’s daughter, were
teenagers, and we didn’t have any boys. My sister Linda and her fiancé Rob Tobin
were married here, and their son Drew was baptized here.
I was a member of the Diocesan Youth Group and Episcopal Young Churchmen.
Tom Hillman was one of our leaders. We had a church picnic at Idlewild Park every
year. The rector would shoot baskets so the kids could all win toys. (He had played
basketball in college.) We had birthday parties for Jesus and picnics. The Episcopal
Young Churchmen went to Jennerstown for retreats with other youth from the diocese. I went to Calvary Camp on Lake Erie for years, and in 1976 and 1977 I was on
staff at the camp. We also went to Family Camp at Calvary. Last year my niece, Emily was a counselor there.
I started teaching Sunday school under my mother when I was in high
school, and I have been teaching Sunday school for 35 years. I now
teach two and three year olds. I teach the children of people I taught
as children. I taught Bonnie Cox (Walker) and I have taught two of
her daughters. I often taught the three and four year olds. I knew all
the kids. I don't have any trouble calling kids out, because I know
them all. I had them all. I was the volunteer Christian Educator
Director before Cynthia Campbell joined staff. We had a team that
directed children’s education: Alan Irvine, me, Mike Campagnola.
We worked with Cynthia Campbell to facilitate the transition to a
paid Christian Education director. I was on vestry in the 1980’s, and
I joined the altar guild two years ago. I did the Thanksgiving
arrangement this year.
I am an interior designer and have been for over 34 years. Daddy’s
stroke allowed me to leave my job and start my own business,
Drew Designs, Ltd. in Regent Square. I served two terms as ASID
Pennsylvania West Chapter President, and am currently a board
member for IDLCPA. I worked on several projects at Ascension:
the former upstairs nursery and the upstairs offices, including
picking the carpeting. I picked the carpeting in the sacristy, the
paint for the altar area, the carpeting for the upstairs hall, various
furnishings, and the fabric for the parish hall chairs.
Page 7
Nancy’s Mother
Nancy S. Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy’s
sister
Linda
Rob & Linda To
bin with
their children
Emily and
Drew. Nancy (lo
wer left)
with Tom Drew
Page 8
Family
News
March Birthdays
1. George Whitmore
2. Jack Walsh, Nancy Johnson
3. Frank Bernardi, Ben Clifton
Christine Thieman
4. Isaac Maddalena
5. Diane Laughlin
6. Sima Weaver
7. Mary Louise Russell
Jonathan Millard, Phil Mollenkof
Marc Gauthier
8. Susie Walsh, Clara Holt
9. Todd Wahrenberger
Juliet Millard
10 Betsey Fritsch, Mari Ito
11 John Clarke, Hallie Harger
Kathryn Hodges
12. Jim Kuhn, Karen Richter
Marcine Hillman, Bill Capcara
Allie Mollenkof
13. Paul Fuener, Dieter Pearcey
Sara Hillegass
14. Noel Jabbour, Lydia Miller
Jane Millard, Maya Weaver
15. Philip Cox, Tom Raufer
16. John Archer
17. David Kornfield
20. John Crotty, Jamie Walsh
21. Susan Glotfelty, Kelsey Regan
Daisha Bernal, Charlie Budzowski
24. Jack Arango
25. Joe Hartle, Jared Potts
Kristen Love
26. Lucy Scandrett, Michael Tickner
Jill Amber Graham
27. Susan Weeber
28. Arnold Fritsch, Greg Pfeifer
Kristin Dickerman
29. Peter Feiler, Erika Twichell
30. James Entner
31. Alan Komm, Conner Smith
March Anniversaries
2. Conn and Maria Thieman
5. Chuck and Joan Bader
Chris and Elise Massa
8. Ray and Karen Richter
9. Dave and Bonnie Liefer
26. Dave and Cathy Van Every
27. Dieter and Jessica Pearcey
Seasons with the Lord:
“Return”
A Devotional by Jolene Belferman
During this season of reflection and repentance I am reminded of the Hebrew
word “teshuva,” which has always interested me because in its meaning I
hear God’s voice calling to his people with such longing and love. The website www.hebrew4christians.com has this to say about the word teshuvah:
A word often translated as “repentance,” though it’s more accurately understood as turning back (shuv) to God. In Modern Hebrew teshuvah means an
“answer” to a shelah, or a question. God’s love for us is the question, and our
teshuvah – our turning of the heart toward Him – is the answer. Teshuvah is
one of the great gifts God gives each of us – the ability to turn back to Him
and seek healing for our brokenness.
Digging further I found that it also holds the meaning of returning. The
returning has to do with the fact that we as God’s people already have a
relationship with him, but because of our brokenness we often fall back into
rebellious, stubborn ways. But he comes after us with compassion and love
and reminds us that he is ready and willing to take us back. We just need to
repent and return to him. In Isaiah the LORD says, “Come let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet they will become white as snow.”
(Isaiah 1:18) It’s like God is saying, “Okay, let’s talk about this. I’ve shown
you the standard of my holiness and I have called you to be holy as I am holy. I’ve provided the way for you through my Son. So how’s it going? Are
you living a holy life? Are you obeying my commandments, the greatest being to love me with your whole heart, soul, body and mind and to love your
neighbor as yourselves? How’s that going? Let’s talk about it.”
As I spend time reflecting on God’s word, the only honest response for me is
the one the Apostle Paul gave: For I do not understand my own actions. For
I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 ESV)
I say, “Jesus, I love you!” Jesus replies, “If you love me, you will keep my
commandments.” (John 14:15) I hear his voice calling and in my turning
back to him – in my repentance – I receive his mercy and his love and his
grace. So, I invite you to join me. Let this Lenten season be a time of teshuvah for you too! And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you
will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
Prayer
O Great and merciful God
Turn our hearts back to you
Receive by your mercy
Our prayers, fastings, and weeping once again
That we may eternally be yours
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We give you thanks in the name of
The Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
One God forever and ever. Amen.
Vestry Nominees
Page 9
The following three people have been nominated to serve on Ascension’s vestry
Roger Maddalena
Roger and his wife Amy live in Ben Avon with their four boys,
Owen, Luke, Isaac and Henry. Roger has attended Ascension
since 1992 while a student at Carnegie Mellon, where he completed a Master of Science in Materials Science in 1999. Over
those years he joined the college ministries of Brian Vander
Wel, Jack Gabig, Karen Stephenson and Tina Lockett. After his
wedding at Ascension, and a brief sojourn in Cleveland (it’s not
that bad), Roger has been part of an Ascension community
group in Morningside and more recently the North Hills. Roger
worked in the steelmaking and ironmaking departments at Republic Steel in Lorain, OH. After returning to Pittsburgh in
2001, he has worked for Vesuvius Research with a specialty in
high temperature chemical reactions in the production and
casting of steel.
Roger with his wife Amy and their four boys:
Owen, Luke, Isaac and Henry
Timmy Podnar
Timmy came to Ascension when she started grad school at PITT in Linguistics
and TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) in 1980. When she
visited there were almost no young people and very few young families. She had
worked with college students for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in Maine and
was looking for a church with lots of young people as she was 28 and not yet
married. She met with the pastor after the service to chat. Since there were so few
young people, her intention was to find another church. But, when she prayed
with the pastor, God clearly called her to make Ascension her home. She has
been at Ascension ever since. She was very active then as a part of the women’s
weekly Bible study, head of the missions committee, a trainer for small groups,
Timmy Podnar and son Ben
and on vestry. Ascension supported her when she went to teach English in Jiangxi
University, Nanchang, China 1983-85. When she came back she married and had two wonderful sons - Joe and Ben.
She is passionate about helping internationals and sharing Christ with them. With Ascension's help she went back to
China in 1990-91, helped in Brazil and taught in Oman. Her week is always full of internationals but especially those
from China. This summer she is going to go back to China to get reacquainted. It has changed a lot since the 80's. She
wants to know better how to share Christ with her Chinese friends. Her other passions are music and studying the
scriptures. She co-teaches an international Bible study, tutors Chinese scholars and does spiritual direction. On Sundays
you will often see her playing guitar with Resounding Grace.
Jennifer Cummings
Jen lives in Pittsburgh with her husband Dana and their 4 kids,
Luke, Andrew, Benjamin, and Sarah Kate. After serving overseas
for 7 years in a difficult field, Dana and Jen were drawn to
Ascension by the invitation of a dear friend and by Josh Miller’s
message -which was his recitation of the entire Sermon on the
Mount by memory- on their first Sunday visiting in August,
2010. They have been at Church of the Ascension ever since. Jen
has served the children, teaching and helping in Sunday School
and currently serves on the Mission Committee. Jen is also a
practicing physician, and has gone in and out of the work force
over the years as the needs of her family have changed. Jen is
currently involved in a women’s small group in the East End and
Dana and Jen are also involved together in an East End small
group that meets on Sundays.
Jennifer Cummings
Jen and Dana Cummings and children from oldest to
youngest are Luke; Andrew; Benjamin; Sarah
Page 10
An 8-week Healing Care
Group will be offered by
The Lazarus Center on
Sunday nights starting
in April. The Healing
Care Group is a small
group ministry for
those seeking spiritual
and emotional healing.
The purpose of this ministry
is to offer individuals a safe place to heal
from deep wounds, false beliefs, damaged emotions, and dysfunctional behaviors in a confidential small group setting.
It for individuals who struggle in any of
the following areas: experiencing God’s
love, knowing your true identity in
Christ, loving yourself and others, sinful
behaviors, negative thinking, and/or
wounds from childhood. It will run from
5:30 - 8pm, including a soup supper,
from April 12 - June 7, 2015. The group
will meet in Bellevue, and the cost is
$80. For more information, please
contact long-time member of Ascension,
Joanne Martin, at director@thelazarus
center.org or 724-266-7576.
Kate Staff, member of Ascension who
attends the 9am service writes: “When a
new friend told me about a Healing Care
Group, I was intrigued. I have always
been curious about the idea of inner
healing and fascinated by passages of
Scripture that describe God as Healer,
but it was never much more than an idea
or a beautiful set of words. Over the
course of the group my understanding of
healing has started to change from an
idea to an experience. I was given the
opportunity to encounter the Repairer of
broken walls, the Restorer of Souls, the
Binder of the brokenhearted. Although
facing wounds can be painful and scary
I think it is worth it in order to move
toward wholeness and to be the people
we were created to be.”
Communion Preparation Meetings
Do you have a child who is ready to begin receiving communion?
Or would you like to provide a “refresher” with your family, on the
meaning behind our communion as Anglican followers of Christ?
Children’s Ministry will be offering two, short communion preparation meetings following the 9am and 11am worship services as
follows:
March 8
Question and Answer session
with Fr. Jonathan (9:30-9:50am or 12:30-1pm)
March 15
Interactive Communion teaching
with Amy Lumanog (9:30-9:50am or 12:30-1pm)
March 22
Up Close and Personal - Children who have attended the
communion preparation meetings, together with a parent, are invited
to come back to the altar and view the administration of communion, during both 9am and 11am services.
Teaching on the Liturgy
Also in Children’s Ministry during the season of Lent, elementary
school children (with a corresponding curriculum for toddlers) will be
learning the “what” and “why” of the liturgy, some history behind its
structure, the meaning of various components of worship, etc. They’ll
also have an opportunity to construct a corporate prayer, working together as a learning community. This 4-week session runs from
February 22 - March 15.
Pictured below is an example of the plaques that are designed to teach
the children the various components of our worship.
Page 11
What is it?
Youth Alpha is a brand new curriculum from Alpha USA and is specifically
tailored to youth. The talks are designed for this generation of youth, and are
a more manageable 20 minutes. This course will be covering all the same
topics from a regular Alpha course (i.e. Who is Jesus? Why read the Bible?),
and our goal is to bring all the youth, both junior high and senior high, into
a greater understanding of the Christian faith, and hopefully encourage them
to grapple with all the issues and questions that will inevitably arise.
A typical night
We will begin with dinner and worship, and listen to a short 20-minute talk
all together as a big youth group. Then we split up, middle school kids to one
room, high school kids to another, where we will have small group discussion. In these small groups, youth are encouraged to share freely and explore
any and all questions of faith that may have arisen from the talk.
When, where, and how
Fridays, Feb 27 - May 8 (skipping Good Friday); 6:30-8:30pm
While the adults have their teaching time during the church-wide Lenten
course, we will go downstairs and launch Youth Alpha. Youth Alpha is a 10
week course, and so it will run longer than the Lenten Dinner series. So, even
after Lenten Dinner finishes, both youth groups will continue meeting all together on Fridays for the duration of Spring until May. And yes, dinner
(probably pizza) will continue to be provided.
We have noticed that it has been difficult for many of our high school teens to
make it on a Saturday, and so we are hoping this combined approach will be
more manageable for everyone. And as a bonus: now that Saturdays will be
opening up, we will be planning to do fun outings occasionally on Saturday
evenings, taking turns between middle and high school.
How does Confirmation fit in?
For anyone whose kid(s) have been interested in being confirmed, we are
seeking to making the Youth Alpha a part of their Confirmation course. Most
of the topics that we have typically covered in previous confirmation courses
at Ascension will be covered in Youth Alpha. So, for those students who desire confirmation, we ask that you would attend as many of the Youth Alphas
as possible. In addition, there will be 3 or 4 additional Wednesday or Sunday Confirmation classes that will be provided to cover the other necessary
topics which Alpha does not include, such as the Sacraments. We will announce those dates as soon as possible! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact John Allen (360-510-4532) or Megan
Trautman (850-363-0138).
Got questions about
Anglicanism? We have a
course for that! On
Wednesday evenings in
April, the Introduction to
Anglicanism course will
explore the history,
theology, and worship
of the Anglican tradition.
Topics will include
Anglican history and
theology, worshipping
with the Book of Common
Prayer, sacraments, and
spiritual rhythms of the
church year. The final
week of the course on
May 6 will explore
Confirmation. If you have
any interest in learning
more about what it means to
be an Anglican Christian or
how to deepen your
understanding and
engagement in Anglican
worship, please join us for
this course.
Dates are as follows:
5 Wednesdays,
April 8 – May 6
7 – 8:30 pm
Please register for the
course by contacting
David Trautman at
david.trautman@ascension
pittsburgh.org.
Local Mission
Local ministry opportunities this spring
to celebrate Ascension's 125th Anniversary
The missions committee is planning several new ways that you can participate
in local ministries this spring. These efforts each provide a direct experience of
helping and spreading God's love among our neighbors here in the East End.
Some will be suited to folks whose employment precludes outside activities
during the work week; some are for those who can spare a couple of hours on
weekdays. Most offer a chance for continuing involvement if you like what you
do. Dates are yet to be finalized, for they depend in part on when you can be
there.
We have four opportunities:
Special lunches for poor
but academically driven
children at the Neighborhood Academy in
Stanton Heights; school
days for a week in April
or May.
Worship
Services
Sunday
7:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II
Joining Open Hand Ministries
to help renovate houses owned
or rented by low income folks
in East Liberty; dates and times
to be determined.
11:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II
Wednesday
Painting examination rooms
in the East Liberty Family
Health Care Center; a
Saturday or Sunday in April.
7:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II
in the Gordon Chapel
followed by breakfast
Address
Tilling the soil, planting, mending fences,
and possibly building a picnic shelter at
the Garfield Farm, which provides fresh
and very local produce to folks in the East
End who could not afford it otherwise; a
Saturday in April or May; good for small
children with parents.
Contact:
Jonathan Sewall
412-268-7185 (work)
412-621-0809 (home)
[email protected].
Please contact Jonathan Sewall to express
your interest in one or more of these, and
let him know when you're available.
Volunteers often come away from activities
like these saying they were more blessed
than those they were trying to aid: that’s
the divine part of the effort-blessings beget
blessings. Be a part of it- thanks!
4729 Ellsworth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-621-4361
Fax:
412-621-5746
Website
www.ascensionpittsburgh.org
The Ascent
Published monthly by the
Church of the Ascension.
Marilyn Clifton Chislaghi, Editor
Judy Yadrick, Publisher
Ascent Deadline
Articles for the April Ascent are due
March 20 and will be available
April 8.