This Sunday
Services will be held at 8:00 am a nd 10:30 am this coming Sunday with a sermon by Ascension's very own Adam Bean! We also continue the United Thank Offering drive this Sunday. Boxes are available in the narthex and chapel.

There will be nursery care and Children's Church this Sunday. However, the Godly Play I class will continue to be relocated to Room 213 (the Garden Room).

Make sure to check out the details about the Sunday School options and upcoming programming below.
Adult Sunday School
Options for Adult Sunday School

The open presentation series will continue in the parish hall at 9:15 am. The Forum, Video, and Searcher and Explorer class will be combined into the Ubuntu Class.
Continuing This Sunday:
Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me
Sunday March 17, & 24, 9:15 am, Parish Hall

Just as an update, you do not have to read the book to come to this series. Fr. Pat is presenting the book in a manner that is engaging to all whether you have read the book. Recordings of the classes are also available.
Centering Prayer
Library, 9:15 am

Centering Prayer continues in the library this Sunday at 9:15 am.
Wednesday Evenings
"Food for Body and Soul"
Parish Supper

The parish supper will not take place on Wednesday, March 20, due to Spring Break. We will recommence the parish supper the following week.
Wednesday Night Series: Journeys of Faith
Continuing this Wednesday

Journeys of Faith is not a program, but a pilgrimage that explores the faith journeys of well-known, and not so well known, people throughout history. Led by facilitators, the participants not only discuss the presentation, but also have an opportunity of exploring and sharing their own stories of healing and reconciliation.

Sessions last from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. We ask that those signing up make a commitment of attending all five sessions. Unfortunately, childcare is not an option. To sign up, send an email to tristen@knoxvilleascension.org. You may also call the church office at 588-0589. Be a part of this unique gathering that is both reflective and communal. Let it be a time to uphold one another as we move forward together along our collective journey of faith so that we all may grow closer to God and one another. 
Stations of the Cross
Fridays in Lent (Except Good Friday)

Stations of the Cross will be held on each Friday in Lent at 5:45 pm in place of Evening Prayer. Come walk through each station in our nave in a short service.
Family Ministry News
Save the Date: White Oak Community Playground Clean Up
April 13th from 9:00am-3:00pm

Join us for the joint venture with the White Oak Community in Campbell County as we renovate and update the playground. Many families use this spot for get-togethers as it is one of the few places available. There is something for everyone to do. Please email Megan for details: megan@knoxvilleascension.org
Spring Break

During Spring Break for the next two weeks, March 17 and 24, ALL Children's Sunday School classes will take place in the Children's Church room, Room 210, for a combo class.
It's NO April Fools...
our VBS registration will open on April 1

Registration will open for our June 10-13 ROAR VBS. Get ready to sign up your kids and yourself as a volunteer!
Tweens: Ijams Nature Center
March 31, After Services

The Tweens are going on a hike at the Ijams Nature Center. We will leave right after church and return by 3:00 pm. Come join the fun!
AYG: Ascension Youth Group News
Dinner Angels

Dinner Angels is a program in which parents and other parishioners are invited to sign up to serve dinners to our youth and share in a wonderful fellowship opportunity. Want to try out a new recipe? Have a flair in the kitchen? Just willing to feed a small crowd? We welcome home-cooked meals and catered meals and we welcome and encourage our dinner angels to attend youth with us after serving so that our youth may connect with our adult parishioners, and vice versa. Our sign-ups, details, and schedule are available online:

Wednesdays—Middle School Dinners (Especially in March): http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e4dada922a5ff2-middle

Sundays—High School Dinners (Especially 3/17 and beyond): http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E4DADA922A5FF2-high
High School Youth Retreat
March 29-31

Our High School Youth Retreat will be March 29-31 at Grace Point. This is open to all our High School Youth grades 9-12. Plans for this event are still firming up, but we will be staying at the retreat house at Grace Point and the theme of this event will be “sabbath.” Cost is $50 and teens may register by turning in their fee and consent forms.
Middle School Girls’ Reading Club
Wednesdays at 5:30 pm in the Youth Room

The Middle School girls have expressed an interest forming a reading club as a continuation of the children’s girls reading club. We plan to meet about an hour prior to our regular Wednesday night youth group. We will begin by reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Girls interested in participating in this program should contact GiGi to be added to a reminder list.
Cancellations and Spring Break

Due to Spring Break, there will be no Sunday School or High School Youth on March 17, and there will be no Middle School Youth on March 20. There will be no High School Youth on March 31 due to the High School Retreat.
Michael Battle
Church of the Ascension is hosting The Very Rev. Michael Battle for a Lenten workshop weekend on March 30-31 called “Following Jesus in a 21st Century Wilderness.” Battle’s book Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me will be a focus of the weekend. Two main events will be open to the public, the Saturday workshop and the Sunday School presentation. Below are details about the Saturday workshop that promises to be highly engaging and enlightening.

Saturday Workshop Details
Saturday, March 30th, 9:00 am

The ticket price, which includes the workshop, lunch, and refreshments, is $10.

The focus of the workshop will be the book  Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me. “Ubuntu” is an African concept of personhood which emphasizes the communal and spiritual dimension of human identity, which of necessity poses a challenge to persons thinking of themselves as individuals. Dr. Battle will use this concept to talk about ways of cultivating this concept in our daily Christian lives. For more information and to purchase your lunch tickets at www.knoxvilleascension.org/battle

Lunch and Refreshments

Lunch will feature a boxed lunch from Honey Baked Ham. When purchasing your ticket, you can choose either the ham, turkey, or vegetarian option. Light breakfast and afternoon refreshments will be available throughout the day in addition to lunch. You can purchase tickets online, in the parish office, and at the door.

Sunday, March 31st

Dr. Battle will also speak and answer questions in an Adult Sunday School Forum on March 31st at 9:15 am, and preach at both services.
Parish Retreat to Kanuga
April 26-28, 2019
Registration Deadline is Tuesday, March 26

This year we are hoping for an even larger crowd for the annual parish retreat! Established in 1928 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, Kanuga is a conference, retreat and camp center serving 25,000 guests annually. Nestled on 1,400 peaceful acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Hendersonville, NC, Kanuga’s historic setting features a 30-acre lake with 20 miles of hiking. 

In addition, Kanuga offers fitness swimming, boating, paddle boarding, and fishing, hiking, basketball, volleyball, and ping-pong, indoor and outdoor climbing (fees apply), a lit playing field, high and low ropes (fees apply), labyrinth and meditation garden, and much more.

The pricing is $216.71 per double and $299.97 per single. This price includes lodging and 5 meals and full use of facilities. 

Janet Slabbekorn will be in the Foyer answering questions and providing helpful information booklets and registration fliers. To register, head to:


Please register each person attending either as a single or as a double. Families will register all family members attending. You will not be charged fees for the children as the church will cover their cost. Kanuga accepts all major credit cards. If you have an interest in sharing a cabin with another family, you can indicate this during registration. Please register as soon as possible so that housing and planning can be refined.

For more information, email Janet Slabbekorn at jslabbekorn@gmail.com
The Lunch Bunch
Featuring Paul James
with The Knoxville History Project
Tuesday, March 19, 11:30 am

The March meeting of The Lunch Bunch will feature Paul James, Director Development of The Knoxville History Project and coworker with Jack Neely, author of Historic Knoxville: The Curious Visitor’s Guide to its Stories and Places. If you have any old photos to share, Paul would be greatly interested in them. Email the photos to paul@knoxhistoryproject.org or stop by the parish office and see Andrew Morehead for help with a few of your favorite photos. Bring $2 along with an appetizer, side dish, or dessert. You can sign-up in the parish office at the reception counter or you can email announcements@knoxvilleascension.org and we’ll put your name on the RSVP list.
The Sisterhood
Connor's Steakhouse
10915 Parkside Drive
Monday, March 18, 6:00 pm

The Sisterhood will have their March “Ladies Night Out” at Connor’s in Turkey Creek, 10915 Parkside Drive, Knoxville. We had such a great group in February. Please RSVP to Charlotte Wood, seebyrdfly@aol.com or 865-594-1781.

RSVP by Today!
Grief Recovery Class
Beginning March 28

Ascension is hosting a Grief Recovery class series by Caris Healthcare. It is a two hour class that will meet at 2:00 pm each Thursday beginning March 28 and ending May 17. The series will be led by Tabitha VanVranken, a certified Grief Recovery Specialist who can assist in recovery from grief from more than 40 different life experiences (death, divorce, loss of a child, personal injury, loss of trust, dismissal from work, pet loss, etc.).

The book used in the series, The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman, can be acquired from Tabitha or your own preferred outlet (Amazon, Google, Apple, etc.). The price from Tabitha is $13.

To sign up for this class series, email Tabitha VanVranken at tvanvranke@carishealthcare.com.
FOMA: New College, Oxford
Tickets Available Now!
Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 pm

Come hear the Men and Boys choir of New College, Oxford. This excellent choir will bring the British cathedral aesthetic to Ascension in this performance. 

Ticket pricing is $15/adult and $10/students and children
Unique Hosting Opportunity
There is a hosting opportunity associated with the concert being given by the Men and Boys’ Choir of New College, Oxford, on April 2nd. Parishioners in a position to provide overnight hospitality for the choral scholars and lay clerks (Oxford University students and professional singers who sing alto, tenor, and bass with the soprano boys) would be doing the music department a tremendous favor. If interested, kindly call Jim Garvey at 588-0589.
The TEA with GiGi and Andrew
All New Events at Ascension

The TEA with GiGi and Andrew is a weekly Facebook Live show about all that is going on at Ascension. It streams live at 3:00 pm on Thursdays from GiGi's office. You can click on the video above to watch it on YouTube.
Chancel Flowers
Dedications for Chancel Flowers Needed

We have several Sundays throughout the year (almost all of July and all of the month of November) including one to two Sundays a month for which we have no dedications for the Chancel Flowers. Each arrangement costs only $75.00 to enhance our worship service.

Please help us by dedicating an arrangement or two and contributing to a beautiful worship space. You may sign up for the Sunday flowers in the book on the reception desk or email Linda Hawley at Linda@knoxvilleascension.org with your information. Thank you!