Dear People of Ascension,

The epistle this week contains one of my favorite lines in scripture: Hebrews 11:1 — “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” So often we are told that faith is about believing in a certain set of statements, a check list where one must tick off every box in order to be allowed to be ‘in the club.’ But when we look closely at the word for faith found in the gospels and in the epistles, it is pistis — a word that is more related to ideas of ‘trust’ than to the assertions of a specific set of doctrinal statements. When we hear it that way, when we think of faith as speaking about a relationship of mutual trust and as the manifestation of an ongoing reality, we can understand more easily how it can involve ‘things unseen.’ Do we ‘see’ the love we feel for our children or our beloved pets or our life partners? Are there visible threads binding us together? Of course not! And yet we know that love is there. So it is too with God’s love for us — if we listen and wait, we can feel and know God’s presence among us and within us, even if we cannot ‘see’ it. How comforting it is to know that there is a place where we can rely on that trustworthy presence, especially during such times of uncertainty and global change.

As we send Mother Liz off for vacation, we are blessed to welcome back to our dear Ed!

Please do join us at outdoor coffee hour after the service to hear of his adventures while he was away. And let’s wish Mother Liz safe travels during August!

- Posey

From Now Through Labor Day, September 4, Ascension will have only one Sunday morning service which will be at 10 am in the church. We will not move into the parish hall this year. This is so we can still include those who worship with us via livestream and be at least a little cooler in the hot months. We also look forward to the opportunity to bring folks who worship at 11 together with those who normally attend the 9 am, as well as continuing our outdoor coffee hours in our summer garden.

Click this link for this Sunday's bulletin & hymns.

How to Add Prayer Requests Online for Sunday Service - Go to Ascensionnyc.org/Prayers and type in your prayer request. Be sure to add them before the end of the sermon.

In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

Open Church - Mondays through Fridays, Noon to 3pm. If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Gretchen Dumler or contact the church office (info@ascensionnyc.org or 212-254-8620

Masks must be worn at all times while indoors

Vaccination is strongly encouraged.

Women’s Spirituality Group, Thursday, August 11; 6:30pm - Those who identify as women, of all ages and stages of life are invited to participate in this monthly roundtable of topics spiritual and worldly. This month, we will discuss women in the Bible. We will gather on Thursday, August 11, at 6:30 via zoom. Interested? Contact Shana Kaplanov (shana.weber@gmail.com) to be added to our email list.

Diocesan Prayer for the Bishop Search -The Search Committee for a Bishop Coadjutor asks for your prayers. You can read their request here. And here is a prayer you might use:

Click here to read the full article.

Flowers for Church - Sponsoring flowers for the Sunday service is a great way to remember loved ones now past and to celebrate joyful moments in life. If you would like to sponsor flowers, please email the parish administrator or call the church office (212-254-8620). Please indicate the date you would like to sponsor them.

Education for Ministry (EfM) Starting this Fall! EfM is unique blend of study and theological discovery, with special focus on living one’s theology within the context of God’s created world. We meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30, September through May. If you'd like more information on this exciting program please speak to Br. Andrew (apjones.nyc@gmail.com) or Deacon Pedro Rodriguez (Plrodriguezjr@gmail.com).

Parish Directory Information Update. We are working on providing an up-to-date parish directory. The first phase is to collect everyone's information, then print a parish directory. Eventually we hope to have a secure online directory that members can access. Click here to update your information for the directory

A Message from the Presiding Bishop from the Lambeth Conference. On August 2nd, our presiding bishop, Michael Curry, issued a short video statement about the happenings at the Lambeth Conference in England, specifically as they relate to the LGBTQ+ community. Lambeth is a gathering of Anglican bishops from all over the globe that happens every 10 years. The bishops (including ours from New York) have been together for many days recently. The conference concluded this week. Click here to hear Bishop Curry's message.

Seeking Peace, an article by Stanley Weinberg -- We commend to you this article by our own Stanley Weinberg, which was written for the Conflict issue of the Episcopal New Yorker. It was not able to be included, and we want to share it with the parish here. Click here to read Stanley's article.

The Racial Justice Discussion Group meets this Thursday, August 18, 6:30 pm. We will be discussing The Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs. This month we focus on pages 81-125. Please join us for a lively conversation!

Please go ahead and get the book and start reading. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mother Posey.

The Parish Office Summer Fridays! All summer through September 2, the office will close on Fridays at 1:00 p.m.

Memorial Service for Erika Engels-Petersen - Saturday, September 10, at 3:00 p.m. in the church.

Provide relief and help communities recover from flooding and fires - Deadly flooding and fires in southern and western parts of the US are displacing thousands and creating a financial burden on the most vulnerable. Episcopal Relief & Development is working with church and local partners to provide help where it’s needed the most. Your swift response and compassionate gift to the Episcopal Relief & Development Disaster Fund will provide supplies to help communities in Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, California and other places make a full and sustained recovery. Visit episcopalrelief.org to make a contribution today.

Helping Ukraine - Here are two ways you can help with the crisis in Ukraine:

Electronic Credit Card Receipts - Do you pay your pledge with your credit card? If so, you will now be receiving a receipt from the bookkeeper via email or text message on your phone. This is not spam or phishing. If you have any questions, please call the church office at 212-254-8620

The news has reported heightened security alerts for possible computer hacks from Russia. For your personal systems and accounts, the absolute best protection falls to you. Here are some excellent ways you can secure your systems:

If you received a phishing message, do not reply, just delete it or move it to your spam folder.

How to recognize Phishing –The first thing you’ll notice is that it doesn’t “sound” like the person you know. Their phrasing and choice of words are just a little “off”. Second, if you look closely at the sender’s actual email address or phone number it will be something strange and will not be any contact information you know for this person. What to do? The most important thing is do not reply. The best thing to do is to delete it or move it to your junk/spam folder. If you receive a Phishing text or email feel free to let the parish administrator know (212-254-8620 or apjones@ascensionnyc.org). Check out bit.ly/2TJwAYx for more tips.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 10:00 a.m.

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Holy Eucharist (Church) 6:00 p.m.

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Spirituality Group (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

The Parish Office will be closed at 1 p.m. for Summer Fridays

Church open for prayer & meditation; Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Holy Eucharist w/ Music; (Church & Live Stream) 10:00 a.m.

Meditation & Sacrament (Church) 6:00 p.m.

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