Dear People of Ascension,

Earlier this week our Re-opening Taskforce met and agreed that we want to resume mid-week in person Wednesday Eucharists, starting on Wednesday, April 28 at 6 pm. As in the fall, we ask you to make a reservation for these services, either online here, ​or by calling the parish office at 212-254-8620. As we begin, we will have space for 20 participants. We hope to be able to increase our numbers as we move forward. We will continue to wear masks and maintain physical distancing and contact tracing, and communion will be offered in one kind (bread) only. Because we are heading into the warmer weather I hope those who want to chat after the service will be able to do so in our garden. I look forward to seeing you in person very much!

I know how eager many of us are to get back together again, even as others feel very cautious and uncertain about what is safe. It is hard to weigh conflicting information, and our neighbors and colleagues are not all moving at the same speed or comfortable with the same risks. I want our reopening to be as safe as possible and am grateful for the committee's careful attention to the best public health advice we can find. We are looking to the fall as a time when, God willing, we will again celebrate the Eucharist together in person at 11 am, albeit with many precautions in place. In order to get to that point, we are exploring what new technology we will need to keep including folks who want to continue to participate remotely, as well as other questions about music, physical space, and other dimensions of our parish life. We have learned a lot during the past year, and I want to be sure we don't lose the gifts of this difficult time. I will continue to update you as we move forward.

May God bless us with wisdom, courage and the joy of the resurrection!

Liz

If you do not have a device with a camera, you can still join with your phone by dialing the following number: 929-205-6099, and enter the meeting ID: 322 793 633.

All of our online services, with their links, can be found on our public calendar, and are listed below.

Click this link to read up on some best practices for Zoom meetings.

Jesus lives! thy terrors now

can no longer, death, appall us;

Jesus lives! by this we know

thou, O grave, canst not enthrall us.

Alleluia!

Jesus lives! for us he died;

then, alone to Jesus living,

pure in heart may we abide,

glory to our Savior giving.

Alleluia!

Jesus lives! our hearts know well

nought from us his love shall sever;

life, nor death, nor powers of hell

tear us from his keeping ever.

Alleluia!

Jesus lives! to him the throne

over all the world is given:

may we go where he has gone,

rest and reign with him in heaven.

Alleluia!

Celebrant:   Alleluia. Christ is risen.

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Peter addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”

Psalm 4   (St. Helena Psalter)

Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *

   you set me free when I am hard-pressed;

   have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

“You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *

   how long will you worship dumb idols

   and run after false gods?”

Know that God does wonders for the faithful; *

   when I call, God will hear me.

Tremble, then, and do not sin; *

   speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

Offer the appointed sacrifices *

   and put your trust in the Most High.

Many are saying,

“Oh, that we might see better times!” *

   Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O God.

You have put gladness in my heart, *

   more than when grain and wine and oil increase.

I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *

   for only you, God, make me dwell in safety.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

See what love hath the Father bestowed on us in his goodness, that we should be called God’s own children.

Leader Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. We pray for Michael our Presiding Bishop, for Andrew, Allen and Mary our own Bishops. We pray for the communities of Union Seminary and EDS at Union, as a hate crime is being investigated on their campus.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace, especially Joe our President, Andrew our Governor, and Bill our Mayor; that we may honor one another and serve the common good.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. We pray for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn; for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic; for all healthcare workers, especially Scarlett, Madonna, Trudie, Nancy, Anna, Sarah, Endine, Terese, and AJ, for all whose labor supports our common life; for those developing and distributing vaccines, for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially Robert, Ed, Janet, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Michael, Soren, Mary Ann, Stephen, and Larry; for Len's family and all impacted by the eruption of the volcano in St. Vincent; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We commend to your mercy all who have died, Andrew Brannon, Minerva Viera, Paul LoBello, Liz Hill, Christine Dupre, Fr. Jack Smith, Patty Tuck, and Duante Wright, and the more than 565,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19, as well as others around the world that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We offer you our other prayers and thanksgivings.

 Our Father, who art in heaven,

     hallowed be thy Name,

     thy kingdom come,

     thy will be done,

          on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our trespasses,

     as we forgive those

          who trespass against us.

 And lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

 For thine is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory,

     for ever and ever. Amen.

Christ the Lord is risen again!

Christ has broken every chain!

Now through all the world it rings

that the Lamb is King of kings.

Alleluia!

He who gave for us his life,

who for us endured the strife,

takes our sin and guilt away

that with angels we may say:

Alleluia!

He who bore all pain and loss

comfortless upon the cross

is exalted now to save,

wresting victory from the grave.

Alleluia!

Forums this Sunday, April 18 and May 2 - Developing a Rule of Life. Seminarian Linda Brandt will lead us in considering what it means to develop and live by a rule of life. Does that sound constrictive, scary and rigid? Could it be nourishing and enlivening? What dimensions might you want to include as guideposts for your spiritual path? Please join us this week and May 2nd to talk about these and any other questions you bring.

Next Sunday - Earth Day, April 25, Welcome Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes! Next Sunday we are delighted to welcome the Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes as our guest preacher and forum leader at Ascension. Dr. Carvalhaes, ordained in the Presbyterian Church, is Associate Professor of Worship at Union Theological Seminary. He works at the intersection of liturgy, justice and the arts. Two years ago he led a service at UTS that became known as "Plantgate", in which participants confessed to plants their sins against the natural world. This Earth Day, in the forum following the service we will explore how our liturgies and theology help or hinder our connections with the whole community of creation, and our work of ecological love and justice. Click here to read an article about the chapel service. Dr. Carvalhaes' website can be found here.

Please check us out at ascensionnyc.org/give to find out how easy and secure it is. Click the envelope on the right to go the Ascension Website for more information and to give, whether a one-time donation, pledge payment, or make a new pledge.

(If you experience any issues with Abundant Giving, please email us at websexton@ascensionnyc.org)

A Note about Using Abundant Giving: When you donate and pledge through the Abundant Giving app or go through the website, you need to direct your donation to the correct category. Presently there are five categories:

These categories change as we update categories during the year. (An example would be when we delete the Easter flowers category after Easter and add Christmas flowers for the weeks leading up to Christmas.)

To donate through your app or the website, click the link above. The next screen will prompt you: "How Much Do You Want To Give?" Next to that, is a drop-down list of categories. Offering plate is always listed first. Click on the little arrow and the list will appear. Click on which ever category you want your donation to be credited. It is important to identify which category you are donating to so that your year end statement will be correct.

You should have received your year-end statement for 2020. Please review it carefully and contact the parish office immediately if there are any issues.

Our sexton, Len Bowman, is from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, which experienced a devastating volcano eruption last weekend and has continue to have more eruptions this week. He is collecting supplies and funds for relief efforts inside the country. If you would like to help, please make a donation to Mother Liz's discretionary fund, either through Abundant Giving (be sure to select "rector's fund" in designating your gift) or by sending a check to the parish office. Thank you!

In-Person Midweek Eucharist Resumes, As we cautiously take steps toward reopening the church during this time of pandemic we are opening the church on Wednesday evenings for in-person Eucharist starting Wednesday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. To reserve a seat, please click the button below, or visit us at Ascensionnyc.org/Reservations/.

Open Church, Tuesdays & Fridays, Noon to 3. The church is open for private prayer and meditation. Attendance is limited to a maximum of 20 people at one time and all safety precautions (properly worn masks, physical distancing, hand sanitizing, and contact tracing) will be followed.

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Sunday Paper Junior - The lectionary, our yearly schedule of Bible readings, carries us through Jesus’s life and teachings. The Church of The Ascension subscribes to the Sunday Paper Junior and we offer it to you and your family as a fun, creative way to study the lessons each week. Click here to access this week's paper. Please feel free to print out the pages each week and use as you desire. Check out this section each week for the current Sunday Paper Junior!

Vaccine Registration Assistance? Do you need help scheduling your vaccine appointment? Are you a tech-savvy and patient person who would like to help register people? Please contact Madonna Stack-Barker at m.stack@rcn.com for more information.

Beware of Fraudulent Emails Purporting to be from the Ascension clergy! Several people received scam emails today pretending to be from Fr. Ed, using a Gmail account under a user name that appears to be him. Click here to read more and learn what you can do.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

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

(Speak to Sibyl Piccone if you are interested in this group)

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

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

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

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

Rehearsal for Sunday Service (Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

Clergy | Staff | Parish Leadership