April 2013

Ascension Tidings

E aster Greetings,

My family and I have had the privilege of being at Ascension for two Lents and Easters now! Each one gets better. I love each of you more and more. Thank you for the gifts you bring to our community. Jesus likes to keep moving - physically in the Bible and spiritually today. After he was raised from the dead, he went on a whirlwind appearance tour to strangers and disciples alike. Jesus' post-resurrection appearances were not primarily about comfort, but about mission. All who had seen Jesus were commissioned to "go and tell" the good news of God in Christ.

I pray that each of us are excited about "going and telling" about our God who has shaped our lives through Ascension church. At diocesan council this year, the coordinator of newcomer ministry, Mary Parmer, said that the average Episcopalian invites a friend to church once every 37 years. The whole council laughed uncomfortably in recognition of Episcopal “politeness”.

I know inviting people to church is daunting. Sometimes we think, "What if the sermon is terrible on the Sunday I bring a friend?" or "what if the music is bad?". The root issue is that we're scared our friend won't like our spiritual home. Your “ask” might just be the answer to a prayer. I want to assure you, you will not offend your friend by asking them to come to church. The worst they can do is say “no”.

I can't guarantee that it will be a perfect service, but I can promise not to handle snakes, preach about hell fire, talk about Bishop Spong's latest book, or quote from "The Secret". I promise to offer the love of God in Christ for all people: shiny, happy people and broken, lonely people.

I want to give a special thank you to the school parents who came to our workday to help us get ready for Easter. Bit by bit, day by day. The campus is looking very lovely. Thank you all who have helped. On April 20th we have another school & church workday. Stay tuned for details.

As we look ahead, we are offering a new Sunday morning adult class in the Parish Hall led by Laurie Taylor called “The Armor of God” that starts soon after Easter. Check the calendar for detail. Bethel will start back up in the fall, and the study of Genesis continues.

Please pray for the school as they go through accreditation. Every ten years the school gets re-certified. Please pray for Nancy and her staff, as they have been working for months now to get ready for this important review.

We go back to Church Under the Bridge on April 21st. Same setup as before: buy it, cook it, bring it…the lasagnas that is. You can come on site our just bring your lasagna to church.

Happy Birthday Church! Pentecost is May 19th. I really want us to have an old school party with balloons, hot dogs, and snow cones. I think it is a wonderful time to get together right after the 10:30am service and celebrate the gift of the spirit that gave birth to the church in Acts chapter 2.

Your home, Ascension, is here to point you toward a deeper fellowship with God. Come to this place for healing, come for fellowship, and come to be recharged. Then "go and tell" of the good news of Christ.

Alleluia, He is Risen, The Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia. Peace,

Fr. Todd

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Notes from Our Senior Warden

When you live more than 5000 miles away from the people with whom you grew up and everyone to whom you are related, it teaches you a trick. Never, ever, say “Goodbye.”

Mum and I used to do this thing of me giving her a big hug, her rocking me from side to side…sometimes butterfly kisses or nose rubs (very fun lady my Mum), and then with a cheery “See you soon … I will call you later.” I would get in the taxi or hire car and go to the airport. Our taxi drivers in Crickhowell were always either ambulance drivers or local garage owners. All have known me forever. They throw the tissue box at me at the bottom of the lane. “There you are love.” I never say goodbye to my sister. We just can’t do it. My sister-in-law is worse, especially now since my lovely brother died. Life is precar-ious; there are so many turns and twists. I never say, “Goodbye.”

So, that being said… see you soon Andy and Carol Smith. Call us often and put pictures on Facebook. Let’s not say goodbye. These two are off to Oklahoma to play with their grandchildren, give their daughters a lot of help and laughter, and generally look after their dear families who have lent them to us for a long time. I cannot re-member what it was like at Ascension before Andy and Carol. I was here, but I cannot remember. I do know I have been on Vestry every time Andy has, and he has made me laugh, and laughed at me in that loving teasing way he has. I have enjoyed everything that man has cooked and all the fun we have had. Carol, well good gra-cious…the woman is dynamite. She is a twin you know, and my idea of a packed house would be having the two of them in one room. She is just a joy, and I cannot help smiling at the thought that there are two of them! Every child at Ascension knows Miss Carol. She has been our unpaid Director of Religious Education for ages. She used to teach third grade at Ascension School, and she always subbed even after retirement. She holds a Master in Ed-ucation, and we were blessed with her knowledge and delighted by her fun. She has a heart bigger than anyone I have ever met and she bounces with love.

No party…oh poo. No big send off…spoilsports! They actually cornered me to say please do NOT do that. Car-ol says that other fixtures and fittings have left – the Pipkins for example – and we didn’t throw a party. Actually, we put up a plaque for Linda! I forgot about that. It’s OK. No party, no plaque. Please no tears otherwise you will set Carol off, and Andy will never forgive me! The Sunday after Easter they will do refreshments after the 10.30 service. I will order one of those big cakes, and they can laugh and exchange wild stories with you all. That is all I am allowed to do.

For goodness sake, someone get their address in case I forget. Just tell them “Hi,” and we will invite them back for stuff. Oh Jiminy Cricket; who is going to do landscaping round here, cook breakfast, cook pancakes, teach children, or make us laugh during announcements? Please keep them safe and well in their new home.

We love you Andy and Carol Smith. Aloha!! (well anything is better than Goodbye.)

Blessings, hugs, smiles and prayers always,

Cathy Hollowell

And on that note…. April 7th Coffee Hour

Please join Carol and Andy Smith for appetizers and dessert after the 10:30 service for a final opportunity to bid our precious church family bon voyage, before moving to Oklahoma on April 15. We will look forward to visiting with each of you before leaving,as well as preparing some tidbits to snack on while enjoying your fellowship.

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Ascens ion School

Dear Parishioners, What a month it will be! We will be involved in so many exciting activities and

adventures; it is hard to know where to start. We will have a Eucharist Service for our elementary chapel, grades K-5, on Tuesday, April

9 at 8:30 am. We hope you can join us as we celebrate the life of our school and all we have to be thankful for within our community.

Our annual Stanford testing begins on Monday, April 15, and ends on Thursday, April 18. This is our annual test assessment for grades K-5.

On Friday, April 19, we will have our Field Day. This is a morning of fun with lots of activities to participate in for everyone from Pre-School to 5th grade.

On Wednesday, April 24, our Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 classes will present a program at our April assembly. Please join us for this program. This begins at 8:30 am in the Parish Hall

Our Accreditation team arrives on Sunday, April 28th, and the school will welcome them with a reception from 5 until 6 in the Parish Hall. This team will be on campus until Wednesday, May 1, to see our school in action. We are looking forward to their visit and observations; it is a time of great learning and affirmation for us all.

We wish you a wonderful beginning to spring and hope you join us for some of our activities this spring. In Peace, Nancy Clausey

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Activ i t ies and Offer ings

April Open House

Join the Bryants and the Haywood Family at the Haywood's home on Sunday, April 7th, 4:30 - 6pm. Thank you Mark, Emma, Sarah and Harry for opening your home to us! Bring the kids! The Haywoods have a very fun backyard. C ome for friends, snacks and drinks. RSVP is never required, but always helpful. Email Kimberly Bryant (kharvin@hotmail.com) for RSVP and address (or see Sunday bulletin for address).

Have a Seat….Literally

Yay!! Look for the new chairs to begin arriving shortly. We have placed the first order, but it is only the beginning. We would like to continue replacing the Parish Life Hall red cloth chairs. Many have broken and disposed of and those that remain are stained and wobbly. We are replacing them with Lifetime black wipe-able chairs, which cost just under $50 each. Please buy a chair, or several. How do you buy a chair? Just send in a check to the church, or drop it in the offering plate with “Chair fund” in the memo line... And remember this is not the same as your pledge; it will be recorded as a gift…. Please don’t make Cathy bring out the green bucket!!

Senior Bus Trip

Our next Senior Bus Trip will be to Goliad, Texas honoring Texas Independence Month. This trip is longer than usual. We will meet at the Church 6:45 a.m. and leave at 7:00 a.m. We will have a docent to show us the town, the La Bahia Massacre site, and the Spanish Mission in the area. We may not be back in town before 6:00 p.m. The cost for the day is $18.00. Lunch will be on you. Make your checks to Ascension Episcopal Church and have them to the Church Office by April 4th. Please do not put your checks in the collection plate. You may give them to Kay Wallin, Cheryl Coppock, Wanda June, or drop them in the office. For questions, please call Kay Wallin, (281) 293-0310.

Coming on April 21st: Return to the Church Under the Bridge

We are looking for someone to volunteer to coordinate this mission event. It is simply about confirming volunteers, establishing who is baking, keeping everyone up-to-date, and letting Fr. Todd know where we stand. Let us know if this is something you are interested in. We appreciate you!!

No PNO

There will be no April PNO because of our school auction. Our last PNO of this school year will be on May 11th. Registration will open at the end of April. However, there will be childcare available at the auction, but you must RSVP, so we may have appropriate supervision. Due by April 5th to Sandi Peters; $5 per child.

Which brings us to……

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April 2013

Ascension Episcopal School

Auction 2013

Rock Around the Clock

Saturday,

April 13th, 2013

6 - 9pm

Prize for Best Dressed!

Come in your best

50's attire! Get your

outfit ready!

Best dressed will win a

$100 Pappas Restaurants

gift card.

Class Basket Donations

DUE March 27th!

Boxes are set up in the school

office for incoming basket donations. Please consider donating a new item

to your themed basket or making a monetary donation, if you would

prefer for us to do the shopping. Please also include a donor form and

a GIFT RECEIPT, if applicable. Donor form and Basket list are available on

church website.Questions? Contact

Kimberly @ kharvin@hotmail.com.

Needed: VOLUNTEERS!Needed: VOLUNTEERS!

April 2, 3, & 4 Class Basket Assembly

Please stay after AM carpool to help assemble all

our class baskets! We will start on April 2nd and continue

throughout the week until all baskets are done. We have

over 17 baskets to assemble, so we NEED YOUR HELP!

Or you may drop in anytime between 8am and 3pm on

April 2 and 3.

For more information, please contact your class

basket chairs Ann Seitz (annseitzhere@yahoo.com) and

Griselda Saavedra (gcor@sbcglobal.net) OR your room

parent.

Friday, April 12th Auction Set Up

We need many hands! Please come help if you can spare

any time between 8am and 5pm on Friday, April 12th.

We have a set up and decoration plan for Parish Hall, but

need your help!

Saturday, April 13th Auction Night

Last minute set up help -- 4:30-5:45pm

Bartenders -- (pick a shift) 6-7:30pm OR 7:30-9pm

Clean up help -- 9-10:30pm (or when done)

Please contact Kimberly Bryant (kharvin@hotmail.com)

if you can help at any (or all) of the specified times.

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Houston Symphony

Kidventure

Kim Graeter

Photography

Koi Collection

Lakeside Industries

Learning Express

Toys T&C

Mac Haik Ford

The Mad Potter

Main Street Theater

Mark's American

Cuisine

The Melting Pot of

Houston

Messina Hof -

Winery & Resort

Molasses Candy

Molina's Cantina

Nest & Cot

Niko Niko's Greek &

American Café

Parker School

Uniforms

AANN AMAZINGAMAZING THANKSTHANKS TOTO OUROUR DONORSDONORS, , ANDAND SPONSORSSPONSORS: :

2013 A2013 ASCENSIONSCENSION SSCHOOLCHOOL AAUCTIONUCTION::

DDONORONOR RRECOGNITIONECOGNITION

BUSINESS DONORS

300 Houston

American Girl

Arelia’s Pretties

The Artist Boat

Bed, Bath & Beyond

benjy’s

Bering's

Biron Gymnastics

Blue Ribbon Meadows

Blue Willow Bookshop

Bourbon & Bloom Vintage

Rentals

Buffalo Grille

Camp Allen

Carmelo’s Ristorante Italiano

Champa’s Creation

Charlotte's Saddlery

Children's Museum of

Houston

Clutch City Foundation /

Houston Rockets

Contemporary Arts Museum of

Houston

FAMILY SPONSORS

Gold SponsorsGold Sponsors

- Bryant / Harvin Family

- Reiner Family

- The Northrop, Collins, Boyd,

K Tanner, & D Taylor Families

- The Owen, Marchon, Deny,

Gallagher, D Leger, & H Russell Families

Costco

The Cynthia Woods

Mitchell Pavilion

David Lackey

Antiques & Art

Dream of Me

Photography

Expert Hair

Feel and Live Better /

Dr Iman Al-Haj

Firat Educational

Solutions

FOUND

Green Plate Kitchen

Gymboree

Harvest Organic Grille

Houston Area Orthodontics / Dr Larry

Rose

Houston Astros

Baseball Club

Houston Dynamo

Charities

Houston Museum of

Natural Science

BUSINESS SPONSORS

Silver SponsorsSilver Sponsors - Global Merchant Processing, Inc. /

The Brandon Lam Family

Bronze SponsorsBronze Sponsors - Hartmann Jewelry

- Kilgore Industries

- Town & Country Orthodontics

SponsorsSponsors - Dr. Larry Rose /

Houston Area Orthodontics

Past Era Antique

Jewelry

Pecan Creek Grille

Popeye’s / The Boyd

Family

Praxis Day Spa

Ragin Cajun

Rawr Party Events

Round Rock Express

Baseball Club

Royal Oaks Country

Club

Sam Houston Race

Park

Snow Dog Ice Cream

Tall Plants

Taste of Texas

Texas Rangers

Baseball Club

Tour 18

Tranquil Heart Yoga

Truluck’s

Zuma Fun Center

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VERY IMPORTANT!!!

There will be NO tickets sold at the door, and no walk-ins will be accepted, so you MUST:

RSVP by APRIL 5TH! (No Exceptions)

RSVP forms are available on line (please see link on website), and in the church office.

Return them with payment to Sandi Peters in school office by Friday, April 5th. A "ticket"

includes dinner, dessert and 2 drink tickets. (No tickets sold at the door.)

All classes with 100% ticket participation BY Friday, APRIL 5th will receive a

pizza party (by the end of school). ECP is included too! One reservation per family gives

credit to each of your kids' classes. There will be on site childcare for $5 per child, by RSVP

(no walk-ins). Please be certain to RSVP for childcare if you need it. We need to make

sure we have an adequate number of volunteers in place.

If you are unable to attend the auction, a donation of $20 also counts towards the 100% contest.

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Alan Bauch

Mary Blythe

Kimberly & Todd Bryant

Amanda Candler

Nancy Clausey

Pat & Dion Cole

Covarrubias Family

Janis Edel

Polly Epps

Amy Green

Aura Guevara

Roxanne & Steve Haase

Sage Halford

Beth Heineman

Samantha King

Brandon Lam

Julia & Harvin Lawhon

Amy Leal

Pam & Gene Liga

Karen Maness

Laurie-Anne & Todd McElreath

Carla Moratinos

Sue Ann Morrison

Marike Owen

Maria & Chris Pappas

AANN AMAZINGAMAZING THANKSTHANKS TOTO OUROUR DONORSDONORS, , ANDAND SPONSORSSPONSORS: :

2013 A2013 ASCENSIONSCENSION SSCHOOLCHOOL AAUCTIONUCTION::

DDONORONOR RRECOGNITIONECOGNITION continued….continued….

Ann Paulus

Lisa Pittman

Bea & Andres Reiner

Alejandra Santana

Pam & Patrick Schwabrow

Ann Seitz

Raul Suazo

Dana & Tom Sutton

Phyllis Tomasino

Stephanie Wolford

(Synchronized Kneads Inc)

Eva Zajac (Love, Dream,

Blue)

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Last year Ascension

dropped off over several thousand

pounds of food to the West Houston

Assistance Ministries. This

year we are off to a good start. Thank

you for your generosity.

IT Corner

NEW WEBSITE ADDRESS …….

Go to www.ascensionepiscopalchurch.org and view our new website. It has been up and running for a few months or so, and is easy to navigate. Check the server schedule, learn about various ministries, check the church calendar, and look up Sunday mornings. There are many things to look at and learn about. Anything else you’d like to see….let us know!!

…..AND EMAIL ADDRESSES

With a new domain comes new email addresses, but don’t worry we will continue to check the old address during the transition time. The new emails are:

Office office@ascensionepiscopalchurch.org

Leslie membership@ascensionepiscopalchurch.org

Todd rector@ascensionepiscopalchurch.org

Junk Mail Filters

Please be sure that you are not missing our messages. We have gone to Constant Contact for prayer requests, announcements, Tidings, and other emailed church business. Please be sure that your junk mail filter is not rejecting the messages and that you are staying informed.

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Help Wanted!!!

Unfortunately, we have lost two of our breakfast teams and

desperately need more people . This ministry exists on

those willing to get up and come to church a little earlier on

Sundays to cook a hot breakfast for all of us. There is a rotation

of five teams and they work once every five weekends. This is

a great ministry and a wonderful way to start of a Sunday morning.

The “suggested” cost for each adult to eat is $3 and child is $2. We

ask this to help cover the cost. Please if you are interested

email or talk to Deb DiPuma. If we do not get enough teams,

then we may have to see this awesome ministry become

more infrequent or eventually disappear. So grab a church

buddy and make a team. The meals are always simple and tasty;

you do not have to be a gourmet chef!!

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Wanted!

DRE - Director of Religious Education Ascension is looking for a follower of Jesus Christ with a passion for making disciples of Jesus through children's spiritual

education. The right candidate will support a comprehensive children’s faith program with a primary focus on Sunday morning (Sunday school). The Director of Religious Formation will be a skilled verbal and written communicator. This is 20 hr/week position with 3.5 hours on Sundays (8:45am – 12:15pm) and 16.5 hours during week working on campus. Schedule to be determined as mutually agreed.

The Director of Religious formation will report to the Rector and deal with logistics including newsletters, allocating classroom space, and budget needs. Will have a vision and passion for children's formation. Will be a proven leader and mentor of volunteers. A bachelor’s degree is preferred.

The DRE’s goal is to nurture the faith life of our children and to help the church grow as a result of excellent children's formation.

Responsibilities:

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

Excellent and Effective communication and verbal skills with parishioners, current ministers, and other staff

Work with Social Media

Computer Skills – proficient in Word, Excel, and willing to learn Publisher and Face book

Collaborate for new ideas with ministers at neighboring churches both Episcopalian and others

Preferred Skills Knowledge and Abilities

A bachelor’s degree

Experience working in an environment of children's education

Excellent administrator and mentor of volunteers Other Requirements

Must pass criminal background check

Must take the Safeguarding God’s Children class run through the Diocese

Attend the yearly Diocesan Conference called "The Conference"

Work within the budget established by the Vestry. For special events, the candidate needs to be able to prioritize available

resources to ensure good stewardship

Contact the rector directly

Sunday morning and events

Coach, develop, and recruit volunteer leaders and teachers as

Sunday School teachers and mentors

Oversee and schedule Sunday School (pre-k to 12th grade,

9:30am-10:15am)

Pastoral support and mentor for volunteers

Maintain and run a once-a-month “Parent’s Night Out” through

volunteers on second Saturday of the month (5-9pm)

Be a resource to the Sunday morning chapel coordinator (children’s chapel during worship)

Recruit volunteers for Christmas Pageant

Child care

Oversee nursery care for newborns through 4 yrs during worship services (Sunday from 9am-12pm).

Schedule childcare for special events, though need not be

present at every event. (Currently, we have two regular workers and would like to expand to four)

Recruit, screen, train, supervise, and schedule caregivers for

all worship services and any other times that child care is required.

Administration

Maintain classroom resources

Write monthly newsletter articles for Happenings and Tidings

Have a proven gift for curriculum adaptation

Lead the Christian Education committee

Use Facebook, our website, and Constant Contact to

communicate with parents and parishioners.

Maintain training of volunteers through “Safeguarding God’s

Children”.

Attend weekly staff meeting

Submit budgetary needs annually for review by finance

committee.

Special Events

Coordinate with the Parish Life Committee for special events

throughout the year such as:

Easter Egg hunt

Possible VBS in tandem with our current Kidventure offerings

“Happy Birthday Church” celebration

Lenten programs

And other events as we grow

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WHAM Food Drive…

We now receive nonperishable food items for distribution to those in need in our community every Sunday. These donated items are moved to the West Houston Assistance Ministry facility for distribution by volunteers. Look for the wooden box in the Narthex! Contact: office@ascensionepiscopalchurch.org

The Vestry

Cathy Hollowell (Sr. Warden), Paul Duncan (Jr. Warden), Dana Sutton (Treasurer), Jeri Platt (Clerk), Jim Anderson, Amy Criswell, John Edel, Thomas Fenner, Buddy Roberts, John Searle, Patrick Schwabrow, Andy Smith, Laurie Taylor, and The Rector.

Staff

The Rev. Todd Bryant Rector; Charles Jordan, Organist-Choirmaster; Leslie Nirider, Membership Samantha King, Secretary; Reginald Johnson, Sexton; Sandi Peters, Bookkeeper.

Lifeline...is a nondenominational social and support group for widows and widowers. Meetings are the first Thursday of each month in the Parish Hall at 7:30 PM. Please contact Jo Ellen at

281-498-4981 for more information.

Hurricane Season Is Here

The Disaster Response Committee wishes to remind all parishioners of the forms now available on the church website http://www.ascensionhouston.org/Service/Disaster-Response.html

On that page are two downloadable forms:

1.An Equipment/Service sign-up sheet – these volunteers only to be called upon during a disaster response situation.

2.A Member Assistance form for those who may have special needs – due to physical handicaps, living alone, or lack of proximity to friends and/or family. If you do not have computer access, please contact the church office and these forms will be provided.

Ascension Disaster Response Committee

Lee Nirider 713-464-8544

Jim Jackson 713-785-6909

Faye Armstrong 281-558-6817

Suzanne McMath 832-687-0864

The School Board

The Rector, Bob Egan (President), Ann Seitz (Secretary), Gemma Williams (Treasurer), Alan Burton, Cindy Cadle, Aura Guevara, Patrick Gallagher, Cleveland Johnson, Terry Kahn, Meredith Levine, Karl Loetzerich, Barbara Morgan, Marike Owen, Ray Valenti, and Ex–officio members: The Sr. Warden, The Jr. Warden, and The Head of School.

The Mission of Ascension Episcopal Church Our Mission as faithful followers of Jesus Christ is to love the Lord and one another

unconditionally. We proclaim God’s truth found in Holy Scripture and make disciples through Evangelism and Christian Education, while ministering joyfully to all God’s people.

Remember Ascension Episcopal Church and School in your will.

Contact: Leslie Nirider at

membership@ascensionhouston.org

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Join us every SundayJoin us every Sunday

Rite I Eucharist Service

Come at 8:00am for a non-music service,

spoken aloud in traditional language.

Breakfast

Please join us at 9:00 AM for breakfast

in the Parish Hall most Sundays.

Nursery

The nursery is available from 9:00 AM-Noon.

Sunday School

Christian Formation for all ages begins at 9:30 AM.

Rite I Eucharist Service

Stay after breakfast and Sunday School, to rejoice and

give praise at our 10:30am service, which is instrumentally and

vocally accompanied. At this service a more modern language is used.

The voices of small children are always welcome

Please take a moment to silence your cell phone.