Ascension · 2016-10-07 · Reflections – September 2016 3801 Oakwood Avenue | Huntsville, AL 35810 September 2016 |

Reflections – September 2016 3801 Oakwood Avenue | Huntsville, AL 35810 September 2016 | 1

Reflections for September, 2016

Sunday 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM – Worship

Sunday Bible Study – 9:30 AM

Monday 6:00 PM - Worship

In This Issue 1 – Dates and Updates

2 - From the SW Corner

4 – Notes from the Vicar

7 – Stewardship

8 - LWML

10 - Elder

12 – This ‘n That

14 – Music/Choirs

14 – Missional Outreach

15 – September Birthdays

15 – September Flowers

16 – From the DCM

18 – Kids’ Corner

19 - Reminders

20 – September Calendar

WEBSITE

Unavailable, at this time

Activities Tuesdays – Bible Study

Wednesdays – Choirs

Adult voice

Bells

Thursdays – Lutheranism

101

Special Event Marriage of Alan King

and Shelby Schmidt

during 10:45 AM

service on September

25, 2016

Ascension LUTHERAN

CHURCH

September, 2016 Worship Services and Bible Study

CHILDREN WITH A MISSION!

The Children’s Sunday School Classes have

begun a mission project with offerings

collected each week during our opening.

We are excited to work with Lutheran

World Relief to provide a hen and chicks

for two women in El Salvador or Indonesia.

A farm hen and chicks means eggs to eat,

eggs to sell, and chicks to grow a flock.

This gift will empower women, giving them

a gift that keeps on giving … independence,

sustainability and success.

In order to give this gift to two women, we need to raise $80. Children have

been given collection boxes, and are encouraged to do extra chores or jobs at

home earning money for our project. Be sure to check out the bulletin board

each week to check our progress as we strive to meet our goal. Congregation

members are welcome to take a collection box and join our efforts.


From the SW Corner Pastor Bernard Ansorge

It’s time for “now.”

It has been only a week

since NBC showed the

world the closing

ceremonies of the Rio 2016

Olympics. But in that single

week, the glamorous luster

of thousands of contestants

was put away. The Olympic

Village sits vacant. The

thrill of victory and the

agony of defeat were

momentary. Though

memories linger, Rio has

returned to normal.

“Lessons learned” will

create the agenda for

Tokyo’s agenda. All that

remains of Rio are cherished

medals, outstanding bills,

and a steadily diminishing

amount of conversation

about fewer and fewer

subjects.

That’s always been the way

of events. The “now” never

gets here fast enough. But, it

quickly becomes the “then.”

Then, it is stored away and

left for future generations to

understand. That’s the way

of life.

We typically divide life into two segments: the past and the future. What

happens to the present? It hardly exists. The moment we experience the

present, it quickly recedes into the past. A new “now” emerges that lasts

for but an instant…and then it is quickly gone, never to be retrieved.

Example: it is still August as I am writing this. It will likely be the

beginning of September before you will read it. Today’s now will be

tomorrow’s past. My question is: Is it ever possible to seize the “now?”

As people of the Book, we are immersed in the past and mesmerized by

the future. The bulk of our Scriptures present the past as the history of

God in our human institutions. So much of Bible study seems to have the

purpose of learning the past, so as to grasp the ways our changeless God

has always dealt with fallen humanity both in judgment and mercy.

Similarly, we devote much Bible study to the future. Again, this future

focus wants to ascertain the way God will bring final solutions to the ever-

present reality of sin and death. But, when does the future converge into

the present? Why even ask this?


For this simple reason! The message

of the Bible is always concerned with

the “now.” Remember this verse,

“Now is the accepted time. Now is the

day of our salvation.” The “now”

always has to do with Jesus. Jesus is

known as the changeless Christ for a

changing world. The “now” of Jesus

always collides with the changing

“now” of our world. Jesus is timeless;

He embodies all that we call the past,

present, and the future. He is always

present, or so we say. By this, we

mean that Jesus Christ, God’s presence

- His eternal “now,” bathes us in hope

that the sufferings of this present time

may not be worth comparing to the

glories of our yet unrevealed future.

So, let me repeat my question: Is it ever possible to

seize the “now?” I say “Yes, it is,” trusting in God,

Whose nature always transcends time. In that faith,

time itself ceases to be as relevant as we imagine it is.

So Martin Luther teaches us to “seize Christ’s now”

for the forgiveness we need and that God will

replenish the hope we have squandered, so that

whether it is Sunday or some other day, whether it is

dawn or dusk, we may make the sign of the holy cross

and say, “In the name of the Father, and of the (+)

Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” and bow before Him in

faith and prayer.

We say that it is now September, the Fall of the

year, and that it’s time to resume our churchly work

and commit ourselves to Fall schedules, now that

vacations are over. We sat that, because the passage

of time is so ingrained in us. Perhaps, we say that,

because we have not yet learned to seize the now.

Something to ponder as God’s future invades our

present.

Jesus declares, “Behold, I make all things new.” To

believe this is to seize the now and live in it.

Love, Pastor Bernie


Notes from the Vicar Alexander Sabol

Greetings and welcome to my ongoing series concerning people and events of the

Reformation and 30 Years’ War! Last month I wrote about a rather confusing event that took

place during the Reformation, the Sack of Rome in 1527. The last time I wrote about the 30

Years’ War, it was concerning arguably the most influential protestant commander,

Gustavus Adolphus, from Sweden. This month, I would like to discuss one of the more

formidable commanders from the Catholic side, Albrecht von Wallenstein.

In 1609 he married a rich widow who owned several

towns within Moravia (which is the modern day

southeastern Czech Republic) and when she died in 1614,

he inherited her estates. Wallenstein then used his

influence as a chamberlain within the court of the Holy

Roman Emperor Matthias, as well as his newfound

wealth, to come into the command of 200 horses (a

sizeable cavalry regiment) in order to aid Archduke

Ferdinand of Styria in his war with Venice in 1617. His

forces were able to relieve the siege of Gradisca and

Wallenstein had begun to make a name for himself as a

commander. Wallenstein married again in 1623 to the

daughter of Count Harrach. She bore him two children, a

son who died in infancy and a surviving daughter. These

two marriages allowed Wallenstein to put his foot in the

door, as well as making him one of the richest men in

Bohemia.

He was born on the 24th

of September in 1583 in the small

village of Heřmanice, Bohemia, which is in the modern day

Czech Republic. He was born into a poor protestant branch of the

Wallenstein family who owned Heřmanice castle and seven

surrounding villages. Both of his parents died when he was rather

young, his mother dying in 1593 and his father dying in 1595.

His parents did raise him bilingually, his father speaking German

and his mother speaking Czech and they were both Protestant.

After their deaths he came under the care of his uncle who sent

him at first to Protestant grammar school but later sent him to a

Jesuit University in Olomouc. During his time at university

Wallenstein converted to Roman Catholicism. It was also at this

time that the counter-reformation was at its height within the

government of the ruling Hapsburgs. It was also during his time

at university where he joined the army of Emperor Rudolf II

where he saw two years of service in the wars against the

Ottoman Turks and the Hungarian Rebels.


When the Thirty Years’ War began in 1618, the estates of Bohemia rebelled against

Ferdinand of Styria and other Catholic leaders and elected the leader of the protestant

union, Frederick V, as their new king. Wallenstein sided himself with the Catholics and the

Hapsburg dynasty and he used his position as commander of the Moravian estates to escape

with a large amount of wealth to Vienna. In 1619, rebels seized the majority of

Wallenstein’s lands. However, after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, Wallenstein-led

forces had restored his lands as well as confiscated large tracts of Protestant lands.

Following this came a succession of victories in battles that moved him up in status, all the

way to the title of Duke of Friedland.

Wallenstein used his new title to make the offer to Ferdinand, now Holy Roman Emperor,

to raise a new Army of the Catholic League. His new success as a military commander

brought him fiscal credit, which he used to receive loans and buy lands. He also used his

credit to grant loans to Ferdinand II (Holy Roman Emperor) who repaid him through lands

and titles. His increasing popularity allowed him to initially raise an army of 30,000

(eventually 50,000) in order to aid the Catholic cause. He used his army to chase Ernst von

Mansfeld out of Bohemia, and by 1627, he had chased him out of the modern day Czech

Republic, altogether. He then joined his fellow commander, Johann Tserclaes, Count of

Tilly, pushing north and battling in Northern German territories against Christian IV, the

king of Denmark. For his help in battling the Danish king, he received the duchies of

Mecklenberg which is in modern day northern Germany. After this, he assumed the title of

“Admiral of the North and Baltic Seas.”

However, after this string of success, he failed to capture the strategic city of Stralsund in Northern Germany due

to the intervening of Danish, Scottish, and Swedish troops. This loss denied him access to the Baltic Sea and

prevented him from challenging the naval power of the Scandinavian kingdoms. He did, however, finally defeat

Christian IV of Denmark in the battle of Wolgast and thus, after the Peace of Lübeck, Denmark was no longer a

participant in the Thirty Years’ War. This did, however, open the door for Swedish intervention and the arrival of

Gustavus Adolphus. Due to the success of the Swedish forces, Wallenstein was called upon to stop them. In

November of 1632, the battle of Lützen took place where Wallenstein was defeated and forced to retreat;

however, Gustavus Adolphus, the great Swedish commander, was killed.

Ferdinand, HR Emperor

Ernst von Mansfeld

Johann Tserclaes

After this battle and the subsequent years in which

Wallenstein had been campaigning, Wallenstein had

made a host of enemies. The Holy Roman Emperor

was suspicious of Wallenstein’s losses in the field

and felt as though he was planning to overthrow him.

He had also made a great number of enemies on the

Protestant side as he had taken lands from Protestant

nobility, as well as he had built his army based on the

bellum se ipsum alet principle, which basically gives

the occupying army control of the resources in the

area where they are occupying. This prevented the

need for great long supply lines and allowed the army

to live directly off of the land. This was devastating

to the people that already lived there however.

Wallenstein Palace in Prague


The Tide Turns In December of 1633, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand became

convinced that Wallenstein was out to get him and he had a secret court

convened which found him guilty. He turned to Ferdinand III to replace

him. Wallenstein was aware that there was a plan to replace him, but he felt

as though his army would certainly choose him over the decision of the

Emperor. In January of 1634, the Emperor signed a secret patent shown

only to certain officers of Wallenstein’s army that announced he had been

removed from command. In February, he signed an open patent charging

Wallenstein with high treason and ordered him placed under arrest and

brought to Vienna either dead or alive.

Wallenstein realized that his situation had grown perilous, so with a

company of some of his most trusted men, he sought to go into hiding.

However, once he reached Cheb, in the modern day Czech Republic,

certain Irish and Scottish officers that were with him assassinated him on

the night of February 25, 1634. A regiment of men under the command of

Irish Colonel Walter Butler and Scottish Colonels Walter Leslie and John

Gordon came upon Wallenstein’s most trusted officers, Adam Trczka,

Vilém Kinsky, Christian Illov, and Henry Neumann and massacred them.

A few hours later, an Irish Captain, Walter Devereux, along with a few

other men, broke into Wallenstein’s lodgings and kicked down his

bedroom door. Devereux then ran Albrecht von Wallenstein, who was

roused from sleep and unarmed, through with his halberd killing him in his

bedroom.

Next month I will be discussing one of Wallenstein’s colleagues, Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly.

Blessings,

Vicar Alex

Adam Trczka

Vilem Kinsky

Despite his unfortunate demise,

Albrecht von Wallenstein

remains a pivotal figure in the

Thirty Years’ War. He was

involved in it for almost two-

thirds of the war’s length.

Despite his later failures, his

early victories allowed the

Catholic forces to retake

Bohemia and turn the early tides

of the war.


faithful, generous proportion of

the first fruits of our income. If

they have, then we must repent,

turning away from our

selfishness to Him who is

faithful by giving His Son into

death so that we are reconciled

to Him and justified in His sight.

The devil will always tell you

what you want to hear. But God

tells us and gives us what we

need to hear. With law and

gospel, he cuts us to the heart, so

that we will repent and believe

His Word and promises. He is

faithful. He is good. He will not

forsake you, or leave you

destitute. So believe and trust in

Him. And you will not only be

happy. You will be blessed.

Stewardship Glen Huling

The devil, though defeated by

the death, resurrection, and

ascension of our Lord Jesus

Christ, remains a very capable

and clever foe. He is smarter

than we are. He’s been watching

us and taking notes for a very

long time. He knows what we

want, and he knows how to lure

us away. And he does this by

telling us what we want to hear.

That’s what makes it so difficult.

To us who are greedy, he says:

“You are not greedy. You are

prudent. You are frugal. You are

a good steward with your

money. God doesn’t want you

not to have all the things you

want. He wants you to be happy.

He wants you to have the latest

and greatest toys for both young

and old.” So if you consider

yourself to be wise in the way of

money and finances, beware of

who just might be telling you

these things.

Satan is a liar. He tells us what

we want to hear. He lures us

away from repentance and

confession and faith, so that we

harden our consciences and

FOURTH PETITION OF LORD’S PRAYER: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving. What is meant by daily bread? Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

place our souls in peril. We must

not underestimate the enemy.

We have all taken his bait. We

have all failed in this. None of us

can say that we have fought this

temptation to hold back with

everything we have and won.

And we must repent. Yes, God

wants us to be happy. But this

happiness is never at the expense

of faithfulness. We have a

calling. We are a member of His

family, the church. That

relationship places a duty upon

us: to give a generous proportion

of the first fruits of the income

He provides.

Only God is true to His Word.

Only God is true to His

promises. His promises never

fail. His Word endures forever.

His mercies are new every

morning. He is faithful. He

provides everything that we

need. He provides food and

clothes, house and home,

everything that we pray for in

the fourth petition of the Lord’s

Prayer.

There is a whole host of things

that we have that we do not

need. The question that we need

to ask ourselves is whether these

have come at the expense of our


“Whoever believes and holds to Christ’s Word,

heaven stands open to him, hell is shut, the devil is

imprisoned, sins are forgiven, and he is a child of

eternal life. That is what this book teaches you -

the Holy Scripture - and no other book on earth.”

Martin Luther (WA 48:155)

News from around LWML:

A look back……as LWML will soon be

celebrating its 75th

anniversary!

The first issue of Lutheran Woman’s

Quarterly was in January 1943.

The first LWML project grant was $15,000

for Christ Church for the Deaf in Cleveland,

Ohio in 1943-1945.

A look at the present……as LWML navigates its

way in today’s world!

Ascension LWML news…

o Ascension Lutheran is growing and

so are we! We now have 16 ladies

who are “actively” participating and

attending monthly meetings. The

next LWML meeting will be

September 10 at 10:00 AM in the

Sunken Room.

o The semi-annual card sales event

concluded in late August. We are so

thankful to Roberta Willenberg who

led this effort. All profit goes to

LWML missions. Thanks to

everyone who bought the beautiful

cards!

LWML

How many of you have ever been in a

strange town and asked for directions?

This happened to me recently. I have a

fairly good sense of direction but the

directions given to me (“go out here to the

road by the trees and turn right, go to

second or third stop sign and turn left,

then immediately turn right, continue on

‘til you see the main road……” left me so

thankful that I had the street address of

where I wanted to go and a navigation

feature on my car! (Directions to the best

place to eat also left a lot to be desired but

that’s another story).

The person providing the directions really

wanted to be helpful but didn’t realize that

what was so familiar to her was “Greek”

to me! As soon as I keyed in the address

on the car’s navigation system, I felt

reassured about reaching my destination.

Trying to find the right direction occurs a

lot in our daily lives--we just need to stop

and remember that we already have a

navigation tool - the Bible - God’s

instruction manual for living. It gives us

direction for every situation and tells us

what to do. We just have to study, put our

faith in its truth, and pray for His help and

guidance in doing what it says! God

promises to take us to where we want to

be!

Betty Fischer, President


o Refreshments for the “English As a 2nd

Language” class held

at Ascension on Mondays and Wednesdays will resume

September 7. Betty Fischer will be hostess that night. Other

LWML ladies have volunteered to be hostesses for the

remainder of 2016.

o LWML plans to contribute funds toward the tuition of three

Concordia Seminary students in the coming year - Alex Sabol,

our current Vicar; Alex Garber, (grandson of Roberta

Willenberg) who gave the sermon for us on August 21, and

Joshua Brakhage, son of Ascension DCM Carlo Jo Brakhage.

A look forward….as LWML continues its mission!

SAVE THE DATE…several fall activities are planned! o The Mountain Lakes Zone LWML Fall Rally will be held Saturday, October 1 at

Grace Lutheran Church, Huntsville. Details for the rally are on the LWML bulletin

board. All ladies of Ascension are invited to attend!

o Ascension LWML Sunday will be celebrated October 2. The theme is “Come and

See”-- Psalm 66:5

o Gulf States District LWML will have a fall retreat October 14-16 in Jackson’s Gap,

AL. Participants must register by September 30. Contact Betty Fischer if you are

interested in participating.

o Ascension LWML will host a crockpot cook-off on October 29. Planning is

underway and more details will be provided in early October.

Hope to see you at the September 10 LWML meeting!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Psalm 100:2

National and state LWML news…

o The Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda (LCMU) hosts 100 plus congregations with

less than 20 ordained pastors. A $100,000 LWML Mission Grant will go toward

completion of the seminary in Uganda and to continue the work of the Women of the

Pearl (WOTP) to teach and put resources in the hands of women and men. The WOTP’s

mission is to provide education in literacy, nutrition, sanitation, business ownership, and

agriculture to women in Uganda so they may serve God, support pastors, congregations,

and communities through the teachings of Scripture. The seminary allows pastors and

lay leaders the opportunity to study closer to home. To date, $85,000 of this $100,000

grant has been disbursed. Also, $50,000 of a $100,000 grant to Redeeming Life

Maternity Home in Sanford, FL has been disbursed.

o Another biennium grant of the Gulf States District LWML will be $3,000 to Good

Shepherd Lutheran School, Elberta, Alabama to enable the school to update and provide

the best academic curriculum and teaching the children about God and His son Jesus

Christ.

To God alone be the glory!


From the Elder Rick Hilst

WHAT IS TRUTH?

“Then You are a king?” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was

born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My

voice.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. (John 18:37-38a) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth

and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

At one point during our recent

trip to Ireland, I made a

statement about stewardship.

My sister-in-law, after thinking

about this for a minute, replied

that while my statement might

be true for me, it wasn’t true

for her.

Truth being perceived as

personal and not absolute is a

major problem for outreach in

our current age and probably

was also a challenge in Biblical

times. Most people nowadays

don’t believe in an absolute

truth, but rather have bought

into the notion that truth is

personal. Therefore, what is

true for you is not necessarily

true for me and vice versa.

If truth is personal and not

absolute, then right and wrong

must also be personal. My

definition of right and wrong

can be different than yours,

and yet both definitions can be

true. For anyone who

understands basic logic, this is

lunacy. Yet this is the

prevailing attitude of most

people.

Of course, if truth and right and wrong are personal and not

absolute, then God, of course, is also personal. Therefore, my God

can be different than your God, but both are God. This thinking

leads to crazy ideas like “all paths lead to the same God.”

Because most people have the view that truth is personal, they will

listen to what you say about Jesus Christ and think “that seems to

work for you, but I believe something different and my belief is as

valid as yours.” Therefore, while they don’t discount the Christian

faith, they think that their beliefs are equally valid.

Jesus left no wiggle room on truth and who is God when He

declared that He is the truth (not a truth, but the truth). Therefore,

if Jesus is God (which He is), then all other beliefs lead not to God

but away from God (i.e., to the devil). Jesus is the only way to

salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the only

belief that leads to heaven and not to hell.

Driving home the point that there is one,

and only one, truth and that any belief

other than in Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior leads down a path to eternal

suffering in hell (and not to God) is

perhaps the only approach we can take

that might shake an unbeliever’s world

view enough that he will truly listen.

Recognizing that he is a sinner in desperate need of a Savior might

open up his heart, mind and soul to hearing the Word of God and

receiving the gift of faith. Anything less and he will simply reach

the conclusion that his view of God, reality, right and wrong and

truth is just as valid as ours and, therefore, he has no reason to

change.

http://biblehub.com/greek/5101.htm






PRAYER REQUESTS

Over the next month, the Elders will be soliciting prayer

requests from each of Ascension’s members. These

prayer requests will be accumulated and a sheet (or

several sheets) with these requests will be made available

to all members. Please include the prayer requests in this

list in your prayers. Let’s become a congregation of

prayer warriors!

JONI EARICKSON TADA

Perhaps the most inspirational person I’ve ever heard is a

woman by the name of Joni Earickson Tada. As a teenager,

she suffered a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic.

She is completely dependent on others for everything.

Despite the obvious anger and frustration that could mark

her life, her faith has allowed her to overcome this

tremendous disability and accomplish great things for God.

I strongly recommend that you do some reading about her.

Once you do, perhaps you will never again feel like

complaining and perhaps you will recognize that you, too,

can do great things for God if you let Him use you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVXJ8GyLgt0


THIS ‘N THAT

LWML Invitation Fall Rally Hosted at Grace Lutheran, Huntsville, AL, October 1, 2016

Ladies of Grace at Grace Lutheran, Huntsville, AL, invite you to the

LWML Mountain Lakes Fall Zone Rally here at Grace on Saturday,

October 1, 2016. Registration starts at 8:45 AM with a continental

breakfast; the meeting follows at 9:15. We will be dismissed in early

afternoon.

Registration fee is $7.00 per person payable at the door and includes the

breakfast and noon lunch. RSVP’s should be directed to

[email protected] or phone (256) 682-8840 no later than

Monday, September 26.

Please bring donations of non-perishable food to be given to St. Mark’s

Food Pantry of Huntsville; old eyeglasses for MOST (Mission Outreach

Short Term); and used electronics to be recycled to meet expenses for the

2019 National Convention in Birmingham.

Our address is 3321 Memorial Parkway SW in Huntsville. Using the

northbound access road along Memorial Parkway, enter at the signed

marked “School Entrance,” and proceed straight to the parking area.

Enter the Family Life Center at the double glass doors below the triple

crosses.

We look forward to sharing this event with you as we fellowship, grow

in the Word and conduct LWML business.

Your sisters in Christ, Ladies of Grace

Kay Davis, President

Dear Helga and LWML,

A quick note to thank you all for the prayers, cards, encouragement and

gifts that you have shared with my family over the last four years while at

Seminary. God works through His people and we have been blessed by

you! I have recently graduated and have been called to serve as pastor at

St. Stephen’s in Dickson City, PA. Like the love of God, the memory of

your kindness will endure forever through the ministry to which I have

been called.

Servant of Christ, Glen M. Triplett

Minuteman Press of Prattville 20% of orders will go to Southern District Relief Fund

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Good Afternoon and God's blessings to you all! If you are like our

ministry here in Prattville, we find ourselves limited in our resources to

help our brothers and sisters struck by the flooding in Louisiana. They

are in our prayers daily and we are organizing what resources we have

to help.

One of our resources is the printing company, Minuteman Press of

Prattville (www.prattville.minutemanpress.com) that is part of our

ministry. Minuteman has a wide variety of services both in print and

promotional items to offer our customers. From simple business cards

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.prattville.minutemanpress.com/


We are requesting your participation in a 9/11 Prayer Vigil starting at

5:00 PM on Sunday, September 11, 2016 and ending at 5:00 PM on

Monday, September 12, 2016. The Prayer Vigil will be held at the

Morgan County Celebration Arena located at 67 Horse Center Road,

Decatur, AL. We are expecting participation from at least 10

counties.

George Hearring, VP, Director of Community Relations

(More) THIS ‘N THAT

Minuteman Press of Prattville 20% of orders will go to Southern District Relief Fund

to Worship folders, ministry brochures, banners, posters, visitor cards,

communion cards, letterhead, and envelopes. In addition, we can supply

your logo pens, cups and mugs, polo shirts and most anything you need to

promote your ministry.

So, during for the remainder of August and the month of September, for all

orders placed with Minuteman Press Prattville, we will give 20% to the

Southern District Flood Relief fund. When placing your order, just tag the

order with Louisiana Flood Relief. If you have any questions or wish to

receive a quote, just call Minuteman Press at 334-358-6906 or email at

[email protected]. No job is to small and all will go to

help those in need.

Thank you for your work in His Kingdom and God bless your ministries.

In His Grace!

Doug Davis - Pastor, Messiah Church - Prattville, AL

office: 334-730-4300

cell: 703-992-5536

From Adrienne Bowling

“I will be taking orders for homemade holiday pies. The three choices are

Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Pecan Pie and Pecan Pie. I also have a sugar-free

version of my Pumpkin Pie. I will take orders until November 1 and will deliver

them to the Church a week before Thanksgiving. Cost per pie is $10.00.”

You can reach Adrienne on Facebook and send her a message (your best bet); or

you can call her at (256) 679-1824.

Thank you!

Prayer Vigil Hosted by Hartselle Morgan County Community Task Force September 11, 2016

This is a new book on the history of the Christian church, hot off the

press of our Concordia Publishing House. Several members have

expressed an interest in obtaining a copy. If we order a dozen, we can

get them for $18.50 including shipping.

If you would like to order a copy, please get your money ($18.50 in

cash or a check made out to Ascension) to the church office by

Sunday, September 18, and we will place the order.

mailto:[email protected]


FROM THE LOFT GINGER CASTEEL

Choir rehearsals will resume Wednesday,

September 7, at 7:00 PM.

New voices are always welcome. Please let me

know if you plan to join us.

A special “thank you” to all who provided music

for our summer worship services.

Keep Singing!

We will begin handbell choir rehearsals on Wednesday,

September 14 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. We will meet in the

Sunken Room and learn/review basics of handbell ringing. If

you’ve never played a single note in your life, now is your

chance to find out how talented you really are!

(If you don’t believe me, just ask the bell choir members from

2015!)

HHR MISSIONAL OUTREACH Robert Smith

Introduction (Ascension & Purpose of Visit) – Vicar

1st Song

2nd

Song

First Reading – Old Testament

3rd

Song

4th

Song

Second Reading – New Testament

5th

Song

6th

Song

Third Reading – Gospel

7th

Song

Benediction Song

One-on-One Visits (30 to 60 minutes)

September dates for visits are September 7 and 21. Everyone is invited to join

the HHR team to sing and read scripture to the residents at Huntsville Health

and Rehab. Starting time is 10:00 AM and lasts about an hour.


Adele Williams 09/01 Christopher Cecil 09/17

Alphonso Beckles 09/01 Mary Carder 09/17

Emily Booze 09/04 Sara Howard 09/18

Burneal Fick 09/06 Eli Jones 09/18

Katelyn Engel 09/07 Jordan Reynolds 09/18

David Ernst 09/07 Ivy Gibbs 09/19

Heather Burhans 09/09 Scarlett Gibbs 09/19

Christina Pritchett 09/10 Reid Carder 09/21

Benjamin Burhans 09/10 Tammey Bowers 09/22

Keith Bowers 09/11 Donna Stoddart 09/22

Donna Huling 09/11 Linda Mixon 09/23

Adam Grott 09/12 Norman Stoddart 09/25

Janita Beckles 09/14 Mike Pool 09/26

Justin Beckles 09/14 Kathy Wilson 09/27

Lavon Hellebrand 09/15 Julianne Howard 09/27

John Hartwig 09/30


The month of August has gone by so fast. A new school year has begun. We have also begun a new year at the

CDC, as well as in Sunday School.

Let me introduce you to the staff who are employed by Ascension to manage the CDC:

In the infant room, we have Ilse Crevoiserat, Courtney Allen and Annie Leslie.

Ilse is a member of Ascension. She is the first person who gets here in the

morning. She has worked in the CDC since 2003, and has nurtured many

mothers with separation anxiety as they part with their babies after only giving

birth to them six weeks earlier. Courtney Allen has worked at Ascension for a

little over one year. She is looking forward to her marriage to Chris next year.

Annie closes down the infant room each evening. She has been a staff member

since 2013. She is a true southern girl in that her favorite food is sweet potatoes.

In the toddler one room we have Lakesha Cobey. Lakesha works with the children who have just begun walking.

They are moved from a crib to a cot for naptime, and are learning to do some things for themselves. She has

been at Ascension since June, 2015.

The toddler two room is staffed by Ny’leen Patterson and Shanika Ziegler. The children in

this class room feed themselves, (you can imagine what they, and the floor, look like after a

meal). Ms. Ny’leen began her career at Ascension as the cook in 2013. A classroom position

became available, and with her educational background, it has been a good fit. Shanika

comes in the afternoon and closes down both the toddler classrooms once they are combined.

Last year, Shanika worked with the Pre-K in the afternoons. She has worked here 1½ years.

Andrea Hall and Joice Baker are the ladies who look after the children in the early learners’ classroom. Andrea

gets here at 6:30 and takes all the children, except the infants, until the other teachers start arriving at 7:30. She

has been on staff for two years. Joice comes in the afternoon, after she finishes her “day job.” She has been a

staff member for 2½ years. She enjoys cooking and reading when she has the time.

Priscilla Whitman teaches the preschoolers. Priscilla has been on staff since 2008. For the past two years, she

served in the position as assistant director in addition to teaching. She worked

with Judy Burhans to implement many of the summer off-campus activities,

as well as coordinate the curriculum and Bible lessons for the CDC.

Last year, ReKeya Patterson taught the Pre-kindergarten class. Because of the

closure of the Pre-K room, she now works as floater in the morning, and in the

afternoon she serves in the preschool class. She has been with Ascension

since 2003. She also serves in the Army Reserve.

Charla Moore-King served as the CDC director from when Kathy Kiehl

stepped down until I began the position in July. She has since resumed her

position as assistant director. She is very implemental in the day-to-day

operation and scheduling of staff. Charla has been a staff member for over 13 years.

From the DCM Carla Jo Brakhage


We have so much

to be thankful for

with the dedicated

and faithful staffing

of our program. I

would like to

encourage our

congregation to

participate in our

“adopt a teacher”

program that we

have initiated. If

you would like to

get involved, please

let me know. We

have several staff

members who have

yet to be “adopted.”

Our substitutes are Kathy Allen and Laci French-Hall. Kathy has worked here for

one year. She is Courtney’s mom, and fills in several times a week. Laci served

as a floater last school year. She has worked for Ascension for four years, now.

Both Kathy and Laci are big fans of chocolate. We couldn’t function without our

dependable subs.

Our cook is Sheila Whitman. Sheila became interested in

working for Ascension after attending a preschool program

in which she had a family member participate. She

appreciated the atmosphere and environment of the staff and

students, and sought employment. She has satisfied our

appetites for 1½ years.

John Pruitt serves as our Janitor on a daily basis. He makes

sure the rooms are tidy and the trash is carried out. You

would be surprised how much trash little children can generate. His smiling face

has graced the hallways for over 12 years.

Serving in Christ,

Carla Jo

Needed in the CDC

There is currently on opening available in the CDC for an afternoon worker. Please call Carla Jo Brakhage for further information. Thank you! (256) 536-5245


Kids’ Corner


Reminders

Zone Rally at Grace – October 1

LWML Sunday – October 2

Zone Retreat – October 14-16

Crock-Pot Cook-Off – October 29

OPERATION SHOEBOX

As we turn the corner of our year (already), Operation

Shoebox has only two more months before we will be

sending our boxes to children in different parts of the

world. Our collections for the month of September

and the rest of the year are:

September – Games/crafts/cards/puzzles

October – Candy (no chocolate)

November – Kids: letters/pictures, Adults: cash

donations – each box includes a $7 donation to help

with shipping costs


September, 2016

Ascension Lutheran Church & CDC 3801 Oakwood Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35810

Church (256) 536-9987 CDC (256) 536-5245 Fax (256) 536-8104

Documents

Ascension · 2016-10-07 · Reflections – September 2016 3801 Oakwood Avenue | Huntsville, AL 35810 September 2016 |