WELCOME The Ascension Sanctuary Annual Report
Report of the Pastor
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation...entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. II Corinthians 5: 17-18
When a loved one gives us a special gift, we naturally cherish the gift. We want to care for the gift, show it to others and tell them all about it. The gift that God has given us in baptism is certainly no different. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, it is the gift of reconciliation, of “being made right” in relationship to God and one another through Christ Jesus. The gift that God gives each of us is evident in the ministry we share as God’s people at Ascension Lutheran Church. Having been made right with God in baptism to live as God’s reconciled people who in turn bring message of hope and healing to a hurting world.
We understand our mission as God’s people at Ascension Lutheran Church to be one of “proclaiming God’s love as we worship and learn, support one another and our neighbor, share our gifts and welcome all in Christ’s name.” To put it another way, as those whom God claims in baptism, we are led to share hope, healing with one another, with our neighbor and to our world. This is the work of reconciliation of which Paul so eloquently speaks. Thankful for the gift that God has given to us, the gift that we in turn are called to share, I offer you my report of this ministry for 2003.
Through worship, we definitely experienced the gift of renewal and reconciliation. As always, worship was the center of our life together. Fed by the Word and in the Sacraments, we were equipped to live out our baptismal calling in daily living. Average worship attendance for 2003 was 87 which was slightly down from 2002. One of many worship highlights included our learning of a new liturgy, the With One Voice setting 5. During the year, we welcomed visitors to worship on a consistent basis, among those visitors were our friends from the Bridgepoint Anglican Fellowship who use our facilities on Sunday afternoons who joined us on Ash Wednesday and on Christmas Eve.
Through Christian Education, all of us young and old alike had the opportunity to be stretched and challenged in our faith. Our educational ministry included weekly Sunday School, ongoing Bible studies and this past year’s wonderful Vacation Bible Camp led by a gifted group of young adults from the Cross Trails Camping Ministries. I was especially pleased by our discussion this past fall of the ELCA study on human sexuality Journey Together Faithfully: The Church and Homosexuality. Though we come at this very emotional issue from very different perspectives and with very different opinions, we were able to listen to one another and discuss the issues in a civil manner. In so doing, I think we learned something of what it means to live together as the Body of Christ, a body characterized by significant diversity yet united in our confession of Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives and the church.
Our support of one another and our neighbor also led us to experience the gift of reconciliation and healing. As always, our life as a community was centered in prayer. In our Sunday morning prayer group we continued to lift up the needs of our community and the church. Over the course of the year we had the opportunity to pray for each and every member of our congregation. Although generally speaking, we tend to overlook the importance of prayer in our busy lives, I continue to be so very grateful that we at Ascension are intentional about our praying together. As members experienced difficulties and challenges in their lives over the past year, we were quick to respond with love and concern for their well being. Furthermore, through your generous giving, we able to continue our strong commitment to important ministries beyond the walls of this congregation, CARITAS, Habitat for Humanity, Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Campus Ministry, LSS of Texas, Cross Trails Camping Ministry, Austin Interfaith, Interfaith Care Alliance not to mention our support of the ministry of our Southwestern Texas Synod and ELCA including the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Let us celebrate the fact that in a year of financial concern, we exceeded our benevolence goal for the year by 11%! Such generosity is truly a sign of faith at work in us.
In 2003, we were challenged to consider our sharing of the gifts of time, talent and treasure with which God has entrusted us. Our Epiphany stewardship emphasis culminated in a commitment Sunday in early March at which time we received written commitments of time, talent and treasure. As a consequence we saw a significant growth in financial giving as well as in commitments of time and talent.
As those who have experienced Christ’s reconciliation, the Holy Spirit leads us to welcome all in Christ’s name. A spirit of welcome pervades every facet of ministry here at Ascension from worship to education, to our caring of one another and our neighbors as well as to the ways in which we are led to employ our gifts in Christ’s service. Our medical lending closet continued to communicate God’s love for the needy in our community. During 2003 we were able to loan out 56 items including shower benches, bedside commodes, walkers, canes and wheelchairs. I believe that this ministry continues to touch peoples’ lives in ways we cannot begin to fully understand. Our Hand in Hand Day School was another way in which we as a congregation were able to extend welcome to others, to the young children and their families as well as our staff. We also welcomed countless others who were part of various groups and organizations that used our building over the course of the year including Bridgepoint Anglican Fellowship, the Austin Chamber Music Youth Academy, several community dance groups, and participants of Life Time Learning Institute classes.
We also need to acknowledge that 2003 was a time of challenge for us as a congregation. We experienced considerable pain and conflict as we dealt with issues of declining membership, leadership, expectations of me as pastor as well as the ways in which we communicate with one another. It is unfortunate that some members of the congregation have made the difficult decision to leave us. I express my sincere gratitude for the gifts that they have shared with us and I continue to pray that as they have been a blessing to us so will they be a blessing to others in new church homes. However painful this experience has been, I think all of us, myself included recognize the opportunity for us to learn and grow in our understanding of what it means to be in relationship with one another, to experience the gift of reconciliation in Christ that brings healing and hope in times like these.
At the same time, I invite you to join with me in looking ahead to 2004 and beyond, to all that God has in store for us as His reconciled people at Ascension Lutheran Church. God has provided for us in forty three years of ministry in this place, and so I am confident that He will abundantly provide the resources we need to serve as the reconciled/reconciling community He calls us to be.
On a personal note, I wish to thank you all for your prayerful support of our ministry as well as of me your pastor over the past year. I thank Congregational President Don Bergstrom and the members of the council for their vision and leadership. I am grateful for our church secretary Debbie Walters who is a blessing to us all and a vital asset to our ministry, for our Day School Director Debra Miller and her staff, for choir director Anna Simmons and organist Lisa Yanez.
In a fearful world, amid times of great uncertainty, as God’s people, we dare look to the future with great hope and anticipation because finally the future is not in our hands, but in God’s hands, God who is even now at work bringing healing and life for all. For the grace that He shows us, for the work that He gives us to do, we give God our thanks and praise.
Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Brian J. Peterson