In this issue

1 Pastor’s Corner

2 WELCA News/

Bible Study

3 Church Council

News

4 Ascension Care

Team

5 Social Concerns/

Lent; in Memoriam

6 New Phone Scan

& 7

8 Irish Blessing/

& St. Patrick’s Day

8 Bishop Lenten visits/

Cartoons

9 Interfaith food drive

10 Celebrations/

Scriptures

11 Worship Assistants

12 Calendar

MARCH

2017

The Messenger

W e have some important

tasks ahead of us. It is

part of our liturgeia- the

work of God’s people that we call As-

cension Lutheran Church. As your

interim pastor, it’s part of my call to

help us go through these

tasks, always with an eye

to the future and vision

God has in mind. Working

with Council, we’ll come up

with a process to invite all

of you to participate in the conversa-

tions we need to have to discern the

path.

Of first importance is a look

back. Who we are now is shaped by

our past life together. As we enter

the discernment process, a key ques-

tion for each of us is simply, “what

events have been the most important

in the life of Ascension Lutheran

Church?” Some may be the joy-filled

ones- faithful ministries that have

made a difference in the community,

watching children grow and mature

in the faith, dedicating worship and

ministry spaces. Others may be more

painful – dealing with conflicts, say-

ing goodbye to friends, dwindling fi-

nancial resources. Each of these

events teaches us something about

living together faithfully.

As we enter the Lenten season

and begin a journey At the Cross-

roads, I would ask each of you to

prayerfully add something new to

your Lenten disciples – intentional

remembering. What brought you to

Ascension in the first place? What

has made you stay? What are you ex-

cited about in our life together as

community? What would you like to

see change? The answers to these

questions will help us shape our next

steps.

Ash Wednesday reminds us –

remember that you are dust and to

dust you shall return. Certainly, a

message that reminds us of our frail-

ty and inability to follow Christ on

our own. But it is also a message of

hope, reminding us that all the days

of our lives are in his hands. We do

not walk our path alone.

May the blessings of the Len-

ten season – an invitation to be quiet

in God’s presence- ignite your pas-

sion and love for Jesus.

Blessing and love always,

Pastor Ellen

Ascension Lutheran Church, 5730 28th St., Ocala, FL 34480 Ph: 624-0066

From the Pastor

PAGE 2

The Ascension Messenger is

published 11 times a year to

keep our congregation

informed and to stay

connected with those who

don’t worship with us

year-round.

2017 CHURCH COUNCIL

President

Jane Kurtz

Vice President

Anne Hauser

Secretary

Karen Ahner

Treasurer

Ralph Whitney

Finance Committee

Gail Velten

Worship & Music

Toni Hennis

Stewardship

Kathy Keif

Evangelism

Eileen Fleming

Social Concerns

Jan Specht

Christian Education

Servant Needed

Building

Servant Needed

Grounds Committee

Jack Richardson

DEADLINE FOR THE MESSENGER

IS THE 15TH OF THE MONTH.

PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR

ARTICLES TO:

OFFICE@ALC.CFCOXMAIL.COM

MARK “NEWSLETTER” IN THE

SUBJECT LINE.

ARLENE RENZI

OFFICE MANAGER

God’s blessings,

Gail Velten, WELCA Co-chair

Karen Ahner, WELCA co-chair

Bringing you up to date with

what is happening. Saturday

March 4, 2017 we will be at-

tending the Pinelands Confer-

ence in Crystal River.

Our busy little quilters did a great job this past year and

we were able to send 101 quilts and 20 school bags to World Re-

lief. Thanks to Jane Kurtz for heading the quilting team and

Kathy Keif, Eileen Fleming, Gail Velten, Karen Ahner, Toni

Hennis, Evelyn Dedinas, and Jan Specht.

The women’s bible study started February 22, 2012 with

quite a few women participating.

A schedule was made for the Sunday morning coffee hour.

The Council members, WELCA and quilting will take turns dur-

ing the year. We still have some COOK BOOKS left selling for

$4.00 each and one is given to new members.

March 5, 2017 is our first Noisy Offering for this year so re-

member to bring your extra change; we also take paper money as

well. Save the date, Tuesday May 9. 2017, for the Moth-

er/Daughter/Other dinner at 6pm. More details to follow as the

time gets closer

BIBLE STUDY - will begin on March 5, 2017, at 4:00 pm in the parish life building and will continue each Sunday.. We’ll be studying “The Small Cate-chism”.

PAGE 3

Another year,2017 has begun; where does

the time go? I wish to welcome some new

faces on Council and also welcome back

those who already

are serving. Our

new members are:

Karen Ahner as

secretary; Gail Vel-

ten as finance secretary; and Jan

Specht as social concerns chairperson. I

have attended a few committee meetings

and they have many new ideas to help As-

cension Lutheran Church to serve our mem-

bers and our community, and to spread the

word about Ascension.

We held a healing service on February

12, and everyone that we heard from said it

was very inspiring and helpful. We wish to

think Pastor Ellen and Deacon Sue Enberg.

We welcome back our winter visitors

and other returning members. Our transi-

tion team met and there is a list of items

that we need to complete before we can

start a call process. Many have already been

completed but we have some yet to be

worked on Our team is made up of Pastor

Ellen, Karen Ahner, Toni Hennis, Kathy

Keif and myself.

Pastor Ellen and I have met with two

pastors from non-denominational churches

who have shown an interest in renting some

of our facilities. This will be an ongoing dis-

cussion.

Coffee hour will continue on Sunday

mornings and different committees will

serve as hosts. If you can or want to donate

cookies, they will be appreciated. To do-

nate in March, you can contact Secretary,

Karen Ahner or Worship & Music Chairper-

son, Toni Hennis.

March 1 is Ash

Wednesday. We are plan-

ning a worship service only

on Wednesday evening with

imposition of ashes. These

services will continue each Wednesday in

Lent until Holy Week, with soup and sand-

wiches at 6:00 pm and worship at 7:00 pm.

Pastor Ellen will be here for these services.

Adult Bible study will be at 4:00 pm on

Sunday in the parish

hall. All are welcome to

attend. If you have any

questions or concerns

please contact any coun-

cil member or myself.

Daylight Savings Time begins

Sunday, March 12, 2017.

Remember to set your

clocks ahe ad

one hour on

Saturday, .March 11.

PAGE 4 THE MESSENGER

ACENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

It is necessary to develop a new Prayer Line Listing. Many who were on

our current listing are no longer able to participate for various reasons. We

invite our newer members and seasonal friends of the

church to participate in this very serious and worth-

while part of bur ministry at Ascension.

This notice is for anyone in the congregation who would be willing to

pray for one of our members, or someone close to them who is having a

health problem such as (operation, testing, illness, other health con-

cern or in need of prayers for the loss of someone close to them), and

sometimes we need prayers for unspoken needs.

An explanation on how the Prayer Line functions is written below so new members of the

group will understand how it operates and also to serve as a reminder for older members

already on the calling list.

This is a serious and worthwhile part of our ministry at Ascension and you must be willing

to stop what you are doing when you are called and take the time to pass the prayer re-

quest on to the next person on the list. You are encouraged to say a short prayer after the

phone call. Later you can pray in more detail for the person or special need. If the person

you call on the list does not answer, leave a message and go on to the next person on the

list.

or those who are willing to serve, please fill in the form below and re-

turn to my mailbox by March 1. Current members please update forms

and return.

To our friends and members who are gone part of the year, we encourage

you to join us. Just list the months you will be gone on the form or call us

when you have returned so we can put you back on the

active list. Thank you for serving on this committee to

help all our family and friends in need.

ASCENSION CARE TEAM

I am willing to participate in praying for whoever needs our prayers

and I will be very responsible in doing this.

NAME:_________________________________

PHONE__________________

I would like to be on the: Day List___________ Night List__________

If you have questions, call Kathy Keif @ 288-4125.

PAGE 5 THE MESSENGER

ACENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

I will be serving as your Social Commit-

tee Chairperson for the coming year. Other

committee members are: Gail Velten, Eileen

Fleming, Karen Ahner, and Jane Kurtz. We

will do our best to serve you and Ascension

Lutheran Church.

“Helping Hands” of Ocala is in need of

bibles, used or new. If any of you have any

used or extra bibles at home, please bring

them to the church. Our Social Concerns

committee will donate them to Helping

Hands. Thank you for your generosity.

Our annual blueberry brunch has been set

for May 21. Please mark your calendars in

advance for this fun event.

Victor Shorette

August 12, 1934—February 5, 2017

LENTEN SCHEDULE

March 1, 2017 Ash Wednesday

Service at 7:00 pm

with imposition of ashes

Lenten Services—Soup & Sandwich

6:00 pm; Worship 7:00 pm;

March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5

Holy Week—April 13, 14—7:00 pm

Easter—April 16, Easter breakfast 9:30 am

10: 00 am—Worship Jan Specht

Chairperson

SOCIAL CONCERNS

When you’ve done something

wrong, admit it

and be sorry.

No one in history has ever

choked to death from

swallowing His pride.

lessonslearnedinlife.com

THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH PAGE 6

If you receive a call and

the caller asks, "Can you hear me?", you

might end up a victim to

fraud if you say "Yes." It's

the latest phone scam tar-

geting millions across the

country, including South-

west Florida.

Scammers are using robots to call and se-

cretly record you. The answers you give

them are then used against you - and your

wallet. Investigators say they're seeing a

big spike in Southwest Florida, with scam-

mers using local numbers to get you to pick

up.

Caller: "Hi, this is Josh from the con-

sumer department

- can you hear me okay?"

If you answer "Yes," it's secretly recorded.

Later, the scammer calls back demanding

payment, using the recording as proof that

you agreed to pay for goods or services.

"They like to target this area," said Beth

Schell, fraud specialist with the Lee Coun-

ty Sheriff's Office. She said her office is get-

ting more complaints about this scam - 15

reported in the last 24 hours. "Some of

those folks are saying I've said “yes”, and

now they're panicked about what's going to

happen."

Robo calls are a devious new trend. Some

technology so advanced, robots can string

along a conversation to get you to share

personal information.

It's causing concerns among residents.

"That's scary, but that's the way we’re

heading with technology these days," said

Karen Verdecia.

The Better Business Bureau said more

than half of their scam calls this month are

reports of this rip-off. Investigators are

warning everyone to be wary of who's on

the other end of the call. "If I don't know

the number, they're going to leave me a

message, and if it's important, I'll call them

back. Otherwise, I don't answer," Verdecia

said.

To protect yourself, the Federal Trade

Commission recommends: Never give out

personal information; If you receive a pre-

recorded sales call, or if someone asks,

"Can you hear me?" - hang up.

Get More: What to do

The BBB is also seeing a jump in these

scams, tracking the reports on a "Scam

Tracker Map" on their website. So far, no

one is reporting any money lost in Florida.

Overall, about a quarter of people contacted

for a phone scam end up falling victim. If

you get one of these calls, change your

passwords. The scammers probably al-

ready have your information.

In the case of this scam, if you answer and

the caller asks, "Can you hear me?", don't

reply, just hang up - or don't pick up the

phone if you don't know the number.

Consider joining the Do Not Call registry.

This can make it easier to figure out if a

scammer is calling.

“CAN YOU HEAR ME “ - NEW PHONE

SCAM ON THE RISE

Gulfshore News”

PAGE 7 THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

On four Saturdays in Lent all around the Florida-Bahamas Synod,

the Bishop invites rostered ministers, synod parish deacons, congre-

gational leaders, and anyone else who wants to grow in their jour-

ney of faith with Christ to gather for a time of learning, worship and fellowship to be ener-

gized to go back into their communities to BOLDLY share Christ, PASSIONATELY make

disciples, and FAITHFULLY do justice.

These Lenten visits will include a time of worship, where rostered ministers will renew their

call to public ministry and where chrism oil (for anointing at baptism and pastoral care vis-

its) will be anointed and distributed. There will also be a time of learning and discussion

around the Small Catechism and its impact for us today, led by Pr. Wally Meyer.

Saturday March 11, 2017 from

9:45 AM to 12:30 PM

Grace Lutheran Church, Lake-

land 745 South Ingraham Avenue

Lakeland, FL 33801

BISHOP'S LENTEN VISITS

Saturday March 18, 2017 from

9:45 AM to 12:30 PM EDT

St. Timothy Lutheran Church,

1070 North Suncoast Blvd.

Crystal River, FL 34429

First of all, I wish to thank

all of you that have served as assistants dur-

ing our worship services for February, 2017.

If there is anyone else who would like to

serve, please let me know. A special thanks to our Interim Pastor, Ellen

Cross and to her assistant, Sue Enberg. Also,

a very special thanks to Marsha Muncaster

for her beautiful solo “Faith to Follow”, on

February 12, and of course, to Les Muncaster

for his sound techniques.

Lent begins on March 1 and Pastor Ellen will

be here for each Wednesday Lenten service.

We will serve soup and sandwiches at

6:00 pm each Wednesday during Lent and

worship service will be at 7:00 pm. If you

would like to make soup for one of the eve-

nings, please let Jane Kurtz, Kathy Keif or

me know. Thank you. God Bless,

Toni Hennis

St. Joseph Trivia

His memorial Feast Day is

March 19. He is often called

the Patron of happy families.

In some countries, elaborate

and elegant desserts are

baked to commemorate the day and also

to honor all fathers.

Page 8 THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

ST. PATRICK’S DAY TRIVIA

You may know that St. Patrick used sham-

rocks to teach about the Trinity, but did you

know these other facts about him?

St. Patrick wasn’t Irish. (His parents

were Roman citizens living in either

Scot land or Wales.)

He was kidnapped and sold as a slave

at age 16. After escaping six years lat-

er, he joined a monastery in England.

March 17 is the date of St. Patrick’s

death, not his birth. He died in 461

A.D.

The color originally associated with St.

Patrick is blue, not green.

The harp, not the shamrock, is the na-

tion al symbol of Ireland.

Page 9

February 10, 2017

Dear sisters and brothers of the Florida-Bahamas Synod,

For the past three and a half years it has been my season to

serve as bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod. While this was never

an office I sought, it has been a remarkable honor and privilege to

serve as this synod’s chief pastor. There have been many joys and

privileges associated with serving as a bishop in this church. At the

same time, I would be less than truthful if I didn’t confess that the ri-

gors and responsibilities of this office, both on the territory of this syn-

od and in the wider church, have taken a toll on me spiritually and

personally, not to mention the toll it has taken on my family during my regular absences.

Following the Christmas holidays, I spent time with Pr. Jennifer and my children re-

flecting on the toll this office is taking on my spirit. I have spent time in prayer and shared

my struggles in this call with our presiding bishop. I have come to the realization that this

call is not suited to my spirit. This reflection has led me to the decision to resign as bishop of

the Florida-Bahamas Synod as of March 5. I have not come to this decision lightly or easily,

but the weight this office has put on my soul these last years has led me to be at peace with

this decision.

It has been the greatest honor of my ministry to serve as your bishop, and there are

many, many ways that I will miss it. I am not sure what the Lord of the Church has in store

for me next, but I will take some time over the next several months to listen. Please pray for

me as I will pray for you in the time ahead. In the midst of all the changes and challenges of

life, we know that God’s love in Christ is the one anchor.

Life in the synod will go on as usual. Soon, an interim bishop will be appointed who will

carry on and oversee the work of the Office of the Bishop until the next bishop is elected. The

Synod Council is meeting this weekend and will communicate further details in the days

ahead.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Thanks be to God!

Yours in Christ,

Robert G. Schaefer

The Rev. Robert G. Schaefer,

Bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod

THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

Daily Scripture Readings for March

Celebrations for March

PAGE 10

3/10 George Specht

3/28 Eileen Fleming

3/08 Harry and Kathy Keif

3/21 Greg and Cindy

Phillips

1 Psalm 2; 1 Kings 21:20-29; Mark 9:9-13

2 Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 or 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9

3 Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55; Exodus 33:7-23; Acts 7:30-34

4 Psalm 78:17-20, 52-55; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Romans 11:1-6

5 Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

6 Psalm 51; Jonah 3:1-10; Romans 1:1-7

7 Psalm 51; Jonah 4:1-11; Romans 1:8-17

8 Psalm 51; Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 18:1-7

9 Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

10 Psalm 32; 1 Kings 19:1-8; Hebrews 2:10-18

11 Psalm 32; Genesis 4:1-16; Hebrews 4:14—5:10

12 Psalm 32; Exodus 34:1-9-27-28; Matthew 18:10-14

13 Psalm 121; Isaiah 51:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:3-7

14 Psalm 121; Micah 7:18-20 Romans 3:21-31

15 Psalm 121; Isaiah 51:4-8; Luke 7:1-10

16 Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17

17 Psalm 128; Numbers 21:4-9; Hebrews 3:1-6

18 Psalm 128; Isaiah 65:17-25; Romans 4:6-13

19 Psalm 128; Ezekiel 36:22-32; John 7:53—8:11

20 Psalm 95; Exodus 16:1-8; Colossians 1:15-23

21 Psalm 95; Exodus 16:9-21; Ephesians 2:11-22

22 Psalm 95; Exodus 16:27-35; John 4:1-6

23 Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42

24 Psalm 81; Genesis 24:1-27; 2 John 1-13

25 Psalm 81; Genesis 29:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

26 Psalm 81; Jeremiah 2:4-13; John 7:14-31, 37-39

27 Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 15:10-21; Ephesians 4:25-32

28 Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 15:22-31; Ephesians 5:1-9

29 Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 15:32-34; John 1:1-9

30 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

31 Psalm 146; Isaiah 59:9-19; Acts 9:1-20

GOOD NEWS FROM

COUNCIL

Just wanted you to get ready for

a Council report synopsis in the

newsletter each month starting

next month. I also am posting

the Council minutes on the bul-

letin board each month for the

preceding month. We feel this

way everyone will be kept up to

speed with what is happening in

our church.

Thanks be to God,

Karen Ahner

Council Secretary

THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

PAGE 11

Head Usher: Archie Fiessler, phone: 362-2846

If you have any questions, or CANNOT SERVE AS INDICATED ABOVE,

please call Toni Hennis; phone: 352-245-0894.

Thank you for your service!

DATE GREETERS LECTOR USHERS COMMMUNION

March 5, 2017 Donna Chesmore

Wayne Trepanier

Barbara

McGrath

Greg Phillips

David Blosser

Irene Clarke

Karen Ahner

Eileen Fleming

March 12, 2017 Harr & Kathy Keif Eileen Fleming

Greg Phillips

Brandon Tighe

David Blosser

Jane Kurtz

Eleanor Newton

March 19, 2017 George & Jan

Specht Bonny Pacetti

Greg Phillips

Kathy Keif

Jane Kurtz

Karen Ahner

Toni Hennis

March 26, 2017 Gene & May

Duffey George Specht

Greg Phillips

Donna Chesmore

Irene Clarke

Jane Kurtz

Toni Hennis

DATE ACOLYTES WORSHIP CHILDREN’S

CHURCH SOUND TECH

March 5, 2017 Brian Blosser Les Muncaster

March 12, 2017 Gabriel Tighe Les Muncaster

March 19, 2017 Brian Blosser Les Muncaster

March 26, 2017 Gabriel Tighe Les Muncaster

Page 14

THE MESSENGER

ASCENSION LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sun Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat

1

9:00 am—Quilting

Ash Wednesday 7:00 pm—Lenten

Service

2

3

7:00 pm—

AA

4

5

First Sunday in Lent

10:30am—Worship with

Holy Communion

Noisy Offering

4:00 pm—Bible Study

6

5:30pm—AA

7

8 9:00 am—Quilting

Noon—Ladies’

luncheon

6:00 pm—Soup

7:00 pm—Lenten

Service

9

10

7:00 pm—

AA

11

12 Second Sunday in Lent

10:30am—Worship with

Holy Communion

4:00 pm—Bible Study

13

9:00 am—

Council

5:30pm—AA

14

15

9:00 am—Quilting

Noon—

Ladies’ Bible

Study and

lunch

6:00 pm—Soup

7:00 pm—Lenten

Service

16

17

Saint

Patrick’s

Day

7:00 pm—

AA

18

19 Third Sunday in Lent

St. Joseph’s Feast Day

10:30am—Worship with

Holy Communion

4:00 pm—Bible Study

20

Spring be-

gins

5:30pm—AA

21

22

9:00 am—Quilting

6:00 pm—Soup

7:00 pm—Lenten

Service

23

24

7:00 pm—

AA

25

26 Fourth Sunday in Lent

10:30 am—Worship with

Holy Communion

4:00 pm—Bible Study

27

5:30pm—AA

28 29 9:00 am—Quilting

6:00 pm—Soup

7:00 pm—Lenten

Service

30 31

7:00 pm—

AA