Members of Church of the Ascension reach out to the surrounding community through our own programs and by supporting a variety of other organizations with donations of volunteer time, money and goods.
Kevin, a member of the community, grows food in the Community Garden.
Blood Donor Clinics
Canadian Blood Services holds blood donor clinics at Ascension on the first Wednesday of every second month from 4 to 8 p.m. Call 1-888-2-DONATE to book an appointment.
Community Breakfast
A free hot breakfast for all in the community who need a meal or fellowship is held on the third Tuesday of every month from 7:30 to 10:30 am. For more details, go to the Community Breakfast page.
Community Gardens
For a nominal fee, garden plots are available behind the church for any community member, whether a member of the church or not. Call the London Community Resource Centre at 519-432-1801.
Kensington Village
A worship service for residents, family & friends is held at this nursing home about four times a year.
Kensington also asks for volunteers to feed nursing home residents at meal times. Training is provided. Call Lynda McNabb at Kensington Village, 519-455-3910.
Sewing Class
These classes are open to anyone who would like to learn sewing. You do not need to be a member of the church. Please call to ensure that there is space for you as we have a limited number of sewing machines. For more information, see the Sewing Class page.
Social Justice Steering Team
The team offers a three-fold approach to highlighting social justice issues, such as education, women’s rights, nutrition, housing, water, a variety of diseases (particularly HIV/AIDS), and poverty. Several times a year, it organizes worship, educational events and ways of responding to needs. You can read more on its page here.
Women’s Community House
Ascension is regularly contacted by this area shelter for abused women to assist in a variety of ways.
Collections for Outside Agencies
- Ark Aid Street Mission: Stockings are filled with gifts, toiletries, etc. for those using Ark Aid’s services at Christmas.
- Canadian Bible Society and Oxfam: Used stamps are donated to these organizations, which then sell them to collectors to raise money for their programs. The Canadian Bible Society gives out Bibles; Oxfam helps with the construction of pipelines.
- Canadian International Hearing Services: Old hearing aids are sent to ListenUp! Canada, which makes them available to programs in developing countries.
- Christmas Share: Daily Bread Food Bank at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in the centre of our city uses donations of gifts and non-perishable food items for its Christmas Hamper program. Bring your donations to church on White Gift Sunday, usually the first Sunday in December.
- Daily Bread Food Bank: Non-perishable food items, personal care products, reusable shopping bags, and clean 250-500 ml containers are collected for the food bank based at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in downtown London. As an optional hint to its congregation, Ascension suggests a “Food of the Month” each month:
- January – peanut butters, jam and other spreads
- February – soup
- March – canned vegetables
- April – personal care products such as toothpaste and deodorant
- May – breakfast foods
- June – canned fruit
- July – baby food
- August – staples and other kitchen basics, e.g., powdered milk, sugar, salt, pepper, ketchup, relish, mustard, vinegar, broths, raisins, nuts, tea bags and coffee as well as dish cloths, tea towels, liquid dish detergent and pot scrubbers.
- September – cereal
- October – canned and bagged beans
- November – canned fish and meat
- December – pasta and sauce or mac-and-cheese kits (e.g., Kraft Dinner)
- Gift of Sight: Old eyeglasses are given to Lenscrafters and the Lions Club to deliver to people in developing countries.
- Girl Guides of Canada: Pop can tabs, Campbell’s Soup and Heinz baby food labels are collected to support various activities.
- St. Monica House: A “baby shower” is held yearly to provided items for this home for unwed moms in Waterloo, Ontario
- Samaritan’s Purse: At Christmas, shoe boxes are filled with school supplies and small gifts for children in developing countries.
Donations for outside agencies are stored in this Collections Chest until they are picked up and distributed.
