Church of the Ascension

All City Choir, a London children’s choir sponsored by the Church of Ascension A-V Team, is thrilled to return to an in-person concert for Spring! We hope you can join us but there will be a virtual option for those not able to attend! Masks respectfully requested.

We have lost a former and a current member this week: Marianne Bouwmeester and Dora Bell, respectively. See the obituaries below.

https://lfpress.remembering.ca/obituary/marianne-bouwmeester-1084855441

https://lfpress.remembering.ca/obituary/dora-bell-1084838867

Donations made through Lenten folders at Ascension this year will be directed to the Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund (PWRDF) to help Ukrainian refugees at their borders. Lenten folders are available on the “holiday tree” in the Gathering Space. You can also make a donation without a folder. Here is a recent update from PWRDF:

Since Russia began rolling its tanks into Ukraine on Feb. 24, donations to PWRDF have flooded in, with an overwhelming $266,500 being raised in just a few short weeks.

PWRDF responded quickly with $20,000 to an appeal from ACT Alliance, which co-ordinates Christian aid agencies worldwide, but soon after changed that amount to $150,000 to both ACT Alliance and HelpAge International. As donations continue to come in, PWRDF will be disbursing more funds to our partners on the ground who are able to put money to good use right away.

Work with the ACT Alliance is with fellow member Hungarian Interchurch Aid, which is supporting Ukrainians as they make the long journey from their homes to the Hungarian border. 

HelpAge International is an organization that supports vulnerable seniors all over the world. HelpAge is using its funds in Moldova, which has already welcomed 250,000 Ukrainian refugees, many of them seniors.  

Samuel Wood, head of humanitarian at HelpAge, visited one border crossing area and reported: “We saw a fairly large number of older people arriving, as well as some people with disabilities who were being assisted in their journey. … Some of them had an idea of where they wanted to go, but not all. Many were desperately lacking information and guidance. The thing that struck me the most was the incredible spirit of the Ukrainian people we met, and the sense of camaraderie. Despite all the hardships, the older women we spoke to were smiling and joking. It is amazing to see people be so resilient and able to make jokes in such a situation.”

To support PWRDF for Lent, you can use the daily 25-cent slots in the Lenten folder or you can insert a cheque or cash for $10 (25 cents x 40 days) in the folder. Or you can use any of the ways listed above under “Easter Services”.

To support PWRDF for Lent, you can use the daily 25-cent slots in the Lenten folder or you can insert a cheque or cash for $10 (25 cents x 40 days) in the folder. 

For the 2022 services from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday (April 10-17), click here.

Project Hope, an organization to help those who struggle we have often supported in the past, is launching a new initiative! Every month it will spotlight a crucial item that it needs. For March, the item is tarps. Why are rain tarps so important? Well, the first reason is also the most obvious: they repel water. They keep belongings dry and provide a bit of protection from the wind. Project Hope needs all sizes of tarps!

Tarps accepted with other donations at 203 Bathurst St. every Saturday from 12:30-2:00 p.m. and Tuesday 5:00-6:00. Or Ascension members can contact Deb Adams for pickup or you can drop to the church on Sunday, Monday or Wednesday.

Lenten folders are now available at the church. This year, all the proceeds from the Lenten folders will be given to PWRDF for its Ukrainian refugee relief.

As well, Diane Robinson has made stick-on tags for Ukraine that are available at the church. Freewill donations for these will also be directed to PWRDF’s Ukraine efforts. The labels have a Ukrainian flag in the middle — blue should be at the top for the sky and yellow below for grain fields. There are peel-off stickers on the back to apply the tag to your clothes.

Here we are at the beginning of Lent! So, after indulging on Tuesday, please join us for Ash Wednesday services on March 2. Two services will be held: 9:30 a.m., followed by Bible Study with Jim Garey, and 7:00 p.m. The evening service will be live-streamed.

As the COVID-19 situation is continuing to improve, Ascension’s executive has made the decision to resume in-person worship beginning with the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday Feb. 27. Worship will be conducted in the same manner as it was in December before the Christmas shut-down. This means that capacity will be limited to the number who can safely distance, and masks must be worn. Please contact the office at office@ascensionlondon.com or 519-451-7780 to register.

The 8:30 service will resume on March 6. 

Activities such as the quilting group may resume as of Feb. 28 with all precautions in place.

The Wednesday services and Bible Study will restart on March 2, beginning with the Ash Wednesday service. The worship is at 9:30 a.m. and the Bible Study about 10:15 a.m.

Besides the 9:30 a.m. service, there will also be an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. on March 2

We hope that if the situation continues to improve, the restrictions can be lifted this spring.

Thank you for your patience and support.

The Executive Team has reviewed the recent Ontario reopening rules and has decided to keep Ascension’s worship services online for now, and review that decision when the next phase of Ontario’s reopening comes on Feb. 21. This also applies to our groups. That is only three Sundays away, so please have patience. It appears the Omicron wave has reached its peak, but it’s going down only slowly. We are keeping in mind that vaccine passports are not required at worship services in Ontario, unlike at restaurants, gyms, and other places that reopened this week. We want to plan so that once we move to in-person worship and groups again, we can stay open permanently. If you are experiencing distress of any kind during this phase of the pandemic, please reach out to Rev. Canon June Hough at 226-448-3790 or junehough@rogers.com for support and assistance.