Food Ministry Feeding the body as well as the soul has always been an important part of life at Ascension. We host seven annual dinners: ​ Summer Picnic in the Park, Seneca Park Zoo, August 7, 2022 Lobster Dinner, September, Date TBD Welcoming/Homecoming Sunday, late September Roast Beef Dinner, Saturday, mid-October Christmas Party, Sunday, mid-December Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tuesday February 21, 2023 - 5:00 PM Pasta Dinner, Saturday, mid-March Chicken and Biscuit Dinner, Saturday, late April Please join us in fellowship and food!

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Acolyte Guild In contemporary Anglicanism, acolyte is a general term which covers not only servers, torchbearers, and lighters of candles but also crucifers, thurifers, and banner-bearers. It usually takes two years for Acolytes to learn all of their duties for the different Church services. Their jobs include the correct use of candles in the service, carrying the cross, assisting the clergy with the Eucharist and Baptism services, receiving the offering and sending people to the altar for Communion. Occasionally, they assist with wedding and funeral services. ​ Upon completion of two years of faithful and dedicated service, a cross on a ribbon is awarded the Acolyte. For each additional year of service, a small cross is attached to the ribbon of the two-year cross.

Ascension Choir ​ The Ascension Choir is a dedicated group of volunteers, joined by four Choral Scholars from the Eastman School of Music. Ascension has a long history of excellent choral music; the choir sings on Sundays at the 10:15 am service from the beginning of September until Pentecost, and currently rehearses on Wednesday s from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Our Choral Scholars this year are: Maeve Berry Madelin Morales Adam Catangui The mission of the choir is to support and adorn the liturgy at Church of the Ascension through hymnody, Anglican chant, plain chant, and weekly anthems. Towards this goal we sing a wide range of repertoire sourced from the Renaissance to today, and often collaborate with the Ascension Youth Choir to encourage the next generation of musicians. We are always happy to welcome new choir members; please be in touch with Minister of Music Mitchell Miller if you are interested in joining or trying out the choir - all are welcome! ​

Support Ascension Church of the Ascension is passionate about the community it serves and the people who make it a beacon of hope and love for those around us. Giving to the Church answers the need that we all have to make a difference in the world through our generosity and makes it possible for the Church to be that beacon, through food, clothing and other ministries. ​ Yearly Pledge Each year in October we prepare our budget for the following year and we ask each parishioner to fill out a pledge card to let us know how much they anticipate giving in the following year. This pledged income is used for the running of the parish--it pays for outreach ministries and our support to the diocese, salaries, programmatic initiatives, insurance, and required property investments and maintenance. Capital Projects As our parish grows and changes, our needs change and our building needs to be upgraded and repaired on a regular basis. In 2016-2017 we completed the lift from the Church to the Great Hall, which makes our facility even more accessible by allowing those who are in wheel chairs or have difficulty navigating the stairs from our worship space down to the Great Hall. ​ The E. M. Skinner Organ Fund The E. M. Skinner Organ Fund is dedicated to the ongoing restoration of Skinner Op. 711. Op. 711 is an amazing instrument that is almost 100 years old, and has been installed at Church of the Ascension since 1967. As with all musical instruments, this pipe organ requires regular maintenance. In the future, we plan to have the entire organ restored which will entail dismantling each of the 3,500+ pipes, cleaning each pipe, cleaning the chambers where the pipes live, rebuilding all the wind chests and mechanisms, and then putting it all back together. The organ will have a much cleaner and more transparent sound after this work is completed. One estimate for this project is $1,550,000. Clergy Discretionary Fund On the first Sunday of each month, all undesignated income from the Offerings is deposited to the Clergy Discretionary Fund. The Priest uses these funds to provide emergency help to those in need, to pay for youth to go to diocesan activities, to support the Care Closet, to help parishioners attend workshops, and to help pay for unfunded neighborhood initiatives that they believe are important to support. Give online through Donorbox

Men's Group The men's group heads up parish clean-up days. They also put on the Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner (the night before Ash Wednesday) and help Kevin Gall with the annual Lobster Dinner.

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Bible Study Each week you have the opportunity to deepen your relationship with God through our Sabbath-day Bible Study. Bible Study is held in person on Sundays at 9:00 am in our library, accompanied by light refreshments. During this time we explore God's word in fellowship with one another. Through prayer and discussion we nurture our relationships with God and open our hearts to his plan for our lives. ​ For more information call the church office at (585) 458-5423. ​ ​ ​​ ​

The Rev. Adibhananthar John Rector Nicole Hercules Seminarian Cindy Smith Administrative Assistant Sarah Johnson Music Minister Angel Perez Sexton Vestry Christian Haller, Sr. Warden rin ger2@mac.com ​ Dyson Gay, Jr. Warden dysong y@ao l.com ​ Mary Bickel, Treasurer maryk bic@aol.com ​ Kate Stella-Begy, Clerk of Vestry marykate7687@gmail.com ​ Father Abi John, Chair ascpriest@aol.com ​ ​ D ebbie Copenhagen cupidsal@hotmail.com ​ Bob Crystal crys24634@gmail.com ​ Patricia Frasca thepatriciafr asca@gmail.com ​ Kathy Kohler kkohler1026@gmail.com ​ ​ ​ Ryan McDermott ryan.mcdermott1208@gmail.com ​ Kathy O'Leary kathyjoleary@gmail.com Nancy Turchetti nturchetti@rochester.rr.com ​ Jerry Welcher jswelcher@aol.com ​ Bentley Church Dog

Sunday School Our Sunday School program will commence on September 4, after being mostly dormant over the past two years due to the Covid pandemic. We are planning to use a new curriculum developed by Father Abi. It will focus on God, Jesus, and the Church in modules geared towards the students' age group. Children ages 2 – 5 will go to the Crib Room to play under the supervision of one of our teenage leaders. We continue to look for people to help out with Sunday School activities, even if it is only for a few weeks. Your musical skills, arts & crafts skills, story-telling are welcome., Contact the office to get connected.

Services Noonday Prayer, Tuesday 12:00 pm Bible Study, Thursday 9:30 am We currently offer Services at 8:00 & 10:15 am We are glad to offer in-person services each Sunday 10:15 am, and 8:00 am. Since March 2020, we have provided Sunday morning live-streamed services on YouTube and Facebook. We also offer a Noonday Prayer service on Tuesdays an 12:00 pm and Bible Study on Thursdays at 9:30 am, both on Zoom. ​ Online Services are premiered Sunday at 10:15 am on both YouTube and Facebook. ​ ​ ​ Passcode: 420173 ​ Music Our services include music lead by Mitchell Miller. Our Choral Scholars allow us to hear hymns in church every week. Church of the Ascension is the home to one of Rochester's best organs--a Skinner organ donated by a parishioner who purchased it from the Rochester Auditorium more than 50 years ago. The organ has more than 3,500 pipes and attracts many talented musicians. ​ Children's Programs Special programs are offered for Children and teens and nursery services are provided for our youngest children. ​ Home Visitation For those who are temporarily or long-term unable to attend in-church services and receive the Holy Eucharist, home visitations can be arranged through the church office (585) 458-5423 Eucharist, Sunday 10:15 am Eucharist, Sunday 10:15 am