Please check the following websites for regular updates on information related to the COVID 19 pandemic:

• ascensionnl.ca
• anglicanenl.net (You will find the most recent weekly letter from our Bishop under our Bishop’s Writings)
• anglicanenl.net/home/covid19/
• mountpearl.ca
• who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/

• On Line Church Service: This Sunday at 11 a.m., the Parishes of St. Michael and All Angels, St. Mary the Virgin, the Good Shepherd, and the Ascension are hosting Morning Prayer/BAS. Come and join us at thetransmission.ca. You do not need to be on Facebook to view the live service.
• Resurrection Reminders: I am so thankful that we can watch the Sunday Service on TV virtually. I miss our family and our friends. I do call ladies on my list who are lonely and shut in and enjoy our chats. Every now and then I get a call from the ladies which I am most grateful for.
  There is resurrection when I see new life in the blossoming our trees, shrubs, plants, grass and all mother nature as I look from my windows and deck. I give thanks for the warmth of the sunshine and the gentle breeze. We are in the middle of a change in our world and a good change is coming.
  I am thankful that there is a gradual back to normal living hopefully! We were in the middle of Winter, now grateful for the Spring & Summer! (Doris Piercey)
• Greetings from the Ways and Means: I bring you greetings on behalf of The Ways and Means Committee with the hope you are safe and well. Covid-19 has certainly changed our lives in that the things we took for granted are altered. I believe that when we emerge on the other side, we will be stronger as a community. I am sure that many of us have had times in our lives when we have felt that all was lost – but we survived. This too shall come to pass and we will move on and pick up the pieces and heal together. There is obviously no news to bring you from the Ways and Means. Spring and summer fundraisers had to be cancelled; we will miss these contributions for sure. Like everything that comes our way, we will adapt, we will make changes if we have to and, with God’s help, we will survive. No one knows at this point what that might look like. We have a solid church community that will step up to the plate where needed and we will survive. After all, with such a solid group of parishioners and leaders, and most of all with God’s help, we will be okay. We look forward to being together again someday but in the interim all we can do is take care of ourselves and our families, continue to pray and support each other, and reach out to others for help if needed. Who would have thought that going to a “Winter Blast” sounds like a lot of fun right now (snow outside and all). I’m pretty sure most of us would be up to that. The Ways and Means Committee is looking forward to getting down to work to bring you some of these events again. Love and best wishes to you all from The Ways and Means Committee.
• New Website and E-mail addresses for Church of the Ascension: The Ascension website was launched on Sunday, May 3. There are certain parts of the website that are under review/construction due to limited resources during the Covid-19 pandemic. We can now be found at ascensionnl.ca. Please visit us at this address for up-to-date information on church activities. Information regarding on-line services is available through the calendar on the new website. Here is a list of new e-mail addresses and helpful links you may find useful:
  • Reverend David Burrows - [email protected]
  • Reverend Lynn Courage - [email protected]
  • Ina Kearley - [email protected]
  • Office / Office Administrator - [email protected]
  • Church Website - ascensionnl.ca
  • Link to view on-line services - thetransmission.ca
  • YouTube Channel - Parish of the Ascension NL
• Historic Pictures of the Church: As many of you know, recently the Church of the Ascension has launched a new website. During the last month or so, a small group has been getting to together on-line to discuss the history of the Parish. We have reached a point wherein we have assembled considerable text on a number of issues but we do not have very much in the way of photographs. We would like as many of you as possible to dig deeply into your personal photo collections and search out pictures that you feel could add to the history of the Parish. You can forward electronic ones by email. Actual prints can be dropped off for scanning and we will return them to you unharmed. Please submit them to the Church Office over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, you may see some of them on our website down the road.
• Thursdays in Black: Many factors of isolation, inability to work, and challenges of mental health are apparent during the Covid19 pandemic. In this time, we lament acts of violence against women in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick recently, and the violence that has occurred even in the city of Mount Pearl. The Anglican Church of Canada supports the initiative of the World Council of Churches Thursdays in Black, which advocates for the ending of rape and gender based violence. To this end, every Thursday, the Parish of the Ascension will host a zoom hour with the Rector, and there will be an offering of prayer, the lighting of a candle, and the opportunity for education from local resources from the St. John’s Status of Women Centre. Here is the link to attend the zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/85448642529?pwd=WjhveDRRMjZxQWp2bWhBODRCVnZXUT09. This past Thursday we had Jenny Wright as our guest. Next week our guest will be Canon Noreen Duncan of Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey who is a Racial Relations trainer. Check each Thursday as we hear from guests from across the country, around the world, and close to home. At this time, and at all times, gender-based violence and rape is unacceptable. As followers of Jesus, we believe in respecting the dignity of every human being, and advocating for justice, peace, and reconciliation. This will be streamed live to the Parish of the Ascension Facebook page oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/FaithGenderCovid19Statement_April2020.pdf.
• Birthday Sunday: The planning team for the joint worship for the Parishes of Church of the Ascension, Church of the Good Shepherd, St. Mary the Virgin and St. Michael and All Angels is designating the third Sunday of each month as family/youth Sunday. The worship for that Sunday will include the celebration of birthdays for that given month. Please send us a picture of yourself to include during the Birthday Sunday celebration portion of the liturgy. On Sunday, June 21, we will celebrate those with birthdays in the month of June. You can send your photos to [email protected] Deadline for submitting photos is the Thursday before for the Sunday service at 5 p.m. Deadline for this month is Thursday, June 18, at 5 p.m.
• Father’s Day Sunday: Father’s Day is coming, and we intend to celebrate and give thanks to all father and father figures in our lives. We invite you to send a picture of your father figure for our service on June 21. The pictures will be used at the beginning of the Sunday online service.
  Who do you have in your life who is a father figure to you? Please send a picture to [email protected]. In order to be included in the prelude video, we need to receive photos by 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 18. We look forward to seeing you and those you love!
• Outreach: This is a time for our faith community to come together to uplift each other. Please don’t forget to regularly check on your family, friends and neighbours. If you are in need of pastoral contact, or if you know of anyone who is struggling at this stressful time, please let one of the clergy know.
• Food First NL: Food First NL works with communities in Newfoundland & Labrador to ensure everyone has access to affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food. Please visit their website at foodfirstnl.ca/covid19 to find updates to NL Community Food Programs.
• Mount Pearl Foodbanks: Want to join us in making a difference? The Ministerial of Mount Pearl is raising money to benefit Foodbanks in Mount Pearl during the Covid19 Pandemic. From April 1 to June 30, 2020, The Parish of the Ascension will be receiving money on behalf of all the congregations in Mount Pearl for distribution to the three Mount Pearl Foodbanks. All donations will help make an impact. The City of Mount Pearl will match funds up to the first $5000. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to the clergy and people of the Ministerial of Mount Pearl! If you would like to help, please log in to gofundme.com and search Parish of the Ascension. Follow the prompts to make a donation. Thanks very much.
• Clergy Contact During the COVID 19 Pandemic: During the outbreak of COVID-19, the clergy will be reaching out to all parishioners. They will do their best to contact everyone, however our parish list may need to be updated. If you have not received a call or an e-mail since the closure of the church building, please e-mail your updated contact information to [email protected]. In the event that you do not have e-mail available, please call the parish office and leave a message.
• Anglican East NL Announces Virtual Lavrock Summer Camp 2020: You are invited to join us for a camp unlike any other! This year our theme will be the earth: it’s in our hands! While things will be a little different this year, there will be familiar faces and many of the activities you have come to love at summer camp! Here’s what you need to know:
  • Who: if you are between the ages of 8 and 13, this is for you!
  • What: activities for you and your entire family!
  • Where: right in your own home!
  • When: July 6 - 9 (about 30 minutes each day)
  • How: all you need to do is pre-register by contacting [email protected].

Once you express your interest, we will send you a complete information package.
Please note that this is a free camp. Pre-registration is required though, because we still need parental permission. Spread the word!!

Today is a day of contemplation and prayer for me as I offer thanks in remembrance for my journey of faith through ordination these last twenty years. Gathered at Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton, on the Feast of Pentecost, I prayed with Kevin Bothwell, Dorothy Hewlett, Stephen Hopkins, Carol Langlotz and Alan Steers as together we received the gift of the laying on of hands in diaconal ordination. The path since then has led me through ups and downs of ministry through different encounters with the Holy One both within and outside the community of faith.

For me, this journey has always been in the context of the feast of St. Barnabas the Encourager (June 11) and in the context of the sojourn of the early church through the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. I see myself as a partner with the Holy One, and a partner with humanity, indeed with all of creation, in bringing about justice and reconciliation, hope and love. The journey as a servant within the church is to encourage and uphold the vulnerable and bring about the reality of the Holy One’s realm in the here and now.

I am thankful for the longevity and the faithfulness of the communities of faith in which I have served, and I am blessed to have had so many leaders, mentors, friends and family journey with me in various ways.

Now, as I look to the future, I am hesitant and fearful of the journey ahead. The way in which I entered a life of leadership and service within the church has transformed over the years. I have taken on various roles and tasks within the life of the faith community, all with the understanding that I move in partnership with the Spirit, and with all humanity, for “A charge to keep I have, a God to Glorify.” (Charles Wesley, 1762). As time continues to roll forward, I find myself confronted these days with the image of the Exodus from Egypt, and the Exile in Babylon – two epic voyages by the Hebrew people in the Scriptures, where they risked journeying out of slavery, and risked reforming their lives without the physical presence of their religious practices. Questions abound and challenges overflow into my reflection and being: How does one continue to journey away from the unjust structures of society in this chaotic time of living? How can one advocate and listen, hope and be with community? How will my heart and being reflect the presence of the Holy One, when in many ways it seems we are being scattered into a wilderness of being?

At this time through twenty years in ministry and formation, I have patterns and practices that form who I am and how I serve; now in this time and in this place, many of those familiar patterns have had to change as the entire world has been gripped with pandemic isolation. The journey we undertake is one of exiting familiar practices and customs, and loosing ourselves of the familiar physical patterns of the life of faith.

In both the exodus and the exile, there were many that questioned and challenged the presence of the Holy One. In this time, it seems no different. As I loose myself of the old ways and embrace new patterns, I am reminded the Holy One is present, and is challenging me and others to remain faithful and open to the Spirit’s call in this uncertain time.

Peace,

• Donations to Ministry: If you are interested in continuing to donate to the parish ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a variety of ways for you to do so.
  • Church Envelopes: You may still use your envelopes during this time. You may drop them in the mailbox at the main entrance of the church or you can put your givings in the mail.
  • Pre-authorized Givings: You can have your givings automatically deducted on a schedule that works for you. If you are interested in setting up pre-authorized givings, please contact the church office at 368-5693.
  • Canada Helps: You can sign up to make donations to Canada Helps through our parish website.
  • Food Bank Donations: The need for food donations is still great. If you are able to donate to the food bank, we ask that you drop your donation directly to St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank at either St. Peter’s Parish Hall on Ashford Drive or Mary Queen of the World on Topsail Road. All donations are gratefully appreciated.

On this Feast of Corpus Christi, we remember that Jesus chose to stay with us as food. We pray for those who have inadequate food - especially children, and for the privileged world to stop wasting food. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray blessings for fathers, mothers, and guardians around the world, and ask for strengthening where their parenting is especially difficult or where they fail their children. We pray too for those who graduate this month, for their teachers, support staff and all those who mentor them in their education. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the safety of summer travelers and vacationers that people will abide by all travel rules. We ask for these months to be a time of restoration and renewal, mindful of those who get no time away or who suffer in the heat. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are lost and cannot find the way, help us find Jesus where we have lost him to bitterness or distracting fears, and for the Church where it loses its Christ-center in defensiveness, exclusion and power. We pray for the leaders of the church, Geoffrey our Bishop, for the parishes of The Holy Spirit, The Holy Trinity, Indian Bay, and for those worshipping in the Province of Myanmar (Burma). We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the conversion of hearts where there is injustice, indifference, lies and cover-ups. We pray for the right for justice and peace for all people regardless of race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. May we find Christ this week in some surprising new way. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are sick, pained or weak, especially those on the Ascension Prayer Cycle. For those who have died, remembering Virginia Sturge and Isaac Kettle, his family and the community of St. Lawrence. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.

Ascension Prayer Cycle: Andrea, Aubrey, Audrey, Barbara, Baxter, Bill, Brenda, Brian, Brittany, Breandon, Carl, Charlie, Christina, Cindy, Clarence, Claude, David, Debra, Delilah, Dennis, Don, Donna, Dot, Dulcie, Edgar, Edith, Elaine, Elizabeth, Erin, Esther, Finnley, Frederick, Flo, George, Georgina, Gerry, Gilbert, Gordon, Harry, Herb, Ike, Ina, Jack, Jason, Jenny, John, Josephine, Junior, Kevin, Kim, Laura, Leo, Leonie, Lori, Madeline, Marina, Marion, Maurice, Maxine, Maxwell, Melissa, Melvin, Nancy, Pam, Phyllis, Randell, Rodney, Roland, Ruby, Ruth, Rita, Scott, Sean, Stan, Stephen, Tina, Todd, Valerie, Verna, Wayne and Woodrow.

Collect

Almighty God,
without you we are not able to please you.
Mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. AMEN

A Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

Remember the long way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16

Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

Psalm

But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him, In those who await his gracious favour. R

Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; Praise your God, O Zion. R

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. R

He has established peace on your borders; He satisfies you with the finest wheat. R

He sends forth his word and melts them; He blows with his wind, and the waters flow. R

He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. R

Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20

A Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Reader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

Reader: The Lord be with you
People: And also with you

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever. John 6:51-58

Reader: The Gospel of Christ
People: Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ.

Prayer over the Gifts

God of reconciliation and forgiveness,
the saving work of Christ has made our peace with you.
May that work grow toward its perfection
in all we offer you this day.
We ask this in his name. AMEN

Prayer after Communion

Holy and blessed God,
as you give us the body and blood of your Son,
guide us with your Holy Spirit,
that we may honour you not only with our lips
but also in our lives.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

God the Creator, You in Love Made Me

God the Creator, you in love made me
Who once was nothing, but now have grown.
I bring the best of all my life offers;
For you I share whatever I own.

O Christ the Saviour, you in love called me
Who once was no one, lost and alone.
I pledge to go wherever you summon,
Making your will and purpose my own.

O God the Spirit, you in love move me
Who once was nowhere and felt unknown.
I know my need of you for companion:
All things can change when not on my own.

And with the people summoned together
To be the church in which faith is sown,
I make my promise to live for Jesus
And let the world know all are his own.

All people that on Earth do Dwell

All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Serve him with mirth, his praise forth tell;
come ye before him and rejoice!

Know that the Lord is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make;
We are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.

O enter then his gates with praise,
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.

For why, the Lord our God is good;
his mercy is forever sure.
His truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (vs.1, 2, 3, 6)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation:
all ye who hear, brothers and sisters draw near,
praise him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth;
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy entreaties have been
granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee:
ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly for aye we adore him.

Rejoice, the Lord is King (vs. 1, 2, 5)

Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Saviour, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He has purged our stains,
He took his seat above;
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope!
Jesus, the judge, shall come
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
We soon shall hear the archangel's voice;
the trump of God shall sound, rejoice!