Outreach Team

The Outreach Team reaches out to our community to invite others to know Christ and to grow in faith by worshiping with our congregation at Ascension Lutheran Church.  Outreach welcomes and responds to visitors and to those who inquire about our church, and we help assimilate new members into the life of our congregation, to include organizing new member receptions and identifying and assigning new member sponsors. Outreach leads members in reaching out to and reactivating inactive members.  The team also extends Christian compassion and helpfulness to our members who are ill or are facing difficult times and to all persons in need of aid in body or soul.  Our Outreach Team strives to keep the congregation informed of people’s needs and encourages members and organizations of the congregation to meet these needs by participating in the many opportunities Ascension offers to serve our members and our community.

Prayer Shawl Ministry - On behalf of the prayer shawl ministry, we would like to thank the dedicated knitters who have faithfully donated their time and talent in adding their special touch to their shawls. Team members work on the shawls at their home, at their leisure. For those of us making these, the rewards are many. The process becomes a way to find quiet time for self-reflection, to engage in a spiritual practice and give a part of ourselves to others. If needed, the cost of your yarn will be reimbursed. Labels and small crosses are provided. 

ALL SHAWLS ARE WELCOME, KNITTED OR CROCHETED.
If you would like to participate, or have any questions, please call the church office.

Servant Ministry Team

Covers a variety of local, national, and international activities serving individuals, families, and communities. Year-round ministries include knitting and quilting groups, food drives for the South Brevard Sharing Center, food rescue drivers, prayer chain, Community of Hope, and serving at the Daily Bread. Seasonal recurring ministries include Lutheran World Relief - Hygiene Kits (January-February), the Superbowl of Caring (February), Care and Share with the South Brevard Sharing Center (March), Blood Mobile (May), School Supply Drive (July - August), Good Samaritan Project Christmas Child (September -October), and the Toy Drive (December).

Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits and Quilts - We will be collecting items for the Lutheran World Relief Personal Care kits beginning January 12th - through February 2nd. Due to the generosity of the Thrivent Action Team, we do not need to purchase towels.

Bins will be set up in the Narthex to collect the following items:
Bath size bars of soap in original wrapping
Adult size toothbrushes
Sturdy combs
Metal nail clippers

Kits will be packed on Monday, February 3rd. All are invited to participate. We will begin at 9:00a.m. The very simple gesture of giving a Personal Care Kit can give someone the encouragement to start anew, starting with a bath. You can share God’s grace and love by providing that simple comfort.

Operation Christmas Child - Thank you all very much for helping to make this year's Operation Christmas Child a huge success, you are awesome. We collected 141 boxes this year, 33 boxes more than in 2023.

A big Thank You to my team members Barbara Fowle and Laurel Valentine in helping to process the boxes and to Matt Thompson for entering all those tracking labels onto the OCC website. Barbara and her son Ben loaded up the boxes and dropped them off at a nearby Drop-off site in Melbourne.

Daily Bread – Ascension volunteers serve at Daily Bread every fifth Wednesday. Sign-up sheets are available in the Narthex and online on the serving opportunities tab if you are interested in being a server in this wonderful program which helps our neighborhood poor and homeless.

Merle Steward dropped off 28 clothes items and 34 miscellaneous items including 26 face cloths/towels and 10 food items at the Daily Bread. Thank you for your donations.. 

Bread Ministry News - The money from your purchase of Pepperidge Farms Bread went directly to help alleviate hunger in Brevard County through DAILY BREAD Ministry. Many thanks to Gordy Anderson for his generous attention to this ministry. As they return north Matt Saab 
jumped in to keep it going through the summer. We who are fed with the Word of the Lord, pray that none might go hungry.

World Hunger collection box – You will see this box in the fellowship hall at every meal we share. When we share a meal, we should always think about the less fortunate in this world. The collection will be sent monthly to the ELCA World Hunger Fund. We collected $93 during the month of January. Thank you for being considerate.

South Brevard Sharing Center – Thanks to all of you that bring in food donations every week. A Big Thank You to Merle and Pam Steward and to Carole Mall for taking the donated food over to the Sharing Center weekly. We collected over 200 lbs. of food last month. The Food Pantry will now operate by appointment only every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 am –noon and 1:00pm—4:00 pm. You can schedule an appointment at www.tinyurl.com/SBSC-Pantry or by calling 321-727-8584 during business hours. The Thrift Shop reopened Monday, August 5 at 9 am.

Community of Hope (COH) needs you! COH provides a wonderful way to serve others by helping end homelessness in our community. Community of Hope is a faith-based, ecumenical 501(c)3 that provides housing for families.  In Brevard County the number of families in need is rising.  The resources available for families are NOT increasing.  The Community of Hope mission is focused on working families with children.  Community of Hope provides housing for families, including all the necessities/essentials to make a house a home.  Family coaches and case management are provided to the families to help them reach their goals for self-sufficiency.

How can YOU help?   Do you shop online through Amazon?  Do you order books, movies, tools, anything Amazon sells?  If so, there is an easy way to lend support!  Shop at www.smile.Amazon.com, select Community of Hope, Melbourne, Florida as the agency to support and order away!  Smile Amazon will donate 5% of every purchase to Community of Hope to help serve families right here in our area.

Community of Hope also needs volunteers for many types of tasks.  Everything from building maintenance and repair, painting, lawn beautification, office assistance, collecting donated household goods, to coaching/mentoring a family.  There are ways for every one of every age and ability to become involved, helping to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for all your support!

The Shepherd's Center provides a variety of classes for adults over the age of 55 from a variety of life experiences and faiths. We are people coming together and putting into action the supportive message of the Twenty-third Psalm to sustain and celebrate life. There are three 8-week terms: Fall, Winter and Spring. Class schedule is available on the Shepherd's Center Website. In addition to attending classes, members are welcome to volunteer to teach and support this program.

Peer to Peer Lifelong Learning Class descriptions and times will be
posted online September 1. Online registration negins September 19. Thursday classes will be at Eastminster Presbyterian Church beginning October 3, and Friday classes will begin at Ascension Lutheran Church on October 4. For more info on Shepherd’s Center Beachside: www.myshepherdcenter.org.

Prayer Chain is a group dedicated to lifting our members, family, friends, and community in prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord. If you have any prayer needs or would like to volunteer for the important ministry, please go to our serving opportunities tab or send an email to ourchurch@cfl.rr.com.

The Military in Our Prayers – We ask members and visitors to remember all who are serving in the military overseas and at home. A list of individuals is available in our weekly bulletin.

Ascension Quilters - The Ascension Quilters will gladly, at any time, appreciate donations of any items listed that you may be looking for a 'new home" to place them: Quilted bedspreads (good condition, no stains), Fabric (cotton, corduroy or flannel), Thread, Embroidery floss, Crochet thread ONLY cotton yarn.

Please note that the Knitting group will gladly accept donations of any yarn; however, as of 1 January, we are no longer permitted to use any yarn/threads to tie the quilts outside of what is listed above. We can use all colors for all the thread/yarn listed above. We also would be THRILLED to have more helping hands - please feel free to join us any Tuesday morning at 9:30 am! For more information, please chat with Pam, Sue, Cecelia, Sally or Beatrice.

Beatrice and Greg Showman drove up to Boone, NC after hurricane Milton devastated parts of western North Carolina and delivered 50 quilts, a large bag of baby blankets, cleaning supply, personal care items, coloring books, crayons, etc. to the Hospitality House Northwest N.C. Housing & Outreach Center. They organize the deliveries via ATV’s, helicopter
drops, by horseback and pack mule to those still isolated in the hills surrounding this area of western NC. Greg then donated tools to people from a community park that lost their whole tool shed.

New Life Ministry - Since 2009, New Life Mission has equipped homeless mothers with the skills and knowledge to transform their families in a Christ-centered environment. New Life Mission works to permanently break the generational cycle of homelessness by providing homeless women with children safe shelter, onsite childcare, in-house mental health counseling, access to health care, transportation, education, nutrition, job training, life skills education and more.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.