The Ascension Story
Back in the 1960's God guided a small group of Lutherans, led by Pastor John Bender, a retired army chaplain, to take a risk by starting a new congregation in the Blue Ash/Montgomery area. Their hope in God, and consequently in themselves, was that eventually they would be able to construct a building where they and future members could anchor their faith and do God's work. The location they were charting was relatively undeveloped. It was their hope that the community would soon flourish, bringing young families to the area, people who would seek a place to worship and grow spiritually.
That small core of charter members, Bill and Audrey Dodge and Bob Braunsweig among them, had their hope in God realized when a contemporary building on Pfeiffer Road allowed them to move out of Maple Dale Elementary School into their own church property. Imagine what this meant to them - room for programs, potlucks, offices - do those
dreams and wishes hoped for in ages past sound very reminiscent of our current hopes?
Hope in God's plan for the congregation was tested at various times, but never more so than the early 1990's when a
longtime pastor departed and membership dwindled significantly. Expenses mounted at a time when giving naturally
dropped. Families who had been pillars of our church moved on for various reasons, leaving the few left behind to
assume additional, sometimes overwhelming responsibilities. A newly selected pastor, who had all but signed on the
dotted line, changed his mind and turned us down. Things finally brightened when God led Pastor Steve and Lin
Grieser to Ascension in 1994.
A common thread of expressing hope through the years was manifested in our traditionally strong music program.
Even when times seemed dark, our talented choir and musicians lifted us up every Sunday morning. We have been
truly blessed with dedicated music directors over the years.
Through our outreach projects, we have tried to foster hope in others. Needy families at Christmas, Hondurans living
in poverty, community members who benefit from the
NEEDS organization, Habitat families - guided by God's own love, we have loved and cared for others beyond our
congregation.
Hope, fostered by God's love and commands, prompted meetings to set out goals for the 21st century. Our
congregation searched their hearts, analyzed our strengths and weaknesses, and dared to dream of a new facility, much
like those founding members years ago. The successful completion of our building goals is not the end. Hope and faith
grew as our members bonded through the Carpenter's Zone campaign, through committee work, decision making, and
yes, even some disagreements.
Now, we must apply that hope to our future at Ascension. We pray for continued growth in membership, offering
others the same church home and family that have allowed us to progress in faith and service to the Lord. We hope for
guidance in strengthening our
existing programs and designing additional ones - not only for ourselves but for the community at large. We pray that
our continued hope in God in years to come will see Ascension flourish so that one day the grandchildren of
MacKenzie Green, Nick Edkins, Abby O'Connell, Sean Diamond, and Sarah Montague may worship as 5th generation
members in a congregation those few Lutherans dreamed of and sacrificed for - over 40 years ago.
