Church of the Ascension, Lexington Park

Ascension, Lexington Park was planted as a mission chapel of the Diocese of Washington in the brand-new suburban community of Lexington Park in 1951 -- the diocese actually built the church, itself, in 1954.  Our neighborhood has changed significantly from those post-War years, but God's mission to restore all persons to unity is still very much our calling.  That's why we're not only planted here; we're blooming here, together with our partnership with St. George's Church in Valley Lee and with All Saints in Avenue.  Nowadays, our part of 'downtown' Lexington Park struggles with economic inequality and profound, scarring injustice.  Many of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet.  Parishioners, however, come from all around St. Mary's County and throughout Southern Maryland, and all of whom want to make a difference in our world, indeed, make a difference right here in our local community.  Ascension offers a thriving food pantry, affordable professional mental health counseling, and we proudly support and provide office space to HOPE, a coalition of local faith-based organizations that seek to build networks of justice and hospitality in our community.  At Ascension, we learn to 'pray as we work' or, as the New Testament puts it, to be "doers of the Word."  Our witness is rooted in our worship -- incarnational, real, open, inclusive, and always with Jesus at our center.