Church of the Ascension, Gaithersburg

Youth Group (YG) Formation—middle and high school students-meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month in the evening from 6:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m. in the Undercroft Commons area. Ascension’s YG is open to all youth in 6th grade and beyond, and they need not attend Ascension to participate in YG. Typical YG evenings include dinner, a spiritual lesson, and fun games—”Food, Fellowship & Fun”. YG kicks off the program year with a cook-out in September the Hight Walker’s home.

* Youth Sunday-this is a special Sunday in the spring where the youth run all aspects of the service, with our seniors providing the homilies.

*Service Projects – Students participate in service projects throughout the year by selecting causes that mean the most to them.

*Summer Work Camp – Each summer students travel to various areas of the country to help improve the local communities while building a lifetime of spiritual experiences through hard work and fellowship.

Each class begins with music and movement, including the song “This is the Day the Lord Has Made” and some simple yoga to help us prepare for the lesson. The storyteller then tells a story using the Godly Play materials.  Afterward, we discuss the wondering questions, such as “I wonder what part of the story you liked best?” “I wonder what part of the story you think is the most important.” “I wonder what part of the story you think we could leave out and still have all that we need?” and perhaps most importantly, “I wonder what part of the story is about you?” Wondering questions are the heart of the Godly Play approach. Each child hears the stories of the people of God and reflects on how the stories are manifest in their own lives.

After the wondering questions we work together on craft projects, sharing ideas about the lesson as we work. Children who join the class virtually will be given a set of craft materials to use at home.  We finish our class with prayers of thanksgiving and petitions. Each of us is invited to share something we are thankful for and/or something we would like to ask God for, and then we pray together.  Finally, children rejoin their families in the Nave for the Eucharist.

The Equity and Justice Committee meets every other Thursday evening working to develop projects that encourage the Parish to reflect on current and past inequalities and how we can live into our interconnectedness using our God-given talents to lift up every member of our human family. We acknowledge, respect and protect the inherent dignity of all peoples celebrating our differences as God intended.

The Green Team meets the first Monday of every month at 7:00pm.

We are a diverse group of concerned citizens with backgrounds as avid nature
enthusiasts to simply citizens of Planet Earth who have heard the call to serve
environmental justice. We are called to heal our gutted earth and to save it for
future generations. We work to inspire and equip people of faith to honor, protect and restore our shared watershed. We will work with people across the Chesapeake; to honor, care for and work together so that all communities in the watershed may thrive now and in the future.

At Church of the Ascension, music drives our 10:00am Eucharist. Through the music of our Choir, Piano, and Organ, we come together in songs of worship, reflection, and praise. In a typical worship service, you can expect to hear music from a variety of cultures, styles, and traditions. "The Hymnal of 1982" is the backbone of our congregational singing, but other hymnals such as "Wonder, Love, and Praise", and "Lift Every Voice and Sing" are represented as well.

The Choir performs every Sunday morning at the 10:00am Eucharist between September and early June.