Our History
We praise God for his work in us since 1843.
The Church of the Ascension began its journey on November 28, 1843, when a small group of concerned local Episcopalians met for the purpose of organizing a congregation in Westminster, which at the time was a small village with a population of approximately 500. In May 1844, the Diocesan Convention, held in Baltimore, voted to grant the formal organization of the “Parish of Ascension.” Fundraising began and in August 1844 ground was broken on our Stone Church. In May 1846, on Ascension Day, Church of the Ascension was consecrated.
Stone Church "Then"
This original building, now affectionately referred to as the Stone Church, exemplifies the Neo-Gothic architectural style advocated by the Ecclesiological Society in the 19th century. The Stone Church has been modified only slightly in the past 170-plus years, and is recognized as an historic property by the Maryland Historical Trust.
Giving
Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Our 2024 Stewardship Campaign, Walk In Love, ends on Sunday, November 3 when we will gather and bless the pledge cards. Weekly reflections, posted above, are available to help us think about generosity. The theme, Walk in Love, comes from Ephesians 5:2: Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
This verse is one of the offertory sentences the celebrant can use to introduce the second part of the Eucharist. It’s a reminder that when we bring our offerings of bread, wine and money to the altar, we offer ourselves to the Lord as expressed in the Eucharist Prayer I, Rite I:
"And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies."
Stewardship is about time, talent and treasure. All are important. Ascension is blessed by the many volunteers who share their time and talents to support our mission. We are blessed to have 77 pledging units in 2024. We are also blessed by those who give generously without pledging.
During this Stewardship season, I invite you to think about the many blessings you have received through Ascension. I invite you to think about and give thanks for all those who generously have offered their time, talents and money at Ascension since 1844. All we have today, our beautiful buildings, grounds, and our community of faith, are testimonies of the generosity of those who came before us. It is now our turn to make the flame shine even brighter. Let us walk in love together, let us be as generous as we
can. And on November 3, let us gather joyfully as we offer our financial offering as a sacrifice to
the Lord to support Church of the Ascension.
Walk in love!
Rev. Pierre-Henry Buisson