Church Of The Ascension, Miami

Episcopal / Anglican

The Rt. Reverend  Leo Frade Bishop of  The Diocese of S.E. Florida

ABOUT ASCENSION

The Church of the Ascension is a multi-cultural congregation comprising people of the Bahamas, West Indies, Africa, Central, South and North America.

Ascension is truly a vibrant parish. Our services are spirit-filled. Our worship is blended. The people here at Ascension enjoy singing. We are an Anglo-Catholic congregation. Our music is blended with traditional and evangelical songs.

We  are  actively involved in the renewal movement. We have done 40 Days of Purpose, and we do Revivals. Once each year, we have a Discovery renewal weekend. A great number of our members have participated in at least one Cursillo.

The advent of the 21st century has ushered in monumental and catastrophic events affecting this country and indeed the entire world, and produced lasting changes affecting the way of life in our  Nation, State and communities. Additionally the 2000 census revealed that our area was among the fastest growing regions in the country. The source of the growth was twofold (i) residents from other states attracted to the warm climate and (ii) immigrants from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The rapid growth in population has affected the demographics of the region particularly in the cultural  areas of  tradition and customs including religious conviction.

The Church of The Ascension too, has been impacted as its surrounding  community grapples with the challenges posed by these changes. Led by Father Cooper and the Vestry, the church has been re-examining its Mission, in light of the monumental events, challenges and changes that have occurred, with a view to finding and  adopting the most efficient and effective strategies and methodologies necessary to carry out the directives enshrined in the Great Commission of Christ.

Our deliberations confirmed the relevance of our mission, yielded possible solutions and strategies to be further explored and also revealed some urgent needs which must be addressed, in order to properly execute The church’s Mission. Three major objectives were identified that need to be immediately pursued:-

1. Greater interaction of the church  with the immediate and wider communities, leading to an expansion of the membership of the congregation.

2. Attracting more  youth and young adults into the membership of the church and reversing the tendency of our young adults leaving Ascension for membership in other churches.

3. Expansion & enhancement of the physical facilities of the church to adequately meet the needs of the present and future congregation.

These three Imperatives  are equally important and must be pursued concurrently. However because of the huge financial, physical, and manpower investment of resources necessary for its timely completion, item 3, will have to be given the highest  priority.

We have taken the steps necessary to initiate design and building approval of the expansion of the physical facilities of the church and started a Capital Campaign to assist in securing the necessary financing of the project.

We proceed in faith, with full confidence that the Lord will bless our efforts and provide the resources required to complete this undertaking on his behalf. 

The Reverend Bernardo Tomas, Associate Rector

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