75th Anniversary

Rev. Roland M. Jones

November 6, 2005

Let us pray: May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

It is a great privilege and honor to be with you this morning celebrating the 75th anniversary of this beloved church building. My wife and I and our children hold some very fond memories of our years in this parish and remain grateful for our time in this sacred institution.

It is my understanding that we not only are celebrating the 75th Anniversary but also All Saints and Stewardship Sunday. Therefore, being a former Rector of this parish, I cannot resist saying a few brief sentences about stewardship.

A small Episcopal parish was experiencing great difficulty in meeting its budget. The young lady Rector was very worried. Then a very wealthy gentleman in the parish approached her one day and said; "I will give you twenty-five thousand dollars if you will guarantee me an entrance into the Gates of Heaven." The Rector quickly replied; "Oh no, we Episcopalians cannot do such a thing. We do not believe in buying your way into paradise." Then the man said; "Well, I will give you fifty thousand dollars if you will get me past the Divine Gates." "Oh no, we cannot do that. The Bishop would put me on trial for heresy." "Then I will give you seventy-five thousand dollars to get me into heaven." At this point the lady Rector became very nervous. She paused and then began to say something but stuttered. So the gentleman interrupted her saying; "I will give you 100 thousand dollars to get me into paradise." The young lady Rector could not stand it any longer. Her heart was racing. Her hands were shaking. Her palms were moist. She thought for a minute and finally could not help herself as she blurted out; "Well it is worth a try."

Please see your stewardship chairperson.

I have had a long connection with Ascension. This building was constructed just two years before I was born. I was raised in Takoma Park and it was the time when the national economy was collapsing into the Great Depression. Lifestyles were very constricted, and a big social night for my parents and me was to drive to Gifford's Ice Cream parlor at the corner of Sligo and Georgia Avenues. So my father would drive us along Piney Branch Road to Sligo Avenue and up Sligo to Giffords to enjoy one of their famous chocolate sundaes. But along the way my parents would point out Ascension Church. Although we attended Trinity Church on Piney Branch Road, my parents were aware of the remarkable act of faith it had been for the congregation of this parish to have a major building program during a time of extreme unemployment and severe economic stress. Although there had been some assistance from the Diocese of Washington, it was truly a major act of courage to construct this building.

A few years passed and I found myself at Takoma Silver Spring Junior High School. I developed several friendships with other students who happened to be members of Ascension. Those friendships continued through three years at the Junior High, three years at Montgomery Blair, and four years at the University of Maryland. After graduation from Maryland, the Air Force sent us to the far corners of the world. But in those years my friends sometimes described the benefits they received from being members of this congregation. Now as I look back over that period of time and the subsequent years, I have become convinced that Ascension has been a very fine and true incubator of the Christian Faith. And all the incubation, and all the formation of Christian servants have frequently been accomplished under the most difficult circumstances. As a parish, it has been an expression of long-term courage. All of us who at one time or another have been associated with this parish should be very grateful.

Fourteen years passed, and in 1967 I was honored to be called to be the Rector of Ascension. On my first Sunday it was a wonderful surprise to be greeted by some old friends. But meeting one parish member was quite a shock. My former kindergarten teacher was a member of the parish. When I first saw her I hoped she would have forgotten the times she had sat me in a corner to make me behave. But unfortunately she had not forgotten, and I must confess that for the first month or so, I felt a little uneasy preaching to that wonderful old lady.

In 1967 this building was in serious need of repairs. The slate tiles on the roof had decayed and were leaking. The old furnace was rusting out and the electrical system was more than a little tempermental. One Sunday morning we had a heavy rainstorm and the water began dripping on the front pews. There was little funding for extensive repairs, so we had the roof patched, modified the electrical system and I prayed over the furnace.

Within a few months the vestry decided these interior walls needed to be painted. So we put together a work crew of parish members including my kindergarten teacher and painted this entire interior. The next year we redecorated all the lower level classrooms once again using volunteer labor from the parish membership. Then through the great generosity of several parish members, these stained glass windows began to appear, greatly enhancing the beauty of this fine old building. It was another example of the old parish discipleship manifesting itself in a display of determination and the courage to keep this parish alive and flourishing.

A year or so later we became a fieldwork or training parish for students at Virginia Seminary. I mention this program because I believe it was and has been another example of the incubation of Christian discipleship and ministry in this parish. Some of you may remember a few of the first students who came to Ascension. The Rev. Glenn Busch is now the chaplain of the University of Chicago, and the Rt. Rev. Duncay Gray is the Bishop of Mississippi. More recently, the Rev. Sally Holler has just been called to be the Rector of a very interesting parish in Charlotte, North Carolina. All of them and many others have been the beneficiaries of the spirit of this great parish.

I wish these old walls could speak. We would hear tales of the Sunday School classes, the music program, the work with the Cuban refugees, the Esther Chapter, the Altar Guild and the countless others that have formed the Ascension body and made these old walls sing with activities in the best of times and in the worst of times. It has been a wonderful story of courage and perseverance.

Now the future beckons. You have a new building, a new mortgage, and must seek a new Rector. When you interview for a new Rector, tell your candidates the history of this parish and what these old walls have witnessed. Tell those candidates of the raw courage and perseverance that have formed this parish over the past seventy-five years, and tell them how the forging of this parish has made it the great incubator of faith that is so much of its tradition. Tell them this is a chosen place with some of God's chosen people. They will understand.

Thank you so much for your kind invitation. In the Faith, Amen!