April 2022

Beloved Parishioners of the Ascension Cathedral,

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

I pray this message finds you and your family as well as we bask in the Resurrection of our Lord! The stewardship committee would like to personally thank the Ascension Liturgical Choir, the organist, the chanters, the altar boys, everyone who decorated the kouvouklion, the youth and their parents for participating in the Good Friday retreat, and those who came together at the parish picnic. Thank you for your Stewardship! Your contribution coupled with our dedicated clergy helped us celebrate each of the services and events held at Ascension. This is precisely what real Stewardship looks like when we spread the Holy Gospel together. We also want to take the time to thank the many volunteers in advance, who will donate their time, talents, and treasures at our festival in May. It’s time to make post pandemic memories together at Ascension.

I encourage you to take a look at your financial contribution to the church and ensure that your recurring payments are being deducted by your bank. It is not too late to complete a pledge card and make a donation for this year.

May the risen Lord who shattered Hades and who freed us all have mercy on us and save us!

In the spirit of love,

Your 2022 Stewardship Team

November 2021

Ascension Stewardship Update

Beloved Parishioners of the Ascension of our Lord,

Please see the attached charts as we are literally $3,000 off of our budgeted number for 2021!  With God’s blessings we have an opportunity to come together and finish a COVID year wherein we generated zero income from our festival or rental of our facilities.  Please take the time to ensure your recurring payments are being deducted, and consider making generous Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts.  Let us cry out to the Theotokos, “Hail, fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation,” as we celebrate The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple where she was consecrated to God.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

I also wanted to thank the Ascension Prayer Team who continue to pray on a daily basis for living individuals with special needs and for those who have departed this life.  We will recognize this team in church very soon and reload by bolstering the team to begin worship services for intercessory prayers and needs of the community in 2022.  This is a great opportunity for parishioners to pray for our hierarchs, clergy, church ministries and those with special needs. Please consider introducing this weekly commitment to your child, Grandchild or Godchild.  While we have all of the days of the week covered, the power of communal prayer helps us continue to spread the Gospel by increasing our prayer life at Ascension.

Yours In Christ,

JD, Efthalia and Michael (Parish Council Stewardship Team)

March 2021 Youth & Young Adult Engagement

Beloved Fellow Ascension Parishioners,

We want to start off by wishing you all a Blessed Lent ("Καλή Σαρακοστή!") and a Happy 200th Anniversary of the Greek War of Independence ("Ζήτω η Ελλάς! Χρόνια Πολλα!").

This past few weeks, our Stewardship Committee has been focussing on our Youth Stewardship, with a special emphasis on our young adults currently in their twenties. We met with Dr. Ann Mitsakos Bezzerides (Director of the Office of Vocation & Ministry at Hellenic College Holy Cross) and Jenny Haddad Mosher (Director of the Telos Project at Holy Cross) to learn more about the Telos Project (www.teloscommunity.org), a grassroots program that has been partnering with parishes across the country to help communities engage our young adults.

Some of the key insights from the Telos Project have been the importance of giving our young adults a stronger voice and an opportunity to share their knowledge and engage within their areas of expertise. This provides an opportunity to involve them in the decision-making in our community, provide a seat for them at the table, and integrate them into community leadership roles. This is important not only to recognize, empower, and energize our young adults but also for our entire community, to continue to cultivate understanding, gratitude, and empathy for our clergy and our community, and to foster an appreciation for what it takes to keep a parish operating and successful.

As the Stewardship Committee explores further how we pursue our outreach and engagement of our young adults, rest assured that you will each have a vital role to play and that we will be including not only our young adults, but parents, the Parish Council, and people in our community who have held leadership and foundational roles over the years, so that we can learn from as many of you as possible. We will be reaching out to you with a formal announcement in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, looking ahead to the month of April, we will start collaborating on a structured mentorship program led by Father Nick Mueller and Dr. Maria Woods targeting youth and young professionals. We are also continuing with our Prayer Team Ministry and welcome you to join us to pray for our community on selected days by emailing ascensionprayers4700@gmail.com. Please also email the Prayer Team to submit the names of those living and departed who you would like to include in our prayers.

Finally, as we end the first quarter, we would like to thank all of you who have made pledges this year. With the help of your generous donations received to date, we are very near our March 30th target of $164,012. If you haven't had the opportunity yet to make your pledge this month, please contact the church office or donate online at www.ascensioncathedral.com/stewardship.

With deep gratitude,

Efthalia

Allen, Stewardship Committee Member

March 2021 Meal Ministry

“…the Greatest of these is Love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

Beloved Fellow Ascension Parishioners,

The love that Saint Paul describes in his letter to the Christians at Corinth is an expression of stewardship. Love and stewardship are inseparable when we consider God’s blessings in our life and the way we use these gifts with love and compassion for others and to honor, worship and give thanks to God.

We are continuing our homeless outreach with Vincent Pannizzo of Mission for the Homeless where a number of families are helping to prepare food to be distributed to the homeless on the streets of Oakland. Our collaborative efforts in working with "Vinnie" and the folks he's helping on the streets have, by the grace of God, brought them to Orthodoxy and were baptized at Ascension. We are looking to expand our outreach in providing meals for the homeless. Please reply to his email if you are interested in helping steward this ministry. Additionally, On Sunday, March 7th our meal ministry lovingly fed single mothers and their children at the Love a Child Mission, a faith-based shelter and recovery center in Bay Point.

Additionally, we have begun the prayer team ministry, which is off to a great start with a lot of involvement. Please email ascensionprayers4700@gmail.com if you'd like to be a part of the prayer team, which requires a commitment of praying for those in our community on selected days as part of the team. Please also email the team if you would like to submit names of those living and departed for whom you would like prayers for.

Continued area of focus is to target young adults returning from college and welcome them as leaders of the church community by capitalizing on their expertise and training.

Please also consider donating appreciated securities that have been held for longer than one year as a way to support the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension in Oakland. Donating securities, mutual funds, and other assets offers you the chance to support our work while realizing important benefits for yourself as you can reduce or even eliminate federal capital gains taxes on the transfer. You may also be entitled to a federal income tax charitable deduction based on the fair market value of the securities at the time of transfer.

In the coming months we expect to launch the following ministry initiatives of being involved with Project Mexico. Please stay tuned for more details.

We ask you to support these worthy ministries. Giving to His Church is a way to thank God for His grace and generosity. The question is not, “What are the dues?” but “How can I thank God for my many blessings?”

Please give prayerful consideration to the commitment you are making to being a steward of our church. A check mailed to the church is most meaningful when accompanied by your presence, by your willingness to serve, by your prayers, and by your commitment. Giving is not a substitute for commitment – it is an expression of your commitment and an expression of thanks for the many blessings in your life.

Finally, be sure to watch Dr. Eugene Bobroff’s Stewardship testimonial following the live stream this coming Sunday!

Yours in Christ,

Michael Evans, Stewardship

Junior Stewards Initiative

Beloved fellow Ascension Parishioners,

It was great to see everyone in Church last Sunday! After hearing the Gospel according to Matthew and the Parable of the Talents, It is my duty to reach out to everyone to use their talents to glorify God and this holy house of worship. Cherish the day the Lord tells you “Well Done! Come and share your master’s happiness!” It is truly amazing what is happening at Ascension. There are so many new opportunities starting to develop and as we begin to “open up,” we look forward to the return of all of the parish ministries coupled with new and exciting ways to share your time, talents and treasures.

In January we introduced the Stewardship Prayer and the Ascension Prayer Team. Now we are blessed to begin a series of stewardship opportunities for our youth. The first will lay the ground work and emphasize the importance of financial giving to the Church. This Fall, a Youth Council dedicated to the mission of Christ will take on leadership roles that mirror the Parish Council, including a formal swearing in service at Church, regular Youth Council meetings, and participating in the decision making processes at the Cathedral. 

After all, they are the future Stewards! Consider having your children, Godchildren, grandchildren, nieces and nephews become “Junior Stewards” by making a pledge to the church in the suggested amount of $1 per day and recite the Stewardship Prayer. Then join the prayer team with them as your “special time together,” just as you would watch them play at baseball or soccer games. With God’s blessing, your stewardship will help support the following youth programs in some capacity in 2021: Serving in the altar; Sunday School; summer camp; GOYA; HOPE; JOY; basketball and athletics; prayer team; Greek dance; junior choir; Greek school; and meal ministry.

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, accept our offerings as You have accepted the gifts of Your people throughout the ages. We offer these gifts to Your glory, for the support of the ministries of Your holy Church, for the alleviation of suffering and hunger, and for the proclamation of Your Gospel to the whole world.

Grant us Your blessing, Lord our Savior, that we may always be faithful stewards, continuing to share the gifts You have given us, by the power of Your grace, mercy and love. May Your name be glorified forever. Amen.

Additionally, in February we will begin in-person and video testimonials of parishioners describing “What Stewardship means to me.” All of our time, talent and treasures will be honored throughout the year with opportunities to glorify God with beautification projects at Ascension, a focus on family wellness, and leaving a legacy for the next generation of Orthodox Christians at Ascension.

In the spirit of genuine love,

JD Woods

Stewardship Chair, Parish Council 2021

January 2021 Prayer Initiative

Beloved fellow Ascension Parishioners,

This year we will push out new initiatives each month in an attempt to get the faithful at Ascension excited about sharing their time, talents and treasures. First, let me begin by saying, “Thank you: for your 2021 pledge cards and generous donations!” Since we believe in the “POWER OF PRAYER,” the January stewardship projects include prayer! Below is “the Stewardship Prayer” that we will begin to incorporate in various aspects of our church community:

Stewardship Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, except our offerings as You have accepted the gifts of Your people throughout the ages. We offer these gifts to Your glory, for the support of the ministries of Your holy Church, for the alleviation of suffering and hunger, and for the proclamation of Your Gospel to the whole world. 

Grant us Your blessing, Lord our Savior, that we may always be faithful stewards, continuing to share the gifts You have given us, by the power of Your grace, mercy and love. May Your name be glorified forever. Amen.

Additionally, you can share your time, talents and treasures by joining the newly created Ascension Cathedral Prayer Team, who will pray for you and your loved ones daily by name! Parish Council and dedicated StewardshipCommittee member Michael Evans will be our first ever prayer coordinator and create a team that will, by the beautiful instruction of the Apostle Paul, “pray ceaselessly.” 

If you are interested in taking turns praying in your home for the strengthening and progress of all the parish ministries, leaders, volunteers, parishioners of the Ascension Cathedral, their friends and extended families, our priests and hierarchs everywhere, please submit your name to ascensionsprayers4700@gmail.com. Once our team is formulated, the group will keep constant prayer throughout the month, and share their experiences with the community. We will let you know when you can begin submitting names for the prayer list soon.

In the spirit of genuine love,
JD Woods
Stewardship Chair

A Message From our New VP of Stewardship

Kali Hronia!

I have accepted the position of Vice President of Stewardship on this year’s Parish Council. I was baptized and raised at Ascension and had the privilege of participating in the following ministries over the past five plus decades: Altar; GOYA; basketball; dance; Greek School; junior choir; Sunday School; summer camp and Parish Council, including the office of President in 2007 and 2008. I hope we all can begin 2021 the right way with thanksgiving and worship! We will be rolling out new Stewardship initiatives this year to continue the momentum you have started. Thank you for your generous contributions over the years and for your 2021 pledge cards. Keep them coming.

The time has come to leave our church in better shape than we found it, for our children, grandchildren and Godchildren. Consider increasing your financial contribution during this time of uncertainty. As restrictions ease, this Parish Council will lead the way and be a role model within the Archdiocese and provide a blue print on how to safely return to church programming and the various ministries. Thank you in advance!

May the sanctified waters be for us a healing of soul and body! Na mas fotisi O Theos!

John (JD) Woods