Community Corner

FAMILY PROMISE UPDATE

Ascension’s host week begins Sunday, October 4th. Since it is not feasible to have families stay at churches right now, we still need to support them by providing the funds the 4 families in the program need for food during our week. Each family will receive their allotted amount at the beginning of the week so they can purchase food based on their needs and preferences.

Please consider donating to their food fund for our week. Any monies received over the needed amount for the 4 families will be distributed to recent graduates of the program who may still be struggling. Donations may be made online at the link:
bit.ly/familypromisemeals

Checks or Stop & Shop gift cards may also be mailed to the Family Promise office at: Family Promise North Shore Boston
ATTN: Rachel Hand
330 Rantoul Street
Beverly, MA 01907

Please continue to stay well during these challenging times. Thank you for any support you can give to our Family Promise families in transition. How difficult it must be for them, especially now.

Dawn Edwards and Rick Ostberg
Co-Coordinators

LEND A HEART MINISTRY UPDATE

With Massachusetts starting Phase III of their COVID re-opening of the MA economy, our Lend-a-Heart COVID ministry is winding down. We are transitioning this ministry into the Tiki’s Friends ministry. Many of you at Ascension know, Tiki, who was the faithful and loving canine companion of our rector, the Rev. Brad Clark. Friendly, sincere, good natured and non-judgmental, Tiki’s qualities are emulated by volunteers happy to be visiting parishioners who enjoy seeing a friendly face at their door, or an occasional phone call. There are many people who live alone, and those brief visitations significantly enhance the quality of their lives. Naturally, the group is named, “Tiki’s Friends”. If anyone would like to refer someone to this ministry, please call or send an email to the AMC office (978-356-2560).
 
We wish to thank all of the volunteers for the time they put into this ministry during the coronavirus pandemic.  It has helped many stay in touch and feel connected to someone else, and help take away some of the loneliness.
 
Stay healthy and safe and please keep wearing a mask.
 
Kathy Pischke-Winn
Patti Gorman

HOLBROOKS HUNT FOR HOUSING

Hello fellow Ascension parishioners.

As some of you may have heard Kristian and I are looking for new housing in the area – for both ourselves and Kristian’s sheep.  Our current housing will end at the close of the Governor Baker’s housing moratorium, currently set at Oct 18 – though this may be extended.  We are looking for a winter rental barn for Kristian’s sheep (they spent the summer in Vermont) and a house/apartment for Kristian, myself and Violette when she is on break from college.  We have 2 cats & two parakeets. Any leads are greatly appreciated!

Please email hjcharlesworth@gmail.com 

Thank you!

Haesel Charlesworth-Holbrook

INFORMATION: IPSWICH COUNCIL ON AGING

978-356-6650

-Grab and Go Meals for pickup or delivery (there is a short waiting list for this at this point)

-Van for Grocery, Medical Appointments, Prescription Pick Up

-Volunteers for groceries, technical help with devices

-Supplies for elders if needed:  disinfection wipes, hand sanitizers, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

-Comcast Cable Channel 8 and Verizon Channel 32 offer the following classes daily:

    8AM        -Tai Chi

    9AM        -French Classes

    11AM      -Yoga

    4PM        -Aerobics

    5:30PM   -Self Defense

PLEASE NOTE:  Stimulus Checks from The Federal Government

    -will be directly deposited if you are receiving SS payments to your account

    -DO NOT respond to phone or emails regarding this subject

    -if you do not receive direct government payments then go to their website:  https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

-Finally, If you need some resources for ideas to keep you busy, try the Ipswich Library website:  https://www.ipswichlibrary.org/

KEEPING THE FAITH - Column from Ipswich Local News, July 4, 2020
By Bob Waite

Growing up in Ipswich in the 1950’s, the first time I saw an African-American was while attending a Boston Celtics game with my Dad at the old Boston Garden. Prior to that, I had seen singer Harry Belafonte live on TV.

My Dad admired Celtic players like Bill Russell and Sam Jones and he – and most everyone else we knew – loved Belafonte.

But that was about the extent of it. Ipswich in those years was anything but diverse. Sure, as compared to Hamilton and Wenham we were a bit less white bread – we had Polish, Greek and French-Canadian communities after all – but we might as well have been a million miles from places like Roxbury, Dorchester or Selma, Alabama.

But that abruptly changed in the early 1960’s.

Led by two newly-arrived, energetic clergymen – Rev. Franklin Goldthwaite Sherrill at Ascension Memorial and Rev. Oliver Wendell Verrill at St. Joseph’s – Ipswich plunged into the Civil Rights movement head first.

“Goldy” Sherrill and “Father V” apparently decided that we in Ipswich, especially the young, needed to see beyond black athletes and entertainers.

And they didn’t just preach about it – they took action.

During the years between 1962 and 1964 they organized bus trips that took us into some very tough areas of Roxbury and Dorchester and to some really thrilling African-American church services in those communities.

I was 13 and 14 at the time. In retrospect, it is a bit surprising that Ipswich parents let so many of us go. But such was the trust that people invested in these two charismatic clergymen and their allies from the other local churches.

Goldy Sherrill’s level of commitment extended to leading a group that travelled by bus from Massachusetts to Selma, Alabama, in 1965 to take part in the watershed 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.

Sherrill didn’t stop there.  Soon after, he arranged for a bus load of young people from Selma and one from Roxbury to spend time in Ipswich to, in the words of a statement released by his family upon his death in 2015, “continue the conversation and work for integration and justice for all.”

Father V moved on soon after, first to Bolivia and then back to Massachusetts to head up a fledgling immigrant Hispanic parish. He even hosted his own Spanish language TV show.

Goldy Sherrill, always destined for great things, went on to become rector at Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights.

One day, in the 1980’s, while rushing through Grand Central Station to catch a train to Washington, D.C., I saw what looked to be a familiar face. It was Goldy.

“Rev. Sherrill, is that you? I am not sure you would remember me…”

He cut me off. “How is your family, Bob?”

We found a place to sit and fell into conversation long enough to both miss our respective trains.
We talked about those exciting times, the marches and meetings. About the passage of Voting Rights and Civil Rights legislation and the election of my former boss, Ed Brooke, who in 1966 became the first African-American to be elected by popular vote to the Senate.

But we also reflected on how interest in civil rights had seemingly waned for some as other issues, including the Vietnam War, women’s rights, gender equality and environmental concerns all came to the fore. And of course, in Boston, there was also the divisive issue of busing.

He asked if Ipswich had changed much since those days. “It’s bigger, “ I offered. “It’s grown in population. I’m not sure how much it has changed in other respects.”

“We can’t lose faith, Bob. Please say hi to your parents for me,” he said as we parted.
I think about that conversation now, in light of the current ferment over the death of George Floyd and so many others before him. It is good to see people in Ipswich out supporting Black Lives Matter, even in this time of pandemic and social distancing.

But I worry that we will again become distracted, that we’ll take our eyes off the prize, as happened before. We are sometimes the societal equivalent of a Labrador retriever, ready to chase after every  squirrel that  comes bounding into view. I hope I am wrong.  This time we really do need to keep the faith.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? HOW ABOUT NOW?

Several parishioners have reported difficulty hearing clearly the Sunday services being streamed live via Facebook and via the Ascension Memorial Church website. To resolve the matter, we will be purchasing a new, higher grade microphone for our lectern, and we ask parishioners to experiment with using earbuds or headphones for their tablets, computers, or laptops. Plugging into the services in this way has shown to increase one’s listening pleasure CONSIDERABLY (sorry, too loud?).