Testimonials

Anja Suomi

Ascension Memorial Church

Sunday, October 27, 2023

When thinking about Ascension Memorial Church the first feeling that comes to mind is the feeling of warmth. Through my 14 years I have experienced this warmth countless times. My parents tell me that when I was a baby and fussy in church, they used to hold me up to the stained glass window and the warm light flickering through would help me calm down.

One of my first memories of church is when I was about 5 years old, I was in the Christmas pageant as an angel and recall the warmth glinting off my shiny gold wings. I used to sing very loudly hoping to be as good as the warm voices of the choir. I will always think of the warmth of the candles in bitter winters and the warm food from the coffee hour.

From ages 4 to 12 I experienced Vickie Hugh's warmth through many Sunday School projects. Her deep care and love inspires me to change and make a difference in the world. Brad's warmth through his homily reminds me to be kind, and he consistently delivers his warm and energetic greeting of “Hello Anja” every Sunday.

When I was little, I always thought the picture on the Paul Newman salad dressing bottles we had was a picture of Brad. And my brother Soren thought he was God. I guess there is a special warmth emanating from Brad!

With a bit of sadness, I especially remember Charlotte Dodge's warm smiles every Sunday. She would give me and my brother coloring books and write us letters. She was endlessly generous and positive. I have been baptized here. I did many Sunday School projects here. I have put daffodils on the cross. I’ve won a couple raffles. I have starred in the Christmas Pageant.

I have grown up here. One of the best things at Ascension Memorial is that they take you as you are. It’s how seamlessly I can fit in here from age 0 to age 14. This warmth has affected me in my life, it’s been a big part of my upbringing, and I'm forever grateful for it.

Jenna Lees-Rolfe

Ascension Memorial Church

November 12, 2023

My husband and I immigrated to the US 6 years ago from Australia with our then 12-month old son. My husband being born and raised in South Africa, and now we have added a little American boy by way of our youngest son, we have a geographically diverse family of four.

  Coming from different parts of the world, having close friends and family of all races, religions and political beliefs, it was my goal to find a church that was diverse, inclusive while not losing sight of its core beliefs. It was a tall order, I know. Often you find one and not the others. But Ascension landed this perfectly.

  A fabric is made up of threads and the strength of that fabric is dependent on the amount of those threads and how they are woven together. Inclusivity, diversity and steadfastness in Episcopalian faith weave together to make Ascension strong, unmatched and importantly, everlasting.

  As a parent, I strive to teach my children to foster relationships with all people, but to especially include all people. No matter their station in life, their current beliefs or particular strengths and weaknesses, all people have value.

  Ascension is one of those places that will accept you with open arms no matter where you are in life, how close you are with the lord, how frequently you are able to attend mass in person or how much you understand about the teachings of the bible. They will meet you where YOU are and have the resources (thanks to the generosity of our members) and the grace to fill you up where it is needed.

  Diversity is one of those things that people are big to encourage but not to actually follow through on. I view diverse relationships as a non-negotiable need in my life and my children’s. My closest friends and family are from all over the world and are of all faiths, races, orientations and political views.

  Having diverse relationships (as a person) not only increases your social competence, but it affects your overall well-being and resilience.  It’s easy to only choose to be around those who share the same beliefs as you, the same background, people who do not challenge you or make you think outside the box. But that is not leading, in my view, an enriched life, it is not building the resilience I need to really thrive in this world.

  It is the same for churches. Ascension’s diverse community is something to be extremely proud of. It doesn’t just talk about diversity, but diversity is the intention behind almost everything that it does and thereby ensures that its social competence is above and beyond those of other churches in the area.

  It is able to adapt to the ever changing ways of life as time marches on and remain convincing against the strong winds of change. I have every faith that Ascension’s diversity will help to ensure its everlasting presence.

  Change is something that is unavoidable, the world it seems has changed in so many ways, exponentially in recent times for good and for bad.

It is easy for churches to get caught up in it and lose sight of its core faith. It is easy for them to try too hard to fit in with ALL of the trends and ALL of the narratives.

  Ascension, as I have just said, adapts to changing times, however, it does not lose sight of its core faith, of who it is as a church. Which is very hard to do. I am eternally grateful to the volunteers here at Ascension for working so very hard to ensure this. It is a pillar that I can lean on no matter what new occurrences arise. I feel safe and at ease when I walk through those doors and I sit down and listen to Brad’s (always entertaining) words of wisdom. Brad is a calming yet inspirational force. You and your children’s ears are always safe with Brad. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t light a fire within you, because he does that. Every week.

  Like it is said in Isaiah 32:2 where Jesus provides us with protection and ultimate satisfaction, “It will be like a hiding place from the wind, like shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place.” This is what a righteous leader is like, this is what Ascension is like...like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. No matter the storm, the war, the political or economic climate, Ascension is steadfast in its faith, while being a leader in diversity and inclusivity and I hope that you will all continue to contribute to Ascension to ensure its legacy continues.

Rick and Rosemary Attridge

Ascension Memorial Church

November 5, 2023

Good morning, we have a story to tell you.

Once upon a time there was this little old lady and little old man who met an online dating site, fell in love and got married.

We  were attending church in Gloucester, but it didn’t feel like the right church for us.  That was the beginning of church shopping.  Some churches were too big, and others were too small.  But AMC felt “just right”.  (Although Rosemary felt like it was too far away, Rick reminded her that if the Bridge goes up it will take 20 minutes to go to church within Gloucester.

We told Brad after we joined that we just wanted to come to church and worship on Sundays and go home– we don’t want to be on committees, work on events etc.  Brad responded “of course, I understand,” Well you all know how that goes….  Fast forward 7 years later and here we are…we came to realize that a church can not function Independently.  We all have gifts and talents to contribute, but any organization needs money.  Once we signed a pledge card and contributed to providing money to make things happen, it strengthened our commitment to AMC. When we are unable to attend church and miss a Sunday at AMC we still fulfill our pledge to church.  The work here can’t continue unless we honor the commitment that we made.  We all need AMC in our lives, but it takes money for that to happen.  Please remember that as you fill out your pledge card this year.

In closing, a strong memory from our first Sunday here when after the service we were talking to Brad and he suggested that we try St. John’s in Gloucester,  since we were from Gloucester.  One this he said to us is that everyone has their own style.  Well we went to St. John’s the following Sunday but the week after we were back at AMC and have been here ever since.  Thank You AMC.

There’s No Place Like Home!!

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Ascension Church          Sunday, November 7, 2021

         Good morning! My name is Patsy Calhoun. When Brad asked me to speak about stewardship, I said, “of course”, immediately. It was a gut reaction because I love Ascension. I believe that I have found my church home here. I moved from Baltimore back to the North Shore in 2000, and so I am a relative new-comer here, but I have been a lifelong Episcopalian, and I understand the importance of stewardship for the continuing vitality of the church. When I look around and see this beautiful church and all the people in my church community, I am grateful and want to give back. I want to thank Brad, all his staff, the vestry, Frank and the choir, and I want them to have the resources to do what they do for us and for the broader community.

         I think Native Americans expressed taking care of our land so beautifully when they said, “We don’t own this land. We rent it for the duration of our lives on earth. We need to cherish it and take care of it. We need to leave it better than we found it.” The elders are still speaking to us, right here, right now. This is what our community is trying to do.

         Our community - that means you and me. I look at us as a community of vulnerability. How are we vulnerable? Because we are human beings. Because we are imperfect. Because we all feel joys and sorrows. Because we all suffer and have problems. Not the same ones, of course, because we are each separate, different and special, we are ourselves, BUT within our differences we are strong! Vulnerability is not weakness. Look at it this way, we need each other. We came to a much better understanding of this need during the past year when we had to be isolated.

         No one said it would be easy. Look at us now in 2021, still struggling with Covid, vaccines & masks, conflict, poverty, ignorance, racial discord, and severe environmental distress. This time, more than ever, we need our church and we need Good Stewardship. We need strong leaders and people who are willing to step up and serve with their time, talent and resources. We need Goodness and Grateful hearts now. When you are thinking about what you want to do for Ascension this year, it would be helpful to remember: You and I have an important and special place in this church.  

You and I have a home here, where we are loved and respected.

You and I can ask for help here, and someone will listen.

You and I have been given a lot, and so from us, much is expected.

         We can step up and be open to the world around us and try to see clearly what is needed and what we can do.

         LISTEN WITH YOUR HEART!

— Patsy Calhoun

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 My wife Hailey and I have been coming to Ascension since purchasing our home in Ipswich in 2015. I was a relatively recent convert to Catholicism and my wife was attending a Baptist Church. We found Ascension to be a nice middle ground in the context of the service format. We of course immediately took a liking to Brad and his homilies. We liked Ascension so much that we were married here by Brad in November of 2016. Brad did a great job with our service and allowed us to video record it, so we are grateful we can re-watch it each year on our Anniversary. 

In 2017 Brad approached me and asked me to serve on the Vestry here which I have enjoyed doing during my 3-year term. While serving on the Vestry I have seen a lot of the planning and heart that goes into the events here at Ascension whether they be for the purposes of fund raising or just serving the community. I was also able to serve a brief stint with the Prison Meditation Ministry. Brad and Ascension are great about including volunteers wherever they feel they can help, which I believe leads to a very inclusive atmosphere.  I think we have a great thing going here at Ascension. My wife gave birth to our beautiful daughter Samara in March 2020 and we look forward to having her baptized at Ascension once it is safe to do so. We also look forward to having Samara attend Sunday school someday at Ascension. 

Since coming here Ascension has felt like a second family. In a world where religion is trending downward in popularity, I believe it is great to be at an inclusive Church serving God and Neighbor.

— Josh MacDonald

From Meagan Liani, single mother of three:

I have been with Ascension for over 9 years now. I have attended services and annual events and have been a routine member of the bible study group. I have served as a volunteer caregiver in the Ascension nursery and contributed with youth ministry, under the direction of the amazing Vicki Hughes. My children attend the youth program and my boys have been lucky to sing with Frank Corbin and the youth choristers. My son, Nickolas, learned a lot on the mission trip to Navajoland with Ascension. I am thankful for the loving relationships that I have developed with so many parishioners here. I am thankful for Brad’s counsel as I’ve navigated much heartache and loss. I am painfully shy and awkward and I am thankful that the people here accept me and care for me even though I often come across as a “wackadoo weirdo”. Here at Ascension, it is comforting for me to be in such a beautiful place with incredible music and friendly faces. The space here is intimate and inviting. At first I thought it was maybe just the architecture and decoration--the shape and color of it all. But it’s so much more than that. Ascension radiates light. Not the blinding kind of light that makes you blink and turn away. Ascension radiates the soft and warm kind of light that you open your eyes to and turn towards because it’s gentle and safe. Ascension’s light soothes and sustains you. I’m often overcome with emotion when I am within these walls because I feel that light washing over me when I enter. After days of feeling so cold and alone in a harsh world, I come here and I feel bathed in love. I feel like I am finally home.

— Meagan Liani, single mother of three

I started attending Ascension as part of the youth choir in the third grade. At first it was fun just to sing, but when I entered the actual church to perform, it was completely different from everything I thought a church could be. I met Brad, an amazing community leader and a charismatic speaker that made church enjoyable and lighthearted. The church I knew before was cold and rigid, full of rules and stuffy people with upturned noses. Ascension is warm and loving and kind; The people here have a deep sense of community and honestly love their neighbor as they love themselves. I have been truly blessed to have met such a lovely group of people that have given me such amazing opportunities. I accomplished much more than I ever thought I could because of Ascension. I feel like I have a second home here, and like I have grown up in the church basement. I’ve sung hundreds of songs, watched dozens of movies and eaten way too many pieces of candy in the basement here. I have been able to travel and make treasured memories due to the kindness of the Ascension community and as soon as church reopens, I look forward to attending again.

— Ashley Bradley