COMMUNITY MINISTRIES
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Churchill Downs Backside Ministry
Around 1,000 people, often of low-income Hispanic-Latino heritage, work the Backside. This ministry helps provide a hot dinner before worship 1-2 times a year to about 60 people at the track's Christ Chapel. They also participate in supply drives and deliver them to the track.
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Eastern Area Community Ministry (EACM)
We collect and deliver food for EACM's food pantry and provide volunteers to assist EACM clients in "shopping" the pantry. Ascension also supports EACM financially as a congregation and with individual donations.
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Textile Ministries
This amazing group has local and global impact by creating Lutheran World Relief quilts, prayer shawls for people facing challenges, small lap quilts and cuddly items for Hosparus, as well as other projects, including Learn-to-Crochet workshops and quilts for refugees. The group meets every Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
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Simmons College
Simmons College is Louisville's only HBCU (historically black college/university) and the first in Kentucky. We support Simmons with a "Welcome Back" BBQ in August for students and staff, donate to the student food pantry, and make financial contributions to Simmons.
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Market for Missions
One of the ways we donate to Simmons College is through donations from the congregation after summer Sunday services. Ascension gardeners, crafters, and bakers bring in items for the market, and people make a free-will offering for the items they buy. All proceeds go to Simmons College.
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American Red Cross
Regular reminders about the chronic shortage of blood and platelets is made, with an element of fun thrown in from the current Red Cross promotion.
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WaterStep
Ascension supports WaterStep's efforts to provide sustainable solutions to the world's WASH crisis. Since 1995, WaterStep has provided safe water solutions and innovation to places where infrastructure is fragile and execution challenges are difficult, especially slums, rural villages, and communities responding to disasters.
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Habitat for Humanity
Ascension participates in Habitat builds with our time, and greatly enjoy the Women Builds. Our annual promotion, Sponsor-A-Stud, fosters engagement with Habitat and strong donations.
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Louisville Homeless Outreach
We partner with The Healing Place to provide needed items to Louisville's homeless. As The Healing Place offers dormitory-style housing, primary needs are for personal items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.), linens (washcloths and towels), and socks and underwear for men and women.
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Refugee Ministry
In 2022, Ascension sponsored two women from Guatemala. These wonderful women are working, taking ESL classes, and on their way to independence. In June, 2023, Ascension supported a Ukrainian refugee couple and expects to support more Ukrainian refugee families in the future.
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The Forest Enrichment Center, Berrytown
Ascension supports Berrytown, a historically black community only six miles from Ascension, in volunteering, providing funds for community activities, and sponsoring family events (Halloween party, Christmas party, and Maundy Thursday dinner).
