FAQ

Visiting a parish can be an intimidating experience. We hope to make you feel at home. Many questions asked by first-time (and repeat) visitors are answered below. If you have a question that is not addressed here, please contact the parish office. We look forward to seeing you!!

How do I contact you?

Mailing Address:

Episcopal Church of the Ascension
205 S. Summit Ave.
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877-2315

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 301.948.0122
Fax: 301.926.9012

Staff:

• Priest in Charge– The Rev. Javier Ocampo
• Office Coordinator –  Julie Brewer

A complete listing of staff members and parish leadership can be found on our Leadership/Staff page.

How do I get to Church of the Ascension?

The Church of the Ascension is located near Old Town Gaithersburg at the intersection of Summit Avenue and Route 355 (Rockville Pike).

More information about the Ascension campus can be found on our Contact/Directions/Campus page.

It’s snowing. How do I know if there will be services today?

We will always try to have church on Sundays even when the weather is bad, but please make the best decision for you and your family regarding whether you come or not.

Sunday activities outside of worship may be canceled, such as Christian Formation for Children, Youth and Adults, and volunteer leaders should feel comfortable deciding not to come if they feel being on the roads would be dangerous.

Please check the Church outgoing message at 301.948.0122 for cancellations.

At other times if the weather is bad and there is a scheduled meeting or event, we will follow Montgomery County Public Schools. If there is a delayed opening, our morning activities are canceled. If schools are closed, morning and afternoon activities are canceled. For Ascension’s evening activities, please check with the committee chair or the church outgoing message.

I’d like to stay in touch. Do you have an electronic newsletter?

Yes, we do. In fact we have two. Our Weekly newsletter keeps you informed of the happenings at Ascension on a weekly basis. Our Youth newsletter features news about activities and of interest to young people. Sign up for our Weekly newsletter or our Youth newsletter by filling out the signup form.

I like what I see. How do I become a member?

You are probably a member of the Church already.

Anyone who has been baptized is a member of the one, holy catholic and apostolic Church – the family of people who proclaim Christ as Savior, regardless of their denomination. Membership in a local church (your name officially on the rolls) has often been made more mysterious than it should be. In the Episcopal Church, you can become a member of a parish church by recording your name and the date of your baptism.

But membership is more than a name in a database. Christian identity is at the center of any act of affiliation with a church. And that identity is always born out of questions:

• Who is God?
• Who am I?
• What do I really Believe?
• What does this particular church believe?
• Who is Jesus Christ?
• What about my past religious life?
• What does Christianity have to do with the life I lead and the world I live in?

The life of the Christian is filled with many questions. Life with God is often more a matter of finding more questions that in finding all the answers. We believe that the church is the place where this life of “loving the questions” is best lived. As you live and pray and work with the Church of the Ascension, you may find the questions lead you to want to make a deeper commitment to your faith. The way to do this in the Episcopal Church is first through baptism, then through confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation of baptismal vows.

Membership in the Episcopal Church is open to any baptized Christian who registers his or her name and baptism with us. You can register by:

• Picking up a form at the church, filling it out, and returning it to the church.
• Having the church where you previously worshiped send us a letter of transfer.
• Providing basic information for our register including name, birth date, and place and date of baptism.

What is the history of Church of the Ascension?

Ascension’s early history evolved through those colonial years when in the New World the Church of England was first established on Maryland’s shores in the late 17th Century.

More information about our history may be found on the History of Ascension page.