Ascension, Ipswich to celebrate 150 years

[Ascension Memorial Church news release]:  Ascension Memorial Church (31 County Street) in Ipswich will be offering a celebratory Ascension Day service, open to all and led by the Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan, on Thursday, May 25, at 8 p.m. 

Ascension Day 2017 will be a special one for Ascension Memorial Church, as this year marks the church’s 150th anniversary. The service will feature the combined choirs of Ascension, St. John’s, Gloucester and St. Andrew’s, Marblehead.

“We’re honored to have Bishop Gayle Harris with us for Ascension’s 150th Ascension Day,” said Ascension’s rector, the Rev. Bradford Clark. “We’re also thrilled that the North Shore Deanery will be joining us for Ascension Day and the combined talent of the three choirs will make the music extra special.”

Inspired by the new diocesan mission strategy's call for “Building our Relationships,” the North Shore Deanery planned its quarterly meeting around Ascension Day with Ascension’s 150th anniversary in mind.  “We thought it was meaningful to combine our deanery work and worship of Ascension Day at Ascension,” said the Rev. C. Clyde Elledge II, Rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Marblehead and Dean of the North Shore.  “The 150th anniversary year of one our churches in the deanery is a celebration for all of us,” he said.

Ascension’s Dr. Frank Corbin, Director of Music and Liturgy, reached out to organists and choirmasters Mary Jodice at St. Andrew's, Marblehead and Mark Nelson at St. John’s, Gloucester to join the Ascension Choir. “As we look to celebrate Ascension Day and our 150th year, we thought what better way than to make choral music central to the service,” Corbin said. “There is a lot of musical talent in our North Shore Deanery, so it’s especially nice to work together as a combined choir.”

Following the 8 p.m. service there will be a reception for all in St. Matthew’s Parlor.