User:BrotherBob49/sandbox

Church of the Ascension Episcopal, Rochester, New York


Ascension Church, in Rochester, New York, is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. It is located at 2 Riverside Street. Within view of Kodak's Eastman Business Park, it is in the Maplewood Section of the City of Rochester.

Ascension began in 1886 when it was a fledgling congregation meeting for worship, fellowship and planning for the future in homes. In 1888, a first church building was completed, a small brownstone structure on Burke Terrace. At that time, records indicate 20 families and 100 children as members. The parish was officially founded as Church of the Ascension in 1908. The current building was completed on Ascension Day, 1929. After World War II, Ascension, like most churches in the area grew rapidly as it served the needs of the community. In the 1960’s an office, church school addition was made to the church. The church has a magnificent organ and is part of the Eastman School of Music's Organ Initiative (EROI), A full choir, an acolyte group, Adult and Children's Bible Class.

Today, Ascension is home to M.E.E.K. (Maplewood/Edgerton Emergency Cupboard), The Ascension Care Closet (for cleaning and personal hygiene supplies, and other items not covered by Food Stamp or other programs, serving 100-140 people per month) Ascension also provides an office for Greater Rochester Community of Churches Faith in Action Network, meeting space for Cephas/Peaceprints of Western New York and for Safer Monroe Area Reentry Team, and an office for Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry.

The church is a large building made of red brick with limestone corbels. There are two chapels and two side aisles. The tower has one bell to ring the hours and in September 2015, a ring of ten bells cast and tuned in London by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry were installed. A dedicatory peal was rung after Bishop Prince G. Singh consecrated them.