But then he didn't show up at church for a week, and then two.

They saw his name and description in the obituaries, and many of them showed up at the mortuary service. They learned he had a family in town he had not seen for years. His family said that he couldn't maintain relationships or keep appointments; they feared he had lost all connection with society after completing his service as a Marine Corps officer.

The family members who came were consoled that he wasn't alone; he belonged to Church of the Ascension in Buffalo, N.Y., the place where the outsider is welcomed. Ascension was able to embrace the man's family and added a Eucharist to the service.

Ascension is a very small congregation in a large building with beautiful stained-glass windows and grounds lovingly tended by one of the members. The congregation also has had serious conflict in its not-too-distant history. Members struggle with a very small pledge base, find it challenging to heat their expansive worship space through the winter and have been encouraged by some to close their doors because of the declining population in western New York. They have every outward reason to feel discouraged.

Vision and prayer
Over the past year and a half, the members of Ascension have decided that they will not dwindle away holding on to their resources and fears. They want to share with others the sense of belonging that each of them has found at Ascension. They've dedicated all of their hopes and dreams, time, energy and endowment to be who God is calling them to be.

Now what?

They prayed. They began to articulate their vision to others. They prayed some more. They sought help from the Diocese Western New York and the wider Episcopal Church. Others joined them in prayer.

They opened their doors to a gathering with other small churches. They prayed for themselves and now others, as well.

They were blessed -- with the knowledge and hope found in some of the saints in the Episcopal Church today, with a brilliant musician who found welcome in their midst, with a priest whom God is calling them to walk with as partner and friend and with bastions of support and encouragement from neighboring Episcopal churches.

"Ascension's restart is a sign of hope for our Diocese and the City of Buffalo" said the Very Rev. David Selzer, rector of Church of the Good Shepherd in Buffalo. "The Episcopal Church is not going to abandon the city, and we will use our facility and people resources to be the presence of God in Western New York."

The Very Rev. DeLiza Spangler, dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, shares this enthusiasm. "As Christians," she said, "we are to step out in faith, trusting that where we are being led is where we are called to go, even if we can't clearly see every step along the way. The Church of the Ascension is doing just that, and I am grateful for the witness of faith, courage and discipleship which they are giving to us all."

Ascension's members didn't know whether they were going to make it or not; they still don't. What they do know is that this is not their issue. They have cast away fear and are living the precarious and engaged life of Christian discipleship, focusing on doing the best job at worshipping God and reaching out to others that they can.

Vital Statistics
Congregation: Church of the Ascension
Location: Buffalo, New York, Province II
Average Sunday Attendance: 21
Year founded: 1855
Current leadership structure/staff: Vestry, F/T Rector (as of 9/1/2007), P/T Organist, P/T Administrator

Resources
For further reading, the following Alban Institute publications are suggested:

Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, Gil Rendle and Alice Mann, Alban Institute, 2003. ISBN 1-56699-286-9. Alban Code AL276.

Discerning God's Will Together, Danny E. Morris and Charles M. Olsen, Alban Institute, 1997. ISBN 1-56699-177-3. Alban Code AL180.

Who Is Our Church? Imagining Congregational Identity, Janet R. Cawley, Alban Institute, 2006. ISBN 1-56699-321-0. Alban Code AL311.

Can Our Church Live? Redeveloping Congregations in Decline, Alice Mann, Alban Institute, 1999. ISBN 1-56699-226-5. Alban Code AL217.