MINISTRIES
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Hospitality &
Coffee Hour
The hospitality ministry at Holy Ascension centers mainly around our weekly potluck style coffee hour held each Sunday after liturgy. Special events are also a focus of this ministry and include (but not limited to): our annual parish picnic, Thanksgiving feast, Christmas concert, and Christmas Day feast.
Brandy Barna, Hospitality Coordinator
hospitality@holyascensioncharleston.org
Children’s Ministry & Church School
Holy Ascension Children’s Ministries aims to educate our young people about the faith and give them opportunities to interact with their peers. We do this both in a classroom setting following Liturgy every Sunday during the school year and during quarterly special events. We welcome members, catechumens, and inquirers alike to join in these classes and events.
Elena Barna, Director
Nina Parker, Head Instructor
churchschool@holyascensioncharleston.org
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Saint Lydia Sisterhood
The Saint Lydia Sisterhood serves the parish and our larger community through works of charity and mercy; to tend to the needs of the church, the clergy, and our parishioners; to care for parish families; to fundraise for our works; and to support fellowship events within the parish. We do this by providing visitation, church beautification, meal trains, showers, and special events.
Ava Parker, President of Saint Lydia Sisterhood
sisterhood@holyascensioncharleston.org
Bookstore
Holy Ascension bookstore is a source of Orthodox materials for Orthodox Christians and inquirers. Our focus is to have resources available to enrich everyone’s spiritual journey. We stock books by Orthodox authors and books on Orthodox saints, service books, prayer books, prayer ropes, icons, Orthodox crosses, and occasionally other items such as incense and candles.
Joan Hagan, Bookstore Manager
bookstore@holyascensioncharleston.org
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Catechism Class
The purpose of catechism is to educate on the foundational building blocks of the Orthodox Faith. Although aimed primarily for catechumens, the class is helpful for those inquiring about the faith and serves as continuing education for the Orthodox faithful.
The class runs its course to the school year: starting in Fall, breaking for Christmas, and concluding by the end of Spring.
Subdeacon Daniel, Catechism Instructor
catechism@holyascensioncharleston.org
Choir
Our choir focuses on elevating the beauty of liturgical worship to help create a prayerful and peaceful atmosphere. Every year, we curate concerts, such as our popular Christmas Concert, and improve the quality of big services, such as Holy Week and the 12 Great Feasts. Also, with a deep interest in high-quality music, we do our own arrangements and compositions.
Olivia Joan Rehmet, Choir Director
music@holyascensioncharleston.org
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Orthodox Christian Fellowship
Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the United States. Father John serves as the advisor for the OCF at the Citadel, where he leads discussions and helps to offer students a rich community in Christ, inspiring a life-long love of God and neighbor.
Father John Cox, Spiritual Advisor
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Burial Ministry
Since 2004, our funeral ministry has buried dozens of members with and without the assistance of a professional funeral director. Our team of men prepare our men for burial and a team of women prepare our women. We can also assist with purchasing a casket and dealing with funeral directors. All of our services are free of charge.
Read our burial ministry director’s publication:
A Christian Ending: A Handbook for Burial in the Ancient Christian Tradition
Protodeacon Mark Barna
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Parish Events
While church services are essential and the heartbeat of church life, community building outside of services is also a vital aspect for fostering growth and life in the church. Whether it’s a group trip to a hockey game or an evening of musical performance, we aim to create events that will help deepen and strengthen community. Have an idea for an event? Please reach out to our event coordinator for more details.
Timothy Shaw, Event Coordinator