On Greenville Avenue in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of northeast Dallas, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension has been a steady presence since 1983. Its tagline captures the spirit of the place: "Love Lives Here - Faith, Outreach, Inclusion." A diverse parish of the Diocese of Dallas, Ascension is known as much for what happens beyond its walls as for the liturgies inside: a long-running food pantry serving two hundred families a month, a community garden whose harvest feeds those same neighbors, a refugee bike ministry, weekly deliveries of drinking water to a community twenty miles away that has no running water, and a play-based preschool that has shaped thousands of children over four decades.
Two Sunday Liturgies on Greenville Avenue
Sunday is the center of the week at Ascension. Two services are held in the Nave, both following the Episcopal Church's standard liturgy, rooted in the Book of Common Prayer.
At 8:00 a.m., the parish offers a Spoken Eucharist, a quieter service without music or livestream. At 10:30 a.m., the Choral Eucharist brings together the full congregation, the volunteer Adult Choir, and the church's signature Martin Pasi organ. The 10:30 service is described as vibrant, diverse, and family-friendly, with a festive procession, scripture readings, a sermon, prayers, and Holy Communion. The 10:30 service is livestreamed each Sunday on YouTube, so members at home or in the hospital can follow along, and recordings remain available throughout the week. Children's Chapel and nursery childcare are available during the 10:30 service.
Worship at Ascension is shaped by an unusually deep musical tradition. The 10:30 Adult Choir rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. and sings a wide range of repertoire spanning ancient plainchant, classic anthems, modern works, and commissioned pieces. The instrument they accompany is itself a centerpiece: a two-manual tracker organ built by Martin Pasi in his Roy, Washington shop. Its freestanding case is constructed of old-growth Douglas fir, its metal pipes are a 97 percent lead-tin alloy, and its wooden pipes are made from Tulip trees. The organist and choirmaster, Glenn Stroh, brings more than two decades of church music experience to the role.
Children's Chapel and the Godly Play Curriculum
Ascension sees children as full members of the parish, not as future members. During the first hymn of the 10:30 service, a young crucifer leads the children of the congregation from the Nave to the Paula Tucker Chapel, where Children's Chapel is offered at a child-friendly pace. There, the children participate actively in the liturgy, discuss the day's Gospel reading, and connect it to their lives through song and movement. Children ages three and up are welcome.
At 9:15 a.m., Christian formation classes are offered year-round. The Early Childhood group, ages three through eight, gathers in the Godly Play Room to explore sacred stories using the Montessori-rooted Godly Play and Following Jesus curricula. The older childhood class for third through sixth graders, Journeying Through the Gospels, meets in the common area outside the priest's office and includes service projects; the children help the youth group prepare Blessing Bags for the homeless. Childcare is available for children under four during formation hour.
Beginning in fourth grade, children are invited to serve in worship. Acolytes, readers, and greeters are drawn from the parish's young people, and several of Ascension's teens eventually step up as youth vergers or to assist in Children's Chapel itself.
Youth Group: Service, Bible Project, and Blessing Bags
Ascension's youth ministry gathers middle and high schoolers, grades six through twelve, in the Youth and Outreach Center on Sundays, with the occasional evening event such as a pool party or a youth-hosted Trunk or Treat. The group's curriculum uses Bible Project videos to connect Scripture to contemporary life. Each month the youth take on a hands-on service project, assembling Blessing Bags for homeless neighbors, helping the younger children in Godly Play, building furniture, or pulling off community holiday events.
Blessing Bags are stocked through an Amazon wish list and made available in the Narthex for any parishioner who wants to grab a few and keep them in the car for distribution. The youth also serve as acolytes, readers, ushers, and greeters at the 10:30 liturgy, and the ministry is led by Alice Frederick, the Director of Christian Formation.
Adult Formation and the Parents' Social Hub
Adults at Ascension gather multiple times a week for study. On Sunday mornings at 9:15, the parish has offered a rotating slate of classes. Recent offerings have included a two-week examination of the Nicene Creed led by Mother Rebecca Tankersley, an autumn long study of women in the Old Testament using Sister Irene Nowell's workbook, and a men's study of Adam Hamilton's "The Walk," which traces five essential spiritual practices through the life of Jesus.
Parents of children from birth through college are invited to the Parents' Social Hub, meeting Sundays from 9:20 to 10:10 a.m. in the Parlor. Conversation centers on a daily reading from "Jesus Calling," and parents of every kind of family are welcome.
Wednesday evenings add two more touchpoints: the Adult Choir rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. and Ascension Prays, a prayer service that lasts less than thirty minutes. Anyone can drop in.
The Elaine Kadane Food Pantry and Harvest of Hope Garden
The Elaine Kadane Food Pantry, named for a longtime member, opens its doors twice a month, on the first and third Tuesday, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Volunteers set up tables of bagged goods and fresh fruit and vegetables, all welcome. The pantry sources much of its supply from the North Texas Food Bank hub at Sharing Life Ministries, and Ascension supplements this with a pantry-staples wish list and a separate protein drive. Parishioners stock shelves, register recipients, run semi-annual drives for hygiene items, and on holidays help fill bags for families who would otherwise go without.
On the church's north side sits Harvest of Hope, the community garden where members and non-members alike can rent a plot for a nominal fee. Gardeners commit to sharing a portion of their harvest with the food pantry, so the same families who come for groceries are also eating produce that grew on Ascension's grounds. The garden holds communal beds and workdays for those who want to help without taking on a plot of their own.
Austin Street, Sam Tasby, and the Bike Ministry
Ascension extends its feeding ministry beyond its own walls in several directions. Four times a year, in February, May, August, and November, parishioners cook family-size lasagnas, transport them to Austin Street Center, and serve dinner alongside other Dallas churches to some of the city's most vulnerable homeless neighbors.
Just south of the parish, in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood, Sam Tasby Middle School serves a large population of refugee families, many from Asian countries. When Dallas ISD asked for help establishing an on-site weekend food pantry, Ascension answered. Food is delivered to both the parish pantry and Tasby on the second Saturday of each month, and the parish also coordinates drives for body soap, deodorant, winter coats, and other essentials, and hosts an annual teacher appreciation luncheon.
The Ascension Bike Ministry began when a parishioner named John Lee saw an unmet need: refugees resettling in Dallas needed transportation. Donated bicycles are repaired and serviced in the parish's workshop, with one volunteer focusing on kids' bikes, and distributed through a waiting list coordinated by Hope Harbeck. Gently used adult and children's bikes are always needed.
Water for Sandbranch
Sandbranch is an unincorporated community twenty miles southeast of downtown Dallas, where approximately one hundred and fifty descendants of former slaves live below the federal poverty line. Until the 1980s the community had wells; those wells are now contaminated, and no running water is available. Over the last three years, Ascension has collected and delivered nearly three thousand cases of bottled water to Sandbranch, supplying drinking, cooking, and bathing water to its residents. Volunteers also distribute food alongside the community food pantry workers. Anyone interested in joining a delivery can contact Jane Taber through the parish office.
Pastoral Care, Stephen Ministry, and Agape Meals
Ascension takes seriously the ministry of presence. The Pastoral Care Committee is organized into several branches. Stephen Ministry pairs laypeople with parishioners going through difficult seasons for one-on-one confidential support. Food for Souls and the Card and Phone Ministry reach out through calls, notes, and small gestures. Greeting cards are sent for birthdays, anniversaries, sympathy, new babies, and other milestones.
For those facing illness, hospitalization, a death in the family, or the birth of a child, Agape Meals provides a coordinated set of home-cooked meals scheduled through Meal Train, with dietary needs and recipient details collected in advance. Pastoral care volunteers identify the ministries the family already participates in and route the meal request to those groups first.
Lay Eucharistic Visitors bring the sacrament to members who cannot attend Sunday worship. Clergy remain available for one-on-one pastoral conversations by phone, email, or video conference, and in extreme situations in person; they visit the hospital, bring Holy Communion, offer Anointing of the Sick, and provide Ministration to the Dying. For urgent needs the parish maintains a pastoral care hotline at 214.382.9776. A confidential clergy email account accepts prayer requests and pastoral concerns, and certified spiritual directors are available at no charge.
Ascension Day School: A Preschool on Church Grounds
Ascension Day School (often shortened to ADS) is a play-based Christian preschool serving children ages twelve months through Kindergarten. Classes meet Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with an extended day option for families who need a longer day. The school is an outreach of the parish itself, and its director, Kate Bear, brings a master's degree in special education and experience across Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, and private practice.
The day blends self-directed play with structured learning. Specials classes are scheduled into every day and include Spanish (taught through Total Physical Response, an immersive method), Music and Movement, Library, and Gardening and Science. Chapel is part of the rhythm of the week: clergy visit the school to share Bible stories, lead songs and prayer, and walk the children through the pattern of Episcopal worship. The school has its own plot in Harvest of Hope, and students are out in the garden weekly, sometimes bringing home vegetables they have harvested themselves.
Ascension Day School accepts applications year-round and provides tours for prospective families. Parents can reach the school at ads@ascensiondallas.org or 214.382.9773.
A Parish Built on Radical Inclusion
Ascension's core values begin with the words "radically inclusive community." The parish explicitly welcomes all who come through its doors, regardless of who they love, where they come from, or what they have done. Among its stated commitments, Ascension affirms the ordination of women to the priesthood, supports marriage equality and recognizes marriage as a lifelong commitment between two adults regardless of gender, recognizes that there is grace after divorce, and does not deny the sacraments to those whose marriages have ended. The parish also operates an Anti-Racism Task Force that works across the life of the congregation.
The mission statement describes a community focused on children and youth, on caring for one another, and on being the hands and feet of Christ. Quoting the Baptismal Covenant from the Book of Common Prayer, the parish holds out the call to seek and serve Christ in all persons, love neighbor as self, strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being. The work of inclusion is treated as a daily practice rather than a slogan, and the parish's own membership reflects that diversity in name and in fact.
From Funeral Home to Greenville Avenue
Ascension is a young parish by Episcopal standards. On Sunday, April 28, 1957, twenty-three adults and seven children from the Church of the Incarnation met at the Crane-Longley Funeral Home on Northwest Highway at Abrams Road to plan a new church for the growing North Dallas neighborhoods. Sixteen communicants petitioned Bishop Avery Mason for mission status, and the Church of the Ascension was born.
For its first months, the mission met in the funeral home chapel, then moved briefly to the Agnes Baldwin School on Walnut Hill Lane while land was acquired. In July of 1958 it moved onto its first property at the southwest corner of Central Expressway and Meadow Road, an old farmhouse and outbuildings that the vestry almost declined to buy because the price seemed too high and the location seemed "too far out in the country." Within a year the price had risen, and Ascension was baptized in the work of making do with limited means.
By 1964 the parish had grown enough to relocate just to the north, on the east side of Central Expressway, where it dedicated a new building on Easter of 1965. Two years later Ascension became a full parish of the Diocese of Dallas, though financial reversals and membership losses forced a return to mission status in 1973. Recovery followed, and by 1975 the parish had grown again. A debt-free parish hall was added in 1976.
As commercial development crowded the Central Expressway site, the vestry decided once more to move rather than cling to familiar buildings. The Greenville Avenue property, about a mile north of Meadow Road, was purchased; on June 20, 1982, the final service was held at the old location, and Bishop A. Donald Davies broke ground for the new church that afternoon. The congregation worshipped in the first phase of the new building as the Nave took shape. The completed church was consecrated and dedicated on Saturday, August 6, 1983.
Clergy, Staff, and Parish Leadership
Ascension is served by a small, long-tenured staff. Mother Rebecca Tankersley is the rector; she joined Ascension in June 2026 after serving several other parishes in the Dallas area. A native Bostonian who grew up in Dallas and later earned her law degree and Master of Divinity at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology, she brings both pastoral and legal experience to the role. Alice Frederick directs Christian Formation, overseeing the children and youth programs. Glenn Stroh serves as organist and choirmaster and leads the Adult Choir. Kate Bear directs Ascension Day School. Amy Maceo serves as parish administrator, and Catherine Miller handles communications as an independent contractor.
Parish governance follows Episcopal polity. The Vestry is led by Senior Warden Audry Lee, Junior Warden Kathleen Rylander, Clerk Jane Taber, and Treasurer Aaron Husman, with elected members rotating through three-year terms. A full slate of ministry committees, including Evangelism, Formation, Outbound, Pastoral Care, Property Plant and Equipment, Radical Hospitality, Stewardship, and Safety and Security, is chaired by lay parishioners and supported by an active Convention delegation to the Diocese of Dallas.
Sacraments and Pastoral Milestones
Baptism is celebrated at Ascension for infants, children, and adults. Each baptism is treated as a joyous event with preparation; families and adults interested in baptism contact Mother Rebecca to begin. Marriage is described as "a celebration of commitment and love in relationship," available to all; the parish affirms marriage equality and asks only what Episcopal canons and Texas law require. End-of-life planning resources, including funeral guidelines and a funeral plan packet, are available. Confirmation is offered to anyone aged thirteen and older as a mature affirmation of baptismal vows, prepared for through classes and sealed by the laying on of hands of a visiting bishop.
Hearing Loop, Safe Church, and Accessibility
The Nave is equipped with a hearing loop. Parishioners and visitors with hearing aids or cochlear implants can access the system through their device's telecoil setting. The parish takes seriously the Episcopal Church's Safe Church requirements: clergy, staff, volunteers who work with children and youth, keyholders, vestry members, and nursery workers are required to complete training on preventing sexual abuse of children, preventing sexual exploitation in communities of faith, and preventing sexual harassment of church workers, with recertification every three years. The trainings are available in English and Spanish.
Worship Volunteers and How to Get Involved
Serving in worship is open to anyone willing to commit. Acolytes, lay readers, lay eucharistic ministers, vergers, ushers, greeters, the Flower Guild, the Altar Guild, and the tech team that runs the YouTube livestream each have roles suited to different gifts. The Adult Choir welcomes new volunteer singers. The Pastoral Care Committee welcomes volunteers for Stephen Ministry, lay eucharistic visiting, and Agape Meals coordination. The Outbound ministries welcome drivers for water deliveries, gardeners for the community garden, cooks for Austin Street, and fixers for the Bike Ministry.
Visitors and newcomers are invited to fill out the Connect Form online or simply stop by. Mother Rebecca signs her welcome messages with the words "Peace to you all," a sentiment that has shaped Ascension's life in Lake Highlands for more than six decades.