In the slow-growing suburb of Vestavia Hills, just south of Birmingham, a small band of Episcopalians decided in 1953 not to wait for a bishop to plant a church. They met in the town hall, in homes, and in school buildings, organized themselves, and asked to be recognized. Within three years they had their first full-time vicar, the Rev. Josiah Ware, Jr.; by 1957 a building of their own; by 1960 the status of a full parish and a Rector. More than seventy years later, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension on Canyon Road still describes itself with that same word: neighbors. The parish of around 450 has grown into a mid-sized community with a working preschool, a full music program, and an outsized appetite for feeding people both inside and beyond its doors.
A Parish Built by Neighbors
Ascension was organized at the urging of lay families in the years after World War II, with guidance from Bishops Carpenter and Murray and early clergy including the Revs. David Cady Wright and Lee Graham. The Rev. Josiah Ware, Jr., served as the congregation's first Rector from 1960 through 1969. The Rev. Edmund Campbell followed (1970 to 1972), then the Rev. Robert Lockard shaped the parish for nearly three decades (1972 to 2000). The Rev. Craig Smalley led Ascension from 2001 to 2006, the Rev. Stephen Hood from 2007 to 2017, and in 2018 the Rev. Jack Alvey was called as Rector. The Rev. Emily Collette arrived in 2023 as Ascension's first full-time Associate Rector, another milestone in a community determined to invest in its own future.
Longtime members often explain their loyalty with a phrase the parish itself uses: a genuine concern for one another. The same instinct shows up outside the walls, in the Weekend Backpack Program that sends food home with Vestavia Hills students, in The Abbey lunch ministry, and in river-cleanup mornings with Black Warrior Riverkeeper. Ascension also joined the Season of Creation, joining churches worldwide in caring for creation during a month-long observance each autumn, and recently partnered with Williams Blackstock Architects on a master plan to reimagine its campus. The decisions feel consistent with the founding story: a community that chose to keep showing up.
Sunday Mornings: Two Eucharists, One Continuous Prayer
Worship at Ascension centers on the Book of Common Prayer. Two Sunday services of Holy Eucharist frame the week. At 8:00 a.m. the parish celebrates Holy Eucharist, Rite I, a quiet and intimate service of about 40 minutes with no music. At 10:30 a.m. the full assembly gathers for Holy Eucharist, Rite II, with choir, hymns, sermon, and Holy Communion, running about an hour. Worship follows the ancient Episcopal pattern: standing to sing and for the Gospel, sitting for the readings and the sermon, kneeling to pray. The bulletin carries visitors through each step, and no one is expected to have it figured out.
At the Gloria during the 10:30 service, children from 3K through third grade process out for Children's Chapel, led through a child-friendly liturgy by a Chapel Liturgist, and return at the Peace to receive Communion with their families. A professionally staffed nursery for infants through 3K opens at 9:15 a.m. (10:15 when Sunday school is not in session) and stays available through 11:45 a.m. All baptized Christians are welcome at the rail regardless of denomination; gluten-free wafers are available; anyone who prefers not to receive may cross their arms for a blessing.
Once a month the rhythm shifts. Casual Church gathers in Ware Hall (and, weather permitting, the Memorial Garden) at 5 p.m. for acoustic music and a more relaxed liturgy, occasionally combined with blessings of the animals on the Feast of St. Francis. Special worship throughout the year includes Outdoor services, Lessons and Carols, and the Burning of the Greens. Every service is livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel, and the sermon archive stretches back years in podcast form.
Formation Across Every Age
Children's ministry at Ascension is built on the conviction that young disciples are not future church leaders but ministers of the gospel now. On Sunday mornings from August through May, 9:30 formation offerings run side by side with the Adult Forum. Godly Play introduces 4K through second graders to the great stories of faith through the Godly Play curriculum. Club 345 welcomes third through fifth graders, and the EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) gathers middle and high schoolers for Youth Group. Acolytes in fourth grade and older carry crosses and candles in the 10:30 procession. Vacation Bible School fills one summer week for 4K through fifth graders. Every Children's Chapel gathering follows a season of learning and prayer, and the parish prays regularly for both its children and its young people.
Adults have their own rhythms. The Adult Forum meets at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays during the program year in the Sunshine Room or Ware Hall. The Rector's Bible Study gathers in the Sunshine Room at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and is led by Jack Alvey, who selects the topics. A Women's Bible Study led by Emily Collette meets at noon on Tuesdays; participants are encouraged to bring their lunch. Education for Ministry (EfM), Cursillo, Episcopal Church 101 (an inquirer's class), and the Ascension Wellness Center extend the formation menu into deeper theological reading and small-group work.
Ascension Men and Ascension Women give the parish age-stage fellowship. Peer Groups sort parishioners into four "piers" by life stage - Pier 23 for the twenties and thirties, Pier 34 for the thirties and forties, Pier 45 for the forties and fifties, Pier 60 for those sixty and older - with gatherings several times a year. Souper Wednesdays add a weekly food-and-fellowship meal during certain seasons. Kathy Lounsbury, the Senior Life Minister, tends the older members of the parish.
Music as a Forming Force
Music at Ascension is described by the parish itself as integral to worship. The Ascension Choir provides musical leadership at the principal services throughout the year under Mike Sparks, the Choirmaster and Organist; congregational hymns and service music come from The Hymnal 1982, with selections chosen to support the Revised Common Lectionary and the seasons of the Church Year. A documentary on the Ascension Organ is part of the parish's music history.
Beyond the principal choir, the Canyon Road String Band carries the music into more informal settings, including Casual Church. The parish also offers music lessons, hosts a Concert Series, and maintains a Special Music Fund for gifts that expand the music program. Music at Ascension is not a program so much as a craft: choirs and congregation learn the collects, the canticles, and the great hymns of the tradition so that the prayers of the Church become part of how people pray on their own.
The Abbey, First Light, Backpacks, and the Wider Neighborhood
Ascension's outreach ministries are a point of pride and a natural extension of the parish's identity. The Abbey is a weekly feeding ministry that prepares and distributes sack lunches for neighbors in Avondale. The Weekend Backpack Program partners with Vestavia Hills City Schools to pack and deliver food for students who need it on weekends. Volunteers prepare and serve dinner at the First Light Shelter, which serves women and children experiencing homelessness in Birmingham. At First Light and other shelters, as well as the Grace Woodlawn Food Pantry, Ascension also collects needed items each month through Giving Hope, a focused monthly collection that rotates the spotlight among ministry partners.
Larger gatherings extend the work. The Food Truck Festival, typically held near Ascension Day in May, brings four to six food trucks to the campus and draws more than 600 neighbors, with proceeds supporting outreach programs like the Backpack initiative. The Gumbo Gala is an annual fundraiser for Episcopal Place, and Ascension also hosts the Episcopal Place Birthday Party each year. During Lent the parish gives to Sawyerville, a diocesan ministry in Hale County, and through Parish Grants supports ministry partners across the diocese. In service of all of this, John Wilson serves as outreach coordinator, and a short Volunteer Accelerator quiz helps newcomers find a place to match their gifts.
Ascension Episcopal Day School
Ascension Episcopal Day School (AEDS) opened in the fall of 1967 and has grown into a high-quality preschool serving children from across the Birmingham area. With the prayers and support of the parish, AEDS continues to thrive as a place where young learners can learn, grow, and play under the same roof as three generations of Ascension congregants. Rebecca Posey serves as Preschool Director.
Walking In the Door
First-time visitors find Ascension at 1912 Canyon Road, just off the highway that runs through Vestavia Hills. Two parking areas serve the campus: a larger upper lot near Terrill Foyer (the welcome center) and a smaller lower lot closer to the Nave, typically used by those with mobility needs. From Terrill Foyer, the Grand Stairwell leads down to the worship space; greeters are posted to point visitors in the right direction. After the 10:30 service, the parish gathers in Terrill Foyer for Sunday Social, lemonade, cookies, and easy conversation.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Visitors can drop in during those hours or reach the staff anytime at admin@ascensionepiscopal.org or 205.822.3480. The parish also keeps a Calendar of upcoming events and a running podcast of sermons, weekly announcements, and a Newsletter for those who want to follow along from a distance.
Mission, Core Values, and the Ascension Collect
The parish's mission is informed by John 13:35 - By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another - and gathers up into a single line: To Make Christ Known by our Love for All. Five core values shape that mission at Ascension: Gospel-Centered Worship, rooted in the liturgical tradition from generation to generation; Theological Exploration, the conviction that the Holy Spirit guides the community into truth through study, conversation, and prayer; Generous Hospitality, the welcome every visitor is promised; Reconciling Community, Jesus' prayer that all may be one; and Relationship-Based Mission, the belief that the kingdom of God is revealed through relationships built through love and service.
The Ascension Collect gathers those commitments into one prayer: Almighty and Eternal God, you call us together as the Ascension family and bind us in Christian love and witness. So focus our hearts and minds upon Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and guide us to know your Holy Spirit in the life of our parish, that we may realize that our similarities are greater than our differences. Help us to recognize your image in all people as we work together as one body in Christ to the glory of your Kingdom now and forever. Amen.