The
Reverend Herbert Borchelt of Hillsboro started original groundwork for
the beginning of Ascension Lutheran Church in 1960.
Except for that activity, there was no Lutheran Church in Cleburne until
six families in October of 1961 asked the Reverend Richard Patt of Fort
Worth to start conducting Lutheran services on Sunday night. On that
first Sunday night, they met in the Johnson County Electric Cooperative
Building, then located on West Henderson Street.
In
March of 1962, the Lutherans made their new home in the Dillon-Emmert
Funeral Home Chapel and remained there until they moved into their
present location. It was at this time that the name Ascension was
chosen for the church due to the festival of the Ascension being the
nearest church festival that year.
Having been troubled with a quick succession of vacancy pastor, in June
of 1963, the Cleburne congregation entered into a dual parish agreement
with Christ Lutheran Church in Hillsboro. The late Reverend Clemens Thies then served both the Hillsboro and Cleburne congregations until
the arrival of Cleburne's first full-time pastor, the Reverend Ronald
Timmons, in July of 1965.
Records indicate that the first child to be baptized in Ascension
Lutheran Church was on March 1, 1964, and the first wedding observed in
the church was on April 4, 1964. The first junior confirmation class
was confirmed April 18, 1965.
Shortly after the arrival of Pastor Timmons, architect Joe E. Line was
hired to begin drawings for the present church building. In February of
1966, ground was broken for the first building at 205 South Ridgeway
Drive.
On
Sunday, July 17, 1966, the Dedication Service for the present sanctuary
was held. Speakers for the event included the Reverend Robert W.
Helberg, 2nd vice-president of the Texas District Lutheran
Church - Missouri Synod.
Other
Pastors to serve Ascension Lutheran Church included the Reverend James
Hertzog from January 1968 to June 1968; the Reverend Carl Rehwaldt
from August 1969 to September 1974; the Reverends Peter Diebenow,
Harold Hein and Roger Neeb, as interim Pastors; the Reverend Benjamin
Rathgeber from July 1975 to May 1997; the Reverend Thomas Bode served
as interim pastor from June 1997 to April 1998.
During the pastorate of Pastor Rathgeber, the Burleson Mission was
started in October of 1975. In 1981, after 19 years of assistance from
the Mission Board of the Texas District, Ascension became a
self-supporting congregation. In 1983, Ascension joined several other
churches in the Fort Worth area in support of a Personalized Missionary
in Africa. The Reverend Dalton Noack of Ghana West Africa was the
missionary being funded.
Ascension currently supports KEMA that is associated with the
Lutheran Church of Mexico.
In
May, 1984, the congregation decided to begin raising funds for a new
education - fellowship facility. The new facility, as well as a remodeled
portion of the worship area, was dedicated to the glory of God in
November 1985. The space available for Kingdom works at Ascension was
doubled by completion of the new building.
In
1986, the congregation entered into a decade long Every Member
Stewardship Involvement program that led to deepened commitment,
greater awareness and use of spiritual gifts, and an increase in
personal giving. The church council voted to begin first fruits giving
of all offerings and to increase giving as a congregation to the
district at a rate of 1 percent each year until a goal of 20 percent was
reached. As a result of that action the Lord has richly blessed
Ascension.
1989
marked the beginning of the LifeLight Bible Study Series. That same
year the congregation organized the TETELESTAI offering that resulted in
a debt-free status for the first time since 1966.
On
April 19, 1998, the Reverend Joseph Ardy was installed as pastor. In 1998, Pastor Joe did an every member visit.
In
June 2000, Ascension broke ground for an educational wing consisting of
a Youth gathering room and classrooms for future growth as well as
storage spaces. The unit was dedicated in May 2001. The cross that was on top of the roof went to the front flower bed
for more visibility.
In 2009, Ascension took
a different look inside the Sanctuary. The the altar was rebuilt and the
sanctuary was painted, wired for
large screens and new sound system to enhance the worship services by
utilizing
audio/visual aids.
In 2011, the whole church
interior was repainted and the carpets were replaced.
to many more years of working toward greater fulfillment
of the Great Commission, "Go and Make Disciples."
