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An undated photo of a renovation project at Ascension Lutheran Church Ogden.

Photo supplied, Debra Jimenez

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An undated photo of a renovation project at Ascension Lutheran Church Ogden.

Photo supplied, Debra Jimenez

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An undated photo of a renovation project at Ascension Lutheran Church Ogden.

Photo supplied, Debra Jimenez

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An undated photo of a renovation project at Ascension Lutheran Church Ogden.

Photo supplied, Debra Jimenez

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An undated photo of a renovation project at Ascension Lutheran Church Ogden.

Photo supplied, Debra Jimenez

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HARRISVILLE — A local church received a major assist from a pair of local organizations as its leaders and congregation members work to rehabilitate church property.

Volunteers from MyHometown Ogden and E.K. Bailey Construction recently teamed up to help Harrisville’s Ascension Lutheran Church with a series of landscaping upgrades around the property — part of a broader effort to refurbish both the chapel and the surrounding land.

According to Pastor Debra Jimenez, the completion of the latest projects — which included removing trees and other vegetation, digging out sod and replacing it with rock along a 4-foot perimeter — was made possible by MyHometown Ogden’s ability to organize skilled labor, while E.K. Bailey provided heavy equipment and a dumpster to support the effort.

The assistance provided was crucial for a congregation with a largely older demographic.

“That was a very tall mountain for us to climb, both in terms of our ability to have the right people and the kind of cost that we anticipated we would encounter,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said that 34 people participated in the effort over the course of four service days held in recent weeks. One of the more challenging tasks involved removing two approximately 60-foot trees on the property. However, thanks to the help from community members and MyHometown Ogden, Jimenez said the trees were removed in just 38 minutes, a feat she described as “truly stunning.”

As noted in the Ascension Lutheran Church 2024 annual report, the chapel housed its first worship service in 1995. The church, meanwhile, has maintained a presence in Ogden for 65 years, dating back to January 1960 when Rev. Maynard G. Halvorson was called to lead a new Lutheran Church that was being established in the city.

The congregation was formally incorporated in September 1960.

Flash forward to now and Jimenez believes that faith played a key role in the community coming together to improve the property as the church gears up for its anniversary.

“I think faith really enters into this in terms of it isn’t about faith of a particular kind, but faith that says, together, we can accomplish something that seemed insurmountable,” she said. “So, with a coordinated effort, we, between us, were able to pull together the labor that was necessary and the plan and the equipment resources.”

She added that additional work will be completed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the church will continue to offer support to its members and the community at large through its quilters — who provide quilts to first responders — via donations of food and funds to the Ogden Rescue Mission, backpack programs and more.

“On this corner of Ogden, there are good things happening that contribute to the health of the community,” Jimenez said. “There is this new Family Promise building that’s going to be completed before we know it, and their families are going to be able to have a chance to become stable. We have Kidz Town on this corner, and they are working to provide safe and beautiful care for children in the community. And I like to think that we at Ascension are doing the same thing, contributing to helping create healthy families. And that’s good for everybody.”