Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks raised more than $100,000 last fall through its annual Gifts of Hope emphasis to fund an education project in the Central African Republic.

Each year in November, the church's Mission Committee works through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Global Missions organization to target a specific need for the Gifts of Hope program. This year, the committee selected a village education project in the Central African Republic where literacy is as low as 13 percent and about two-thirds of the girls receive no schooling at all.

Through donations by the Ascension Church and School community and a Christmas gift bazaar, $106,000 was raised to build a permanent school, supply classrooms, train teachers and assist students, especially girls, with their fees.

Another $10,000 was raised for other community service projects.