Lutheran church observes anniversary with picnic

Ascension Lutheran Church will celebrate its 60th birthday on Sun., June 8, with a congregational picnic on the church grounds at 1600 E. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks.

The church will hold one celebration service at 9:30 a.m. the same day. The service will feature all the church's choirs and a message from the Rev. Larry Wagner, the senior pastor.

The barbecue/picnic will follow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is no charge, but a freewill offering will be taken, and those attending are asked to bring a dessert to share.

Memorabilia and photos from the past six decades will be displayed in Pederson Hall.

A time capsule will be filled and stored on the campus to be opened at the 100th birthday celebration.

The church began in a Quonset hut on Chiquita Lane with 35 people attending the first service in 1948. The congregation was formally organized in April 1949. Within two years, it moved out of the Quonset hut into a new sanctuary on Conejo School Road, where the Elks Lodge is today. In 1961, it moved to its current location.

The church now also houses a K-8 school, a preschool and an infant-care center. It has 2,936 baptized members.