Bishop Peter Rogness of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA was the preacher. Bishop Rogness is a South Dakota native and a graduate of Augustana College. Rogness explained that the Ascension story gives us a glimpse of hope in the midst of the difficulties of our lives on earth. You can't live your whole life looking up. You'll bump into things.
Life is lived in the pain.
The good news is that God is with us. And God gives us a glimpse so we can go on our way and keep on living. A new addition to this year's assembly was an assembly chaplain, the Rev. Richard Beckman. Beckman provided spiritual leadership to the assembly and lead prayers at the opening worship to remember pastors who had died in the year prior to the assembly. Among the clergy participating in the opening worship were Pastor Steve Swenson, Bishop Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, Bishop Peter Rogness, President Victoria Cortez, Pastor Deb Geelsdottir, Pastor Jeff Martinson, Pastor Steve Meyer, and Pastor Michael Jacobson.