Pastoral Staff

Rev. Dr. James G. Cobb, Co-Pastor

E-mail: pastorjimcobb@ascensiontowson.org

Pastor Jim Cobb is a native of Hickory, North Carolina; graduated from high school in Roanoke, VA, college grad at William and Mary with M.Div. and D.Min. degree from Gettysburg Seminary, with clinical pastoral education at Richmond, Va and his internship was served in Tokyo, Japan. After serving as an Assistant Pastor in Annapolis, he served congregations in Fredericksburg and Norfolk, VA and Grand Rapids, MI. He served the last six years as Assoc. Dean at Gettysburg Seminary in Church Vocations and Lifelong Learning. He served 8 years on the national E.L.C.A. Church Council, also as ecumenical visitor to Strasbourg, Geneva, London, Rome and Istanbul and as a delegate to Lutheran World Federation in Hong Kong. He has written chancel dramas and contributed to sermon books with two published by him including “Sermonic City Sidewalks,” and “New Parish/New Pastor.” His most recent publication is Lutheran DNA:  Testing the Augsburg Confession in the Parish.  He and Judy are the parents of two adult sons in Greenville, SC and Northern Virginia. Hobbies: golf and all sports.

Rev. Judith A. Cobb, Co-Pastor

E-mail: pastorjudycobb@ascensiontowson.org

Pastor Judy Cobb is a native of Baltimore, grew up at Ascension Lutheran and is a graduate of Bryn Mawr School, Upsala College and Gettysburg Seminary. Her clinical pastoral education unit was completed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital and internship at Reformation, Newport News, Va. Prior to ordination she served as an Assoc. in Ministry in Christian Education, Youth and Campus Ministry in Grand Rapids, MI and Norfolk, VA. After ordination, she served as a pastor in Norfolk, VA, Gettysburg, PA and as E.L.C.A. Coordinator for Region 8 (8 synods, Bishops and ministries in this mid-Atlantic region). She has served on the ELCA Div. for Ministry, Task Force on Sacramental Practices and currently is a Lutheran rep. to the Lutheran/Reformed Church dialogues. She was a regular columnist for “Partners” magazine. Their Greenville, SC son is a nurse and youngest is an attorney in Northern Virginia. Hobbies: gardening and reading.

Program Staff

Joy Bauer, Minster of Music

E-mail: music@ascensiontowson.org

Joy Bauer received her BA in Vocal/General Music Education and English writing from Towson University, where she studied organ with Dr. Thomas Spacht.  Her Master of Music degree in Sacred Music is from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey, where she was a student of Dr. Donald MacDonald.  Joy has been a full time church musician since 1994 and has been the Minister of Music at Ascension Lutheran Church since 1999.  Joy is the organist at Ascension and directs a graded choir program including a Cherub Choir, Junior Choir, Adult Choir, and Handbell Choir.  Joy has been the music teacher for the Ascension Kindergarten since 2010, and, beginning in 2012, is also the music teacher for the 3s and 4s classes in Ascension’s Nursery School.  Joy lives in Anneslie, with her husband, Andy.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… in your heart sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.”
–Colossians 3:16

Courtney Adamo and Jen Anderson, Interim Directors of Youth Ministry

E-mail: youth@ascensiontowson.org

During the transition time, Church Council has approved the hiring of two interim, part-time youth directors:

Courtney Adamo is a long time member of Ascension, confirmed here and a particpant in Ascension’s youth group in her teen years.  She
recently accompanied our group to National Lutheran Youth Gathering in New Orleans, served as youth group advisor in the past year and worked
as a team with Jen Anderson during Vacation Bible School.  Courtney is a graduate of High Point University (NC) and was a English Lit. major.
She minored in writing, business administration and religion.  She has been a staff couselor for the national “Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership” seminar.  She works as an editor and instructional designer for Six Red Marbles, an educational publishing company in Hunt Valley.

Jen Anderson has been with our congregation for more than a year, a lifelong Lutheran and a native of Minnesota.  She is a graduate of our
ELCA college, Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, where she majored in communication disorders and psychology.  She served as a staff counselor at a Lutheran outdoor ministry site, Camp Onomia in MN.  She served with Lutheran Volunteer Corps in Wilmington, DE and is presently in the M.A. degree program at Loyola in Speech Language Pathology.

Kathy Shaw, Coordinator of Communications

Please contact me with any news for e-Notes and our website at communications@ascensiontowson.org

A native of Toledo, OH, Kathy Shaw moved to Towson (via Park Forest, IL; Greensboro, NC; and Wauwatosa, WI) and joined Ascension in 1983.  Still seeking to understand what God is leading her to do when she grows up, Kathy is happy to serve Ascension as a member of the Prayer Shawl Ministry and Afternoon Book Group and as Coordinator of Communications.  She is also a member of the DE-MD Synod Hunger Mission Task Force.

Nursery School Staff

Kati Ball, Director

E-mail: kati@ascensiontowson.org

Kati Ball has been teaching at Ascension Lutheran Church Nursery School and Kindergarten for twelve years. She received her BS in Early Childhood education from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota. She continued with graduate level courses in education while teaching first and second grades for seven years in Minnesota, Virginia, and California. Kati developed the Science/Art program for the 3s, 4s, and kindergarten while also assisting in the kindergarten Mid-Day Enrichment program (1996-1997) and teaching a four year old class (1997-2004). In 2006 she was named the Assistant Director.

Ann Hays, Assistant Director

E-mail: ann@ascensiontowson.org

Support Staff

Mary Keesler, Bookkeeper

E-mail: bookkeeper@ascensiontowson.org

“If you have questions about your offering, call me! Try direct deposit!”

John Woodward, Property Maintenance Technician

E-mail: jwoodw4@verizon.net

“If you see something broken, mark the repair form by the staff mailboxes.”