Ascension Lutheran Church began in the late 1980’s as a preaching station of Redemption Lutheran Church of Lynnwood (a northern suburb of Seattle). For many years, Pastor Bertram Naumann faithfully and regularly brought the Word of God to CLC members in the Tacoma area, meeting in members’ homes and in various public venues.

The congregation was incorporated in 1992, and was served for two years by Pastor Wayne Eichstadt, the synod’s missionary-at-large at the time. In 1995 Ascension called Rev. Paul Naumann as their first permanent pastor. A parsonage was rented in the village of DuPont, Washington, just south of Tacoma. Sunday services were held in the DuPont city hall.

In 1998, after a lengthy search and with the help and advice of the CLC Board of Missions, the congregation purchased a four-acre property in unincorporated Pierce County between Tacoma and Puyallup. A spacious house, already on the property, was designated the church’s parsonage, and the whole property was dedicated to the Lord’s service on August 15, 1998. Worship continued in temporary quarters.

In 2003 the Lord further blessed Ascension by providing them the means to build a church of their own. The general contractor for the project was Jack Mayhew, a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Valentine, Nebraska. Volunteers—including many from Redemption—provided labor during the construction. The finished chapel measured 1,400 square feet and has a posted capacity of sixty-five, though the congregation has occasionally hosted larger crowds for special services. The sanctuary doubles as a fellowship hall, facilitated by having movable chairs rather than permanent pews.

Another change came in 2016 when, after serving the congregation for twenty-one years, Pastor Naumann accepted a call to teach at Immanuel Lutheran College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Holy Spirit moved the Ascension Members to call a seminary graduate to serve. Ascension’s current Pastor, Ben Libby, earned his Masters in Divinity Degree from Immanuel Lutheran Seminary in May 2016. Pastor Libby and his wife Krissy, have a 2-year-old son and were blessed with another baby boy in December of 18.