BINGHAMTON -- Multicolored light from stained glass windows shines on the worshippers at Ascension Lutheran Church in Binghamton. The altar displays a painting of Jesus' Ascension, his gaze upon the congregation as he rises to heaven.

Ascension Lutheran Church, 324 Clinton St., Binghamton, was built by Slovakian immigrants in 1906.

THOMAS LA BARBERA / Press & Sun-Bulletin

The reverent atmosphere in the church hasn't changed much since its founding 100 years ago by Slovakian immigrants, and the church is marking its centenary this week with an open house.

When Slovakian immigrants headed to the Southern Tier in search of blue-collar jobs, they kept two important things with them, bishop Rev. Wilma Kucharek said: a copy of the Bible and the tranoscius, a Slovak hymnal. "They brought that faith with them from the old country," she said.

Kucharek, 50, is the granddaughter of one of the founding pastors, the Rev. Samuel Holcik.

Worshippers used to gather at each others' homes until they started holding Slovak services at the German Reformed Church on Front Street in Binghamton, before deciding to create their own church on Clinton Street.

The church took its name from the Ascension, which celebrates the return of Christ to heaven, because it was the closest church festival day to the founding, Kucharek said.

Originally named The Ascension Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church, it is part of the Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Slovak Zion Synod is the only non-geographical synod, which means members are not limited to a specific district or region.

The founders were a part of the cultural and religious minority, Kucharek said.

"They had already come from a history of jumping over obstacles in Europe," she added. That understanding of obstacles helped them open the church to the community. Sunday services, originally celebrated in Slovak, are now celebrated in English.

Today, many members of the congregation are not of Slovak descent, or they grew up following another denomination. This includes Leslie Winston, 63, president of the congregation, who said he married into the church but holds the religion close to his heart.

Regardless of background, Kucharek said the congregation's faith unites them with the spirit of the founders.

The church's goal has been to maintain the commitment to faith that the founders had.

The church invited training seminarians from Eastern Europe in the '90s to train at Ascension Lutheran, including its current pastor, the Rev. Eva Simkova.

"It brings a new ministry back to the mother church," Kucharek said.

For Kucharek and Winston, the faith of the founders continues with the congregation.

"The people's faith keeps the church here," Winston said.