Bishop Barbara Harris @ All Saints Church: May 8 & 9

Bishop Barbara Clementine Harris -- the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion -- will make her first-ever visit to All Saints Church in Pasadena the weekend of May 8-9, 2010.

Bishop Harris is a long time friend of All Saints and an historic trailblazer for justice, compassion and equality. Ordained as Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts in 1989, Bishop Harris’s prophetic ministry and her unique, powerful preaching style continue to challenge and inspire.

She rocked the house last summer as the preacher at the Integrity Eucharist in Anaheim at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and you’ll want to mark your calendars now to be here when she rocks All Saints Church.

Bishop Harris will:

■ Preside at Confirmation services on Saturday, May 8 at 10am
■ Preach at both the 9 & 11:15am services on Sunday, May 9.
■ During the Rector's Forum (10:15-11:00 am on Sunday) Bishop Harris will join All Saints Rector Ed Bacon for a conversation about her historic episcopate and hopes for the church's future.

From the "This Week at All Saints" Rector's Forum announcement:

If one had canvassed all the women on earth to find the best candidate for the role of first-ever female bishop in the Anglican Communion, one could have found no finer candidate than Barbara Clementine Harris. Smart, savvy, witty and courageous, with experience presiding over a national public relations firm, Harris was raised up by Episcopalians in Massachusetts, who nominated her for bishop in 1989. Her election caused the church to rethink expectations for what a bishop might be, as she was neither white nor male.

Following her historic election, she resisted the expectations that she become a poster child who would purge the church of sexism and reverse Boston’s painful history of racial tension. On a national level she focused on social issues, opposing the death penalty, funding public education, and urging the full inclusion of gay and lesbian individuals in the church. A great storyteller, Harris will address some challenges that have been met and overcome, and point the way to opportunities for further change. Come and find a front-row seat for conversation with a living icon.

And this BREAKING NEWS: We are VERY excited to make Bishop Harris's inaugural visit to All Saints Church our inaugural live-streaming Rector's Forum. Visit the All Saints Pasadena U-Stream page on Sunday, May 9th at 10:15 a.m. PDT to be part of this breakthrough moment!