"We hold these truths to be self-evident ..."

As we head into the 4th of July weekend, the "fireworks flowers" are blooming right on schedule as we prepare once again to celebrate Independence Day at All Saints Church.

It is our annual opportunity to sing spirited patriotic songs, to offer prayers of thanksgiving for all that this country stands for and to acknowledge where we have fallen short of the vision of liberty and justice for all. We will appreciate the men and women who serve and have served our country, represented by a member of the armed forces who will bring a folded American flag to the Eucharistic table -- along with the bread and the wine -- as symbols of our lives and labor offered to God.

And THIS year we will welcome to the pulpit Saints’ long-time friend and colleague in peacemaking, the amazing Rabbi Leonard Beerman as our preacher at the 9 and 11:15 services. Founding Rabbi of Leo Baeck Temple, leader in the cause for peace through justice for nearly all of his 90 years, Leonard combines the fire of the justice-maker with the soul of a poet.

With him as the celebrant for both services will be the friend he met at a 1960's protest against the Vietnam War in Downtown Los Angeles — our rector emeritus, George Regas.

Don't miss this chance to be part of a truly extraordinary opporunity to celebrate the birth of our nation as people of peace & justice!

Celebrating Faith Shared

It was a beautiful day in the All Saints neighborhood for "Faith Shared" Day ... the nationwide initiative of people of faith celebrating the common ground that unites Christians and Muslims as children of the same God.

We were honored to have in the our pulpit Dr. Maher Hathout, Founder and Senior Advisor of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and a long-time friend of All Saints Church.


Here were the readings for the day:

A Reading from Qur’an (Chapter 5, Verse 48)For each group of you We made a path to take to God and a manner to go through it. Had it been the will of God to make us all in one group, He would have done that; but He wants to test you in what He has sent to you. Then you will compete with each other in doing goodness. To God you all shall return, only then He will tell you the truth about that which you have been doing in this life.


The Good News of Jesus as written in John (13:34–35)I give you a new commandment: Love one another. And you are to love one another the way I have loved you. This is how all will know that you are my disciples: that you truly love one another.

And here's Dr. Hathout's wonderful message of love as the cement that interconnects us all as members of the same human family.



For more information on the Interfaith Alliance and "Faith Shared" visit their website.
For another reflection on Sunday's service, see Susan Russell's blog.

June 26 is "Faith Shared" Sunday!

All Saints Church is proud to be part of the national “Faith Shared” initiative set for Sunday, June 26. Sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance & Human Rights First, the project is designed to “counter the misperception, including in the Arab and Muslim worlds, that the United States is a nation defined by the widely covered images of the marginal few who would burn a Qur’an, rather than by a proud and longstanding tradition of religious freedom, tolerance and pluralism.”

In celebration of those traditional values shared by All Saints Church and in solidarity with interfaith leaders across the country, we welcome to the pulpit Dr. Maher Hathout — founder and senior advisor of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and a co-founder of the Islamic Center of Los Angeles — as our preacher this Sunday, June 26, at both the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services.

For more information about Sunday’s services at All Saints Church contact Norma Sigmund at 626.583.2734 or nsigmund@allsaints-church.org


For more information on the Faith Shared project visit their website

Trinity Sunday kicks off an Interfaith Trinity of Sermons

This Sunday is not only Father’s Day, it’s TRINITY SUNDAY – and this year we’ll be celebrating for the next three Sundays with three very different preachers in the All Saints pulpit!


• June 19 - Susan Russell will “recalculate” The Trinity in a sermon entitled "Our Strength, Our Courage and Our Freedom" at 7:30, 9:00 & 11:15.

• June 26 - long-time friend and prophetic Muslim leader Dr. Maher Hathout will preach as part of the nationwide Faith Shared celebration.

• July 3 - we will welcome our Rabbi-in-Residence, Rabbi Leonard Beerman for our annual Independence Day celebration.


Don’t miss the chance to be part of this historic interfaith preaching series as we proclaim from our different traditions our common commitment to God’s love, justice and compassion.

David Gushee: Social Justice & Human Dignity

"A Case Study in Prophetic Christian Ethics"
Saturday, June 18 | 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon | All Saints Church, Pasadena


As the ethical implications of budget decisions are debated in both Washington and Sacramento, All Saints Church offers the extraordinary opportunity to dialogue with one of the freshest voices in Christian ethics. Rev. Dr. David Gushee will uncover the theological foundations and contemporary applications of the ethics of social justice and human dignity. He invites a conversation about his most recent book exploring human worth that just may bridge a progressive-evangelical divide.


$10 suggested donation | For more information call 626.583.2734 or email nsigmund@allsaints-pas.org

Comment on today's Prop 8 ruling

Today’s ruling by Chief Judge James Ware rightly rejected the ridiculous effort by supporters of marriage discrimination to invalidate Judge Vaughn Walker’s Prop 8 ruling because of his sexual orientation.

“How great is it that this ruling came on Flag Day!” said the Reverend Susan Russell, a Senior Associate at All Saints Church in Pasadena and the chair of the LGBT Program Group in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. “What a perfect day to take another step toward turning ‘liberty and justice for all’ from a pledge we make to our flag to a reality we live in our nation.”

“There is still much work to be done to undo the injustice of Prop 8 and to secure marriage equality for same-sex couples. But today’s ruling makes it clear that homophobia has no place in our courts and we will continue to work to make it clear it has no place in our churches.”

“What we need to build strong families is a Protect Marriage Movement that protects all marriages and a Family Values Coalition that values all families. Today’s ruling is just one step toward that goal but it is an important and encouraging one. We rejoice in it even as we look forward to the day when all married couples will have the equal protection guaranteed by our Constitution and marriage discrimination will at long last be relegated to the dustbin of history. “

Anne Peterson's "Confessions of a Church Lady"

Sunday, June 26, 2011
1:00 Pm
Sweetland Hall

Anne Peterson will enter retirement in September, and the Women's Council is thrilled that she has agreed to be their 2011 honoree at the annual "Voices of the Heart" Brunch. Anne has promised to tell us all! Anne was instrumental in the creation of Women's Community so they plan to go all out for this historic event!

The afternoon will not only feature Anne's lively wit and insight, but a delicious brunch with wine or sparkling drinks and fabulous fellowship. 

Don't miss this wonderfully joyous event: a special time for the All Saints Women's Community to gather around Anne to let her know how much she means to all of us.

Admission is $20.00 per person and space is limited so make your reservations now. Click here to RSVP online ... or visit the Women's Community table on the lawn on Sunday.

Summer Choir Call!

Participate in

All Saints' Summer Choir

July 3 – September 4

All tuneful voices are welcome to sing any or all of the Sundays.

Simply come to the Choir Room (downstairs in Regas House)

promptly at 10:00 a.m. to prepare for the 11:15 a.m. service.

For more information contact Melissa Hayes in the Music Office

626.583.2725 or mhayes@allsaints-pas.org.

Rector Emeritus George Regas in the ASC Puplit for Pentecost!

The Feast of Pentecost is marked at All Saints Church with red vestments and prophetic preaching celebrating the power of the Holy Spirit -- followed by cake and jazz on the lawn celebrating the birthday of the church! This year our Pentecost Preacher will be Rector Emeritus George Regas, who will preach "The Gifts of the Spirit" at 9:00 and 11:15.

Join us for a festive celebration of one of the great Feast Days of  the Church -- and one of the best parties in town! Sunday, June 12.

More about Pentecost:

The feast of Pentecost underscores the poetic power of sound in wind and word. As told in the biblical account of the Acts of the Apostles (2:1), a great wind sweeps through the room where the disciples have gathered. Thrust into liminal space by the sound of the wind,each of the disciples is alight with the fire of the spirit of God and begins to speak of God’s deeds of power in new ways. People who had gathered from every language and nation are able to understand this message.