All Saints Church News Blog

DIANA BUTLER BASS: "Christianity After Religion" in the Rector's Forum

2012-01-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

■ DIANA BUTLER BASS ■ February 12 ■ in the Rector's Forum

CHRISTIANITY AFTER RELIGION: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening

Diana Butler Bass, one of contemporary Christianity’s leading trend-spotters, joins us in the All Saints’ Rector’s Forum. Using evidence from the latest national polls and from her own cutting-edge research, Bass's new book exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new “spiritual but not religious” movement. Together we will explore questions like how the Spirit might be leading us to live into the future. Will we become a new church, or will we become something else, a new way of being in community before God and with one another?

Sunday, February 12 ■ 10:15 a.m. ■ in the Rector's Forum
Books will be available for purchase.

Speaking Truth to Power: Opposing "Corporate Personhood"

2012-01-31T17:37:00.000-08:00

In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that corporate political spending is protected, holding that corporations have a First Amendment right to free speech. On the 2nd anniversary of that landmark ruling, Ed Bacon called for a constitutional amendment opposing it and All Saintsers participated in "Occupy the Court" demonstrations protesting it.

[photo credit: Kristin Bedford]

Still Celebrating 20 Years of Blessing

2012-01-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

The dust is still settling from our celebrations marking the 20th Anniversary of the blessing of the Covenant of Mark Benson and Philip Straw -- but here, for a start, are some pictures that capture just SOME of the great moments of a truly extraordinary weekend:

With deep gratitude to all who made it all happen ... and especially in thanksgiving for the courage, the love and the persistence of Mark and Phil in calling All Saints Church to walk its talk and live into its prophetic calling to be a community of radical welcome, blessing and justice.

RICHARD ROHR: The Change That Changes Everything

2012-01-27T21:32:00.000-08:00

“Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change.” ― Richard Rohr

We are thrilled to welcome Franciscan priest and spirituality author Richard Rohr as the keynote presenter for All Saints’ LENT EVENT 2012.

Author, teacher, activist and Director of the Center for Action & Contemplation, Rohr will explore his conviction that the overarching imperative of our time is to link spirituality and social justice.

Richard Rohr will be in the All Saints pulpit on Sunday, March 25 at 9 & 11:15am; in the Rector’s Forum at 10:15 am and then leading sessions on both Sunday and Monday evenings.

Register now on the All Saints website!
For more information contact Christina Honchell: 626.583.2742 or chonchell@allsaints-pas.org

WORKSHOPS Set for 20 Years of Blessing Conference!

2012-01-25T16:22:00.000-08:00

Plans are being finalized for the upcoming 20YEARS OF BLESSING weekend event at All Saints Church -- including this fabulous menu of workshops focused on mobilizing for our future as we work to build on our past. The workshops will be offered in two sessions:

Session One: 1:00-2:15 | Session Two: 2:30-3:45

Advocacy within the Episcopal Church: What’s next at the National Church level on LGBT inclusion? Get the inside scoop on the ongoing movement toward full inclusion in the Episcopal Church from General Convention Deputy and All Saints leader, Jim White

Activism in the secular arena: Contributions to marriage equality and LGBT rights come from many arenas – secular, faith and grassroots efforts. Come to hear stories about progress from many places. Dr. Paul Clement & Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas will present.

Keeping Kids Safe from Bullying: Resourcing participants to create bully-free zones, this workshop will include a screening of Bill Brummel’s brilliant documentary “Bullied” followed by a facilitated conversation with All Saints youth staffers Jeremy Langill and Isaac Ruelas

A la familia: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has developed a groundbreaking new curriculum designed to address issues of LGBT inclusion in Latino contexts. Abel Lopez will lead a “test drive” of this exciting new resource.

“But the Bible Says …” The "Christian right" is back (in disguise) and even more committed to denying the civil rights of LGBTQ Americans. The gains we have made are easily lost unless we understand and confront their campaign of fear and loathing based on scientific ignorance and biblical misuse. Mel White will show us how!

Strategic Storytelling: This workshop will is designed to equip LGBT activists and straight allies to tell their stories to effectively change hearts, minds and votes. Led by Integrity Communication Director and media consultant Louise Brooks.

Making Marriage Work For all the pleasures and gratifications of marriage, for most of us it is also a constant challenge to stay close, to feel safe and to create a future that is satisfying for both of us. This workshop is designed to help us make our way together, whether gay or straight, long-term couples or newly-weds. Led by Pasadena therapists Diane Lee and Rick Thyne

For more information contact Linn Vaughan at 626.583.2744. To register click here.

LOVE FREE OR DIE comes to Pasadena

2012-01-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

"You don't have to leave your Christianity behind to stand on the right side of history." -- Macky Alston

"Love Free or Die" -- Macky Alston's feature length documentary of the work and witness of Bishop Gene Robinson premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd and will screen here at All Saints on Saturday night, January 28th as part of our "20 Years of Blessing" event.

"Our" L.A. Times film critic Ken Turan called it "one to keep an eye on" in his Sundance column this week ... and so here's a glimpse of what to keep an eye out for:

7pm | Saturday, January 28 | in the All Saints Forum
Seating Limited: Register here

MLK Day Reading du jour @ All Saints Church in Pasadena

2012-01-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

“Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured.

John Donne caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms: ‘No one is an island entire of itself. Every one is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’ And he goes on toward the end to say, ‘Any one’s death diminishes me because I am involved in humankind; therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’ We must see this, believe this, and live by it if we are to remain awake through a great revolution.”

Minister: Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.

People: Thanks be to God.

(From Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution, sermon preached March 31, 1968 at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. – the last Sunday Sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
—from ATestament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
ed. James M. Washington, and A Knock at Midnight

All Saints Church sponsors BAIL OUT THE FOOD BANKS on MLK National Day of Service

2012-01-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a National Day of Service.

On Sunday, January 15, All Saints Church in Pasadena will participate in the 2012 Martin Luther King National Day of Service by sponsoring a Bail Out the Food Banks food drive to benefit our own food ministry as well as Pasadena area food pantries.

Our youth will be at the curbside drop-off zone in front of the church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday morning to receive donations. All Saints Church is located at 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena 91101 ... see website for driving directions.

Click here for a list of most-needed food items.
For more information email Norma Sigmund or call 626-583-2734

WE DO! All Saints Celebrates 20 Years of Blessing

2012-01-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

January 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the first blessing of a same-sex couple — Mark Benson & Phil Straw — here at All Saints Church. We will celebrate that milestone with a series of events and programs the weekend of January 28/29. Make your plans now to come celebrate the past and mobilize for the future!

Saturday, January 28
9am—5pm

All Saints Rector Ed Bacon | Bishop Mary Glasspool | Rector Emeritus George Regas | Bishop Gene Robinson

Morning program in the Forum will include a multi-media look at the last twenty years; reflections from our “God, Sex & Justice” history makers; remembering Beyond Inclusion's beginnings and the Claiming the Blessing years. There will be opportunities for Q&A and a conversation with Bishop Robinson. Come be informed and inspired!

Afternoon workshops will include Faith-based advocacy; Civic Engagement on LGBT issues; Keeping Kids Safe from Bullying (with Bill Brummel’s brilliant documentary “Bullied”); A la familia — a bi-lingual guide to LGBT inclusion from our HRC colleagues; Strategic Storytelling for changing hearts and minds, offered by IntegrityUSA; Reclaiming Scripture as a tool for inclusion with Soulforce founder Mel White ... among others. Come be equipped and empowered!

Workshop details here.

The afternoon will conclude with a Festive Holy Eucharist: Mary Glasspool, preacher and Gene Robinson, celebrant.

Then Saturday is “Movie Night!”

We are thrilled to be hosting the West Coast “sneak preview” of “Love Free or Die” — the just released documentary on the work and witness of Bishop Gene Robinson ... premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23.

Love Free or Die begins with the story of a man whose two defining passions are in conflict: his love for God and his love for his partner, Mark.

Gene Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the high church traditions of Christendom. His consecration in 2003, to which he wore a bullet-proof vest, caused an international stir, and he has lived with death threats nearly every day since. Bishop Robinson refuses to leave the church that has taught for centuries it has no place for people like him. And he refuses to leave the man he loves, even though he has been taught it is God's will for him to do so. And of course he is not alone. Bishop Robinson lives in a nation and a world in which many are caught in this ultimate double bind.

Love Free or Die documents the lives of Bishop Robinson and a host of others in the church/state struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality in America. Shot over three years, Love Free or Die reveals from the intimate inside how our culture and our laws change due to the convictions, courage and commitments of specific individuals and communities. Bishop Robinson as he changes hearts and minds on the LGBT equality issue, from working class towns in the northern mountains of New Hampshire to the Lincoln Memorial at Barack Obama's inauguration.

In the Forum at 7pm.

Sunday, January 29

The celebration will continue on Sunday morning at All Saints Church where both Bishop Glasspool and Bishop Robinson will be with us for the 9:00 & 11:15 services. Gene Robinson will preach and Mary Glasspool will celebrate. We conclude our celebration with a very special Rector’s Forum conversation with Bishop Glasspool about her journey toward ordination as the first "out" lesbian bishop .

For more information on email All Saints staffer Linn Vaughan or call 626.583.2744.

To register online visit the All Saints website

An All Saints Church Celebration,
with thanks for generous support from HRC (Human Rights Campaign) and Integrity USA

Happy New Year, Church!!

2012-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

And it’s January!

As the new year begins -- with all its opportunities and challenges -- here at All Saints Church we look forward to another year of living out our mission of turning the human race into the human family and making God’s love tangible 24/7. We quote Martin Luther King Jr. a lot here at All Saints -- and high on the list of frequently quoted quotes is “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

We know that to be true – and we know also that we stand on the shoulders of generations of “arc benders” as we work together to make justice roll down in our generation as they did in theirs. And during the month of January we’ll be getting a jump start on that work as we welcome some extraordinary leaders to equip us to both learn from our history and mobilize for the future.

On Sunday, January 8 the Reverend Dr. James Lawson – one of the architects of the Civil Rights Movement – will be with us in the Rector’s Forum to continue to equip us in the work of using non-violent direction action to make change happen. We were honored to have Dr. Lawson with us in November for a teaching session with the vestry and are delighted that he will be kicking off our 2012 Rector’s Forum series. The arc of the moral universe is long, but Dr. Lawson will help us work to bend it toward justice.

On Martin Luther King Sunday (January 15) we welcome the Reverend Stephanie Spellers – a long time friend of All Saints Church and a national leader on issues of radical welcome and the emerging church movement. From the pulpit and in the Rector’s Forum she will both challenge and equip as we continue to expand our understandings of what it is to “be” church in the rapidly changing challenges of what some are calling the “Digital Reformation.” The arc of the moral universe is long, but we will continue to work to bend it toward radical welcome.

And then on January 28/29 we will mark a very special anniversary with a weekend dedicated to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 1992 blessing of Mark Benson and Phil Straw: the first same-sex union blessed at All Saints Church . A day-long conference on Saturday the 28th will include speakers from the original “God, Sex & Justice” task force and a video look back at this important part of our history followed by workshops equipping us to move forward in the future.

Confirmed participants include Bishop Mary Glasspool, Rector Emeritus George Regas, Bishop Gene Robinson and Mark Benson. Bishop Glasspool will preach and Bishop Robinson celebrate at the conference day Eucharist on Saturday afternoon – and the day will conclude with a special “sneak preview” of a brilliant new documentary on the work and witness of the Bishop of New Hampshire: “Love Free or Die.”

Then on Sunday morning, January 29 both Bishops Glasspool and Robinson will be with us to continue the celebration: Bishop Robinson preaching at the 9:00 & 11:15 services and Bishop Glasspool celebrating. It is going to be quite a weekend!

The arc of the moral universe is long, but we have seen it bend toward justice … and this January we are going to continue the All Saints tradition of setting audacious goals and celebrating incremental victories as we continue to do our part to make justice roll down. Happy New Year, Church!

-- by Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Communication, Incorporation & Inclusion

All Saints Church Starts New Year With Summit on Economic & Social Justice

2011-12-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 1, 2012, All Saints Church welcomes the “New Year's Day People's Summit” – a faith-based forum on economic & social justice. The event will include a teach-in style conversation focused on the U.S. foreclosure crisis and the role of faith-based action in creating social and economic change.

“I am pleased to begin the New Year with this opportunity to offer hospitality to those coming to Pasadena to have a real conversation on economic justice and reclaiming the American Dream for all,” said All Saints rector Ed Bacon

“We are so very proud to be part of this great City of Pasadena which is modeling for the nation how to provide a platform for both beloved American traditions like the Rose Parade and core American values like the free exercise of First Amendment rights represented by the Occupy Movement,” said Bacon. “What All Saints Church brings to the ongoing national conversation about economic and social justice is our commitment to both God’s dream of a human race turned into a human family and to the American dream of liberty and justice for all.”

It is part of the DNA of All Saints Church to be a headlight rather than a tail light on issues of social justice and so speaking out and standing up for social and economic change is absolutely in alignment with our core values of God’s love, justice and compassion. And while All Saints Church has not officially endorsed the Occupy Movement, many of the same policy issues at the center of the movement – particularly economic inequity and a commitment to nonviolence – are of deep concern to the members of the All Saints community.

Participants in the People’s Summit will include organizers from the Occupy Movement, interfaith leaders and a broad cross section of members of the peace & justice community. All Saints clergy Ed Bacon and Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis will participate along with other interfaith leaders. Peter Laarman in his role as a leader of an interfaith group, “Occupy LA Sanctuary,” is coordinating the program which will be held on January 1st from 3-6 p.m at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena CA 91101.

For more information contact: Keith Holeman, Communication Director
kholeman@allsaints-pas.org or 310.430.9412.

Christmas at All Saints Church

2011-12-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Saturday, December 24 -- Christmas Eve *[see logistics note below]

Family Service at 3p.m. -- Mastersingers and Troubadours, directed by Jenny Price, offer music of Gray and Bach. The rector and friends tell the Christmas story.

Festive Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. -- Trouveres with instrumental ensemble offer music of Caldwell and Ivory. Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis preaches.

Festive Eucharist at 8:00 p.m. -- Canterbury Choir and chamber orchestra offer Missa Sancti Nicolai by Haydn and music of Wilcocks and James Walker. The Rector preaches. [We will live-stream the 8:00 service on the All Saints website. Click here for more information.]

Festive Eucharist at 11:00 p.m. -- Coventry Choir and chamber orchestra offer Heiligmesse by Haydn and music of Holst. The Rector preaches.

Sunday, December 25 -- Christmas Day

10:30 a.m. Eucharist
Coventry Choir soloists offer carols arranged by David Willcocks.
Wilma Jakobsen preaches.

12:00 p.m. Spanish language Eucharist
Dan Cole and Ensemble offer music.
Abel Lopez preaches.

Saturday, December 31-- New Year's Eve Eucharist
7:30 p.m. in the Church
Canterbury Choir soloists offer music. Ed Bacon preaches.
This special service is a wonderful way to prepare for the new year. Child care provided.

Sunday, January 1-- New Year's Day
Healing Services at 9 & 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m.

==========================

*Christmas Eve: Early arrival helps ensure seating

All Christmas Eve services are well attended. For the 3, 5:30 and 8pm services plan to arrive at least 30 minute early; for the 11pm service at least 45 minutes early. There is no saving of seats. A beautifully decorated Learning Center will serve as overflow seating as needed. The music and preaching in the church are experienced via closed circuit television and then the Eucharist is celebrated “live” in the Learning Center.

Parking: At 3pm parking will be available in the North Lot (corner of Euclid and Walnut) or underground at the Westin Hotel (enter from Union Street.) For the 5:30, 8 & 11 pm services , parking will be available at the Kaiser parking structure or underground at the Westin Hotel.

Child Care is provided for all services.

Live from Pasadena: It's CHRISTMAS EVE!

2011-12-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself, you can be part of Christmas Eve at All Saints Church!

Nothing replaces the warmth, beauty, joy and energy of being at All Saints Church on Christmas Eve. And yet, we know there are those in our wider All Saints family who are unable to be with us for our Christmas celebration due to challenges of health, distance, travel or mobility issues.

And so we are delighted to announce that we will be live-streaming the 8:00pm Christmas Eve service this year on the All Saints website.

For more information contact Communication Director Keith Holeman ... by email or at 626.583.2739 ... and to make a Christmas gift to help All Saints fund making God's love tangible 24/7 click here.

And MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Making God's Love Tangible 24/7

2011-12-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

"Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these you have done it unto me." -- Matthew 25:40

Each year, thousands of homeless men and women die on the streets due to illness, exposure or violence. These individuals die without the dignity and respect they deserve ... and so last night at All Saints Church was an opportunity to gather for a Memorial Service to honor and acknowledge their lives and membership in the human family.

View the Photos from the Pasadena Sun

A Christmas Message from Ed Bacon

2011-12-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to "multiplatformize" the rector's annual Christmas letter to the parish by turning it into a video. Here's a little glimpse of what Christmas looks like at All Saints Church in Pasadena. ENJOY!

[And if you would like to make your Christmas gift to All Saints online, just click here to dontate now!]

Advent Wisdom from Richard Rohr: Third Sunday of Advent

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year during Advent we are inviting the All Saints community into shared reflection focused on meditations by our Lent Event speaker: noted author, teacher, mystic, contemplative and activist Richard Rohr.

A Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr is founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, a prolific author and a powerful force for God’s love, justice and compassion.

The spirit of God is upon me….
God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to heal broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and liberation to those in prison

RELATED IN THE SPIRIT

The Spirit always connects, reconciles, forgives, heals and makes two into one. It moves beyond human-made boundaries to utterly realign and renew that which is separated and alienated. The “diabolical” (from two Greek words, dia balien, that mean “to throw apart”), by contrast, always divides and separates that which could be united and at peace. Just as the Spirit always makes one out of two, so the evil one invariably makes two out of one! The evil one tears the fabric of life apart, while the Spirit comes to mend, soften and heal.

In today’s reading from Isaiah, the prophet describes the coming Servant of Yahweh. It is precisely this quote that Jesus first uses to announce the exact nature of his own ministry (Luke 4:18-19). In each case Jesus describes his work as moving outside of polite and proper limits and boundaries to reunite things that have been marginalized or excluded by society: the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, the downtrodden. His ministry is not to gather the so-called good into a private country club but to reach out to those on the edge and on the bottom, those who are “last” to tell them they are, in fact, first! That is almost the very job description of the Holy Spirit, and therefore of Jesus.

The more that we can put together, the more that we can “forgive” and allow, the more we can include and enjoy, the more we tend to be living in the Spirit. The more we need to reject, oppose, den, exclude and eliminate, the more open we are to negative and destructive voices and to our own worst instincts. As always, Jesus is our model of healing, outreach and reconciliation, the ultimate person of the Spirit.

REFLECT
What divisions exist in your life? How can you let the Spirit mend those divisions?

Cornel West & Serene Jones in the Rector's Forum December 18

2011-12-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

Cornel West & Serene Jones address "The Role of Progressive Religion in the Occupy Movement" on Sunday, December 18 in the All Saints Rector's Forum beginning at 10:15 a.m.

Dr. Cornel West is a prolific essayist, public speaker, social activist, and major figure in African American academia. Commenting recently on his decision to return to the faculty of Union Seminary in NYC, Dr. West said that his liberal politics were formed in Progressive Baptist churches, and that Union was “the institutional expression of my core identity as a prophetic Christian.” His work exemplifies synthesis and innovation and we are honored to welcome him to the Rector's Forum.

Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Seminary is a popular scholar in the fields of theology, religion and gender studies and a long-time friend of All Saints Church. Dr. Jones not only returns to the Rector's Forum to reflect with Dr. West on the theological context of the Occupy Movement, she will be in the pulpit at both the 9:00 & 11:15 services preaching "Visceral Reckonings."

For more information contact Maren Tompkins in the Rector's Office: 626.583.2711 or mtompkins@allsaints-pas.org. The Forum will also be live-streamed from the All Saints website:

Advent Wisdom from Richard Rohr: Second Sunday of Advent

2011-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year during Advent we are inviting the All Saints community into shared reflection focused on meditations by our Lent Event speaker: noted author, teacher, mystic, contemplative and activist Richard Rohr.

A Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr is founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, a prolific author and a powerful force for God’s love, justice and compassion.

John, the Master of Descent

John the Baptist’s qualities are most rare and yet crucial for any reform or authentic transforma-tion of persons or groups. That is why we focus on John the Baptist every Advent and why Jesus trusts him and accepts his non-temple, offbeat nature ritual, while also going far beyond him. Water is only the container; fire and Spirit are the contents, John says. Yet if we are not like the great John, we will invariably substitute our own little container for the realcontents. We will substitute rituals for reality instead of letting the rituals point us beyond themselves.

John the Baptizer is the strangest combination of conviction and humility, morality and mysticism, radical prophecy and living in the present. This son of the priestly temple class does his own thing down by the riverside; he is a man born into privilege who dresses like a hippie; he is a superstar who is willing to let go of everything, creating his own water baptism and then saying that what really matters is the baptism of “Spirit and fire”! He is a living paradox, as even Jesus says of him: “There is no man greater than John….but he is also the least” in the new reality that I am bringing about (Mt 11:11). John both get it and does not get it at all, which is why he has to exit stage right early in the drama. He has played his single and
important part, and he knows it. His is brilliantly a spirituality of descent, not ascent. “He must grow bigger, I must grow smaller” (Jn 3:30).

The only way such freedom can happen is if John learned to be very empty of himself already as a young man, before he even built his tower of success. His ego was out of the way so much so that he could let go of his own ego, his own message and even his own life. This is surely the real meaning of his head on a platter! Some have cleverly said that ego is an acronym for “Edging God Out.” There’s got to be such emptiness, or we cannot point beyond ourselves to Jesus, as John did. Such emptiness doesn’t just fall into our laps; such humility does not just happen. It is surely the end product of a thousand letting-goes and a thousand acts of devotion, which for John the Baptist gradually edged God in.

REFLECT
How is your spirituality one of ascent or descent?

Diocesan Convention 2011

2011-12-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

All Saints was well represented at this year's Diocesan Convention in Riverside (December 2 & 3).

All Saints in the News on World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Battle fatigue: Pasadena area AIDS activists struggle to keep the fight going 30 years later

Thirty years ago, when the nation clamored to disseminate news, facts and awareness of a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, the city of Pasadena stood at the forefront of activism.

It was here that physician and UCLA professor of medicine Michael Gottlieb became one of the first in the medical community to identify and classify AIDS in a 1981 report to the Centers for Disease Control. The city formed an AIDS Taskforce to study the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS, and All Saints Church had started the Pasadena AIDS Service Center to support individuals and families affected by it. By 1991, the Pasadena Public Health Department had opened Andrew Escajeda Comprehensive Care Services to provide outpatient care to HIV-infected individuals.

This year marks a milestone in AIDS history — it was 30 years ago this June 5 that HIV/AIDS was officially classified as a rare lung infection by the CDC.

The Rev. George Regas, rector emeritus at Pasadena’s All Saints Church, recalled a time when large gatherings turned out for the church’s annual AIDS mass. “We put it together to bring in people’s consciousness the real tragedy we were experiencing with AIDS in larger Pasadena,” Regas said. “People became aware of what was happening all around.”

In 1990, Pasadena ranked fifth in California for HIV incidence per 100,000 people, with 146 people infected and 88 fatalities, according to an Oct, 11, 1990 Los Angeles Times article. Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health estimates there are 62,800 people in the county living with HIV/AIDS — 13,500 of whom don’t know they’re infected. In San Gabriel Valley, there are 2,981 people who’ve contracted the disease.

In 1987, under the aegis of All Saints Church, Regas helped start the AIDS Service Center as a telephone helpline where people could leave questions and concerns on an answering machine. A flood of calls came in, he recalls, and within one year, the church had raised enough money to open a brick and mortar center.

Today, the center, located at 909 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena, supports more than 1,000 clients living with the disease and offers services to another 4,000 residents in the form of HIV/AIDS 101 education programs and testing, according to Director of Marketing and Development Anthony Guthmiller.

Read the rest in The Pasadena Weekly

Friends, Followers & Faith: How Social Media are Changing the Church

2011-11-28T21:05:00.000-08:00

with Elizabeth Drescher

We’ve reached a new cultural moment in which social media like Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, and Foursquare are shaping religious and spiritual experience to the same extent they impact the rest of our lives. What does this mean for the church?

In her recent book Tweet If You ♥ Jesus: Practicing Church in The Digital Reformation, Santa Clara University religion professor Elizabeth Drescher explores the impact of the shift from broadcast media -- where mainline churches took a backseat to evangelical and non-denominational celebrities--to digital media--where mainline rational traditions prepare us for new ways of communicating, connecting, and leading.

Here are All Saints we first became aware of Dr. Drescher's work when she interviewed Susan Russell -- Senior Associate for Communication -- while doing research forTweet If You ♥ Jesus. Further conversations about the role of All Saints Church as a leader in "multiplatform convergence" led to an invitation to come visit and we are delighted to welcome her to share her work and wisdom with us on December 11th.

So come be informed and inspired by Professor Elizabeth Drescher. Sunday, December 11 during the 10:15 Education Hour in Sweetland Hall. For more information email nsigmund@allsaints-pas.org

All Saints @OccupyLA | November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

photos by: Kristin Bedford

Advent Wisdom from Richard Rohr: First Sunday of Advent

2011-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year during Advent we are inviting the All Saints community into shared reflection focused on meditations by our Lent Event speaker: noted author, teacher, mystic, contemplative and activist Richard Rohr.

A Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr is founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, a prolific author and a powerful force for God’s love, justice and compassion.

COME, LORD JESUS

“Come, Lord Jesus,” the Advent mantra, means that all of Christian history has to live out of a kind of deliberate emptiness, a kind of chosen non-fulfillment. Perfect fullness is always to come, and we do not need to demand it now. This keeps the field of life wide open and especially open to grace and to a future created by God rather than ourselves. This is exactly what it means to be “awake,” as the Gospel urges us! We can also use other a words for Advent: aware, alive, attentive, alert, aware are all appropriate. Advent is, above all else, a call to full consciousness and a forewarning about the high price of consciousness.

When we demand satisfaction of one another, when we demand any completion to history on our terms, when we demand that our anxiety or any
dissatisfaction be taken away, saying as it were, “Why weren’t you this for me? Why didn’t life do that for me?” we are refusing to say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” We are refusing to hold out for the full picture that is always given by God.

“Come, Lord Jesus” is a leap into the kind of freedom and surrender that is rightly called the virtue of hope. The theological virtue of hope is the patient and trustful willingness to live without closure, without resolution, and still be content and even happy because our Satisfaction is now at another level, and our Source is beyond ourselves. We are able to trust that he will come again, just as Jesus has come into our past, into our private dilemmas and into our suffering world. Our Christian past then becomes our Christian prologue, and “Come, Lord Jesus” is not a cry of desperation but an assured shout of cosmic hope.

REFLECT
What expectations and demands of life can you let go of so that you can be more prepared for the coming of Jesus this Advent season?

Stephen Mitchell in the Rector's Forum this Sunday, 11/27

2011-11-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

How does the universe work?

That question pulses at the heart of the world’s great literature. We at All Saints are drawn to those who think deeply and/or write lyrically about how the universe works. Jesus, Job, the Psalmist, Homer, Gilgamesh, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the poet Rilke and others have been translated, usually from the original language, by our friend, Stephen Mitchell, who will join us in the Rector's Forum this Sunday, November 27, at 10:15 a.m.

He has now translated The Iliad in a way that his editor told me brought tears to her eyes. Stephen has a gift for taking ancient texts and bringing them to life with an accessible and contemporary grace.

"When I interviewed Stephen in Oprah Winfrey’s radio studio for the Oprah’s Soul Series," said Ed Bacon "his centered calmness, his love of wisdom, his brilliant mind, and his soul shaped by years of Buddhist meditation all worked together to change my life. I want each of you to experience this friend of mine."

A sixth-grade memory of a drawing of the Greek goddess Athena inspired Stephen Mitchell to tackle Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. He had tried to read other translations but was unable to get past the first part. The image of Athena floating in the air wearing a fluid garment, helmet on head, spear in hand, captured his imagination and made him want to create an English version of The Iliad with the music he felt in that drawing. For several years he immersed himself in the Greek, to find a way into the epic that would make the story come alive for him. Criticized by some for using English slang in places and not producing an exact translation, he has been praised by others who feel he captures the essence of the epic, brings it alive, and makes it enjoyable to read. Copies of six of his books will be available.

Please join us and tell your friends and family. If you cannot be with us in person on Sunday, watch the live video stream of the Forum here at 10:15 a.m. Pacific.

BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY: Join us @ Occupy L.A. for an Interfaith Celebration of Hope and Abundance

2011-11-21T17:43:00.000-08:00

“BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY” INTERFAITH SERVICE
@ OCCUPY LA

Friday November 25, 2011
10:30-11:30am
Main Square of Occupy LA, City Hall

JOIN US FOR A SERVICE OF GRATITUDE, APPRECIATION AND BLESSINGS FOR THE ABUNDANCE WE HAVE AND OUR HOPE THAT WE CAN SHARE THEM WITH EVERYONE IN OUR COUNTRY.

Music |Scriptural Readings in the OWS “Mic Check!” format |Fruit Basket Offerings of Thanks |Sights, Sounds and Smells of Many Religions |Ending with a “Jericho-Style” Walk around City Hall with the sound of the ram’s horn

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis; All Saints Church Director of Peace & Justice

For more info contact: Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater/OLA Interfaith Councilmember
626-644-7542
or
occupylosangelesinterfaithsanctuary@gmail.com
@OccupyLAFaith
FB: Occupy Los Angeles Sanctuary

"The Elders" @ Occupy L.A.

2011-11-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, November 20th, a newly organized independent group of elder leaders from many of the defining American social justice movements of the 20th century led a service of solidarity and conversation with OccupyLA demonstrators. Similar events with other notable elders were held in San Francisco, Oakland and New York.

All Saints Rector Emeritus George Regas (pictured below with members of All Saints at the rally) was one of the speakers here in Los Angeles as a hearty crowd gathered on the steps of City Hall in spite of the Sunday afternoon downpour.

More photos here [photo credit Laura Aguilar] ... and for more information on OccupyLA and how you can help support this witness for econonic justice, visit the All Saints website.

Together again: Ed Bacon & Oprah Winfrey!

2011-11-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

News from Harpo Studios this week:

Super Soul Sunday News! On Sunday, November 20, 2011, we will be airing The Oprah Winfrey Show: When Life Breaks You Open featuring Ed Bacon, Elizabeth Lesser and Michael Beckwith

Ah, yes. We remember it well. Ed described it in a recent Huffington Post blog:

As a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in January 2009, I said, "Being gay is a gift from God." Those seven words -- spoken to a call-in viewer from Atlanta -- set off a ripple of response that lit up Oprah's switchboard, almost crashed our parish email server and continues to bring people toward us here at All Saints Church in Pasadena. And that moment continues to be for me an iconic example of how important it is for people of faith to confront discrimination against our LGBT brothers and sisters by standing up and by speaking out.

So if you missed it the first time -- or you just want to watch it again -- then tune in (or "TIVO on") to "Super Soul Sunday" on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) on Sunday morning between 8-11am ... details here ... and check it out!

The Elders Speak @ OccupyLA

2011-11-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

On November 20th, a newly organized independent group of elder leaders from many of the defining American social justice movements of the 20th century, will lead a service of solidarity and host a conversation with Occupy demonstrators and other interested individuals in Los Angeles. Similar events with other notable elders will be held in San Francisco, Oakland and New York.

Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr., Pastor Emeritus, Holman United Methodist Church
Rev. Canon Malcolm M. Boyd, Poet-in-Residence, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
Ms. Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers
Rev. George Regas, Executive Director, Regas Institute
Dr. Maher Hathout, Physician (retired), leading spokesperson for the American Muslim Community
Rabbi Leonard Beerman, Founding Rabbi, Leo Baeck Temple

2:00pm Interfaith Circle at Occupy Los Angeles, South Lawn at Los Angeles City Hall
3:00pm ELDERS SPEAK AT OCCUPY LOS ANGELES, South Lawn at Los Angeles City Hall

For more information Contact FOR LOS ANGELES EVENT ONLY: Rev. Sandie Richards, member, Occupy Los Angeles Interfaith Council-- 323-761-0797 DOWNTOWNLAREV@GMAIL.COM

All Saints@OccupyLA

2011-11-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

A contingent from All Saints joined interfaith clergy leaders at a meeting in support of OccupyLA on Wednesday morning, November 16:

"The Parable of the Talents: Version 2011"

2011-11-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Gospel Drama performed at All Saints Church, Pasadena, on Sunday, November 13, 2011, by Jamie Donnelly, Art McDermott, Anina Minotto, Terry Moore, Jaclyn Carmichael Palmer, Samuel Paul, and Alma Stokes. Directed by Melissa Hayes.

Respect for Marriage Act: Statement from All Saints Church, Pasadena

2011-11-10T12:21:00.001-08:00

It is long past time to overturn the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a shameful piece of legislated discrimination that does nothing to defend marriage and everything to make second class citizens out of gay and lesbian couples and their families. And so at All Saints Church in Pasadena we greet with delight the news that this morning the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Respect for Marriage Act. By that action our nation takes a much needed step toward making liberty and justice for all not just a pledge but a reality.

“God does not discriminate against same-sex couples and neither should our federal government,” said All Saints’ Rector Ed Bacon. “The time has come for a Protect Marriage Movement that protects ALL marriages and for a Family Values coalition that values ALL families – and as a priest and pastor I want to be part of helping realize that goal.”

At All Saints Church in Pasadena we married forty-six same-sex couples when marriage equality was the law in California from May – November 2008. When a slim majority of California voters passed Proposition 8 and wrote discrimination into our state constitution, our governing board passed the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the institution of civil marriage in the State of California is, as a result of Proposition 8 and the Court’s decision, a constitutionally-mandated instrument of discrimination, which furthers injustice and denies same-sex couples the fundamental dignities to which each human being is entitled;and

WHEREAS, our active participation in the discriminatory system of civil marriage is inconsistent with Jesus’ call to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being; and

WHEREAS, All Saints Church is called to make the sacrament of marriage equally available to all couples, regardless of their sexual orientation;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Rector, Wardens and Vestry do declare that the sacramental right of marriage is available to all couples, but that the clergy of All Saints Church will not sign civil marriage certificates so long as the right to marry is denied to same-sex couples.

The Respect for Marriage Act will allow All Saints Church to get back into the business of ministering equally to all who come to us seeking to live lives committed to each other and in alignment with God’s love, justice and compassion. And by granting the same federally protected rights and responsibilities to all married couples it will help us live into our DNA as a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal. The Respect for Marriage Act isn’t just the right thing to do for same-sex couples. It’s the right thing to do for America.

Sabbath Economics

2011-11-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 5th Robyn Smith offered a presentation on "Sabbath Economics" -- and we are grateful to Robyn for sharing the content for us to share here.
Where have we heard this story before?

 Wealth extracted from the land and our labor, and hoarded by a small group of people.
 The devaluation of work and workers, with shrinking salaries, increasing unemployment, and increasing amounts of debt owed to that same small group of people.

Sabbath economics started with these same questions in Egypt.

 Pharaoh believed that there wasn’t enough to go around, so he wanted it all for himself.
 When the crops failed and the peasants ran out of food, Pharaoh asked, “What’s your collateral?”
 So the Israelites gave up their land for food. The next year, they still didn’t have food, so Pharaoh asked again, “what’s your collateral?”
 And they gave up their cattle.
 By the third year of famine they had no collateral but themselves.
 And, in the words of Walter Brueggeman, that’s how the children of Israel became slaves – through an economic transaction. (Walter Brueggemann, “The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity,” Christian Century (March 24, 1999).)

Fortunately, we all know that that is not where the story ends. Once the Israelites were sprung from slavery, just like us they had a hard time imagining a different kind of economic system.
But in the desert, God presented them with a radical alternative economy that put LIFE, people, community, and the earth at its center.

When the manna rains down from heaven, the people are given three instructions (see Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabath Economics, Chapter One (2001)):

[A] To gather just enough bread for their needs – so everyone has enough, but no one has too much or too little.

[B] Not to hoard or store the bread – so Israel is enjoined to keep wealth circulating through sharing, rather than concentrating wealth through accumulation. This instruction to redistribute wealth is echoed later on, in instructions to:
Cancel all debts and allow the land to rest every seven years;
And every 50 years to return foreclosed land to its original owners, and to free all slaves.

These commands seek to limit human appetite, and prevent the emergence of a permanent underclass. Finally, the Israelites are instructed to observe the Sabbath every seventh day.

The Sabbath is not about resting so that we can be more productive. Rather, it was supposed to be a radical day of rest for everyone and everything – the slaves, the immigrants, the land, even the animals. It’s purpose is to disrupt human attempts to control nature and maximize the forces of production.

On the Sabbath, we are reminded that:

 We don’t own or create any of the wealth around us – the land and its resources are gifts from God that are meant to be shared equitably, they are not possessions to hoard and exploit; and

 our value does not come from our ability to earn or spend money. We are more than just workers, more than just consumers. We are loved by God unconditionally, and are created in Her image.

All of these practices served to remind the Israelites that they were an Exodus people who must never return to a economic system of slavery.

This radical vision of a life-supporting, community-centered equitable and just economy is echoed over and over, by the Prophets and by Jesus. For example, the prayer that Jesus teaches his disciples reminds us of the manna story and Sabbath debt-forgiveness: “Give us enough bread for today, and forgive us our debts as we forgive the debts others.”

The Israelites experience of liberation from slavery can help us think about the process we are engaging in today as All Saints, but also as individuals and as members of our larger communities.

Walter Brueggeman describes the Exodus transformation as happening in three steps (from Hope Within History):

Step 1: Questioning of the dominant economic ideology.
Step 2: The public processing of pain.

The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out – they voiced and named their suffering communally and publicly. Walter Brueggemann calls this “an irreversible act of disobedience. The cry of pain begins the formation of a counter-community around an alternative perception of reality.”

Step 3: Because God heard their cries, there is a release of new social imagination.

Israel elaborated a new way to live responsibly in social and economic relationships that are liberating and just.

So, as we hear about the G20 economic summit, and the constant refrain that we must grow our economy, when doing so imperils the survival of life on earth, we have to ask ourselves whether we can imagine and create a different kind of economy, based on our own Biblical values that:

 “the world as created by God is abundant, with enough for everyone, provided that human communities restrain their appetites and live within limits;
 disparities in wealth and power are not natural, but the result of human sin, and must be mitigated through the regular practice of redistribution and justice.” (Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabath Economics, Chapter One (2001))

Surely the God who liberated the Israelites can guide us also into radical action for personal, social and economic transformation.

NATIONAL WORKER’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST KIM BOBO HEADLINES “NEW NORMAL” EVENT AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH

2011-11-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

All Saints Church has a long history of engaging the issues of the day at the local, national and global level -- and on Saturday, November 5th the congregation will continue that historic role in a day-long event focused on the economic challenges of the “new normal.” National worker’s rights activist Kim Bobo will join All Saints rector Ed Bacon and others as All Saints continues to set its platform for an informed and considered response to the realities we face.

“We are building on All Saints’ long history of incubating socially relevant agencies after doing our homework,” said Ed Bacon. “Saturday will be an important next step in our discernment about how – not if – All Saints crafts its response to the economic challenges we face as a community and as a nation.”

For more than a year a number of small groups within the All Saints community have been holding meetings, sharing stories and exploring the impact of today’s economic realities on the spiritual lives and faith of individuals in the community and parishioners. Groups like Life and Livelihood and Vocational Journeys have served as a place for the unemployed and underemployed to talk in safe, confidential settings about the difficulties individuals and families are facing as a result of layoffs, downsizing, plant closures and market downturns.

With the continuing recession, the parish will use the knowledge that has been garnered by these small groups to inform and open discussion on what future impacts the depressed economic environment will continue to have on the spiritual lives of individual members of the parish and the community as a whole.

Saturday, November 5, 2011 -- from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm in the All Saints Forum.

A potluck lunch will be served.

All Saints Church is located at 132 North Euclid Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. The event is free, reservations are requested. Contact Linn Vaughan at 626.583.2744 for more information.

Living into the Questions at Occupy L.A.

2011-11-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday afternoon October 30th All Saints rector Ed Bacon paid a second visit to Occupy L.A. His reflections -- "Living into the Questions at Occupy L.A." -- were published on the Huffington Post on 11/2.

Here's a little snippet to get you started:

My first visit to Occupy L.A. was in the context of the October 7th "Jobs Not War" Peace March marking the 10th anniversary of the War in Afghanistan. "What is the focus? What does this mean? And is this effective?" Those are but some of the questions I've been pondering as the growth and momentum of the Occupy Movement has become not only the focus for reporters and bloggers but the fodder for editorials and sermons in the days and weeks since.

And so I returned to Occupy L.A. for a second visit on a Sunday afternoon (10/30.) Deciding not to announce my identity as a priest, I left my clerical collar at home -- and spent several hours in observation.

Read the whole post here

GRACE in ACTION: 1775 Hours a Week!

2011-11-02T18:31:00.001-07:00

Here's the final installment of our stewardship season series here at All Saints Church in Pasadena ... where mission and ministry are alive and well:

Throughout the month of October we've told stories of the many ways All Saints has touched the lives of individuals in our church community. What does it take to make all this happen? Today we give you a glimpse "behind the scenes" - a look at how our 55 full-and part-time staff members put in 1,775 hours every single
week:

Dia de los Muertos @ All Saints Church

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on your journey this week, you can be part of our Dia de los Muertos celebration here at All Saints Church … by posting up a photo a memory of your loved one on our virtual Altar of Remembrance.

"Dia de los Muertos" is a festive and colorful celebration in which we honor our loved ones as they were when they were alive. Particpants are encouraged to bring photographs, garments, flowers, favorite foods, stories, or other reminders of loved ones to decorate the Altar of Remembrance.

The service will be held in the All Saints Chapel beginning at 7:30pm on Wednesday, November 2nd. Zelda Kennedy will preside.

This year, a "virtual" Altar of Remembrance has been created to invite those who cannot be present in the All Saints Chapel on Wednesday evening to honor their loved ones by posting a photo and a remembrance here. We will then gather ALL these names together, along with our memories, in thanksgiving and prayer ... and preserve them here on this blog:

All Saints Sunday: A Celebration of Life in the Presence of Death

2011-10-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrate the truth that this community,

what we call the communion of saints,

is stronger than death.

It is All Saints' custom on the Sunday following All Saints Day to remember with thanksgiving those who have died with the celebration of a Requiem Mass. On Sunday, November 6, 2011 Coventry Choir will offer the Lux aeterna by Morten Lauridsen, accompanied by a chamber orchestra under the direction of James Walker. 9:00 & 11:15 a.m.

NOTE: Incense will be used at 9, 11:15am & 1pm an “Incense-Free” zone will be available in the Guild Room at 9 & 11:15am

All Saints Takes On the New Normal: Our Life and Our Livelihood

2011-10-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 5, 2011

9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

in the Forum

Potluck Lunch

David Leonhardt, the New York Times Washington bureau chief in his Sunday new analysis said:

“…The most worrisome aspect about our current slump is that it combines obvious short-term problems from the financial crisis with less obvious long-term problems…Together, these problems raise the possibility that the United States is not merely suffering through a normal, if severe, downturn. Instead it may have entered a phase in which high unemployment is the norm.”

With these issues ahead of us, please join me, Life and Livelihood, and other All Saints ministries on Saturday, Nov. 5 as we explore the values of dignity, equality, and hope for every human being.

Special guest Kim Bobo, executive director of Chicago’s Interfaith Worker justice program, will be with us. We will take the day to examine the “new normal” and how best to respond to our unstable world with persevering faith, strength and hope. We’ll share a potluck lunch and fellowship. And together we will help move our parish toward an enlightened response to these challenging times. Please join in!

For more information contact Linn Vaughan by email or call 626.583.2744

All Saints Stands With Farmworkers

2011-10-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Florida farmworkers and their allies demand higher wages at Trader Joe's By Brenda Gazzar, [Pasadena Star-News] Staff Writer

MONROVIA - At least 350 Florida tomato pickers and their allies marched to Trader Joe's corporate headquarters Friday, calling on the company to sign "a fair food agreement" with a community-based worker organization.

Organizers called the afternoon rally the largest by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in California since the successful conclusion of the Taco Bell Boycott in 2005. CIW is an organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout Florida.

Read more

More photos

Patt Morrison Interviews George Regas on "Keeping Faith"

2011-10-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

His church, All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, came under IRS scrutiny seven years ago after he delivered a sermon on the Iraq war.

Yep, that was George Regas in that photo — the man in the purple ecclesiastical robe and handcuffs. The rector emeritus of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena chose to get busted this month outside the downtown federal building protesting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A few days earlier, scores of mostly conservative ministers across the country had deliberately defied the IRS ban on candidate endorsements by tax-exempt churches. Regas had tripped that wire inadvertently seven years ago, with a sermon that caught the IRS' ear and could have cost All Saints its tax exemption. He's retired from the pulpit, but time has not staled nor circumstance withered Regas' appetite for engagement.

Read the rest of Patt Morrison's interview with George Regas here.

The Noise of Democracy: Stories from the Political Imagination with Jeff Sharlet

2011-10-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Jeff Sharlet, bestselling author of The Family and C Street, will discuss his newest and most personal book, Sweet Heaven When I Die, and his reporting on – and from within – the Occupy movement.

Sharlet is Mellon Assistant Professor of English at Dartmouth and a contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine and Rolling Stone. In 2000, Sharlet teamed up with novelist Peter Manseau to create KillingTheBuddha.com, which has since become an award-winning online literary magazine about religion and spirituality. That led to a year on the road for Sharlet and Manseau, investigating the varieties of religious experience in America—a cowboy church in Texas, witches in Kansas, a Pentecostal exorcism for a terrorist in North Carolina, and an electric chair gospel choir in Florida.

A frequent guest on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Sharlet has appeared on HBO’s Bill Maher Show, Comedy Central’s Daily Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, NPR, BBC, and other media venues.

From the Washington Post review of Sweet Heaven When I Die:

Jeff Sharlet delivers a fine dose of thoughtful skepticism in “Sweet Heaven When I Die,” his collection of 13 trenchant essays on how we gain, lose, maintain and blindly accept faith. The book belongs to the tradition of long-form, narrative journalism best exemplified by writers such as Joan Didion, John McPhee, Norman Mailer and Sharlet’s contemporary David Samuels. Sharlet deserves a place alongside such masters, for he has emerged as a master investigative stylist and one of the shrewdest commentators on religion’s underexplored realms.

Copies of his books will be available for purchase.

Jeff Sharlet in the All Saints Rector’s Forum | Sunday, October 30th | 10:15 a.m.

It's All Purple All Day @ All Saints Church

2011-10-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Members of the All Saints staff take a brief time out from their regularly scheduled "to do" list of turning the human race into the human family for a #SpiritDay photo op ... making God's Love Tangible to LGBT youth at risk by making today All Purple All Day @ All Saints Church!

What’s a former District Attorney doing opposing the death penalty?

2011-10-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

“The death penalty in California is broken and unfixable.”

Those are the words of former Los Angeles District Attorney, Gil Garcetti. This Sunday in the Rector’s Forum we will learn Garcetti’s reasoning behind his thinking.

Garcetti has given his support to the SAFE California Act, an initiative that would replace capital punishment with life imprisonment without parole. He believes that costs attached to the death penalty system are much higher than the costs for life imprisonment, and that the SAFE initiative will generate monies that can be used to bolster education and the juvenile justice system which will work to prevent crimes, making Californians safer.

California voters now prefer life in prison without the possibility of parole over the death penalty for someone convicted of first degree murder by a 48% to 41% margin. Garcetti, who has prosecuted dozens of death penalty cases, is working to increase that margin. All Saints Church and the national Episcopal Church have long favored the abolition of the death penalty.

Garcetti spent 32 years in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, eight of them as the elected District Attorney. He has been a Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, and is an award-winning photographer. He is developing a foundation to help Latino and African-American students to complete high school. Bring your questions and your concerns to this important justice issue.

Sunday, October 23 | 10:15 a.m. in the All Saints Forum | Visit the ASC website for live streaming info

All Saints Church Supports #SpiritDay

2011-10-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 20 at All Saints Church in Pasadena the daily service of Holy Eucharist will be offered with special intentions for LGBT youth at risk and for an end to religion based bigotry and the healing of homophobia.

We will join with millions of Americans who will wear purple as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. Started by teenager Brittany McMillan to stand up against bullying “Spirit Day” embodies a commitment to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.

The service will be held in the All Saints Chapel beginning at 12:10 p.m. and the Reverend Abel Lopez will preach and preside. All are welcome.

Russell Ferrante Kicks Off an Extraordinary Jazz Vespers Season

2011-10-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

We could not be more thrilled to welcome back Jazz Giant and All Saints member Russell Ferrante to kick off our 2011-2012 Jazz Vespers Season.

Russell has written with and produced records for: Bobby McFerrin, Michael Franks, Sadao Watanabe, Marilyn Scott, Eric Marianthal, and Sergio Salvatore among others. A founding member of the Yellowjackets, Russell will bring his extraordinary musical gifts to the All Saints Chancel for what is guaranteed to be another "don't miss" musical event.

Sunday, October 23, 2011 | 5:00 p.m. in the Chancel.

For more information visit www.russellferrante.com or contact Melissa Hayes, 626.583.2725 or mhayes@allsaints-pas.org.

All Saints sends Happy 80th Birthday Greetings to Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2011-10-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last Friday -- October 7th -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrated his 80th birthday ... and All Saints celebrated with this video birthday card. ENJOY!

“Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times” with Luis Rodriguez

2011-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 16 in the Rector's Forum.

Luis J. Rodriguez is convinced that a writer can change the world. Through education and the power of words Rodriguez saw his own way out of poverty and despair in the barrio of East LA successfully breaking free from the years of violence and desperation he spent as an active gang member. Achieving success as an award-winning poet, he was sure the streets would haunt him no more — until his 15-year-old son joined a gang.

He was one of 50 leaders worldwide selected as “Unsung Heroes of Compassion,” presented by the Dalai Lama. In 2011 he is to be presented the “Spirit in the Struggle” award from East LA’s InnerCity Struggle for his commitment to social justice and for his dedication to issues affecting youth, families and community members, both locally and nationwide.

Luis is one of the leading Chicano writers in the country with fourteen published books in memoir, fiction, nonfiction, children's literature, and poetry. Luis' poetry has won a Poetry Center Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, a Paterson Poetry Book Prize, among others. He is an inspiration to several generation of Angelinos and a recent visitor to Occupy Wall Street. His first book, the best-seller Always Running, is widely proclaimed as the definitive book on LA gang life.

“Rodriguez is a relentless truth-teller, an authentic visionary, a man of profound compassion… [In Hearts and Hands] he acknowledges the lessons we can learn from the social sciences, he scrutinizes what succeeds and what fails in the realm of public policy, but he never allows us to forget that the rescue of young people is also ‘a spiritual quest.’”— Los Angeles Times Book Review

Come be both informed and inspired in what is sure to be an unforgettable Rector's Forum. Sunday, October 16 in the Forum beginning at 10:15 a.m. | All Saints Church, 132 N Euclid, Pasadena 91101

For more information contact Maren Tompkins at 626.583.2711

All Saints Voted Pasadena's "Best Place of Worship"

2011-10-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

The annual Pasadena Weekly "Best of Pasadena" issue is out today ... and All Saints Church is honored to have been voted "Best Place of Worship" by Pasadena Weekly readers. Explore the other "bests" on the PW website ... and make this the week to say to a friend or neighbor, "Hey ... that was my church in the Pasadena Weekly this week. Come with me this Sunday and check it out!"

Best Place of Worship
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena
(626) 796-1172 | http://www.allsaints-pas.org/

When All Saints first began in 1883, services were held in members' homes. Two years later, the first Episcopal Church in Pasadena was built. Today, All Saints is the cornerstone of several community-based programs and organizations created to meet the needs of all people, members or otherwise. All Saints helped found the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP), an ecumenical group started in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and has sponsored many other awareness events, including lectures and films.

GALAS at San Gabriel Valley Pride

2011-10-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our GALAS (Gays and Lesbians @ All Saints) group was well represented at San Gabriel Pride, held October 8th here in Pasadena. Pictured is Daniel Howell, staffing the GALAS table.

Click here for more information on GALAS

A "Coming Out Day" Message from Ed Bacon

2011-10-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Being Gay Is a Gift from God"
from the Huffington Post

As a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in January 2009 I said “being gay is a gift from God.”

Those seven words – spoken to a call-in viewer from Atlanta -- set off a ripple of response that lit up Oprah’s switchboard, almost crashed our parish email server and continues to bring people toward us here at All Saints Church in Pasadena. And that moment continues to be for me an iconic example of how important it is for people of faith to confront discrimination against our LGBT brothers and sisters by standing up and by speaking out.

It is why that on this Coming Out Day 2011 I believe it is no longer enough for LGBT people to come out and let the world know who they were created to be – although that continues to be a courageous and transformational act. It is time for Christians to come out and let the world see the Church as it was created to be – a vehicle of love and justice, not a bastion of bigotry and homophobia.

It is time for people of faith to speak out against the religion-based bigotry that has for too long fueled the fires of homophobia that perpetuate violence against LGBT people and plants the seeds of self-loathing in LGBT youth.

And it is time to take to heart the words of Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who famously said, “Few are guilty, but all are responsible.” I may not be guilty of the religion based bigotry that has wounded countless members of God’s beloved LGBT children but I am responsible for offering a counter-narrative to the lies that have been told about the God I serve – the God of love, justice and compassion.

My faith tradition teaches that the truth will set you free – and the truth is: God Loves.

The truth is: Love Trumps.

And the truth is: Being gay is a gift from God.

GRACE in ACTION: Teri Valentine

2011-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bite and Balance

Everybody at All Saints seems to have a story about how deeply the church has affected their lives. Teri Valentine, a member of the Women’s Community steering committee, likes to tell one about her children.

“My youngest daughter, Hazel, was in an evening music recital at school and asked her brother Sam to attend,” she said. “Sam told her that he looked forward to the Wednesday youth group at church more than anything else during the week, so he hoped that she would understand his not being at school for her recital. That must be some youth program, right?”

All of Teri’s children have been active in the programs at ASC. Her eldest, Katie Rayburn, who just left to attend the University of Arizona, was an acolyte. Sam Rayburn is a ninth grader, an acolyte and active in the Wednesday night program. Hazel Valentine is in fifth grade and sings in the children’s choir.

“All Saints has had a very positive effect on the lives of my family,” she said. “I love the sermons. They are always inspiring. Church should help you get through the week. As my children have gotten older, they have also come to understand the lessons we get in the sermons.” Among the lessons she values most are that we are not here to judge other people and that it is important to help those who are less fortunate than we are.

Teri began attending All Saints during the George Regas years, after moving to La Cañada. She was looking for a place to volunteer to help people in need. “I checked out some organizations in La Cañada, but they tended to keep their money in the local community and the people in La Cañada aren’t really in need,” said Teri.

At All Saints she found a rich variety of ministries to support. She donated some women’s toiletries left over from a Girl Scout project to the Women’s Community and was recruited to serve on the steering committee. That was perfect for a busy mother, because the steering committee meetings coincided with the Wednesday youth programs.

“Our church has so many ministries to people in need,” Teri explained, “and I really trust the staff to see that the money we give is going to the right places. There are a lot of organizations doing charitable work, but you don’t always know who is behind them and how the money is spent. I trust that ASC will not spend money unwisely.”

Donating money, as well as time, to All Saints is something that has increased for Teri over the years.

“I always gave when I could,” she explained, but she didn’t pledge in the early years when she was a caterer with a struggling restaurant. “I was afraid that if I made a pledge that I would find my kitchen staff staring at me, saying ‘What do you mean we can’t cash our paychecks?’ ”

When she, her husband and a third business partner began their current company, The Perfect Bite Co, Teri said she decided she needed to take the leap of faith and pledge 10 percent of her income to support the work at All Saints. “It was the right thing for me to do,” she explained. “It is a balance in my life. The company has thrived and I really feel like we are doing well so that we can help other people.”

Growing out of Teri’s wildly popular pastry kisses, The Perfect Bite Co now provides a wide selection of fresh and frozen foods to markets and specialty stores such as Gelson’s and Williams-Sonoma. It makes private label products for markets nationwide and also distributes products under its own labels.

Parishioners have sampled some of Teri’s food at the annual Lunch of Compassion, which raises money for a different charity each year. It was originally a simple lunch of rice and beans, but Teri has expanded the menu a bit since she began donating all the food three years ago. “We still have the simple dishes and some vegan dishes, but I also include a few meat dishes,” she said. Because she donates the food, all the proceeds from the lunch can go to the charity.

Teri is also committed to seeking out new people, inviting them to All Saints and getting them connected to various ministries. “I’m famous for bringing Charlie Rahilly (our current Senior Warden) to the church,” she laughed. “It’s a big church and sometimes people find it hard to get involved. I want to help them find a place where they fit in.”

# # #

Your pledge makes it possible for All Saints to live the vision through the beauty of worship and the challenge of spiritual growth, through a wealth of stimulating and educational programs, and through outreach efforts to the parish, the community and the world at large. Pledge online at http://www.allsaints-pas.org/support/pledge/ or use the pledge card in the pew.

Regas protests "war as the primary instrument of our national policy"

2011-10-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

[As reported by Pat McCaughan in "The Episcopal News."]

Singing "we shall overcome," the Rev. Canon George Regas and more than a dozen other anti-war protestors were arrested Oct. 7 in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles after rallying against the war in Afghanistan.

Regas, rector emeritus of All Saints, Pasadena, and other clergy and faith leaders in vestments led the group, praying, chanting and singing, from La Placita past Los Angeles City Hall. He and others called for an end to the war and for the government to create jobs and to assist the poor.

Noting that the Afghanistan war is the longest running conflict in U.S. history, accounting for the deaths of more than 1,700 soldiers, Regas said: "War versus jobs is a concept that really resonates with the American public.

"We just want to hold up the concept that America must choose between a life of for all of its people, jobs for people, health care for people, taking care of the poor and the children as a priority -- that has a greater claim on us than the perpetuation of America as using war as the primary instrument of a national policy.

"America is waking up to the fact that the enormous war machine trying to have dominance across the globe is a very costly reality as the country struggles to take care of the children and the poor and the unemployed. We want to do everything we can to nurture that growing dream of a country that puts the life of its people and the health and wellbeing and education of all its people above the use of instrument of war to accomplish whatever it is that we're trying to accomplish with our militarism."

"Jobs Not War" -- Los Angeles Peace Protest on 10th Anniversay of War in Afghanistan

2011-10-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

"We were created to work, not to war. God, make us patriots of your peace." The Reverend Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis at the La Placita prayer service before the peace march

All Saints members were among those marking the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan by demonstrating in Los Angeles for peace and jobs instead of war and violence. The event, sponsored by ICUJP (Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace) drew several hundred protesters and ended with acts of civil disobedience by a number of religious leaders, including All Saints rector emeritus George Regas.

Shine: Celebrating National Coming Out Day

2011-10-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 7 - 10 p.m.
Shine: Celebrating National Coming Out Day
.St. Luke's Episcopal Church
252 East 7th Street, Long Beach 90813

Bishop Suffragan Mary Glasspool will preside and preach. St. Luke's GLBT Ministry will provide a special reception after the service designed to continue a dialogue sparked by the evening of stories, music and prayer.

The service will feature four individuals of various ages and experience sharing their coming-out stories, and how this experience has affected their spiritual journey ... including All Saints' own Vivian Varela.
Christopher Gravis, Minister of Music from St. Wilfrid's Church, Huntington Beach has assembled a choral ensemble from all over the Southland which will provide musical interludes.

New to this year's venue will be two banners designed for the event by award-winning photographer and visual artist Kurt Weston. Weston, legally blind due to AIDS-related illnesses, continues to have work featured in galleries and retrospectives across the United States.

Information: 562.436.4047

Jan Sanders: ASC Vestry Member & Pasadena Weekly "Cover Girl"

2011-10-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

A 'Cloud' on the horizon
Pasadena embraces change as libraries everywhere enter the Electronic Age
By Christina Schweighofer

Jan Sanders has had her kindle for a couple of years. She likes to use it when she travels. She just finished reading Bill Bryson’s “At Home: A Short History of Private Life.”

“It’s a funny book,” Sanders said recently, sitting in her office at the west end of Pasadena’s Central Library on Walnut Street. Sanders must know a good book when she finds one. She holds the post of the library’s director.

In the United States, consumers — like Jan Sanders — are increasingly picking up Kindles and Nooks, and they are reading books on iPads and computers. Sales of e-books already outnumber those of hard covers as well as those of paperbacks. How will public libraries fare in this environment? Does the fact that Google is scanning the world’s 130 million books mean the end of libraries? Will public libraries soon be obsolete?

Sanders, who speaks with a strong, confident voice, does not hesitate when answering such questions. “I do not see the demise of public libraries because of electronic books,” she said. “We are about reading, not about the format.”

Sanders embraces digitization, believing that the e-book is the library format of the future. The statistics support Sanders’ theory. Pasadena’s libraries are seeing usage of e-books increase at a rateof 30 percent per month.

Read the rest here ... and give thanks for visionary leaders like Jan Sanders who are helping imagine both All Saints Church and the City of Pasadena into the future!

All Saints Joins Amnesty International Call for Prison Reform

2011-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Amnesty International calls for urgent reforms to California security housing units as prison hunger strike resumes

Virginia Classick, All Saints Peace & Justice Vestry Chair and ASC member Peter Laarman both participated in an October 4th press conference at West Hollywood City Hall, in the hope of bringing attention to the humanitarian crisis that is happening in California state prisons as a result of the second hunger strike.

One of our actions on Sunday will be a letter to Governor Brown asking for his immediate intervention. Yesterday Amnesty International issued a powerful statement about the hunger strike and how inmates participating in the hunger strike are being treated.

Read the statement here ... and stop by the Action Table on the lawn this Sunday to add your voice to those speaking out against the inhumane treatment in our prisons.

TOM HAYDEN in the Rector's Forum: Sunday, October 9

2011-10-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

In the midst of rising outrage over the state of the economy and a paralyzed-by-polarity congress do you wonder if a viable peace movement possible?

Does the fact that Friday, October 7th marks the 10th anniversary of our war in Afghanistan boggle your mind?

Then you will want to be in the Rector’s Forum on Sunday -- because former state senator and leader of sixties peace, justice and environmental movements, Tom Hayden has not lost heart. Come welcome him back to All Saints and hear his thoughts on ending what he calls “the unwinnable, unaffordable and unnecessary war” in Afghanistan.

Copies of his books will be available.
For more information email the Rector's office or call 626.583.2711

All creatures great and small ... and everyone in between!

2011-10-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

It was the annual "Blessing of the Animals" Day at All Saints Church this morning. Here's just a sampling of the wonderfulness:

War of the Worldviews: Science versus Spirituality @ All Saints Church

2011-10-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

KCET, Live Talks Los Angeles, with co-presenting media sponsors KCET & KPCC, presents bestselling authors Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow ... who first met in a televised Caltech debate on "the future of God." One is an articulate advocate for spirituality, the other a prominent physicist. Their book War of the Worldviews: Science versus Spirituality is the product of that serendipitous encounter and the contentious-but-respectful clash that grew into the friendship between these two great thinkers.

See them live as they probe the fundamental questions that define the human experience:

How did the universe emerge?
What is the nature of time?
What is life?
What makes us human?
What is the connection between mind and brain?

Journalist Patt Morrison moderates.
More information here, and $20 tickets here.

"Preachers, choose your words wisely" [L.A. Times Editorial]

2011-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

On 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday,' churches should remember that their tax-exempt status prohibits them from politicking. And the IRS should enforce that law.

September 29, 2011

On Sunday, hundreds of preachers are expected to celebrate something called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" by sermonizing about the moral qualifications of candidates for public office. The event is organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization. The alliance is offering legal representation to clergy whose remarks might run afoul of the prohibition of politicking by churches. It's a challenge the Internal Revenue Service should take seriously.

Under the law, not only churches but other so-called 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations must not "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." The restriction, which dates back to the 1950s, is based on a sound principle: that organizations characterizing themselves as charitable and receiving a government benefit should refrain from election activity.

For some religious conservatives, this policy isn't just unwise; it's unconstitutional. But tax exemption isn't a constitutional right. It's the creation of Congress, which has the right to attach conditions to that benefit. Put another way, churches may have a 1st Amendment right to comment on elections, but they don't have the right to a tax exemption.

Two other criticisms concern the way the IRS enforces the restriction on politics in the pulpit. One is that the agency's policing of political preaching is so lackadaisical that the effort isn't worthwhile. But that picture is belied by statistics provided by the IRS. In the 2006 election cycle, the last for which the agency has published data, it received 237 referrals and selected 100 (44 churches, 56 non-churches) for examination, finding political activity in 26 cases.

The other criticism is that IRS enforcement has been subjective and sometimes politically motivated. Consider the inquiry into an antiwar sermon preached in 2004 at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. In the sermon, the church's former rector presented a scenario in which Jesus participates in a debate with George W. Bush and John F. Kerry. The preacher didn't endorse either candidate but said that Jesus would have told Bush that his war strategy in Iraq "has led to disaster." In 2005, the IRS wrote the church that its tax exemption was in jeopardy; in 2007, the agency closed the investigation but continued to maintain that the sermon was illegal.

The ambiguous outcome of the Pasadena case suggests that the IRS needs to be more precise in its criteria for continuing with an investigation. The sermon in that instance may have gone right up to the line, but there is a line, and it divides criticism of candidates' policies from opposition to their election.

With the 2012 election season already in progress, the IRS needs to remind the participants in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" that the law will be enforced — in a measured and consistent way.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

When Religion Becomes Lethal

2011-09-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

with Professor Charles Kimball

We are delighted to welcome Professor Charles Kimball to the All Saints Rector's Forum. An ordained Baptist minister and Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Kimball holds a PhD in Comparative Religious Studies from Harvard with a specialization in Islamic Studies.

For the last 25 years he has consulted with Congress, the White House and the State Department and blogged for the Huffington Post. His latest book, When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, examines the ways in which religion can bring out the best and the worst in us.

Kimball’s life-long commitment is to helping find constructive ways to move forward in our interconnected, interdependent world community. His message is both timely and compelling -- come be informed and inspired!

Copies of his book will be available.
Sunday | October 2nd | 10:15 a.m.| in the All Saints Forum
For more information contact The Rector's Office or call 626.583.2711

October 2nd is Blessing of the Animals Day @ All Saints Church!

2011-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bring Your Pets to Church for a Blessing! 9:00 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 2. Please bring your pets, photos of your pets, or even a stuffed animal. All pets are invited to process in the Church and then adjourn to the outdoor worship service on the quad lawn -- including a blessing of animals -- for our annual celebration of St. Francis Day.

Please arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. if you would like to participate in the procession.

[Here's a look at last year's fabulous St. Francis Day Celebration!]

Celebration of Ministries 2011: THE BEST EVER!

2011-09-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Some photos from Sunday's Celebration of Ministries -- and tribute to Anne Breck Peterson on her retirement after 33 years on staff at All Saints Church. (You can watch her sermon -- Finding Fearlessness and Fun on Life's Journey -- on the All Saints website.) With thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this year's celebration such a success!

A foretaste of the heavenly Celebration of Ministries Banquet

2011-09-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the lawn at All Saints Church will be teaming with energy, color, banners, brochures and ministry leaders for the annual Celebration of Ministries Sunday -- where forty-six tables representing over sixty ministries will be outward and visible signs of the many ways All Saints works to make God's love tangible 24/7.

This is what it looked like "backstage" at All Saints Church today as our amazing custodial team worked to set up the infrastructure for the tomorrow's celebration.

Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith there's a ministry with YOUR name on it at All Saints Church! And tomorrow is the day to come find out what it is!

All Saints Stands Against Torture: Joins National Religious Campaign Against Torture action at Dick Cheney's Simi Valley speech

2011-09-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, speaking Tuesday night in Simi Valley, was unapologetic about many of the most controversial policies of the Bush administration, defending waterboarding as merely 'enhanced interrogations' and calling the government's surveillance program 'one of the greatest success stories of American intelligence.'

Before [Cheney's] talk, about 25 local supporters of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture protested Cheney's visit at the library's entrance on Presidential Drive. The campaign has criticized the arguments Cheney conveys throughout his memoir — that torturing detainees is a useful and acceptable means of punishing and gathering information from them.

"Torture carried out by the past administration has caused one of the darkest stains on our nation's history," said Virginia Classick of Woodland Hills, who organized the protest.

Read the rest of the Ventura Star News report here.

WE'RE BACK!!!

2011-09-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

After three days being off campus due to the work on the electrical vault under the north driveway the "Campus Closed" signs are down, the concrete is being poured back over the newly installed vault and we are back up-and-running at All Saints Church!

With thanks to ALL who worked so hard to make this project happen and happen so smoothly -- for flexibility and patience in the face of the relocation of some and rescheduling of other meetings and events -- and most of all for the amazing work of our Buildings & Grounds chair Lonnie Schield and our property manager Adriana Lizarraga.

And now we return to our regularly scheduled agenda of making God's love tangible 24/7!

Statement after the execution of Troy Davis

2011-09-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

by the Reverend J. Edwin Bacon, Rector
All Saints Church, Pasadena
Wednesday, September 21, 2011

All human beings carry within them the Divine. When the cruel and unusual punishment of the death penalty is carried out-- a blatant violation of the 8th amendment to the U.S. Constitution – a life bearing the image of God is killed in a premeditated manner.

It is most likely that Georgia has committed state sanctioned murder against an innocent human being. Tonight the State of Georgia has executed Troy Davis. Davis’s guilt is in doubt as most witnesses who testified against him in court have recanted stating their testimony was coerced. Another man confessed to the murder of which Davis was convicted, and the ballistics evidence used in the trial was unreliable. How can this be called justice?

We know that the death penalty is applied unevenly. It is disproportionately pursued and administered against African-Americans. People of color and people of low income are more likely to be executed than others in the United States. This immoral, racist, and classist practice has been abolished in most civilized countries. To our shame the United States' use of the death penalty places us in the company of nations known for human rights violations: China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Iran.

The death penalty dehumanizes all persons in whose society it still remains. The Supreme Court’s upholding this execution implicated us all in the murder of Troy Davis. As Coretta Scott King famously said, “Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life. Morality is never upheld by a legalized murder.” On this somber night may all people of good will commit themselves ending this evil done on our behalf and to the abolition of the death penalty.

All Saints Church Says "NO" To The Death Penalty

2011-09-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

"An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed. Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life. Morality is never upheld by a legalized murder." -- Coretta Scott King

Photos from today's Death Penalty Vigil in Pasadena's Central Park.

Update from the All Saints Front: Vault Project On Schedule

2011-09-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Today begins Week Two and Phase Two of the "Great All Saints Vault Project."
If you missed the earlier installments click here for a report from last Monday.

The new electrical vault has now been lowered into place and construction workers are preparing it for the switch-over process ... migrating all the All Saints campus electrical and communication components from the old vault into the new one.

It is that process that will precipitate the All Saints campus being without power from Tuesday, September 20 through Thursday, September 22.

That means:

No phones.
No voicemail.
No email

So Remember:

● For pastoral care emergencies call: 626.298.9551
● For non-emergency matters requiring immediate attention email: ASCpas@gmail.com
● For updates on the status of the project keep an eye on this blog

An email notification will be sent out as soon as we’re back “up and running” so watch for that! We appreciate your patience and good humor during this stressful time, and we are very grateful for the leadership of Lonnie Schield, chair of Buildings and Grounds, in guiding us through it.

CELEBRATION OF MINISTRIES SUNDAY IS ALMOST HERE: September 25, 2011

2011-09-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

We're in final preparation mode for "CELEBRATION OF MINISTRIES 2011" ... to whet your appetite for what we know will be another "best ever" celebration at All Saints Church, here's a look back at last year.

[For a map of the tables on the lawn for this coming Sunday, click here.]

[All Saints Church | September 2010] All Saints didn't let a little thing like record heat (103!) get in the way of a FABULOUS celebration of the many ministries that make up the work and witness of All Saints Church! Here's a peek at the energy and excitement of Celebration of Ministries 2010:

And to find out more about any of the ministries on the lawn today, visit the new All Saints website Ministry pages.Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself there IS a place for you here! Let us help you find it!

All Saints in the News: Standing for Justice with Grocery Workers

2011-09-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Left to right, John Steele, board member of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice; Heather Holt, member of 9 to 5 Working Women's Association; Steve Holt, member of CLUE; Robyn Smith, parishioner at All Saints Church, Pasadena, in a show of support for grocery workers outside the Vons in Eagle Rock on September 17. [photo ccredit Ajay Singh Photos]

All Saints Church was well represented in speaking out for ecnominc justice and standing with grocery workers yesterday during eleventh hour contract negotiations. (See Robyn Smith -- pictured above -- from Labor in Talks with Grocery Chain Management -- Highland Park | Mount Washington Patch)

And we rejoice at the good news today: Grocery Strike Averted -- Los Angeles Times

The table is set ...

2011-09-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

WELCOME HOME!

Here are some snapshots from today's Homecoming Celebration at All Saints Church ... more to come!

(And wasn't it a GREAT day???)

Homecoming 2011 -- INVITE Someone!

2011-09-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

We're on final Homecoming Countdown at All Saints Church.

“If you think you can’t-go-home-again
Because the might-haves and
the should-haves and the didn’t-quites
have taken hold,
Then think again.”
These words from the All Saints “Homecoming” poem … penned by Anne Breck Peterson in 1982 … once again call us all back to All Saints Church for Homecoming Sunday 2011.

Homecoming Sunday is always a marvelous opportunity to greet old friends and make new ones and members of our Parish Council have outdone themselves in planning an extraordinary and festive start to this All Saints program year. We’ll welcome back both Canterbury and Coventry Choirs at the 9:00 and 11:15 services and (something new!) a variety of foods will be available for purchase from some of the area's most popular food trucks beginning at 10:00 a.m. Here's a link to their menus to whet your appetite.

Ed Bacon has said more times than most of us can count that being a member of All Saints Church is not a spectator sport. So be with us this Sunday as we begin another year together of putting faith into action; of speaking truth to power; of making God’s love tangible 24/7. And take a minute to watch this video, reminding us there are plenty of folks out there who have plenty of reasons NOT to be part of a church. Until they find one like All Saints. And then INVITE SOMEONE to Homecoming so we can say "Welcome Home" to them, too!

[Yes, it has come to our attention that the folks who made this video don't embrace the same theology of inclusion that we do here at All Saints. Nevertheless ... if the message works, use it!]

35 Years Ago Today ...

2011-09-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

For many All Saintsers it's hard to imagine an Episcopal Church that doesn't include women in all orders of ministry -- and for others the struggle for women's ordination is part of their lived history in the Church! But it was exactly thirty-five years ago today General Convention paved the way to make these pictures -- and many others like them -- possible.

We give thanks to Louie Crew for reminding us on Facebook this morning that today ... this very day ... is the 35th anniversary of the day that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church voted to end discrimination against the ordination of women with a resolution that read:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That a new Section 1 of Title III, Canon 9 be adopted, with renumbering of the present Section 1 and following, the said Section 1 to read as follows: Section 1. Theprovisions of these canons for the admission of Candidates, and for the Ordination to the three Orders: Bishops, Priests and Deacons shall be equally applicable to men and women.

And thanks to George Werner for this -- also reminding us that our own rector-emeritus was in the forefront of that important fight for equality:

"I just found D-1 from '76 Convention: Signees: George Regas, Lueta Bailey, Lois Barnum, Dupuy Bateman, James Birney, Leona Bryant, Gordon Charleton, Charles Crump, Mark Dyer, Joe Green, Sally Head, Hugh Jones, Charles Lawrence, Clay Myers, Dillard Robinson, Lucile Roca, Ed Romig, Bob Royster, Bart Sherman, Gordon Stenning, Ross Sidney, Charity Weymouth, Stew Wood & me. Special moment!"

So Happy Anniversary, Church!!

And thanks to all who worked so long and hard to make it happen. May we be given grace to serve the Church in our generation as faithfully as you served it in yours!

All Saints Campus Will be CLOSED September 20, 21 & 22

2011-09-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Construction is well underway to replace the electrical vault located under the north driveway (between the office building and the OCC trailer). Next week the digging will be done and workers will install the new-and-improved electrical vault.

In order to reconnect all of our power and phone service,

the City of Pasadena will turn off all our power on

Tuesday, September 20 through Thursday, September 22.

Our campus will not only be closed for those three days but our entire phone system will be down — including voice mail — and staff will not be able to send or receive email. All on campus meetings have been either cancelled or relocated.

For pastoral care emergencies call: 626.298.9551

For non-emergency matters requiring immediate attention email: ASCpas@gmail.com

For any questions (before Tuesday!) contact Davida Jones at 626.583.2729.

=======

La Iglesia de Todos los Santos estará CERRADA el 20, 21 y 22 de septiembre

Se está llevando a cabo una construcción para remplazar nuestra bóveda eléctrica ubicada debajo de la entrada norte de vehículos (entre el edificio de las oficinas y el trailer del OCC). La próxima semana la excavación estará terminada y los trabajadores instalarán la nueva y mejorada bóveda eléctrica.

Para poder reconectar toda nuestra electricidad y el servicio de teléfono,
la Ciudad de Pasadena estará cortando nuestra electricidad del
martes, 20 de septiembre hasta el jueves, 22 de septiembre.

No solamente nuestros edificios estarán cerrados esos tres días pero también nuestro sistema de teléfono – incluyendo el sistema de mensajes “voice mail” – y el personal no podrá enviar o recibir correos electrónicos. Todas las reuniones han sido canceladas o reubicadas para esos días.

En caso de emergencia pastoral, favor de llamar al: 626.298.9551

Para otros asuntos que no sean emergencias pero que requieran atención inmediata,
favor de escribir al: ASCpas@gmail.com

Si desea enterarse del status del proyecto de nuestra bóveda favor
de visitar nuestra página de Internet al: www.allsaints-pas.org

Estaremos enviando un correo electrónico notificando que ya estamos de regreso en las oficinas. Agradecemos su paciencia y buen humor durante estos momentos estresantes y estamos muy agradecidos por el liderazgo de Lonnie Schield, nuestro presidente del Comité de Edificios y Terrenos, por su guía a través de todo esto.

Si tiene alguna pregunta (¡Antes del martes!) favor de comunicarse con Davida Jones al 626.583.2729.

A Work in Progress: The All Saints Electrical Vault Replacement Project is Underway!

2011-09-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

You may have read about the "Vault Project" in the Saints Alive newsletter ... if not, then the details are posted below. Suffice to say, it is now a work in progress ... so here's a little glimpse into what it looks (and sounds) like here at All Saints Church today!

Important notice about All Saints campus: The Vault Project

Not many of us knew we have a vault under our “north driveway” (between the office building and the OCC trailer), containing all the power services we get from the city of Pasadena. We were informed this spring that it’s in very bad condition – which is why we’ve had no parking in that area for the past months. We are replacing it in September, and there will be some inconvenience and disruption during the weeks of Sept. 12 and Sept. 19.

From 9/12 through 9/16, you will see a crane, backhoe, jack hammers and all sorts of intriguing activity, as we dig out the old vault and lower the new one into a freshly dug hole. In order to reconnect all of our power and phone service, the City will turn off our power on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and Wednesday, Sept. 21. Our campus will be closed both days; in addition, emails won’t be received by staff (even off campus) and phone calls won’t be answered (no voicemail either). We are cancelling all meetings on campus those two days. (Your staff liaisons will be in touch with you.)

We appreciate your patience and good humor during this stressful time, and we are very grateful for the leadership of Lonnie Schield, chair of Buildings and Grounds, in guiding us through it. If you have questions, please call Davida Jones at 626.583.2729.

Reflection on 9/11: "I have called you by name and you are mine"

2011-09-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

by Susan Russell

As we prepare for tomorrow's events marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 I'm remembering the service we held at All Saints Church in Pasadena marking the first anniversary on 9/11/2002.

The candles massed in front of the altar burn in tribute to the names being read from the lectern – Naomi Leah Solomon, Daniel W. Song, Michael C. Soresse, Fabian Soto – as other names scroll above the altar projected on a video screen – John Bentley Works, William Wren, Sandra Wright, Myrna Yashkulka.

The church is silent save for the reading of the names and the careful footsteps of those who come forward to light a candle -- the gentle thud of a kneeler lowered for prayer --the quiet rustle of pages turned in a prayer book.

“American Airline Flight 11”– Anna Allison, David Lawrence Angell, Lynn Edwards Angell, Seima Aoyamma. The names began at 5:46 – the west coast moment when the first plane struck – and will continue through the morning until we gather for Eucharist at noon. The table is already set. The red frontal – blood of martyrs – covers the altar. The chalice is vested, the missal marked. The credence table is ready, too: flagons of wine, silver chalices and ciborium lined up – ready to hold the holy food and drink of new and unending life we will share here at All Saints Church.

“All Saints.” Charles’ deep voice breaks the silence as he begins reading the next segment of the list of names: “World Trade Center, continued” – Paul Riza, John Frank Rizzo, Stephen Luis Roch, Leo Roberts. I remember the ancient words of comfort from the prophet Isaiah, “I have called you by name and you are mine.” As Charles tolls the names of the dead that assurance echoes again and again in my head. These names I do not know – some I cannot even pronounce – each and every one known to God. Beloved of God.

“United Airlines Flight 93”: Christine Adams, Lorraine Berg, Todd Beamer, Alan Beaven. Gone from our sight yet gathered into God’s embrace -- seated at the heavenly banquet we can but glimpse through the sacrament we are preparing to share -- the offering of praise and thanksgiving we will present at this altar.

I look again at the ciborium massed on the credence table – the candles flickering in the polished silver – the light of lives lost reflected in the vessels holding the bread of life. It staggers the mind to consider what they represent – the magnitude of the collective loss of love, joy, hope and possibilities taken on that day a year ago with such sudden unexpectedness.

Takashi Ogawa. Albert Ogletree. Gerald Michael Olcott. The pain of death and loss mingles mysteriously in the promise of life and hope. Body and Blood. Bread and Wine. Strength for the journey and hope for the future. Hope for a world where differences enrich rather than divide. Hope for the end of wars waged in the name of the God who created us not to destroy but to love each other.

Dipti Patel. James Matthew Patrick. Sharon Christina Millan Paz. “Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith there is a place for you here.” Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Amen.

George Regas Reflects on 9/11: "Violence is not the answer to violence"

2011-09-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

All Saints' Rector Emeritus George Regas was interviewed this morning on KPFK reflecting on 9/11 and the work of ICUJP ... Intefaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.

Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, Reflects on 9/11

2011-09-09T10:50:00.001-07:00

"The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace." --Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on 9/11

Presiding Bishop reflects on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. from The Episcopal Church on Vimeo.

All Saints Marks 10th Anniversary of 9/11

2011-09-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

All Saints' Rector Ed Bacon returns this Sunday — a week earlier than usual — to preach at the services marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the day when we were suddenly catapulted into solidarity with countries around the globe who had been dealing with terrorist attacks for years. The Sunday services will offer an opportunity to remember those who lost their lives and their loved ones, as well as to recognize our part in the cycle of violence. The Rector will preach at 7:30, 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. on “Twin Towers of Forgiveness: Ground Zero of Healing.” Abel Lopez will preach at the 1:00 p.m. Spanish language service.

For a reflective experience, we invite you to walk the Labyrinth which will be available in the Forum from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are no requirements or rules to be met--just open yourself to placing one foot in front of the other, knowing the Spirit's presence, and letting it touch your sorrows and release your joys.

An interfaith service for 9/11 will be held at St. John's Cathedral, 514 W Adams, L.A. at 2:00 p.m. It will be a meditative reflection and celebration of hope from diverse religious and spiritual traditions. Meet in All Saints' north parking lot at 12:30 p.m. if you would like to carpool or caravan.

Come back in the evening to be equipped for peacemaking at 7:00 p.m. “The Urgency of 9/11/11: Challenging U.S. War-making” features Grammy-award winning jazz musician Bill Cunliffe and his band, who will lead the singing of great songs of peace in the Church. A distinguished panel of interfaith leaders will address the realities of war and violence and explore how people of faith and conscience can move the culture toward justice, peace and reconciliation. Rabbis Leonard Beerman and Laura Geller, the Reverends Carissa Baldwin and Louis Chase will join Hussam Ayloush and Aziza Hasan in the discussion. The Rev. Dr. George Regas will moderate.

If you cannot be with us in person, please join us in spirit. All Saints is sustained by your generosity and your prayers.

Rector Emeritus George Regas Reflects on 9/11 in this week's "Pasadena Weekly"

2011-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Urgency of 9/11

[PASADENA WEEKLY] Mary Regas and I were at LAX on Sept. 11, 2001 for a 7 a.m. flight to New York for a national meeting of progressive religious leaders. We were checking our bags around 5:45 a.m. when great confusion erupted.

“We can’t check your bag,” the person at the counter said softly. “All flights have been canceled.”

I challenged her.

“Get us a flight anywhere on the East Coast,” I said. “It is important that I find a flight.”

In a few minutes she said, “All flights in the country are canceled.” Soon word spread: “New York has been attacked.”

In confusion and grief, we left and drove to the nearest hotel to watch the horrendous television news of the planes flying into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

When we got home, I immediately called my close friend, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, to discuss these tragic events and how we might respond creatively to the disaster. We both called people who had been colleagues in peacemaking activities over the years.

The next day, 15 people gathered with us at All Saints Church. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Unitarians, Buddhists and other traditions — we were all seeking a way to respond that was compatible with our religious commitments.

Three-thousand people from 90 countries at the World Trade Center, Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon died on that heartbreaking day. The enormity of hatred unleashed against America weighed heavily on all of us. The tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 will be on my mind as long as God gives me a memory.

Yet we were all troubled by the cries for retaliation that would later take us into war. Unquestionably, the US should bring to justice Osama bin Laden and the other terrorists responsible for the horror of 9/11; bring them before an international court. This does not require the devastation of war; it demands the work of justice.

Within a week, we came together bringing other peacemakers; after two hours 85 of us had a name: Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP). For the past 10 years we’ve met every Friday at 7 a.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

From the day ICUJP was founded in September 2001, in coalition with a growing chorus of voices, we pleaded with President Bush and other elected officials to reject fear and embrace the rule of law, to avoid overreaction and pursue reconciliation and, above all else, say that religious communities must stop blessing war and violence.

Our voices fell on deaf ears, as blind patriotism captured America and the Bush administration lied to the American public to gain support for the US attack on Afghanistan and then Iraq.

Over these 10 years, the US has established a permanent state of undeclared war, violence and occupation. Our government has suspended civil liberties, violated human rights and engaged in torture. During these tragic years of war, the US has demonized Muslims, Arabs and South Asians.

We have plundered our communities at home, given tax breaks to our wealthiest citizens and removed essential support from the sick and the poor of our nation.

The brilliant, highly respected economist Joseph Stiglitz says the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will cost the US $6 trillion. And for most of the 10 years, the cost of the wars was put on the nation’s credit card.
As I live with the enormous human needs of our nation and the diminishing budgets throughout the country, and then look at the human and financial costs of these wars of Bush and Obama, I believe we are at a point where people are ready to say: I will give my life and energies to creating a peaceful world. I must stop these wars!

War takes the financial resources that could save lives, feed the hungry, heal the world’s suffering, and uses these resources to destroy — I hate war for that.

If we are to have any hope, there must be a massive act of conscience that says: Stop the wars; use our resources to heal and unite the human family.

At 7 p.m. Sunday, 9/11/11, come to All Saints Church in Pasadena and hear how we can renew our efforts for peacemaking.

For more information on "The Urgency of 9/11" visit the ICUJP website.

Finding Hope in the Holy: 9/11 Through the Eyes of Children

2011-08-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

One of the events marking the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 is "Finding Hope in the Holy" at St. John's Cathedral: a groundbreaking gathering of leaders from eight world religions in a service of celebration of hope rooted in the holy -- the sacred texts of our many faith traditions.

Sponsored by the Guibord Center: Religion Inside Out, this video gives voice to the common hope found in the holy by children of different faiths.

Finding Hope in the Holy - September 11, 2011 from The Guibord Center on Vimeo.

Read more about the making of the video and the event here.

Sunday, September 11 | 2-4pm
St. John's Cathedral
514 West Adams, Los Angeles 90007

All Saints Remembers 9/11

2011-08-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 11th, All Saints Church marks the 10th anniversary of 9.11.01 with services at 7:30, 9:00 11:15 and 1:00 p.m. All Saints Rector Ed Bacon returns from sabbatical to preach “Twin Towers of Forgiveness: Ground Zero of Healing” at 7:30; 9:00; 11:15 and lead us in the call to remember those we lost and to re-energize us as we work for peace, justice and compassion for all members of the human family.

In addition to our Sunday services, All Saints Church is supporting a number of wider-community events focused on unity and peacemaking. Make your plans now to attend!

================================

OneLight

Saturday, September 10th | 7:30 p.m. | L.A. City Hall

Share an evening of music, reflection and solidarity with a city-wide event focused on "One Peace, One World." Sponsored by the Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders we will gather at the west steps of the L.A. City Hall to unite in common cause and common prayer to remember the 10th anniversary of 9.11.01 and embrace future harmony with southland religious and civic leaders.

For more information visit the Council of Religious Leaders website.
All Saints contingent will gather at ASC at 5:45 and "metro" down to the L.A. Civic Center together.

Finding Hope in the Holy.

Sunday, September 11th | 2:00 p.m. | St. John's Cathedral.

A groundbreaking gathering of leaders from eight world religions in a service of celebration of hope rooted in the holy -- the sacred texts of our many faith traditions.

For more information visit the Guibord Center: Religion Inside Out website.
Gather at 12:30 to car pool/caravan down to St. John's

The Urgency of 9/11/11: Challenging U.S. War-making
.
Sunday, September 11 | 7:00 p.m. | All Saints Church
Sponsored by ICUJP (Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace) a distinguished panel of interfaith leaders will confront the agonizing realities of the wars and violence visited on the world these past ten years and explore how people of faith and conscience can help repair communities here and abroad creating paths to peace, justice and reconciliation. Award winning musician Bill Cunliffe will lead us in great song of Peace.

For more information visit the ICUJP website.

========================

And for more details on any of the above events, contact Norma Sigmund in the Peace & Justice office ... 626.583.2734

"ERASING HATE" featured in the Pasadena Weekly

2011-08-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

by Carl Kozlowski

When Bryon Widner started getting tattoos as a teenager in Albuquerque, he never imagined that he would someday be portrayed on national television as a notorious example of racial hatred. At the time, he was just a high school dropout living on the streets who had fallen in with local skinhead gangs because they offered him a sense of family and a place to live.

But as he grew out of his teens and drifted through his 20s, with only rage and fellow gang members to guide him, Widner became disenchanted with the hate that surrounded him. By the time he decided to make a real break out of the white supremacist underground culture at age 30, he’d wasted 16 years of his life on a cause he now despised.

With his arms, legs, chest and face covered in swastikas and other flashy symbols of hate — including the actual word “hate” tattooed across one set of knuckles in capital letters, and a giant arrow splashed across his face as a symbol that he would be ready to kill or die for white supremacy — it was impossible to find work. So when the Southern Poverty Law Center offered to help Widner remove his most visible tattoos, he jumped at what he saw as a chance to start his life over.

The journey he underwent as he removed dozens of tattoos and escaped the white supremacy movement along with his wife and kids has been depicted in a new documentary, “Erasing Hate,” by Burbank filmmaker Bill Brummel. While the hour-long version is airing on MSNBC, the feature-length version — currently making the rounds of film festivals in search of a theatrical distribution deal — will be released on DVD this fall.

The film will also be screened at 5 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Church in Pasadena, with a post-screening discussion led by Brummel. The local screening will give the film a chance to resonate with area residents eager to prevent similar groups from spreading into Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.

Read the rest here. And do plan to join us on Saturday for the screening of this important and moving film. 5pm in the Forum. $5 donation requested. For more information call 626.796.1172

Episcopal 101 on Sunday, August 7th

2011-08-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

with Susan Russell
Come find out more about how the Episcopal Church came to be and where it’s going next. Bring your questions and your curiosity and plan to have some fun with Susan Russell as we explore our Big Fat Episcopal Family together.

In the All Saints Forum during the 10:15 education hour

"Freedom Riders" comes to All Saints on Sunday, July 31

2011-07-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

An extremely realistic portrayal of this most significant chapter in our nation's history the film movingly illustrates the power of moral authority in the hands and hearts of ordinary people to prevail against the KKK and racist elected officials. Freedom Riders dispels the prevailing myth that northern (white) students went on a mission to the south to combat segregation and instead makes clear that the leadership lay with the local African American residents who risked their lives to help bring justice to our land.

Please join us for an inspiring afternoon as we watch this important documentary, have lunch together and discuss the film and its implications for our anti-racism work.

Sunday, July 31
12:45 - 4:00 p.m. in the All Saints Forum

Sponsored by COLORS (Christians Offering Love to Overcome Racism in Society)

RSVP by July 26 to Mary Torregrosa (flakita@aol.com or 626-271-3056) for your lunch reservation and to arrange childcare.

The Face of Marriage Equality at All Saints Church

2011-07-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 24th we celebrated the advent of marriage equality in New York with wedding cake on the lawn and a "photo op" for members of All Saints to show their support for equality.

With thanks to all who stepped up to show their support... and to Laura Aguilar for being our photographer du jour ... get ready for a "glory attack" as you check out this great cloud of witnesses!

Alert the Media! All Saints Pasadena Celebrates New York Marriage Equality

2011-07-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the press release the All Saints Communication Office sent out yesterday:

On Sunday, July 24, All Saints Church, Pasadena, will celebrate the advent of marriage equality in New York with prayers of thanksgiving and wedding cake on the lawn.

“At All Saints Church we have a long history of setting audacious goals and celebrating incremental victories,” said the Reverend Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Communication & Inclusion. “And while we have not yet reached the audacious goal of marriage equality for all, we have an important and incremental victory to celebrate in Sunday’s dawn of marriage equality in New York."

“What we’ll be saying at All Saints Church on Sunday is that WE DO support marriage equality – and members of the parish will be making their voices heard not only through their prayers in church but through a 'Congratulations, New York!' photo project on the lawn after church. And our adult education hour will include an offering called “Marriage Equality 101” – updating parishioners on where we are in the journey toward equality both in our church and in our country."

Rev. Russell continued, “At All Saints Church we believe in a Protect Marriage movement that protects all marriages and in Family Values that value all families. So we are delighted to join with our brothers and sisters in New York state who are embracing equality for same-sex couples even as we recommit ourselves to the struggle for the return of marriage equality here in California and for the end of federal marriage discrimination.”

"The Good Use of Leisure" -- A Summer Adult Education offering at All Saints Church

2011-07-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

with Scott Richardson

Join the Very Rev. Scott Richardson, Dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego and our former Associate Rector, as he engages us in conversation around “The Good Use of Leisure.”

Scott will share the prayer that inspired him to reflect on the Sabbath commandment as a justice imperative as well as break down variations in the different types of leisure (vacation, family visit, sabbatical, pilgrimage, etc.), and check in around our resistance to this fundamental aspect of self-care and help us ask the question "What gets in the way of rest and recreation?"

10:15 a.m. on Sunday July 24 in Sweetland Hall

At All Saints Church WE DO Support Marriage Equality!

2011-07-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

At All Saints Church our commitment to equality has called us to challenge the Episcopal Church to move "beyond inclusion" to the celebration of the blessing of same-sex relationships. It has likewise placed us in the forefront of the struggle for civil marriage equality both locally and nationally.

Many years ago our rector emeritus George Regas challenged us to "set audacious goals and to celebrate incremental victories" ... and last month's vote for marriage equality in New York is one of those incremental victories that we're going to celebrate this Sunday!

So please join us on Sunday, July 24 as we rejoice in the dawn of marriage equality in New York and recommit ourselves to working to restore equality here in California and to ending federal marriage discrimination.

● MARRIAGE EQUALITY 101: An update from Susan Russell on where we are in the journey toward equality in both the civil and the church arenas -- including the status of the Prop 8 case, the impact of the New York legislation and plans for next summer's General Convention of the Episcopal Church. [in the Guild Room at 10:15]
.

● WEDDING CAKE ON THE LAWN: The celebration continues after the 11:15 service with wedding cake and a "We Support" photo op on the lawn. Come, join the party as we celebrate this victory on the road to the audacious goal of liberty and justice for all!

THE BOYS OF SUMMER: Part One

2011-07-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Scott Richardson returns to the All Saint pulpit on Sunday, July 24

We are delighted to welcome back to the All Saints Church pulpit one of our favorite "boys of summer" -- the Very Reverend Scott Richardson (AKA Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in the Diocese of San Diego.)

Scott was Associate Rector here at All Saints Church from 1998-2003 and it is always a treat to have him back "home" to visit. In addition to preaching at the 9:00 & 11:15 services, Scott will offer an adult education class during the 10:15 hour ... described below.

So join us for a morning of inpiration, recreation and recollection as we welcome back our first "Prodigal Preacher" ... and then stay tuned for "The Boys of Summer: Part Two" as we look forward to having Gary Hall with us on July 31st.

The Good Use of Leisure with Scott Richardson
Join the Very Rev. Scott Richardson, Dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego and our former Associate Rector, as he engages us in conversation around “The Good Use of Leisure.” Scott will share the prayer that initially got him on to this subject, reflect on the Sabbath commandment as a justice imperative, break down variations in the different types of leisure (vacation, family visit, sabbatical, pilgrimage, etc.), and check in around our resistance to this fundamental aspect of self-care (i.e., what’s getting in the way of our meeting our need for rest and recreation?) 10:15 a.m. in Sweetland Hall

Zelda Kennedy Honored with Women in Business Award

2011-07-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

21 outstanding businesswomen were honored today at the 12th Annual Women in Business Legislative Update and Awards luncheon. State Senator Carol Liu and Assemblymembers Mike Gatto and Anthony Portantino hosted the event at the Castaways in Burbank.

The awards celebrated the power of women who serve as role models and contribute to the greater good of the business community -- and we are celebrating that one of the awardees was our own Zelda Kennedy, who was honored as "Outstanding Non-Profit Employee."

CONGRATULATIONS, Zelda!

The Lay Counseling Ministry: A Support for All Saints Parishioners During Challenging Times

2011-07-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Stressful life events such as divorce, unemployment, death of a loved one, or relationship conflicts are difficult to manage emotionally, physically and spiritually. God finds us in the joys and sorrows of life. God doesn’t abandon us.

Come learn about the ways in which All Saints Church walks with you with care and love; guiding you through difficult times.

Led by Stephen Galton in the Guild Room
Sunday, July 17 from 10:15-11:00 a.m.
For more information contact Norma Sigmund

Journey to Jerusalem

2011-07-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

As part of our summer adult education series, Jim Prendergast will present a slide show visit to Jerusalem during Holy Week -- including a side trip to Bethlehem and Ramallah.

The presentation will also consider variations in Christianity, examining not only the Latin Church, but the Greek Church, the Armenian Church and the churches of Egypt and Ethiopia.

Come be both entertained and informed!

Sunday, July 17 from 10:15-11:00 a.m. in Sweetland Hall
For more information contact Norma Sigmund

"This is our life; This is our faith"

2011-07-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Carissa Baldwin totally nailed it in her sermon this morning when she "preached the All Saints Church mission statement."

Watch the whole sermon here.

All Saints Says "Thank You"

2011-07-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of July we celebrated Independence Day with prophetic preaching, powerful music ... and thank you notes.

The prophetic preaching came from our Rabbi-in-Residence Leonard Beerman ... and you can watch the video here if you missed it. The powerful music ranged from "Fanfare for the Common Man" to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" ... with some Scott Joplin as the "icing on the cake" Postlude. And the thank you notes were to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the four Republican State Senators who helped make liberty and justice for all come just a little bit closer with their leadership on marriage equality in New York.

Here's the letter we sent to Governor Cuomo ... the senators' letters were like-unto-it ... altogether signed by over 300 parish members.

Dear Governor Cuomo,

We write to express our deep gratitude for the extraordinary leadership you provided in the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York State.

On this day, in the life of our parish, we commemorate Independence Day and celebrate that we are now one step closer to realizing the vision captured in these words from July 4, 1776 -- “We hold these truths to be self-evident, and all (people) are created equal.”

As a faith community that believes in the image of God in every person, and in God’s love and concern for justice for all people, we celebrate this monumental achievement for civil rights. We look forward to the day when marriage is recognized and celebrated for all people, regardless of gender, and we congratulate you and the state of New York for leading that effort.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice”. We witnessed that in New York State with your extraordinary leadership.

Sincerely,

So here's to a Sunday Well Done. To celebrating the birthday of our country by celebrating the values of justice, compassion and gratitude. THANK YOU!

"Erasing Hate" Screening set for Saturday, August 6th

2011-07-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

Produced by award winning filmmaker Bill Brummel, "Erasing Hate" is an unforgettable true story of transformation and redemption -- and All Saints Church will be the venue for an August 6th screening of the feature length documentary.

Violent skinhead Bryon Widner's face, neck and hands were covered with intimidating, racist tattoos. Then he began a series of painful end extensive laser tattoo removal procedures - twenty-five treatments over the course of more than a year and a half. But the tattoo removal was just the outward sign of an inner transformation. "Erasing Hate" chronicles both in a film that offers a first person look inside the dark world of racist skinheads, yet offers hope in the story of one man's escape from a life of violence, addiction and bigotry.

Join us at in the Forum at All Saints Church on Saturday, August 6 at 5:00 p.m. for a screening of this extraordinary 90 minute film -- followed by a Q&A session with filmmaker Bill Brummel.

Sponsored by All Saints Church, COLORS (Christians Offering Love to Overcome Racism) & "The Conscientious Projector." Suggested donation $5 at the door.

For more information email info@allsaints-pas.org or call 626.796.1172

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

2011-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

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