All Saints Says "Thank You"

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!