"What a time, Lord; What a time!"

by Susan Russell

It has been a whirlwind couple of days here at work in the All Saints Pasadena fields-of-the-Lord. This slide show will capture some of it ... but if a picture is worth a thousand words, it would take a million to capture the energy, enthusiasm and excitement +Barbara Harris brought to Pasadena for her inaugural visit to All Saints Church.



"What a time, Lord; what a time!" was the title of +Barbara's sermon at 11:15 on Sunday. You can watch a video of her message here ... and I hope you will.

You can also watch the Rector's Forum here ... a totally fabulous interview of +Barbara Harris by Ed Bacon. It was our inaugural foray into "live streaming" -- trying out the free service "U-Stream" -- and I can't resist sharing here some of the comments I got on my Facebook page:

Good thing I'm in the central time zone so that I can participate remotely. Hopefully we can get her to come speak in Fort Worth!

It worked! I loved being able to watch from the East coast. Thanks Communications Team!

I tuned in for the last twenty minutes - over here on the East Coast! "the power behind you is greater than the task ahead of you!" Thanks so much!

It was a "baby step" for us but an exciting one ... stay tuned for further developments as we keep working to make the medium work with the message!

Bishop Harris' visit included confirmation on Saturday morning, a lunch meeting with the leadership team from the Los Angeles "Moral Compass to Justice" folks, two sermons and a rector's forum on Sunday followed by a Mother's Day brunch in her honor. She's not only a hard act to follow, she's a hard one to keep up with ... and if I make to 80 and have 1/8th of her energy I will consider myself mightily blessed!

I scribbled down on a liturgy leaflet at some point during the weekend Ed's description of +Barbara's ministry as defined by "Courage, Compassion and Audacity" -- and I think that pretty much says it.

What a time, Lord; what a time ... what a time we've had together.

And NOW we gear up for Consecration Countdown ... as the Diocese of Los Angeles prepares to send two more courageous, compassionate and audacious women to the House of Bishops when we ordain Diane Jardine Bruce and Mary Douglas Glasspool next Saturday in Long Beach.

My, my, my!

THANK YOU, LORI!

Celebrating Lori Kizzia's Amazing Peace & Justice
Work at All Saints Pasadena

All are invited to Celebrate the Ministry of
Lori Kizzia
Sunday, May 16.
Send her on her way to graduate school with best wishes!
Cake and jazz will be served on the lawn following the 9 and 11:15 services.

And please contribute any thoughts and stories you have about Lori and her service to All Saints Church:

THANK YOU, LORNA!

Celebrating Lorna Miller's 25 Years
at All Saints Pasadena
and the Office for Creative Connections

All Saints Church
and the Office for Creative Connections
invite you to celebrate
Lorna Touryan Miller
Thursday, May 27
4:30 to 6 p.m.
on the lawn at All Saints Church
Please RSVP by May 20 to Catherine Swanson at cswanson@allsaints-pas.org.

And please contribute any thoughts and stories you have about Lorna and her quarter century of service to All Saints Church and the city of Pasadena below:

Ugandan Bishop to visit All Saints Church

On Sunday, May 16th the All Saints Rector’s Forum will welcome Bishop Christopher Senyonjo.

Bishop Christopher has been an outspoken advocate for human rights in Uganda. He has taken great personal and vocational risks in defense of LGBT people in his country -- a nation where lawmakers recently considered imposing a death penalty on homosexuals.

He will address the homophobic and draconian anti-gay movement and legislation pending in Uganda as well as how we can be agents of hope and change.

You won’t want to miss the chance to be inspired by this genuine Giant of Justice.

For more informationon Bishop Christopher and his U.S. speaking tour, visit Walking With Integrity -- the Integrity USA blog.

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

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

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

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

Bishop Harris will:

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

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

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

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

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

It was a beautiful "Earth Day" in the neighborhood ...

... and so here are some photos from our celebration this morning in Pasadena at All Saints Church on this Sunday-closest-to-Earth Day.

There's always a lot of activity on the lawn but today -- in addition to our regularly scheduled ministries (which you'll see represented here) -- there were a fabulous assortment of tables focused on sustainability and our stewardship of creation.

In the Rector's Forum was Connie Domino ... bringing her "Law of Forgiveness" message to a packed house inside and to gathered crowds on the lawn watching via video feed. In the pulpit was Ed Bacon -- you can watch his 3rd Sunday of Easter sermon here.

And now ... without further ado ... sit back and enjoy another beautiful day in the All Saints neighborhood ...

The Power of Forgiveness: April 17 & 18:

A weekend featuring the inspiration of dynamic author and speaker Connie Domino and a screening of Karen Hayes' documentary-in-progress on Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Plan now to be with us on Saturday, April 17th from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. to learn from Connie Domino (pictured left) – who will teach you how to change your life, change the world and meet your goals and dreams through unleashing the amazing power of personal forgiveness in a workshop based on her book The Law of Forgiveness.

"We should forgive the ones who have hurt or angered us, which then allows us to unblock our energy, feel more peaceful and fulfill our desires. Forgiveness is done more to benefit the individual rather than the one being forgiven.” -- Connie Domino

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Saturday’s workshop also features scenes "The Foolishness of God: Desmond Tutu and Forgiveness." The film explores difficult moral and ethical territory by examining Desmond Tutu’s willingness to promote leniency for perpetrators in the aftermath of the most violent human conflicts. Q&A with filmmaker Karen Hayes (pictured right) will follow the screening.

Cost for Saturday’s workshop is $20. Register on the lawn on Sunday or register online here.

Connie Domino will also be featured in the Rector's Forum on Sunday, April 18th at 10:15 a.m..

For more information contact Norma Sigmund via email or at 626.583.2734.