BREAKING NEWS: All Saints Church Applauds Landmark Prop 8 Decision

All Saints Church applauds today’s ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Walker as a giant step forward for justice.

“The love life of every human being is sacred,” said All Saints rector Ed Bacon. “It is a gift from God. This is true not only for heterosexual couples but for those who have found that the love of their life is a person of the same gender.”

“When a state forbids a couple who has found such love from marrying it is an abusive form of injustice and discrimination to a class of human beings – and All Saints Church rejoices today that Judge Walker has ruled against that injustice.”

“Marriage equality promotes healthy marriage for all people. Here at All Saints Church we are all about turning the human race into the human family. And we rejoice with the gay and lesbian members of that family who today heard from Judge Walker the message we send every day from All Saints Church: that they are equal in every way and entitled not only to equal blessing by the church but to equal protection of the Constitution.”

On Sunday, August 8th All Saints Church will host an informational forum including legal experts and faith leaders speaking in response to today’s ruling. 10:15 a.m. in the All Saints Forum.

For further information or for comment from All Saints staff on today’s ruling contact:

The Reverend Susan Russell
Senior Associate for Communication
srussell@allsaints-pas.org
626.583.2741 – office
714-356-5718 -- mobile

Meet our New Director of Peace & Justice!

Dear Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the Rev. Carissa Baldwin has accepted my invitation to join the All Saints staff as the Director of Peace & Justice, effective September 1, 2010.

Ordained a priest in 2007, Carissa has served for the past three years as Assistant Rector and Outreach Center Director at St. Stephen’s Church in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and received her Master of Divinity degree at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. She spent a year studying in Spain and is fluent in Spanish. Before attending seminary, Carissa spent 10 years as a community organizer in Brownsville, Texas, organizing with churches and public schools. As a long-time advocate for social justice and human rights, Carissa said when she read the job posting for the position at All Saints, “This is the story of my life.”

I am grateful to the search committee, chaired by Will Watts, for their good and thorough work. And I invite you to introduce yourself to Carissa on her first Sunday, September 5, and welcome her aboard!

Peace,
Ed Bacon, Rector
All Saints Church

PLAY BALL!

GO BLUE!!

Yes, it's annual "DIO DODGER NIGHT" again ... the chance to join Episcopalians from all over the Diocese of Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium for a night of peanuts, crackerjacks and "play ball" -- and maybe even a bishop throwing out the first pitch! (It could happen!)

So don't miss out! Join us in Chavez Ravine on Friday, Sept. 17, 7:00 p.m. Please visit the Welcome Table on Sunday mornings to sign-up for the game between the Blue Crew and the Colorado Rockies. Tickets are only $15 and must be pre-paid.

The final Sunday to sign-up will be August 15. Information = email Linn Vaughan or call 626.583.2744

Worship @ All Saints Church

An All Saints Church parishioner brought to our attention this post ... part of a blog series by religious historian Keith Watkins.

The series sets out (Watkins writes) "to outline characteristics of the church’s definitive liturgy of Word and Sacrament that meet three criteria: shaped by the historic tradition, expressed in the culture of our own time, and performed in a manner suitable to the occasion. In this first column of the series, I give a preview by noting characteristics of worship at All Saints Church, which I believe are consistent with these criteria."

It begins:

First, the celebration conveys the sense that what is going on is important—important enough for the leaders to be well prepared and skilled in the performance of their respective parts of the liturgy. The liturgy is always well staged so that the visual and dramatic character of the event reinforces the meaning of the words and actions. The principal leader was at the top of his form. Although he and other leaders expressed a sense of personal presence, there was nothing trivial or inept about their words or actions.

You'll want to read it all here ... and we'd love to know what YOU think!

All Saints' saint ends a quarter-century of community connections in Pasadena

from the Pasadena Star-News

PASADENA - [source link] -- Twenty-five years ago, Lorna Miller joined the new Office for Creative Connections at All Saints Episcopal Church.

It was the socially active church's 100th anniversary gift to a city Miller said was then "in pain," struggling for answers to economic inequity, gang violence and lack of affordable housing.
Now, retiring after a quarter-century and 20 years as OCC's director, Miller acknowledged those problems haven't gone away.

But, she said, it doesn't mean nothing has changed.

"I think we have made a difference - I would hope we have," Miller said.

It's a long list. Everything from Young & Healthy - now with more than 275 volunteer medical professionals providing free care to uninsured children - to Day One's substance-abuse prevention programs, the Dropout Committee, Police Relations Committee, kids' Culture Shock retreat on multiculturalism, Theater Camp for at-risk youth, Muir Mentoring program and Visions 20/20 addressing gang violence. Not to mention the $14 million grant awarded to OCC by the James Irvine Foundation to head the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) Initiative in Pasadena, the first of five cities in California.

"It's a success story that demonstrates the impact of All Saints Church on the Pasadena community and demonstrates Lorna's effectiveness in pursuing a mission adopted 25 years ago," said Mayor Bill Bogaard, one of many civic leaders who attended Miller's farewell at the church on Thursday.

Pasadena is a "complicated" city, Bogaard said, still with tremendous disparities, and with a diversity that's both a "huge asset" and a challenge.

"The need for private participation in addressing the community's needs is as great, or greater, today than ever before because of the private sector's limited resources," Bogaard said.
Then as now, the OCC's technique was to listen to residents, report the findings back to the community and finally connect people and resources.

The Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, called the experiment "wildly successful."

"And Lorna has become an emblem for listening imaginatively and creatively, and helping the resources in the city become even more effective," Bacon said.

"That office has continued to incubate new and fruitful programs to address intractable problems in Pasadena and beyond," he said. "The premise is that, if creative people of goodwill in Pasadena come together, there are no problems that cannot be solved."

Miller, 65, said the OCC at All Saints continues to look for new approaches to community problems.

But, she said, they will stay with the key technique: listening to those closest to the problems then "connecting people around the issues" dividing the city.

Miller, co-author of "Survivors: An Oral History of the Armenian Genocide," said she will stay involved in international projects in retirement, including continuing her work in Rwanda in the aftermath of the genocide of the 1990s.

"I want to spend some time traveling and I'm open to seeing where I can best use my skills," she said. "But I will really miss the stimulation and creativity that comes from bringing people together around a particular problem, sharing resources to come up with a solution."

janette.williams@sgvn.com
626-578-6300, ext. 4482

"Shake for the Quake: A Dance Benefit for Haiti"

JUNE 4, 2010 ~ ALL SAINTS CHURCH, PASADENA


IF YOU LIKE TO DANCE, HERE'S A GREAT REASON TO DO IT!

The All Saints Church-Pasadena’s 20/30's ministry is hosting "Shake for the Quake: A Dance Benefit for Haiti." While the support for the people of Haiti was largest directly after the earthquake, this enthusiasm has since diminished, and yet the necessity for basic life needs are still vastly under met.

Here are the details...

WHO: You and Your Friends/Family, ALL ages welcome
WHAT: Shake for the Quake: A Dance Benefit for Haiti
WHEN: June 4, 2010 from 7:00pm to 1:00am
WHERE: The Forum at All Saints Church, 132 North Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, CA
WHY: To benefit the earthquake/disaster relief work of Episcopal Relief and Development

We will have a DJ spinning your favorite hits from the 60's to today, and you can dance your way through the decades.

60-80's from 7:00pm-9:00pm,
90-10's from 9:00-11:00pm,
top 40/dance from 11:00pm to 1:00am.

Live band: Isaac Nathaniel and Ghost 9:30-10:00

Lite snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided free of charge. Beer and wine available with valid ID.

There are two options for dancing during the event.

First is to raise pledges in either a hourly sponsorship format or via flat-rate sponsorship. Dance for an hour, or dance all night. Every of ALL ages welcome, just not those in their 20/30's, even those young and young at heart!

Pledge packets are available at the "Shake for the Quake" courtyard table on Sundays at All Saints Church, or by emailing ASC.DAT@gmail.com.

The other option is to pre-purchase an entrance ticket for $15 at www.allsaints-pas.org. Pledges are most desirable.

A silent auction will be held for multiple amazing items including:
Dodger Box seats with food service
Plush Palm Springs weekend accommodations
Hollywood Bowl tickets
Original artwork by local artists such as Albert Reyes.

All proceeds raise from pledges, tickets and sales will go towards the event cause. Our goal for this event is to raise at least $5,000 to benefit the people of Haiti.

HELP US REACH AND EXCEED OUR GOALS!

For more information about this event, please directly email ASC.DAT@gmail.com, visit the All Saints website

For more information about EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT, please visit www.er-d.org.

A New Day for our Diocese!

Saturday, May 15th was the dawn of a new day for the Diocese of Los Angeles in the ordination and consecration of two new bishops -- +Diane Jardine Bruce and +Mary Douglas Glasspool.

All Saints Church was WELL represented at this historic event ... you'll see many familiar faces in this slide show. Thanks to all who contributed photos -- we hope it gives a glimpse of the energy and diversity of a grand celebration of a new day for the Diocese of Los Angeles AND the Episcopal Church!



News coverage included ...

ENS (The Episcopal News Service)
The Los Angeles Times
(UK) Times Online
The Guardian
The Telegraph
BBC News posted this piece
CBS2 News

... and this report from KTLA:


And here's Susan's blog on the day: "The Strife is O'er"