An Interfaith Vigil to End the Military Occupation
in Gaza and the West Bank
Will be held at the Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles 90020, on Sunday, July 16, at 6 p.m. It will be an evening of prayers and reflections. For information, please call the Islamic Center at 213.382.9200.
How the Religious Right Distorts The Faith & Threatens America
Randall Balmer in the Forum on Sunday, July 16, at 3 p.m.
Balmer is editor-at-large for Christianity Today and the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of American Religion at Columbia University. His latest book Thy Kingdom Come asks the question “How has evangelical Christianity become so entrenched in partisan politics?” The event is co-hosted by Progressive Christians Uniting and Emergent SoCal. All are welcome. For more information please visit emergentsocal.blogspot.com or email rgallegos@allsaints-pas.org.
All Saints has a
PASTORAL VISIT REQUEST LINE
where you can schedule a visit from a Lay Pastoral Visitor or a Lay Eucharistic Visitor. To use the line, simply call the Prayer Line at 626.583.2707, press the ‘1’ key on your telephone keypad and leave the name of the person to be visited, their location, and your name and phone number.
Summer Camp for Kids Will Be Based on "Narnia"
August 14-18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Join us for an exciting week of journeying through Narnia Together! Our curriculum is based on The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis; and will include experiential learning, arts and crafts, music, playing instruments, games, movement, outdoor activities, and more. Each day will begin with a large group meeting where we will introduce the theme. After that, the kids break into age-appropriate groups for activity sessions. We will meet together again at the end of the day to review our shared learning.
The camp is for children entering kindergarten through rising fifth-graders. The cost is $80 per child, and families receive a $10 discount in registration fees when enrolling more than one child. Please make checks payable to: All Saints Church. Registration deadline is July 31. Limited partial-tuition scholarships are available. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and registrations received past the deadline will only be accepted if space is available and with the permission of the instructors. Please bring a bag lunch each day. Only snacks will be provided. A celebration of the children’s work throughout the camp will be held Friday, August 18, from 2-3 p.m.
Childcare is available, and counselors are needed! For reservations and for more information, please call Isabel Leus in Children, Youth and Families at 626.583.2733.
GENOCIDE HITS HOME
All Saints Church Quad Lawn
Sunday, June 25, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thank you!
All Saintsians donated $5400 for solar cookers last Sunday!
Your generosity is amazing! For those who haven't yet had a chance to donate, donations for solar cookers can still be made at the action table this Sunday.
Camp Darfur is sponsored by All Saints Church and Stop Genocide Now. For more information,
Call Ruby Gallegos at 626.583.2734 or visit WWW.CAMPDARFUR.ORG
To read insightful articles about the genocide in Darfur by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times, click here for 11/20, 11/22, 11/27 and 11/29. For more information, go to www.stopgenocidenow.org to see video feeds from the Chad/Darfur border, and to www.savedarfur.org.
at the church
The Voices of Witness DVD is available at the church. Suggested donation is $5, but no one will be turned away because of lack of funds.
Click here for Voices of Columbus, comment from clergy and parishioners on the scene at the recent General Convention.
Click here for Episcopal News Service.
Click here to check out Susan Russell's blog.
ACTION ALERT:
Breaking News :U.S. Congressional Hearings on Immigration Reform Bills will be held at Brownfield Airport near San Diego, California next Wednesday, July 5, at 9 a.m. Some of the anti-immigrant leaders in Congress have been shaping these hearings to support an enforcement-only bill. Other voices must be heard and we are asking anyone who can to join us in San Diego next Wednesday.
In addition to the hearing itself, there will be a prayer vigil directly in front of the hearing location at 8:30 a.m. The hearing is partly a media contest, people of faith expressing their opinions and concerns both inside the hearing and outside through the vigil are very important for our work.
Anti-immigrant leaders expect that immigrant-focused reformers won't be able to mobilize for this hearing. Let's surprise them and turn out a large demonstration to demand justice in immigration reform.
For more information call Daniel French 213.481.374 ext.103, or Lori Kizzia at 626.583.2766
Click here to download a guide to fasting and prayer.
James Carroll at All Saints
On Sunday, June 4, James Carroll preached to two full congregations at 9 and 11:15 a.m., read from his new book, House of War, at lunch, and premiered a major paper critiquing American foreign policy in front of an audience of 800 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the church.
James Carroll Interview
With Larry Mantle on KPCC 89.3 FM, Thursday, June 1, 11:30 a.m.
(to listen, click here, scroll down to June 1, "Pentagon's Rise to Power" and click on "Listen" )
It was an inspiring, challenging and profound day. And if having James Carroll with us wasn't enough, Archbishop Desmond Tutu also worshiped with us at the 11:15 a.m. service. Sunday night, 800 people of all faiths filled the church to listen to peacemakers James Carroll, Maher Hathout, Connie Rice, George Regas and Leonard Beerman discuss a new religious paradigm for making peace in the world. Click here to read the morning's sermon and here for the evening's paper and discussion. It is must reading. Our thanks to Jim Carroll and all who participated.
ER-D Earthquake Relief Needs Your Help
Episcopal Relief and Development is supplying emergency assistance to people in Indonesia devastated by a massive 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The damaged region of Central Java is 250 miles southeast of Jakarta, the nation’s capital. Over 6,000 people have been killed and more than 200,000 people have lost their homes and are living in temporary shelters until rebuilding can begin. To help these people affected by the disaster, please donate to the Emergency Relief Fund at the ACTION TABLE at church this Sunday, or in the "Ways to Give" section online or call 1.800.334.7626, ext. 5129. Checks can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, designated for the "Emergency Relief Fund", P.O. Box 12043, Newark, NJ, 07101.
No memorial services are scheduled this week.
All Saints Church is conducting a search for a new director of Peace and Justice. It is a big job and an exciting opportunity for the right person. We look forward to hearing from you. For a job description, please click here.
Get Rid of the Death Penalty
Eliminating the death penalty is a mission of this church. General information about this important issue is available at www.deathpenalty.org.
Rusty's Small Groups have a ton of offerings coming soon:
Movies and Meaning
Experience the movies in community each week, on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in the Forum, followed by an open discussion. Throughout the summer: Immigration Film Series.
7/12 No Film
7/19 Lone Star
7/26 Stranger Than Paradise
8/2 Mystery Train
8/9 House of Sand and Fog
8/16 No Film
8/23 No Film
8/30 Grapes of Wrath
9/6 El Norte
9/13 Spellbound
9/20 In America
For more information, call Rusty Harding at 626.583.2735 or go to www.imdb.com for detailed information on the films.
Lectio Local
All Saints’ small group focused on life in Southern California.
Lectio Local will take a vacation for July and August. Please join us when our conversations resume on September 15. Call Rusty Harding at 626.583.2735 for more information about upcoming topics.
Fiction Fun!
For July -- A History of Love by Nicole Krauss
When Fiction Fun! gathers in July, Nicole Krauss’s A History of Love will be the subject of discussion. The group meets on Friday, July 28. In the New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote of the books “oddball” flourishes; flourishes that she said “reflect the deep, surprising wisdom that gives this novel its ultimate heft.” Please join us in the Guild Room for discussion beginning at 7:30 p.m. and continuing until 9:00. All are welcome. Call Rusty Harding at 626.583.2735 for more information about this and other upcoming evenings of Fiction Fun!
The Creative Call
All Saints is a place chock-full of creativity. Here are authors and actors, painters and photographers, architects, filmmakers, musicians and more. People who give of themselves to make meaning in the world. In the weeks ahead, you are invited to join us as we celebrate and engage the creative presence among us. Yours included. Periodically throughout the summer, the Small Group Ministry will host a series of these Creative Conversations. Creative members of the community around All Saints’ will come to tell their stories, talk about their work and join us in an ongoing discussion of what it means to live creatively. How do we face a blank page, an empty canvas or those unforeseen circumstances in our lives that look, for all the world, like nothingness? Join us this summer to meet new people and be part of some creative conversations. Come as often as you can. No registration is necessary. For more information and to learn about other Creative Conversations planned for later in the summer please contact Rusty Harding at 626.583.2735 or rharding@allsaints-pas.org
GET ON MESSAGE: Summer Small Group
Many moderate and progressive Christians in particular feel that their faith has been hijacked by an agenda so contrary to the spirit and teaching of Jesus as to be almost unrecognizable. All Saints parishioner and executive director of Progressive Christians Uniting, Peter Laarman, pulled together a set of essays on “Christian moral values” from a range of writers and thinkers resulting in the book, Getting on Message, which provides much to stimulate widespread discussion so as to equip people to challenge the Christian Right from the heart of the gospel. A summer small group, facilitated by the Rev. John Forney, will discuss the book. The group will meet Tuesdays at 7 p.m., from June 13 through July 25 in Learning Center 1. To register, stop by the Small Group Table or contact Rusty Harding at 626.583.2735 or rharding@allsaints-pas.org.
This is your Call to Community! Through the worship of God and fellowship with each other, we are all called into community; to rejoice, love, encourage, comfort, challenge and minister to each other. The Call to Community ministry consists of members of the parish periodically calling parishioners to check in on their well-being and to update information. We need more Callers. Many in our parish crave a deeper, livelier introduction and connection to the larger parish community and you can be that connection Likewise, if you desire a wider experience within the All Saints community, please let us know, as we wish to include everyone within our parish community. If you would like to be called or become a caller for this extraordinary ministry of grace, please contact Susan Long at 626.564.0141, susanjlong@sbcglobal.net or Maria DiMassa at 626.796.8765, mjdimassa@aol.com.
The Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a longtime friend of All Saints Church, died Wednesday, April 12, at age 81. He was a giant internationally in the struggle for peace and justice. To read the New York Times obituary, please click here. To read the text of Dr. Coffin's Rector's Forum from Palm Sunday, 1988, please click here. And here for another wonderful Rector's Forum from February, 6, 1995.
Keynote speaker Chris Hedges – prolific writer, seasoned war correspondent and journalist and dedicated peace activist – challenged us to live our faith in ways that make a difference: not only to the life within us, but also to the world around us. Chris was a thought-provoking, hard-hitting inspiration, and we look forward to having him back again.
This great weekend offered workshops with diverse offerings ranging from pastoral care to peace making, and gave members of all ages with incredibly rich opportunities for worship and fellowship across the generations. Click here to download a copy of "The Lenten Tool Kit". Click here to read Chris's Saturday plenary session speech War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, and here for his no-holds-barred talk on the Christian Right for the Rector's Forum on Sunday, Mar. 5.
For information on Chris's recent books, here are beliefnet and rutherford.org interviews about "Losing Moses on the Freeway," and a blurb about "War is a force That Gives Us Meaning."
State of the Parish
Click here to read Senior Warden Bob Long ’s State of the Parish Address.
Join Our Spanish-English Bilingual Service Every Sunday at 1 p.m.!
the 1 p.m. Bilingual Service
¡Ven a Celebrar! Misa Bilingüe (Español-Ingles). Todos los Domingos a la 1p.m.
Come to Celebrate! At our bilingual Service (English–Spanish), every Sunday at 1 p.m.
For more information, please contact the Rev. Abel Lopez at 626.583.2748
or alopez@allsaints-pas.org.
You can read the Episcopal News Service in Spanish here at Iglesia Episcopal.
Join Us Again in September for Saturday Celebration, Every Saturday at 5 p.m.!
the 5 p.m. Saturday Celebration
Now on summer vacation, this 45-minute service is for anyone who wishes to worship in a more casual environment, in a space where kids are a part of the entire service, and in a more interactive, participatory, and multigenerational atmosphere. The service is a regular Eucharist -- a moving, spiritual experience for everyone. It is highly participatory, involving children, youth, and adults in all parts of the service including ushering, readings, acolytes, etc. We strive to create a space and style that are accessible to each person that comes and invites everyone to feel God’s unconditional love and presence. All are invited to attend and we encourage you to invite your friends, family and neighbors to come as well. For more information, please contact Isabel Leus at 626.583.2733 or ileus@allsaints-pas.org.
Ed on NPR's "Weekend America"
Host Barbara Bogaev interviewed rector Ed Bacon and Russell Johnson, pastor of the conservative Fairfield Christian Church in Ohio, about IRS probes at both churches; and talked about their political and religious differences and common ground. It was originally aired on Saturday, Mar. 4, and now you can DOWNLOAD it to your computer HERE (then scroll up to the top of the Weekend America page, click on "Politics and the Pulpit," then click on SAVE in the box that pops up -- it will save it to your computer and you can listen anytime; requires RealPlayer [free]).
Friday, Feb 3's Newshour included Jeffrey Kaye's interview with Ed in its "Taxing Sermons" segment. Click here to see the piece on the PBS website.
The IRS Goes To Church
All Saints' Most Recent Letter to the IRS Sent on Dec. 13
Click here to read the 12/13 letter and the information
and here to see the press release.
Click here to see a printed copy of Ed Bacon's sermon from Sunday, November 13, entitled "The IRS Goes To Church." Thank you so very much for your support and your prayers.
Click here to hear the Rector's 11/13 sermon,
"The IRS Goes to Church."
(this is a large MP3 file and may take a while to download)
Media schedule (may change without notice):
NPR All Things Considered, aired an in-depth report about whether or not religious speech is free in America -- including a section about churches and the IRS -- on December 16
You can listen to it on the "All Things Considered" website.
SOON NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams at 6:30 p.m. will air its segment, taped at All Saints, with Mark Mullen's interviews of Ed Bacon and George Regas.
Here are some of the newspaper editorials appearing nationwide:
New York Times, Tuesday, Nov. 22
The Chicago Sun-Times, Nov. 22
The Washingtion Times, Monday, Nov. 14
The Miami Herald, Friday, Nov. 11
Dallas Morning News, Friday, Nov. 11
Seattle Times, Friday, Dec. 2
Pasadena Star News, Friday, Dec. 2
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wednesday, Nov. 9
The Christian Century, Tuesday, Nov. 29
IRS Examination of All Saints. Ed Bacon's Announcement to the Congregation on Nov. 6.
Ed Bacon's announcement to the congregation on Nov. 6:
"The Internal Revenue Service has notified All Saints church that we are being examined for possible violation of our non-profit status. The IRS’s charge is campaign intervention. They have cited a sermon that our rector emeritus, George Regas, preached on the Sunday before the last presidential election. We have engaged a Washington, D.C. law firm specializing in these matters.
"It is important for everyone to understand that the IRS’s concerns are not supported by the facts. George Regas’s sermon upheld the core values of this church as a Peace Church. We have been a self-identified Peace Church since a resolution was adopted by the Vestry in 1987. The sermon in question explicitly stated, “ I don’t intend to tell you how to vote.” We at All Saints, of course, will continue from a nonpartisan perspective to teach and proclaim with vigor the core values of Christianity as we stand in the prophetic tradition of Jesus the peacemaker. This is our responsibility as followers of Christ and as Americans who claim our freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
"We will have information available to everyone at church next Sunday. This information will be on our website this week. We will keep you informed at every turn. Pray for our church and pray for our country."
This past Sunday was both joyous and sad. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was the joy. Our IRS examination is unfortunate, but our First Amendment Rights are precious. For information on the IRS's examination, please click here for our press release, the IRS Letter to All Saints Church, All Saints' response to the IRS via counsel, the transcript of the sermon at issue, a 1987 proclamation that All Saints Church is a peace and justice church, and a 2005 Re-affirmation by Vestry that we have not and will not violate campaign intervention laws, and the L.A. Times articles from November 7and November 8. Also, please see Rep. Adam Schiff's good letter to the IRS and the Treasury Dept., as well as our response to that helpful letter. Also, we just received a more comprehensive version of the original letter from the IRS with their questions to the church on page 3.
You can also listen to the audio of the Rev. Regas' sermon on the L.A. Times website (see upper right where it says "audio"), OR
Click here to download the Rev. Regas' sermon from October 31, 2004.
(this is a large MP3 file and may take a while to download)
It is important that we be able to preach our core moral values. That's the compass. That is the lifeblood of any church. It is not necessary to endorse a candidate or party. Americans MUST be able to speak freely within the confines of the law -- and be free to disagree -- and to still love each other without fear. We have strayed away from that. When was it decided that disagreeing was unhealthy? That has always been what has distinguished America from parts of the rest of the world -- and made us special. Like they say, there is no harmony if everyone's singing the same note.
So many people have offered their encouragement and financial resources that we have set up a defense fund. To make a contribution to the work of All Saints Church and its defense of its First Amendment Rights you can write a check payable to ALL SAINTS CHURCH and designate it to "IRS DEFENSE." We are located at 132 N. Euclid Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101.
We are humbled by and grateful for all your heartfelt support.
Love and Peace.
Thank you for your offers of support.
All Saints Church would like to thank everyone for their prayers and offers of financial and moral support. If you would like to become a pledging member of All Saints Church, please click on the image above, let us know your name, address, other contact information if you wish, and the amount you would like to pledge for 2006, and an All Saints staff member will get in touch with you. Thank you so much for your support of All Saints' work. We are deeply grateful.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Thank you, our friend!
Thank you all for making this the great day that it was with this Nobel Peace Laureate.
This sermon will tell you what All Saints Church is all about.
Click here to hear the sermon of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at
All Saints Church on November 6.
From: Rev. Ed Bacon
Sent: 15 December 2005 10:58 PM
To: Arch Tutu
Subject: Merry Christmas!
My dear brother, Desmond:
We have today wired to the account designated by Lavinia a check for $22,000.00. It is the second installment of the $75,000 pledge I made to you two years ago. It is the offering we received during worship when you were here on All Saints Sunday. It is an outward and visible sign of All Saints and my affection for you personally and appreciation for your ministry. I hope that you will use it to keep your office running smoothly so that you can continue to speak clearly the prophetic good news.
Please know of Hope's and my love for you, Leah, and all your family during this holy time.
Peace and love,
Ed
Then Archbishop Tutu's reply:
From: Desmond M. Tutu
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 8:48 PM
To: 'Rev. Ed Bacon'
Subject: RE: Merry Christmas!
Hallo kosher-hallal Bacon,
What a fantastic example of the incredible generosity of all of you at All Saints. Thank you,thank you,thank you. Please convey our deep gratitude to all in that marvellous parish. We are overwhelmed.
Shannon Gelman,our beautiful Jewish friend at ANSA is the one who said you were kosher-hallal Bacon because she admires you so much.
You guys I believe rated a NY Times editorial about your spat with the IRS. Much love and blessings to you and Hope and all the saints for Advent(what remains),Christmas and 2006,
Arch.
The Rector is Given the Islamic Center's Peace and Compassion Award on Oct. 31
The Islamic Center of Southern California gave the Rev. Ed Bacon its annual Peace and Compassion Award on Oct. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Approximately 6000 Muslim worshipers came together for Eid Mubarak, the end of fasting for Ramadan. It was an amazing spiritual gathering. Ed has fasted during Ramadan, in solidarity with the Muslims for the past four years, since 9/11.
Rosa Parks Remembered: If you don't think one person can change the world...
Ed's invocation at the NAACP Annual Awards Dinner, Thursday, October 27:
O God of love and justice, we remember this night the life and witness of our sister, your servant, Rosa Parks. We remember that by her act of courage on a bus that afternoon 50 years ago, she injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization. We remember this night that she sat down in order that others might stand up We remember this night that she refused to cooperate any longer with unjust laws. We remember this night that she said, “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
As we eat this meal tonight, O Lord, and enjoy the fellowship at our tables, we pray that you will bless this food and this fellowship, God, by making us, like our sister Rosa Parks, tired of giving in.
Make us tired of giving in, Lord, to the classism and racism in our country exposed by the winds of hurricane Katrina.
Make us tired of giving in, Lord, to this unjust war that has now taken the lives of over 2,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis, and which rewards corrupt corporations, takes away civil liberties, and sets Christian against Muslim.
Make us tired of giving in, Lord, to tax cuts for the super wealthy that steal food from the poor and steal schools and health-care from everyone else.
Make us tired of giving in, Lord, to a life of timidity and insensitivity that does not live for liberty and justice for all.
Make us tired of giving in, Lord, to leadership that does not ask us to sacrifice so that the human race can become the human family.
For in living for others and in prayerful awareness of our dependence upon You and of our interdependence on one another will we truly be blessed.
All these things we pray in your holy name.
Amen.
Yes, indeed. Amen.
Astounding God, Abounding Grace, Abundant Giving: Stewardship Season
Read about the power of tithing and the spirit of giving in some great interviews of parishioners from Saints Alive: Paula and Peter Arvedson, Tymeri Cuervo and Mary Mitchell, and Regenia Moses. If you are interested in pledging or want more information on how you can get financially involved in this wonderful spiritual community, contact Ilean Rogers at 626.583.2736 or irogers@allsaints-pas.org.
By Popular Demand, Jazz Vespers Homilies by Anne Petersen and Christina Honchell
Enjoy the Jazz Vespers homilies by Christina Honchell on October 23, during the Benefit for New Orleans musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and Anne Petersen on November 20, in her Thanksgiving Warm-Up.
Camp Casey has been disbanded and Cindy Sheehan and her supporters are on their way by bus to Washington, D.C. on the Bring Them Home Now Tour. For coverage of the last days of Camp Casey see Crawford Update.
Read the Rector's compelling reports from his recent trip to Crawford: Part I: Forging a Path to Peace, and his inspiring second installment, as he witnesses a new peace movement being born: Part II: Blessed Be the Peacemakers.