Sunday, July 15, 2007

Just Another Summer Sunday ... NOT!



It was a big old day at All Saints Church today!
It was a thrill to welcome back our favorite bishop from New Hampshire ...

... who graciously agreed to share some of his time in Southern California with us by being our preacher at the 9:00 and 11:15 services.


After an opening prayer for ministers of the liturgy ...


... we were off and running with a church full of people and a bishop ready to rock & roll with a wonderful sermon on putting faith into action via the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Link to sermon here ... don't miss it!)


Aferwards it was time to greet the young ...




... and the young at heart (Canon Lydia Wilkins currently planning her 104th birthday party!)



With a few Hollywood types thrown in ... including All Saintsian Brad Whitford ...



... and Daniel Karslake, producer and director of For the Bible Tells Me So -- the documentary film featuring +Gene's story and screening here in L.A. at OUTFEST this week. (No, I still don't have tickets!)



And Rector Emeritus George Regas.

And here we are with Jerry and Bruno who are planning a wedding here at All Saints Church in October.



Finally we gathered for a luncheon with a small group of parish and diocesan leaders ... including my sweetie pie Louise and Bishop Carranza (listening intently to something Ed Bacon is saying here ...)


... and a good time was had by all! (As you can see in this NOT so candid photo of the lunch bunch.)

So here's the best part of the whole day for me ... no media, no protesters, no security, no drama -- just a bishop feeding a flock with word and sacrament and then having a little Sunday dinner with some friends.

.


Maybe we're getting there.


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of the priests in the pictures looks like Wilma Jacobsen, formerly chaplain to the University of Cape Town. Is it she?
Derek Pratt
[current rector of St Paul's Church Rondebosch under which UCT falls]

Christine McIntosh said...

Brilliant! You're getting there all right!

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

Great photo's, Susan. What a great day.

SUSAN RUSSELL said...

Derek .. it is INDEED the illustrious Wilma Jakobsen who serves as our Senior Associate for Children, Youth and Family here at All Saints Church. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

chris and elizabeth ... it WAS a great day ... thanks for stopping by to share it!

Dave said...

Hi there... stumbled on your blog via another one I read. Since I am moving from Massachusetts to Palm Springs and know Gene (he and I were in the same Gay Fathers group years ago), I thought I would say hello and bookmark your blog on mine. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

And a great time was had by all.

Thanks for posting the blessing (I always wondered where it came from - encountered it at an ecumenical social justice organization I wolunteer with.

And, wow! Large church - physically about the same size as our cathedral. No wonder you are the Garden State (or is this NJ?), or Grocery to the USA, or whatever - everything is Jumbo out there in CA.

NancyP

Anonymous said...

nancyp, nancyp. New Jersey is "the garden state". California is "the golden state". Either because of the gold rush, or because the hills are golden brown 10 months out of 12, I'm not sure which.

IT

Renee in Ohio said...

I'm behind on my blog reading (yet again) because I've been working on getting our online store remodeled (and adding Harry Potter-themed designs in a timely manner). But I'm so glad I came by and saw this post before it scrolled off the page. I watched the whole sermon by +Gene this morning. Will probably write some of it up later, unless someone points me to a copy that's already available online.