Sunday, November 09, 2008

Today at All Saints Church in Pasadena ...

It was a big post-election Sunday at All Saints Church ... and some of the local media stopped by to check it out:


They were in church to hear the rector preach a kick-butt sermon -- "Amos, Our President-elect and Us" -- which I'll link up as soon as I get a text and/or video.

But in the meantime, here are a couple of quotes:

[On Election Day] millions of people both here and across the globe celebrated in homes and in the streets. Strangers embraced and cried as it if were New Year's Eve. It was New Year's -- the beginning of a new day. It is an event which will be celebrated in history forever because of it authentic revolutionary significance.

I speak to you now from my heart. Tuesday's election was nothing short of a peaceful, orderly and constitutional overthrow of a tyrannical, violent and unjust government.

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But the electorate did not say No to enough evil and bigotry on Tuesday -- especially here in California. The evil of discrimination against our lesbian sisters and gay brothers is still alive and well in the passage of Proposition 8.

At All Saints Church we will continue to work passionately and tirelessly for equality, freedom and justice for all. We will continue to bless same-gender unions here until we can once again legally celebrate same-gender marriages. We will fight to make sure that although in this election Proposition 8 passed it will not succeed.

And then we went out onto the lawn for a press conference ... introduced by yours truly:

Which included statements by the rector (surrounded by couples who were married during the 140 days of marriage equality here in California between June 17 & November 4th) ...

By Abel Lopez, who used his first-ever vote as a new American citizen to vote against discrimination and Proposition 8 ...

And Senior Associate for Pastoral Care, Zelda Kennedy, who had primary responsibility for the pre-marital preparation and liturgical logistics for our 43 happily-ever-after couples ...

After our statements, we "let them eat cake" ... wedding cake, that is -- as we had a traditional wedding cake moment in celebration of the traditional values that make up the marriages we are determined to protect.


The media loved it ...

... and so did this satisfied wedding cake eater!

Afterwards there were more interviews ...

... including this KTLA moment with Lydia Wilkins ... who had LOTS to say about why Jesus loves everybody equally, why she thinks gay marriage is just fine, thank you very much and -- oh, by the way -- did she remember to tell you that her 105th birthday is coming up in January??

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Just another day in paradise -- All Saints Pasadena style!
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Tracking the News Coverage:

KTLA (Channel 5) (Includes a quote from 104-year old Lydia Wilkins!)
KABC (Channel 7) (We're toward the end of the 4 minute segment)
KCBS (Channel 2) (Nice wedding cake moment in this one!)
AP (Associated Press)
L.A. TIMES: "The evil of discrimination against our lesbian sisters and gay brothers is still alive in the passage of Proposition 8," the Rev. Ed Bacon told about 1,000 parishioners attending the Sunday morning service. "We will continue to bless same-sex unions here until we can legally celebrate same-sex unions again."

His words brought extended applause and a standing ovation from the congregation.

After the service, Bacon and other clergy members held a news conference on the church steps. They were surrounded by gay and lesbian couples, some holding hands, some standing with young children in tow.

"I know these couples. I know their relationships," Bacon told a phalanx of television cameras. "They should be celebrated, rather than disparaged. How dare a religious body say these people are not holy and these relationships are not holy?"

4 comments:

Robert A. Black said...

I heard you on KFWB as I was driving home from Evensong this evening. Word is definitely getting around!

janinsanfran said...

Awesome.

Sandy said...

Makes us want to move to Pasadena!

douglas hunter said...

looks like a great event! I wish I had been there.