Marriage for All at All Saints Church (Episcopalians Begin Gay Marriages)

An Inch At A Time ^ | May 22, 2008 | All Saints Church, Pasadena

[kaehurowing]

Marriage for All at All Saints Church

Press Release sent from All Saints Church, Pasadena this afternoon:

All Saints Church, Pasadena rector, J. Edwin Bacon, Jr., announced today that the church will treat equally all couples presenting themselves for the rite of marriage. The announcement followed a special meeting of the All Saints Church Vestry, which unanimously adopted a “Resolution on Marriage Equality” [below] in response to the May 15, 2008 ruling of the California Supreme Court.

“Today’s decision is consistent with All Saints Church, Pasadena’s identity as a peace and justice church,” said Bacon, following the historic vote. “It also aligns us with the Scriptures’ mandate to make God’s love tangible by ‘doing justice and loving mercy’ (Micah 6:8) and with the canons of our Episcopal Church that forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”

“In this our 125th year, this morning’s decision was a natural step forward on All Saints’ lengthy journey of justice, peace, and inclusion,” Bacon concluded. “As the rector of All Saints Church, I am inspired by the visionary stride All Saints’ lay leaders took today. I am honored to serve a church where the leadership demonstrates such stirring courage to move beyond lip service about embodying God’s inclusive love to actually committing our faith community to the practice of marriage equality.”

“As a priest and pastor, I anticipate with great joy strengthening our support of the sanctity of marriage as I marry both gay and straight members and thus more fully live out my ordination vow to nourish all people from the goodness of God’s grace.”

For further information contact: Keith Holeman, Director of Communications 626.583.2739 or kholeman@allsaints-pas.org

=========

MARRIAGE EQUALITY RESOLUTION Adopted by the Vestry of All Saints Church, Pasadena, California on May 22, 2008

WHEREAS, our baptismal covenant commits us to “strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being;”

WHEREAS, Holy Scripture reveals that we are all created in God’s image and that God embraces all people as equally precious;

WHEREAS, the Vision Statement of All Saints Church, Pasadena, calls us to “embody the inclusive love of God in Christ” and our Foundational Values urge us to be “dispersed throughout this multicultural region for courageous and risk-filled work of peace and justice;”

WHEREAS, All Saints Church, Pasadena, currently blesses same-sex unions, but does not perform the rite of marriage for same-sex couples;

WHEREAS, on May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court issued its decision holding that marriage is a “basic civil right of personal autonomy and liberty” “to which all persons are entitled without regard to their sexual orientation;” and

WHEREAS, as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, on June 16, 2008, the State of California will begin to license and recognize same-sex marriages;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Rector, Wardens and Vestry do declare that, as of June 16, 2008, All Saints Church, Pasadena will treat all couples presenting themselves for the rite of marriage equally.

[attiladhun2]

Yes it is. I did not understand the Apocalypse of St. John until the last few years. Now when I read it, I see the degeneracy and blindness of the modern world mirrored throughout.

[windsorknot]

What next? Free needles in every pew? Abortion clinics on church property?

[alicewonders]

Same here. My father has studied the Bible’s prophecies for most of my life. When I was younger, I didn’t want to hear about that stuff & really didn’t believe it could happen in my lifetime. Now, it’s becoming much clearer to me.

[attiladhun2]

The darkness is, indeed, coming, but a renewed earth is right around the bend. You can make book on that.

[Snickersnee]

BTW, Traditional Anglicans — Trinity Church, Bristol, Conn. (est 1754) will celebrate its last Eucharist at its Summer St. church this Sunday. We have been evicted by Bishop Drew Smith, and will meet temporarily at an elementary school in Forrestville under the new name “Holy Trinity Anglican Church.” A pity to have to leave our beautiful English country-style church, but as they say, the church is the people, not the steeple. Keep us in your prayers, dear Freepers.

[lightman]

Regretable that the Vestry’s statement’s starting point is a line from the 1979 Prayer Book rather than Scripture. When Scripture is cited it is only to proof-text the false “gospel” of full acceptance/inclusion.

[kaehurowing]

Jesus told us directly and in plain language what He is going to do:

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”

(Luke 17:28-30)

[kaehurowing]

As did the Apostle Peter:

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.”

(II Peter 2:1-10)

[LiteKeeper]

I thot TEC had declared a moratorium on Sodomite weddings

[LiteKeeper]

A classic example of iPod theology - choose to acknowledge some parts of Scripture, and ignore clear proscriptions against the very thing they claim to be biblical. An abomination!

[Antoninus]

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Rector, Wardens and Vestry do declare that, as of June 16, 2008, All Saints Church, Pasadena will treat all couples presenting themselves for the rite of marriage equally.

Really? So if two brothers present themselves, they can be married at this "church"?

What a joke.

[RonF]

From the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church:

CANON 18: Of the Solemnization of Holy Matrimony Sec. 1. Every Member of the Clergy of this Church shall conform to the laws of the State governing the creation of the civil status of marriage, and also to the laws of this Church governing the solemnization of Holy Matrimony. Sec. 2. Before solemnizing a marriage the Member of the Clergy shall have ascertained:

(a) That both parties have the right to contract a marriage according to the laws of the State.

(b) That both parties understand that Holy Matrimony is a physical and spiritual union of a man and a woman, entered into within the community of faith, by mutual consent of heart, mind, and will, and with intent that it be lifelong.

My emphasis. So much for the Canons. Does this mean we can dispense with the Dennis Canon as well?

[RonF]

I’ve posted my last comment on the blog of one Susan Russell, a priest and Senior Associate at this very church. She’s also President of the chief gay-rights advocacy organization within TEC. She has a son in the military who has served in Iraq. I don’t know if she was previously married or if it was a result of some other process.

Anyway, I’m going to be interested to see what her response is. Her blog is http://www.inchatatime.blogspot.com.

[Marysecretary]

Goodbye, Episcopal Church. God has something He wants to say to you...

[warsaw44]

You’ve got mail in about a minute or so from a confused Catholic ( me )

[sionnsar]

Thanks to LiteKeeper for the ping.

Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

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Humor: The Anglican Blue

Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[xJones]

Here we go.

Sodom meet Gomorrah. California is queer heaven, and they'll need all the 'family' lawyers they've got to manage the resulting legal divorces afterward. Male gays are rather notorious for busting up their own personal relationships, and just how the divorce laws will handle their cases should be entertaining, to say the least.

[Battle Axe]

Large portions of the State of California will slide off into the Pacific in three........two......... . . . . . .

[Zero Sum]

I thot TEC had declared a moratorium on Sodomite weddings

LOL! That's funny. :)

Didn't you hear? Piskies are so enlightened that they don't need quaint, outmoded concepts like logic or consistency anymore. So you see, they can celebrate same-sex "weddings" while keeping the moratorium perfectly intact. "It's a very adult way of living, you know."

Silly rabbit, honesty's for kids.