All Saints Church is an Episcopal church located in Pasadena, California. Part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, the Reverend Ed Bacon is the current rector.
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In November of 1882, eleven people gathered in the home of Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Brown for services conducted by the Reverend Trew. In 1885 the congregation dedicated its first church building at the corner of Colorado and Garfield on April 5 (Easter Day.) The parish continued to grow rapidly and a new site was purchased at 132 North Euclid for the building of a 600 seat church. First services were held Easter Day, April 21, 1889.
The congregation outgrew the church building and opening services in the present church building took place in December 1924. A series of long rectorships began with the arrival of the Reverend Leslie E. Learned in 1908:
All Saints' long history of taking stands on social justice issues is reflected on the church's Inclusion Chronology which includes:
On the Sunday before the 2004 Presidential election, Rector emeritus George Regas preached a sermon opposing the Iraq War. The premise of the sermon was a debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry moderated by Jesus Christ. In the sermon Regas supposed that, "Jesus [would say], 'Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster.'"[2]
Complaints about the sermon led to an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into whether the sermon voided the church's tax-exempt status as a prohibited political endorsement. The church has responded by claiming that the IRS is selectively enforcing the rule by not pursuing actions against conservative churches. In response to the investigation, Rector Ed Bacon gave a sermon called, "Neighbor Love is Never Neutral."[3]
In September 2006, the IRS issued a summons against All Saints demanding that the church turn over documents related to the controversial sermon. All Saints Church's response was that the IRS was violating the church's First Amendment rights and that the Church would challenge the IRS's actions in a summons enforcement proceeding in the United States Federal District Court. The church then established a charitable fund to raise money for its legal defense.
The Pasadena Star News reported that All Saints would remain defiant against the IRS. Rector Ed Bacon asserted that political activism was "in the DNA" of the church.
Result of IRS investigation
On September 25, 2007, CCH reported in Federal Tax Day:
According to the Pasadena Star News, the IRS told church officials that the sermon constituted an endorsement of a candidate. Rector Ed Bacon demanded that the IRS apologize and that the IRS be investigated.[2]
The Rev. Ed Bacon stated:
The Church's legal counsel has asked the IRS for a clarification of the decision, and for assurance that the IRS did not act under pressure from the White House. The Church has also requested that the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) examine the IRS's investigation.[3]
In 2008, relations with the local Jewish community were strained when the Church hosted the pro-Palestinian Sabeel conference.[4][5] Rabbi emeritus of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Rabbi Gil Kollin said: "As a neighbor, I was disappointed. A conference of this kind is going to make me feel uncomfortable and get a lot of our congregants upset." [6] The local Jewish temple had previously supported the church in its IRS dispute.