On July 3, 2024 All Saints Church Pasadena announced the resignation of the Reverend Mike Kinman as Rector. We are grateful for his service and leadership over the past seven-plus years and as Mike transitions we wish him the very best in the future. The Rt. Reverend John Harvey Taylor, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, will appoint an interim Priest-in-Charge until a new Rector is called to serve by the Parish. Updates during the this time of transition will be regularly posted here.

Please scroll down to find links to previous communications.

Update from the Diocese of Los Angeles, July 24, 2024:

Dear All Saints,
 
Greetings from the Bishop’s Office and all of us at the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. You are very much on our minds, in our hearts, and held in prayer as you move into this time of transition.     
 
I want to reassure you, first of all, that transitions like this, while not the norm, are not uncommon. Second, I want you to know that in transitions like this the diocese plays a direct role working with the vestry, clergy leadership, and staff to help stabilize and attend to the pastoral concerns of the parish. In the case of most churches, it means I do a lot of phone calls with the leaders of the parish to answer questions and to help them address the concerns of the congregation. In the case of All Saints, which is a larger system and also a complex matrix of staff, clergy, lay, and vestry leaders, it made sense to the bishop and to me that I take a more proactive role and attend weekly staff meetings as well as weekly check ins with the Sr. Warden, Al Hughes, and the Jr. Warden, Walter Little. My presence is really to guide and support all of those who work so hard in ministry at All Saints.
 
Third, we have begun working on the appointment of a priest-in-charge, to work with you full time through this transition and the calling of your next rector. The appointment of a priest-in-charge is the bishop’s responsibility, advised by his staff, and we have already begun looking. It is not an easy appointment to make. There are unique gifts and skills needed for leadership in a transition like this and, while it is the bishop who appoints, it is the Holy Spirit that reveals who the right person is for this particular work. I invite you to join with your leadership, the bishop, and me in praying for the right person to come and lead All Saints through this transition. 
 
Finally, a reminder about times of transition. While they can be hard and anxious-making, these times are also highly creative and alive. There are opportunities for all kinds of new life and energy in the days and months to come. I am praying for so much grace and for the peace that passes understanding for all of you during the transition, and I know that God is with you in it. 
 
I look forward to being with you this coming Sunday! Until then, please pray for this church, the vestry, the clergy and staff, and for our bishop. Please continue to pray for Rev. Mike, Robin, and their family as they move into the next season of their lives.  
 
Faithfully,

Canon Melissa McCarthy
Canon to the Ordinary, Chief of Staff, Diocese of Los Angeles

Message from the Wardens, July 24, 2024:

On behalf of the Vestry, we want to offer our gratitude and appreciation to everyone joining us in the open Vestry meeting this past Sunday. We especially want to acknowledge and thank those of you who shared your comments, concerns and questions. This has been an opportunity for the Vestry to listen and hear your perspectives, concerns, prayers and hopes for our church and our Parish community as we continue to navigate through this transition.

As the governance body of All Saints Church, the Vestry is committed to leading and governing the parish from the perspective of our core values: Radical Inclusion, Courageous Justice, Joyful Spiritually and Ethical Stewardship. We are also committed to strengthening and improving the effectiveness of the day-to-day operations of the Parish, including our various ministries and programs. Equally important is providing an environment for our staff and clergy that fosters and supports their development and ensures they have the tools, guidance, resources and support to operationalize daily the work and mission of the church.

Many comments and questions have been asked over the past few weeks, it is frustrating for many members of the Parish, and to many members of the Vestry, that we are not always able to answer every question that is raised. Unfortunately, it is a part of the process that there are some questions we just cannot answer now – we are not authorized to do so.

As the governance body for an Episcopal Church that is also considered a religious exempt organization (non-profit), the Vestry holds fiduciary responsibility like any non-profit board, as well as, functions under the guidance and Canons of The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The Vestry must at all times act in good faith and in the best interest of the church. The duty of care requires the Vestry to exercise care and oversight of management activities and steward the financial health of the church.

The Vestry in collaboration with the Finance Committee and staff is working hard to land a budget for the remainder of the year. Additionally, we must adjust to an on-going operational protocol that ensures the church continues on a fully solvent path. Our commitment to you is to continue to govern and lead consistent with the values and mission of All Saints and the Episcopal Church.

The Vestry also has the responsibility for calling a Rector to the church, but it does not have the authority to unilaterally end the relationship, only the Bishop can do that. Over the past few weeks, we shared that our former rector approached the Vestry with a desire to transition. He had specifically requested July 7 as his final day. As in most situations like this, the process includes a great deal of back and forth and concludes with legal obligations and commitments around confidentiality.

We’ve received lots of communication, including what was shared Sunday afternoon during the vestry meeting (around 60 parishioners were present). We appreciate that sharing and ask that you continue to communicate with the Vestry. We also ask that you continue to pray for the Vestry, our staff and clergy, our faith community and that we all pray for the Holy Spirit to be with us as we continue this journey of All Saints fully living into its call.

We have a number of small group meetings underway to share about the transition and hear from you and will continue to provide opportunities for parishioners to meet in a small group setting. To be fair, these are not meetings to answer the questions that we are not able to answer. They are a way for us to be in community, listen, speak and share what we can. They are also about moving forward as a faith community. We encourage you to attend one of these (Wednesday evenings and Saturday Afternoons through August). Details on how to participate in a small group session are below.

In our previous communications (which you can find here), we shared with you the challenges All Saints Church has as we move forward. These are not new challenges. They are challenges we have struggled to address. Together, with all of your support, we have the opportunity lean into the good work that has already begun and address the changes needed so that All Saints can continue to flourish and serve as a place of connection, healing and justice. The Vestry remains focused on fulfilling our responsibilities and we welcome all of you to join us on this journey.


Al Hughes, Senior Warden of the Vestry
All Saints Church, Pasadena

Walter P. Little, Junior Warden
All Saints Church, Pasadena

Transition Information Sessions

Join us for an opportunity to connect with vestry and staff for information and conversation as we move forward through this time of transition at ASC.

Here is the schedule of in-person meetings that will be held for the parish in the Guild Room. They will be limited to 20-25 people each meeting and you will need to register.

Wednesdays at 6:30pm:        July 31, August 7, August 14, August 21
Saturdays at 3:00pm:           August 3, August 10, August 17, August 24
Click Here to sign up for a Wednesday evening session
Click Here to sign up for a Saturday evening session

Leading Forward: July 24, 2024 A Message from the Wardens

Leading Forward: July 17, 2024 A Message from the Wardens

Leading Forward: July 11, 2024 Update from the Wardens

Special Communication from the Wardens: July 3, 2024