A l l   S a i n t s   C h u rc h,
P a s a d e n a,   C a l i f o r n i a 

The beginning of the formation of a Gay and Lesbian "community" at All Saints, Pasadena, really began with a study group open to the whole parish in the early Spring of 1985. A class was offered which read, and discussed in small groups, James B. Nelson' s Embodiment: An Approach to Sexuality and Christian Theology. From more than one of the small groups, several participants made it clear that they were gay men and bonding between them began to take place. One woman in one of these small groups went through the process of coming out to herself and eventually to her priest.

Following the conclusion of that class, a group of those gay men began meeting monthly at one of their homes for both socializing and mutual support. The woman who realized her own sexuality during the class had become close friends with one of the gay men and he got her to begin coming to the meetings as well. By October of . 85 the group was ready to come out to the parish and announcements of their meetings were printed in both the weekly parish newsletter mailed to all parishioners. homes, as well as in the Sunday morning service leaflet. The group had chosen the name, which it still claims today: Gays and Lesbians/All Saints (GALAS) - pronounced "gay-luhs".

The group had by then progressed to the point where they held two gatherings a month: one an informational meeting with some sort of guest speaker or program held on the church campus; the other a purely social potluck supper, held at the home of one of the members. This format continues today as well, but also includes theatre evenings, hikes into the local mountains, and other social adventures. While that one woman was the only lesbian involved in the group for more than a year, and while today there are still more gay men on the mailing list than lesbians, there are scores of women involved, with many in leadership roles.

The group is seen now as a "newcomer's ministry": a place for lesbians and gay men who are new to the parish to bond with each other and together attempt to overcome the pain and scars that have been inflicted by other churches in their collective past. Many gay men and lesbians experience a feeling of "This is too good to be true" on their initial visits to All Saints. GALAS is a place where newcomers can meet more long-term members and realize that what they think they have been hearing from both the pulpit and the GALAS table on the lawn are indeed reality. The hope is that as these people become more comfortable in the parish and integrated into the rest of parish life: going through the Covenant program to become members of the parish, meeting many different kinds of people and becoming involved in the other, more heterogeneous ministry groups. That is what happens as lesbians and gay men at All Saints are involved in all aspects of parish ministry, including Children Youth and Families, and are represented in leadership roles at all levels. GALAS is consistently held up as a model of how the parish leadership thinks "special interest groups" in the parish ought to operate.