Marshall Allen
GLENDALE -- Whether people come to buy, sell, see, or dress up as
angels, the winged servants of God are the sole agenda item at the
eightth Angel Festival at the New Church of the New Jerusalem in La
Crescenta.
While people from all faith backgrounds attend, the festival's
sponsors are inspired by their unique beliefs in angels, based on the
teachings of 18th century Swedish philosopher, scientist and religious
writer Emanuel Swedenborg.
The Angel Festival is an "open forum for everybody to share their
concept of angels," said festival founder and director Candace Frazee.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the free family event on
Saturday. Vendors selling angel jewelry, statues, cards and T-shirts will
harmonize with collectors of angelic paraphernalia, religious people will
attend lectures and purchase books, and children will be in costume.
Even those who have had near-death experiences attend the festival
because they've "seen the other side and want to share their experience,"
Frazee said.
Special to this year's festival will be a 2 p.m. multi-religious
prayer service, allowing people to share their thoughts and prayers for
the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The theme of this year's festival, set before the terrorist attacks,
is "Guardian Angels." In conjunction with the theme, the Rev. Jong-Ui
Lee, a Swedenborgian minister at the New Church of the New Jerusalem,
will present his understanding of the subject. Swedenborgians, or New
Christians, follow the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. The religion,
which has between 20,000 to 30,000 followers around the world, use the
Christian Bible but interpret it through the lens of Swedenborg's
writings, Lee said.
Swedenborg's teachings say that in the afterlife, all people,
regardless of faith background, will become either angels of devils,
depending on the life they've led, Lee said. There won't be a final
judgment by God, he added, but "individuals find the place" that fits the
way they lived life.
There are many purposes for the festival, Lee and Frazee said. It
celebrates angels as they are understood by multiple ideologies and it
can also be seen as "evangelical," Lee said. His desire is for people to
consider the "important and precious teachings that God gave us."
If people consider that there may be more than life on Earth, and that
"we're going to live forever and be angels," they can make changes, Lee
said.
IF YOU GO
What: Angel Festival.
Where: The New Church of the New Jerusalem, 5027 New York Ave., La
Crescenta.
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 794-4458.
