February 2011 for St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church is already turning out to be an exciting time of broadening connections, renewal of our physical space, and deepening engagement among old and new congregants. Last Sunday at our Annual Meeting we welcomed three new people (Jarie Bolander, Jennifer Wolfe, & Michael Helquist) into leadership on the Bishops Committee (lay leadership team), elected Delegates to represent us at Diocesan Convention and Deanery (Robyn Amos & Dale Danley) and approved a budget. Thank you to everyone who helped make our meeting successful, especially Kevin Johnson, our treasurer for his valuable work. Click here to read my Pastoral Address.  Next week, this e-newsletter will feature brief bios of our new and long serving members.  

February is Black History month, as we are about to welcome many new and diverse people into the church building at the corner of Turk & Lyon through the SF Live Arts concerts, let us be grateful for the hard work of generations of African-American & Caribbean San Franciscans who built this structure, financed and paid off the mortgage so that we may have a place to gather for inspiration, spiritual growth and community.  Let us also be grateful for and attentive to the living elders among our congregation and within our surrounding neighborhood who carry within them important stories of struggle, perseverance, courage and hope.  In the message below you will find information about a variety of activities happening in the Bay Area to honor Black History month, including a moving and provocative exhibit at USF by artist Glenn Ligon. May we remember as Morgan Freeman and others have stated, "black history is American history."

I am so grateful to be seeking and serving Christ with you at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church at this inspiring time in our life together.  

Peace,

The Reverend Will Scott

turkandlyon@gmail.com

In just one week St. Cyprian's will launch our new performance space, Cyprian's, with a much-respected music series produced by SF Live Arts. Be sure to check out the San Francisco Chronicle's Datebook section this Sunday for a story about the series move to St. Cyprian's. You can purchase tickets online here.  

For 30 years, the Noe Valley Ministry hosted this series and presented Grammy and Academy Award winners as well as emerging talent. The music ranges from jazz, folk, world music, bluegrass, old-time, and eclectic mixes of all. Two to three performances will be offered each month at Cyprian's beginning Friday, February 11 at 8pm with opening acts from the San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival. Performer Nell Robinson will re-create a 1930s radio show and old-time music revue. Please plan on welcoming her and her guests John Reischman & the Jaybirds, Summertown Road, and the "fine-feathered song sisters" The Henrietta's.

Cyprian's will also share our beautiful space with other performances through the year including student music recitals, spoken word, and lectures. Stop by our new website Cyprian's at http://liveatcyprians.blogspot.com/ for a complete update on St. Cyprian's latest engagement with our neighbors and community.

There are numerous events happening throughout the Bay Area this month to celebrate, reflect upon, and engage black history. Click here for a listing.  

The Museum of the African Diaspora is hosting an event this Saturday, called One Vision, One Struggle, Many Battlefields, a celebration and discussion to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides and the recent publication of Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC. The event is from 2-5 p.m. at MoAD. 

Our neighbors at the University of San Francisco Thacher Gallery have on display a powerful and moving exhibit entitled, Textimonies: Early Etchings and Stencils by Glenn Ligon.   

Last Sunday sitting among our congregation was the Executive Director of AfroSolo, whose mission is to nurture, promote, and present African American and African Diaspora art and culture through solo performances and the visual arts. AfroSolo Concerts will proudly present Harmony & Melody: a Celebration of Black History on February 25th and 26th. The concert is being headlined by the popular bass baritone vocalist Lawrence Beamen, most recently featured on the NBC hit show "America's Got Talent." Beamen will be joined by the Golden Coast Chamber Players, who together wrote contemporary arrangements of beloved African American Spirituals. The concert will also include music from William Grant Still, the first African American composer to garner international acclaim. 

Harmony and Melody, however, may prove to be a landmark concert event by pairing Still's compositions with the popular Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Dvorak traveled to the United States during the late 19th century on a quest to discover "American Music." Dvorak quickly became a vocal advocate for Native American and African American music as supplying the necessary foundation for the growth of American music. 

"Harmony & Melody" intends to use music as a bridge towards racial and cultural unity, peace, and understanding. The concert celebration in honor of Black History Month will be held at the African American Art & Culture Complex. If you wish to attend the incredibly exciting event, tickets may be purchased by telephone (1-800 838-3006) or online at: http://brownpapertickets.com/event/143247. 

WHERE: African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton Street 
WHEN: Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 8:00 pm 
Saturday, February 26th, 2011 at 3:00pm  

The Afro-Anglican Commission of the Diocese of California and The Northern California/Vivian Traylor Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians cordially invite you, your family, and friends to attend the 2011 Absalom Jones Celebration. Please join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of this African-American Christian leader. There will be a fellowship afterward in the parish hall.

When: Saturday, February 19, 11 a.m.

Where: St. Paul's, 114 Montecito Avenue, Oakland   

Contact: Eric Metoyer, eric_metoyer@yahoo.com, 415.595.1533