Dear friends, neighbors, and members of St. Cyprian's,   

The other night, when I couldn't sleep I found a copy of the Tao Te Ching, written by Lao-tzu and translated by Stephen Mitchell. The deep words of wisdom on these pages always surprises me, and I find them mysteriously calming. A particular section grabbed my attention, and a few days later when talking with a friend, the words returned with even greater power,  

"Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.

What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
your position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.

What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?

See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you can care for all things."

Wednesdays in Lent 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

During the ancient season of Lent, St. Cyprian's will welcome a variety of groups from our eclectic neighborhood as we learn more about what is happening around us. We'll share good food, great talk and stories. Following the program we'll share time of meditation and prayer.   

Our last in this Wednesday night series brings Lenore McDonald and Michael Helquist to discuss "Bicycling for Community." Lenore, a NOPA neighbor, and Michael, also a neighbor and a St. Cyprian's member, first met in 2009 while planning a neighborhood block party with a bicycle theme. They are both long-time bike advocates and last year they began organizing the city's only neighborhood-based bike rides with their group NOPA VELO. Up to 40 riders join them for each outing. Lenore was also recently elected to the board of directors of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Michael publishes the popular BIKE NOPA website which he describes as "all about bicycling and livability." He also volunteers with SFBC and coordinates Cyprian's special events programs. Lenore and Michael will share with us their passion for bicycling and their belief that bicycling creates community.   

Weekly - Wednesday, March 16 through Wednesday, April 20

6:30 p.m.- 7 p.m.  Simple dinner
7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Stories & comments

7:30 - 8 p.m. Lenten Meditation in Sanctuary

Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith By Diana Butler Bass

Culann's Hounds have built a reputation for high-energy stage shows and a ruthless dedication to rocking their audiences. Folk melodies, sensibilities, and stories from Ireland, France, and early America permeate their music. This mash-up of tradition and energy is at once thought-provoking, accessible and infectious. The Hounds' original material is a mirror of their lives, tales of distant lands, love, elation, and loss.

With a blazing fiddle and a luminous voice, Lucia Comnes has been involved in the Irish (and Balkan) music scene both in Ireland and the U.S. The classically trained violinist has studied with fiddle masters Martin Hayes, Kevin Burke and Ois�n MacDiarmada, played in countless sessions, performed with a number of bands (most notably Liam �'Maonla� and The Hothouse Flowers) and recently attended the Traditional Irish Music Program at University College, Cork to study Gaelic and sean-nos, or "old-style," singing. She has performed at numerous traditional music festivals in Ireland and was featured at the SF Irish Fest in 2008 and 2009. She has also been a member of KITKA, the Eastern European Women's choir.