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Weekly News  

Thursday, June 30, 2011  

LATEST NEWS
Come Out, My People!
Week 4 - Kelsey's Update
Green L(a)unch Party
New Chairs
Sign maker in the News
Yoga
Volunteer
Newsletter
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Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Members of St. Cyprian's,    

    

Last weekend, I spent a good bit of time walking around the Botanic Garden in Tilden Park, which is stunning, colorful and full of distinctive flowers. I'm typically the kind of hiker that wants to race to a destination preferably with a majestic view at the end, but I'm beginning to learn to take my time to notice the variety of beauty, and elegance in the small & easily ignored. The elaborate ingenuity of nature was so incredible to behold, my eyes began to tear up, not just because of the pollen! There was such an abundance of splendor and intricate detail to each flower; you couldn't say which one was the most gorgeous. There's a lot of wisdom in such places --- and our sacred scriptures are full of poetry celebrating creation. As we go into this long weekend may we each find time in our own way to slow down and become renewed, to be reminded of the richness that surrounds us & is within us.  

 

tilden 

 

Recently, I ran across a review of what promises to be an inspiring book by theologian Wes Howard-Brook entitled "Come Out, My People!" The book suggests that the Bible is a debate between two contending religions the "religion of creation" and the "religion of empire." This profound tension is something that runs throughout both the Hebrew Scriptures (what we Christians call the Old Testament) and the New Testament. Church history too is caught up in this argument especially after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire during Constantine's reign in the 300s. All this is to say each of us has probably been shaped by these two religions and our Episcopal/Anglican tradition has a particularly complex legacy of nurturing and supporting both a religion of liberation & a religion of domination.  The gospel invitation as Howard-Brook's writes is to recognize "how Jesus definitely embraced the 'creation' story in the Bible while rejecting the 'empire' story" the author suggests that this understanding "provides a new foundation for engaging our scriptural inheritance in service of personal, communal and global transformation."

 

The question it seems for all of us seeking to follow the way of Jesus in the 21st century (or even just curious about the path) is to get clearer about our lives in relationship to these two religions. How have we been shaped by empire, by exploitative economics and aggressive dominating and oppressive policies and how have we been nurtured by the abundance and diversity of creation, the hope of harmony and balance with all life? How may our relationship with this particular church, St. Cyprian's, open us to deeper examination of our choices, values, leading us to greater appreciation for, awareness of, and engagement with the Spirit's truth telling, healing, liberating, reconciling and transforming work?

 

Tilden2 

 

You can read more about "Come Out, My People!" here and here.

    

See you soon at Turk & Lyon.

 

Peace,

Will

 

St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church

415-987-3029

[email protected]


Week 4 - Kelsey's Update 

Read Kelsey's third weekly post. Kelsey, our Beatitudes Society Fellow, shares what she's been up to and some of her adventures getting to and from St. Cyprian's via BMW (BART, Muni, Walk).  

 

Beatitudes Society 

 

SAVE THE DATE:

Green L(a)unch Party & Workday  

Saturday, July 23 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

chalk

Read all about this project & join in the fun, visit

www.greenturkandlyon.blogspot.com 

 

streetscape

"Sit Down & Stay Awhile"  

New Chairs for St. Cyprian's  

Chairs

Last Sunday, the St. Cyprian's Bishops Committee held our monthly meeting & in addition to other important work, approved the purchase of 50 new chairs for our community hall. The money for 25 of the chairs came from new rental income from neighborhood groups and thanks to the support of the E.C.W., St. Cyprian's was able to purchase an additional 25. Many of our old folding chairs have literally been falling apart and we've had them for as long as anyone can remember. If you are interested in picking up some of the old ones that are still usable, they are available for free if you take them away. E-mail [email protected] for more information. A huge thanks to Bruno Peguese, Dale Danley, Michael Helquist, Pat Preble and others who helped with transporting and unloading the new chairs.

  

Space@Cyprian's

St. Cyprian's has a great space to share with performers, community organizers, neighborhood groups and individuals. More information is available here.

Our sign maker in the news New Bohemia Signs, the folks who designed and painted St. Cyprian's new sign were featured in an article not long ago by The Bay Citizen.

SignCyps

 

Yoga @ Cyprian's

NEW LATER TIME 

Every Thursday 6-7:15 p.m.


YogaPeterWong

Gentle Flow Yoga with Peter Wong


Thursdays  6-7:15  p.m.

This class will incorporate slow sun salutations, soft movements and openings while concentrating on awareness of mind, body and breath.  This calm and gentle yoga practice will culminate in restorative poses to bring students into a meditative state. The sessions are perfect for seniors and beginners of yoga. Peter Wong is a certified yoga teacher who fell in love with the practice of yoga as his spiritual awakening began. For more information: http://peterwongyoga.com/ The classes are donation-based; the rate is $10-$15 per class. Students can pay more or less depending on what they can afford.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

 

 

Volunteers Wanted

 

Music-loving, stay-up-late types who will help strike the set and lock up the building after performances at Cyprian's. Get two free tickets to any concert you cover. Hours: 10:30 to midnight, sometimes earlier.  

Contact: [email protected].

 

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Saint Cyprian's Episcopal Church has been a member of the San Francisco community for over 87 years. We are a passionate group of seekers, thinkers, dreamers, doubters and believers from many walks of life. We hope you can come join us on Sundays and throughout the week as we together seek to be a people of faith, action & community.