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Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Members of St. Cyprian's,
Last night, as a group of us sat together and viewed a profound film about one family's confrontation with their relationship to the slave trade, one quote from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. kept coming up for me:
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
We may not be on the red hills of Georgia, but we sisters and brothers are sitting down together. In the room last night, at a common table, descendants of slaves, and slave owners talked. There was pain all around the room. There was also a shared recognition that this kind of discussion and grappling with difficult issues, however awkward, was essential to our faith and to our shared future. At the table, we discussed not only the legacy of slavery, but also contemporary economic injustice. We acknowledged that slavery still exists in our world. In fact, one person at the table left early to return to Occupy, putting his body where is heart and mind are. As Judith Butler said recently about the protests:
"It matters that as bodies we arrive together in public. As bodies we suffer, we require food and shelter, and as bodies we require one another in dependency and desire. So this is a politics of the public body, the requirements of the body, its movement and its voice."
 | | Interfaith altar at OWS in NYC. Photo by Cathleen Falsani. From Sojo blog post by Shane Claiborne |
Broadly diverse faith communities like St. Cyprian's (cutting across race-ethnicity, culture, class, sexuality, theology, politics and more) can be spaces that not only challenge our complicity with an unjust world but can stimulate embodiment of the future. So many of us yearn for a future of greater freedom, justice, equality, compassion, mercy, solidarity and love. For me, the physical restoration of St. Cyprian's tower and wall--literally happening as I type this with loud banging of hammers--symbolizes the change and hope we seek.
A few weeks ago I was asked by the Reverend Rosemari Sullivan, the mother of a dear church camp friend and co-chair of the Rebuild Our Church Campaign, to attend a fundraiser in Danville where funds were being raised for the rebuilding of the cathedral in Haiti. Here's a bit of what I went to say,
Having now worked at both a large gothic cathedral and now at a small urban church both with lots of physical plant issues, I have come to appreciate just how impactful the tangible, concrete, bricks and mortar are for the uplifting of our Spirits. Imagine being surrounded by poverty, devastation, decaying structures. Now, remember how much beauty, art, music inspire us human beings to care, to give back, to share what we have. The new cathedral center in Port-au-Prince will be as our own churches are: engines for mission, service, healing, renewal and transformation.
The rebuilding of our church structure on the corner of Turk and Lyon, I pray, helps us not only repair the physical structure of this building but inspires us to repair the broken relationships of our church, city and world. St. Cyprian's sits at a distinctive intersection: one street that is associated with a neighborhood of tremendous poverty, the other extreme wealth. What we do at this unique crossroads matters. I'm so grateful to be seeking and serving with you at St. Cyprian's.
See you soon at Turk & Lyon!
Peace,
Will
St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church
415-987-3029
turkandlyon@gmail.com
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Celebrate!
The Bishop Visits St. Cyprian's THIS Sunday, October 30
Baptisms, Confirmations, Receptions & an Institution will all happen on Sunday, October 30th when the Bishop of California
visits our regular Sunday morning service at 10:10 a.m.
Together we will celebrate the ministry we share at St. Cyprian's.
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Honoring the Saints
Sunday, November 6
10:10 a.m.
On November 6th St. Cyprian's will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, remembering those who have gone before us, those among us & those yet to come. If there is someone you would like us to remember by name in the prayers, please send an email to eric_metoyer@mac.com or call 415-567-1855
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Eric Metoyer reflects on All Saints Day at St. Cyprian's |
 | | Jose, Aurelio from Acme Roofing & Richard, Edgar & Ugyen from Everest. Serendipitously, Ugyen's family in Nepal owned a home where Will stayed during a year of studying abroad in the late 90s. |
Building Repair Underway...
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Building update:
- the steeple is now a shining copper with the cross on top about to get a new gold glow
- the roofer is beginning repairs and flashing to the bell tower this morning
- all new windows are in place
- interior walls repaired and ready to paint
- exterior painting to be underway through next week
If you would like to give to this important and historic improvement please send checks to:
St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church
St. Cyprian's Tower Society
2097 Turk Street @ Lyon
San Francisco, California 94115
Thank you to Everest, the St. Cyprian's Building Committee, Rob Crum, and everyone who has given to this effort.
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Live at Cyprian's
Saturday, Nov. 5th
Latif Bolat
Free lecture 6 pm, performance 8pm
Latif Bolat mesmerizes audiences with his mastery of Turkish folk music, Sufi devotional songs, classical pieces and sacred ballads that he composed. Free Lecture 6pm, Performance 8pm
Kathy Kallick presents one of the finest bluegrass bands around
Holcombe Waller returns to San Francisco to play a special one-evening engagement at Cyprian's. Starting at 8pm, Waller will play two sets with his long-time musical collaborator Ben Landsverk. The concert will focus on brand new songs (Waller is currently writing a new album) as well as old favorites, delivered on a range of instruments including Cyprian's concert piano. If you've been looking for "the perfect date" on a Saturday night, you just found it.
Waller's appearance coincides with the release of a new music video for his cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan," a track from his critically acclaimed 2011 album Into the Dark Unknown. Cyprian's is excited to welcome and host Holcombe Waller. He was looking for an alternative venue in San Francisco that is intimate with superior sound. We think we're a good match.
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St. Cyprian's
Oral History Project
begins this Fall
The St. Cyprian's Oral History Project will begin with some initial interviews after our 10:10 a.m. worship service on two Sundays this fall, November 6th & December 18th. This week many of our community members received a packet of information explaining this important project which seeks to document the stories of our unique congregation. There will also be possibilities for home visits by our archivists. For more information please contact Doe Yates at 415-584-8221 or doedeartoo@sbcglobal.net
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From the Cyprian's Kitchen...
Back in the early 1980s St. Cyprian's put together a cookbook of recipes from our church community. Each week we will share a recipe from the cookbook in this e-newsletter. The book of recipes was dedicated to Miller Johnson, a member of St. Cyprian's who was a Master Chef.
Our next recipe was shared by Mrs. Cecil M. Reid.
Coconut Bread
2 1/2 lbs flour
1 1/4 lbs butter (melted)
1 large coconut (grated)
1 1/4 lbs of sugar
1 cup of raisins (more if desired)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups of water
In a large pot, empty grated coconut, sugar, raisins, flour and mix with spices and soda and baking powder. Add melted butter and 4 cups of water (cold). Stir with wooden spoon until well mixed.
Pour into well greased loaf pans and put in a preheated over at 350 degrees. Bake for about 2 or 2 1/2 hours. When done turn out of baking pans and put on a rack to cool.
Makes 3 loaves.
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Let's build
a community kitchen!
  
Dinner for a
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY KITCHEN
Saturday, November 12
5-7 p.m. @ Cyprian's Join local foodies, grandmas, students, chefs, gardeners, and culinary entrepreneurs for a conversation about creating a community kitchen for the neighborhood. The delicious food we'll share at this event will be generously donated by NOPA restaurant.This event is being organized by the St. Cyprian's Kitchen Team & our neighborhood allies, from USF, NOPA Restaurant & Slideranch.
Space is limited so please RSVP by November 1 by emailing: turkandlyon@gmail.com or responding to our evite and/or facebook invite.
Above are recent photos taken in the St. Cyprian's Kitchen --- USF Students from Professor Melinda Stone's class, and St. Cyprian's members preparing food for SF Deanery Meeting.
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EAT, SHARE, PRAY
Every Wednesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Each week, friends, neighbors and members of St. Cyprian's gather over a simple meal, share a conversation about topics that matter and close the evening with meditation & Night Prayer. All are welcome.
Next topic in our series - Church in the World
On November 2nd our seminarian Jack Stephens shares the story of his work in the Philippines.
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Seeking A Partner
St. Cyprian's is seeking a congregation or group to share our space.
Who we are/what we offer: A small but dynamic and diverse group that lives its tagline: faith, action, community. We come from many parts of the city to be here at the corner of Turk and Lyon and have made reintegrating this church into the neighborhood a priority in the past year. Our church was founded as a spiritual home for black Episcopalians in the 1870s and drew Afro-Caribbeans and West Indians in the early part of the 20th century. St. Cyprian's has a long and storied history that we are committed to remembering, and it has a future for which we are laying a new foundation.
What we are seeking: A congregation or group in need of weekly space for meeting or worship on a year-round basis. We are not looking to merge with another faith group at this time but would be open to joint activities in spiritual formation, neighborhood outreach, and our community-based programs.
What we've been doing: More than would seem possible with a small group. We have a full schedule of concerts in conjunction with SF Live Arts, community hall rentals, and faith programs. We also have regular space-use arrangements with several organizations, including the Bay Area Organizing Committee; the Village Project, an after-school program for underserved children; Al-Anon; Alcoholics Anonymous; and Simply Sandwiches, a group that makes sandwiches for clients of the AIDS Housing Alliance.
We are an open-minded, open-hearted congregation and seek a space-use partner with similar values.
Interested? Contact us for more information turkandlyon@gmail.com
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Weekly E-Mail Archives
In January St. Cyprian's began sending weekly e-newsletters. You can find an archive of all these messages here. Forward messages and invite friends, neighbors, and distant congregants to join our list. |
| Saint Cyprian's Episcopal Church has been a member of the San Francisco community for over 88 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. |
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