St. Cyprian's
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Thursday, April 14, 2012
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church of the outsider
Keeping NOPA whole & St. Cyprian's in it!
In the News
a few Easter photos
Eric posts
Cyprian's arc
Summer at Cyprian's
Hambrick Family Scholarship
Bazaar BBQ
From neighbors & friends
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Dear Friends, Neighbors and Members of St. Cyprian's,

 

some excerpts from Easter Sunday's sermon,

 

Imagine three women making their way early in the morning to the tomb. They are carrying spices to anoint the body of their beloved teacher, discussing the challenge of rolling away the heavy stone guarding the entrance. Jesus's male disciples once so eager to be close to Jesus, when he had a growing fan base & wasn't an executed criminal, are nowhere to be found. These three women came to grieve and care for Jesus' body, despite the personal risk of being discovered by authorities as associated with this dangerous treasonous blasphemer. These three women likely exhausted, emotionally raw, filled with disappointment, perhaps anger, profoundly sad, in mourning are surprised by three things, 1) that heavy stone has been rolled away, 2) there's a strange messenger telling them that Jesus has been raised & 3) that Jesus is waiting for them in Galilee.  

Of course shock and surprise are to be expected --- who wouldn't be stunned by this turn of events?  

 

EKSTASIS

 

Mark's gospel also uses the Greek word ekstasis to describe how these women felt --- they are amazed, more than amazed they are astonished, more than astonished, they are ecstatic. When you have the chance Google the word ekstastis you'll discover the word has many meanings, including to stand outside one self, having an expanded spiritual awareness, experiencing union with the divine or others in the world.

 

Ekstasis is probably what Peter felt too when he discovered that God wanted him, despite what his religious upbringing and cultural prejudices told him, to enter the house of a wealthy stranger, an outsider, an imperial military man named Cornelius. His doing so, helped open up the early followers of Jesus to include Gentiles, non-Jews, among them as equals in the eyes of God. As Peter says in today's lesson, "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."

 

Christ's resurrection invites humanity into an adventure of amazement, astonishment, and ecstasy...

 

Today, St. Cyprian's we go with amazement...

 

This little church on the corner, has a quite an amazing message to share with the world. We are as equipped as anyone to share the good news in the 21st century. We have experienced collectively discrimination and shame, as our oral history project reveals, we have struggled against injustice, we have overcome and continue to overcome racism, sexism, and homophobia, we have looked death in the face, the death of numerous beloved members, the death of our senses of identity, even the death of our own church, just three years ago a mysterious fire could have taken this entire sanctuary down. We have like Jesus been dismissed, dragged through the mud, been told we're not big enough, smart enough, rich enough --- and yet we deeply hold on to the amazing truth of the resurrection, to the death defying love of Jesus whose resilient spirit compels us to love the stranger, the other, those whom others have cast out. As Eric Metoyer has said, we are the church of the outsider, the church of the outsider of 1923 & of 2012....

 
CHURCH OF THE OUTSIDER

 

Choosing to go with amazement, to embody the ecstatic message of the resurrection is a vulnerable and intimidating thing. Just as those three women had to open themselves up to a new adventure with the resurrected Jesus, and those other weary, all too human disciples --- we too are invited to open ourselves up to new adventures, to expand our spiritual awareness, to find the face of Christ in those that are the most different from us, just as Peter did with Cornelius.   St. Cyprian's can and has been opening ourselves to new adventures for 89 years, our founders left distant islands in the Caribbean to make a home in a foggy, chilly city by the frigid Pacific Ocean, some came from the American south where entrenched racism limited opportunities and crushed the spirit, from a huddling in a small chapel, those Christian pilgrims made their way from one church to another until they turned an old house into a church on Sutter and Lyon, where in the 50s as in many other churches the place was bursting at the seams with BBQ's, bazaars, rummage and bake sales. This too was a church of overachievers, women and men who nurtured movements of social change. One Doctor among our members tended an ill Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was in San Francisco to speak. This is a church whose daughter's shocked and amazed their parents by their courageous involvement in the sit-in movement in North Carolina & Tennessee. This is a church that practices resurrection, which embodied amazement when the mortgage was set ablaze, paying off this huge building on the corner of Turk & Lyon. St. Cyprian's went with amazement when welcoming the ministry in the 1970s of a Rector who married a woman of a different race, in the early 1980s a Deacon who was gay and HIV positive, hosted a needle exchange program in the 90s, welcomed the first woman Bishop in the Anglican Communion, shared space with immigrant congregations, and launched the ministry of one of the first women Rectors in the Diocese of California. We go with amazement today, as we rip out concrete sidewalks, fix leaky towers, throw monthly concerts, paint our walls with bright colors, dream and raise money for a brand new kitchen we yearn to share, and launch a center of activity that seeks to share resilient wisdom. We go with amazement as we seek to support The Village Project, and reach out to our neighbors throughout the Western Addition.

  

So today, lets choose to be amazed, to continue inviting God's Spirit, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and led Peter to open his heart to the stranger Cornelius, to soften our hearts more and more, opening us to those around us, to their story, that together we may amaze and astonish for years to come...

 
See you soon at Turk & Lyon!


Peace,

Will

 

St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church

415-987-3029

[email protected]  


Keep St. Cyprian's in District 5 & NOPA whole...
 
Junior Warden Jarie Bolander recently spoke at a hearing of the San Francisco Redistricting Commission. Here's what Jarie shared,

 

Good Evening Commissioners. Jarie Bolander from NOPNA.

First off, I would like to thank you for putting all of NOPA back in District 5.

And To ENCOURAGE you to Keep ALL the North Panhandle in District 5

As I Testified on Monday, NOPA is a vital part of District 5 and we have built a strong, vibrant and cohesive community for over 25 years. What I failed to mention is one of our most critical partners in our continued efforts to build a thriving and more resilient community, Saint Cyprian's Episcopal Church.

St. Cyprian's has Been at the corner of Turk and Lyon for 50 years. As Vicar Scott mentioned, St. Cyprian's has traditionally been an African American Church whose founding 89 Years ago was to give Episcopal African American's a church of their own.

 

Now, it's transformed into a true mix of races and backgrounds that reflect the unique character of District 5.

 

It's deep and wide roots throughout District 5 are continually called upon to be a place of calm, comfort and caring.

 

From Fundraisers to help our Western Addition neighbors rebuild their lives after a devastating Fire on Pierce and Golden Gate to just last week showing solidarity and support for a community grieving the senseless murder of Lawrence Richardson - Meer blocks from the church.

 

It's MANTRA of a Place Where Everyone Matters makes it

one of our most precious community resources.

 

In fact, I dare say that Saint Cyprian's is NOPA's Community Church

St. Cyprian's also reminds us all what it's like to be:

 

UNDER-APPRECIATED

UNDER-REPRESENTED AND

UNDER-UTILIZED

 

That's why St. Cyprian's has launched the Hambrick Family Scholarship Program, supports the Village Project and ASPIRES to create a TRUE Community Kitchen to Strengthen, Solidify and Cement it's Commitment to EVERYONE in District 5.

 

The thought of losing such a vital resource to the Heritage of District 5 is one reason I stand before you again tonight and thank you for keeping NOPA whole and St. Cyprian's part of it.

Thanks for your hard work!

 

HOW CAN I HELP?
You can continue to help keep NOPA whole and St. Cyprian's part of it, by attending the next redistricting meeting on Saturday, April 14 at 10 a.m. in City Hall Room 400 

 

     
 
In the News...   
St. Cyprian's member & Executive Director of the Village Project, Adrian Williams was quoted in a story in today's San Francisco Chronicle about the tragic murder of Lawrence Richardson and the Mayor's summer job initiative.

 
St. Cyprian's Kitchen Team member & USF professor Melinda Stone was featured in the San Francisco Bay Guardian discussing her passion for urban agriculture.  

 

     
 

Easter  

at St. Cyprian's   

 

  

Deacon Eric posts...
Check out Deacon Eric Metoyer's latest post  
St. Cyprian's blog.
 
Cyprian's arc -  a center for the
arts, resilience & community

 

 

from this week's
FREE Community-Created Dinner hosted by USF's Environmental Studies Capstone students, photos by Michael Helquist

  

For the latest on all the events and programs at Cyprian's arc -- a center for the arts, resilience & community, sign up for monthly events newsletter at [email protected] and visit  cyprianscenter.org.

 


 

St. Cyprian's is very pleased to be a site for the annual Rebuild Together San Francisco on April 28th.  Every year Rebuild Together mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to donate their time, labor and financial help for repairs and renovations to schools, community centers and non-profits all over the city. The local chapter is a non-profit that has worked in over 260 community facilities since 1989. The group also upgrades low-income San Franciscans' homes.

 

Rebuild Together's scope of work for St. Cyprian's is still being finalized, but we hope to receive help with improved accessibility for our community hall including an entry ramp and enhanced wheelchair access to one of the restrooms. We're also looking to receive assistance with re-tiling floors in two of our meeting rooms and, possibly, more interior and exterior painting.

 

For more information about Rebuilding Together San Francisco, please visit their website at  www.rebuildtogethersf.org or phone 415 905-1611.  

 



SUMMER Youth Programs at Cyprian's



The Village Project Returns 
St. Cyprian's is honored to have The Village Project return this year with its exceptional Summer Program. Starting June 18 and continuing through August 9th, up to 30 kids start their day at St. Cyprian's before heading
out to swimming lessons, field trips and outdoor play in the city. Under the leadership and guidance of St. Cyprian's member Adrian Williams,
the Village Project steps up to provide kids a healthy, active summer.



Shakespeare Camps Come to Cyprian's

Kids get into the act at Bay Area Shakespeare Camp! This summer the SF Shakespeare Festival will present three sessions of two-week courses at St. Cyprian's. Kids get have to have fun with their friends while learning all about the world of performances from trained theater professionals. Campers stage a show for family and friends on the final day of the session, followed by a celebratory cast party.

 

Shakespeare camp provides training in

  • Shakespeare's rich language
  • Acting and improvisation
  • Voice and movement technique
  • Stage combat  (sword fights!)
  • Set and costume design and more
(need-based scholarships available -- call SF Shakes for info).
415-558-0888  www.sfshakes.org 

A huge thank you to our new collaborators at SF Shakespeare Festival.


St. Cyprian's Scholars-The Hambrick Family Scholarship Ready to Receive Applications

The Hambrick Family Scholarship was created by Diane Hambrick LeBlanc and Vivian Hambrick-Ryan in memory of their late parents Dr. Edward & Mrs. Vivian Hambrick, longtime members of St Cyprian's Episcopal Church. They were lifelong proponents of higher education as the way to personal growth.

 

This new scholarship is available to high school seniors of color. There are four $500.00 awards available to students who match the following criteria:

 

* Recipients must be planning to attend an accredited school, junior college or 4 year college or university

* Recipients must be in their senior year of high school

* Recipients must provide evidence of acceptance at the school or college of their choice

* Recipients must use the awards for tuition, transportation or books

* Recipients must be recommended by a member of St. Cyprian's Church or another local faith community  

 

 FOR MORE INFORMATION:  

email [email protected] or call 415-567-1855

 
Bazaar 
SAVE THE DATE
Bazaar BBQ - MAY 5 
 a fundraiser for the St. Cyprian's Neighborhood Community Kitchen 
Saturday, May 5th  Noon - 6 p.m. 

from our neighbors & friends...  

   

Saturday, April 14 
UBE Day at the Races Fundraiser  
Join the Northern California/Vivian Traylor Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians for our annual Day at the Races.  This is our one major fund raiser.  Saturday, April 14, 2012, Golden Gate Fields, 1100 Eastshore Highway, Berkeley, CA 94710

 

Tickets are $40 each and include Turf Club Buffet, Valet Parking, Racing Program.  The facility is handicap accessible.  Please let me know of any special needs so we can assure our group is seated together.

 

Please contact me by email  [email protected] or 510-352-4676, 510-304-6528 for tickets.


Saturday, April 28
New Traditions Elementary School Carnival 2012
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
New Traditions is a school committed to multiculturalism, diversity, creative arts and the development of our students into responsible, active participants in the world. http://newtraditionssf.com/ 2049 Grove Street between Cole & Clayton.


   

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St. Cyprian's

In January, 2011 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.  
St. Cyprian's is a congregation emboldened by the opportunity to engage with our energized urban neighborhood to create a community
where everyone matters.