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INFORMATION
| Pray with us...
Sundays @ 9 a.m.
Spirit Village
a child-centric & play-based spiritual circle
Sundays
@ 10:10 a.m.
Sacred Roots
Communion & Music
Wednesdays @ 9 a.m. Solace
Communion & Meditation
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Weekly Happenings at Turk & Lyon...
Simply Sandwiches
Fridays
10 a.m. - Noon
Volunteers make over 200 sandwiches for San Francisco's hungry.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Saturdays
11 a.m. - Noon
Al-Anon
Mondays
6:30-7:30 p.m.
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Our Partnerships
St. Cyprian's Church
is also home to
First United Lutheran, San Francisco Live Arts, and The Village Project, an after-school and summer program for Western Addition youth.
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Dear Friends, Neighbors and Members of St. Cyprian's,
  Yesterday, as part of a web conference facilitated by the Episcopal Church Foundation, I raised some questions about the Episcopal Church's logo. The logo, a shield/flag, was designed by William Baldwin, who was a member of the Cathedral of the Incarnation on Long Island. The flag and seal were adopted at the 1940 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Here's a story I found online about its creation by Louise M. Baietto:
The history of the church flag...goes back to 1918 when the Diocese of Long Island celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Bishop Frederick Burgess, second bishop of Long Island, appointed a committee to make plans for observing the anniversary and selected William M. Baldwin, a member of the Cathedral Chapter to head the committee. Among Mr. Baldwin's plans was a great procession through the grounds of the cathedral to precede the anniversary service. To heighten its color, he arranged with heraldic experts to design banners to be carried in the procession. There was a diocesan banner, three for the archdeaconries (then Brooklyn, Queens and Suffolk), 20 for the diocesan societies, and one for each parish and mission, a total of some 170 banners in all. The flags made the procession a "fine and picturesque sight," but the absence of a flag representing the Episcopal Church saddened Mr. Baldwin. Others agreed and the next Long Island diocesan convention petitioned General Convention which responded by establishing a Commission and appointing Mr. Baldwin as its secretary.
Story has it that when Mr. Baldwin presented his model of the flag to the General Convention, to his great disappointment, it proved to be too small and he was asked to present a full size replica. So he went shopping in Kansas City and purchased some Turkey red cotton, some pale blue material, a child's crib sheet; scissors and thimble, needles and thread, and in his hotel room that night, he and the Rev. Hubert S. Wood, later Dean of the Cathedral, worked diligently. The following day Mr. Baldwin triumphantly displayed the full size facsimile of the flag to the General Convention.
Mr. Baldwin described the flag's design and symbolism in his own words: "The red cross is the oldest Christian symbol dating back to the third century. The white represents purity and the red the blood of the martyrs. The blue is ecclesiastical blue, light in color, and used in the clothing of the Blessed Virgin Mary and on this flag represents the human nature of our Lord which He got from His virgin mother. The nine cross-crosslets or Jerusalem crosses represent the nine dioceses that convened in Philadelphia in 1789 when the Constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church was adopted with its House of Bishops and House of Clerical and Lay Deputies and the Book of Common Prayer. The nine cross-crosslets are set in the form of a St. Andrew's cross in memory of the fact that, to avoid swearing allegiance to the British Crown, Bishop-elect Samuel Seabury of Connecticut had to go to Scotland to be consecrated by Scottish bishops."
History is very important: it helps us understand who we are and where we come from. But there are times when attachment to the past inhibits our being fully present in our contemporary context, or hinders us from imagining a different future. Logos, flags and shields have many different purposes, and my hunch is that the Episcopal Shield inspires among many "confirmed baptized" communicants, along with "cradle Episcopalians" like myself, a great deal of pride and loyalty. What, however, does the symbol say to outsiders?
Many churches believe that the way to be welcoming in their local context is to make sure there are lots of signs around with this shield on it pointing people to the building--as though there is a large mass of people out there looking for a specifically Episcopal Church that, if they could only find it, they would join right away. We are sometimes quick to assume that people have heard of the Episcopal Church and know what the logo means.
Does the shield suggest that we are a people who care more about our past than our future? Are we a private society that wishes to keep our identity mysterious to those unfamiliar with our history?
Does it trouble us that the flag and shield were designed and adopted by a General Convention solely of men? The first woman lay deputy to General Convention was elected in 1946. Women's ordination to the priesthood and episcopate came later. I am sure that Mr. Baldwin and the Dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation were wonderful people. But was there really a committee/commission that worked on this logo, or was it put together in a hurry in a hotel room in Kansas City? What would the process of designing a new logo, flag, shield be like for the Episcopal Church today? Would we even choose a shield as our logo? What, after all, is the shield intending to protect us from? Would another image communicate more authentically the church we are, and the church we believe the Spirit is calling us to become? When I look at the shield I think often of battle lines, self-protection, and our awkwardness as a body in communicating with many 21st Century people. I think of our fear of being vulnerable--especially to those who might have the capacity to inspire change within us. I also wonder what the church might have used to identify itself in the past before there was a flag and shield, and what might we use in the future if this logo does not continue to serve us. Not long ago, we were offered newly designed signage that positions the shield at a sideways tilt. Perhaps this means we are becoming more open and less protective? An expression of the Episcopal Church that moved me deeply the other day was a video about an Episcopal camp and conference center in the Virginia mountains I grew up attending. This place and the people I met there as a youth did much to shape my spirituality and theology. The shield of the Episcopal Church, however does little to communicate to me the depth and breadth of that experience. If you could design a logo for the Episcopal Church, what would it look like? If you aren't an Episcopalian, please forgive this "insider" conversation--though in my view, your perspective should be privileged in a discussion about such things.
The shield may be a relic of a retiring Christendom; perhaps it could continue to serve as logo-emeritus. Maybe the church (and those we hope will join us) needs us to grab our own colorful fabrics, crib sheet, scissors and thimble, needles and thread. Could we create an image that reflects where we are, where we've been and where we believe the Spirit is calling us to go? My hope is that such an activity would not just be a DIY project but instead a Do-It-Together kind of thing. Thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Wood.
See you soon at Turk & Lyon!
Peace,
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2012 Year in Review
& Annual Meeting
Last Sunday, St. Cyprian's held our Annual Meeting. You can view our 2012 Year in Review by click here. We will have a printed and downloadable copy of our Annual Report available soon. Thank you to members John Roy, our Treasurer, Robyn Amos and Jarie Bolander, who spent much time preparing for this important gathering of the congregation.
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Neighbors & Friends of St. Cyprian's
seeking employment
A few dear young adult friends and neighbors of St. Cyprian's with passions "for social justice, food, gardening, the condition of the environment, and community building" are looking for work. If you know of possibilities that may be of interest to these gifted and hard working folks please send an email to turkandlyon@gmail.com
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Thank you St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church Outreach Committee &
San Francisco Deanery
 Last week, St. Cyprian's Community Kitchen Team learned that St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in Cow Hollow approved our grant request of $4,700 which will help pay for a new dish washing station. This grant follows a $1,200 grant from the San Francisco Deanery we received late last year. We are grateful for the assistance of Kitchen supporter Roulhac Austin and team member Jennifer Wolfe for putting together materials for these grant requests. $98,000 remains to be raised before we can complete the project. Please contact Eric Williams, our volunteer Kitchen Team Coordinator if you have questions: ericgregwilliams@gmail.com
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Ash Wednesday & Lent at Turk & Lyon
St. Cyprian's Episcopal & First United Lutheran will gather together on Wednesdays in Lent beginning with a shared Ash Wednesday Service on February 13th at 7 p.m. which will include meditation, communion and music. Throughout the season of Lent together we will share a simple meal and discuss Marcus Borg's Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power -- And How They Can Be Restored. Beginning on Wednesday, February 20th at 7 p.m. The author describes Ash Wednesday & Lent in this way: Lent is about mortality and transformation. We begin the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday with the sign of the cross smeared on our foreheads with ashes as the words are spoken over us, "Dust thou art, and to dust thou wilt return." We begin this season of Lent not only reminded of our death, but also marked for death. The Lenten journey, with its climax in Holy Week and Good Friday and Easter, is about participating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Put somewhat abstractly, this means dying to an old identity-the identity conferred by culture, by tradition, by parents, perhaps-and being born into a new identity-an identity centered in the Spirit of God. It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God. Put slightly more concretely, this path of death and resurrection, of radical centering in God, may mean for some of us that we need to die to specific things in our lives-perhaps to a behavior or a pattern of behavior that has become destructive or dysfunctional; perhaps to a relationship that has ended or gone bad; perhaps to an unresolved grief that needs to be let go of; perhaps to a career or job that has either been taken from us or that no longer nourishes us; or perhaps even we need to die to a deadness in our lives. You can even die to deadness, and this dying is also oftentimes a daily rhythm in our lives-that daily occurrence that happens to some of us as we remind ourselves of the reality of God in our relationship to God; that reminder that can take us out of ourselves, lift us out of our confinement, take away our feeling of being burdened and weighed down. That's the first focal point of a life that takes Jesus seriously: that radical centering in the Spirit of God that is at the very center of the Christian life. -Dr. Marcus Borg
from "Taking Jesus Seriously"
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Helping our neighbors at
New Liberation Church
Ever walked/rode/driven by the overgrown garden beds on Divisadero (between Turk and Eddy) and thought it would be great to see things growing there again? New Liberation Church and NDDivis are teaming up with neighbors/local urban agriculture enthusiasts to revitalize a once-thriving community garden. Come help your community grow by joining us on Saturday morning, February 16th for our first garden party work session. We will work together to tame the weeds and start to plan the future of the 8 gard
en beds/outdoor space.
DETAILS
Saturday, February 16th
10AM-12PM: Weed in the 8 garden beds (and beyond) and possibly get the tool shed organized/cleaned-out. We might be lucky enough to get music played by neighborhood musicians while we weed.
12PM-1:30: Garden planning/envisioning activities, munching (snacks and maybe more ... stay tuned), learning, meeting people, maybe some music.
WHAT TO BRING
We will be supplying some garden gloves and tools, but please bring your own water bottle/snacks. If you have gardening gloves, small shovels, and/or cultivation forks and can bring them along, please let us know so that we can plan accordingly.
For more details email Amy at info@nddivis.org
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February at Turk & Lyon...
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Cyprian's arc presents
Wednesdays, Feb 6th & 13th
Watercolors 101
with Kyle Brunel
6 pm - 7:30 pm
2nd to 7th graders
$45 - $65 per child, sliding scale
Materials included, 4 week class
USF Urban Agriculture and St. Cyprian's Kitchen Team presents
Free Community Dinner
Thursday, February 7th
7pm - 9pm
Produce gleaned from farmers markets' & community gardens
Cyprian's arc presents
Friday, February 8th
First Fridays Song Circle
7 pm -8 pm
Share the experience of songcraft,
Bring your instruments
Songsalive! SF Songwriters Showcase
Featuring singer/songwriter Michael Gregory
8pm - 9pm
Suggested donation: $6
Join our Meetup Group:
meetup.com/First-Fridays-Song-Circle
Union of Black Episcopalians and Afro Anglican Commission presents
Saturday, February 9th
Absalom Jones Celebration
11 am
Service and music from the Stabe Wilson Combo
Reception to follow
Absalom Jones was the first African American
ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church.
More info: ericm@diocal.org
SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival presents
An Evening of Dynamic Duos with:
Saturday, February 9
Anne & Pete Sibley, Misner & Smith, Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman
8 pm
$15 door / $12 advance Tickets: brownpapertickets.com
St. Cyprian's & First United host
Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday, February 13th
7 pm
Communion, Meditation, & Imposition of Ashes
SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival presents
Old-Time without Borders with:
The Stairwell Sisters and Cascada de Flores
Friday, February 15
8 pm
$18 door / $16 advance Tickets: brownpapertickets.com
SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival presents
Sin & Salvation with:
Water Tower Bucket Boys, Misisipi Mike's Southern Comforts
and Fret Not
Saturday, February 16
8 pm
$16 door / $14 advanceTickets: brownpapertickets.com
Media Decompression Kollectiv presents
Friday, February 22nd
Free Dinner
6 pm
Dinner (veggie & vegan)followed by live music and short film
A celebration of life without economic coercion
More info: cyprianscenter.org
SF Live Arts @ Cyprian's presents
Saturday, February 23rd
7:30 pm
Bob Kann
An evening of clowning and comedy for adults & kids
Brownpapertickets.com
For more info: noevalleymusicseries.com
Episcopal Senior Communities & St. Cyprian's present
Wednesday, February 27th
Free Senior Lunch
12 pm - 1: 30 pm
Come enjoy lunch and a musical performance
415- 752- 0139 Episcopal Senior Communities
Cyprian's arc presents with SF Foundation support
Thursday, February 28th
An Evening of Mending and Music
7 pm
Have some clothes that need fixing?
Come learn how to do some simple mending
FREE
More info: cyprianscenter.org
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Weekly E-Mail Archives
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.
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