Thursday, August 26, 2010

a night of grief, hope and community

Last night, two events occurred within a few blocks from each other in NOPA. A joint gathering of Saint Cyprian's Episcopal and Saint Paulus Lutheran contemplating the future of San Francisco faith communities and a neighborhood vigil grieving the tragic death of a young German bicyclist, a large diverse group coming together to offer a collective call for safer streets. The meeting at St. Cyprian's was full of warmth and hospitality as members of these two communities young and old shared hopes, dreams and creative possibilities. One of St. Cyprian's elders made a strong point about wanting to see the church connected to our local neighborhood much more in the future. Following the joint mission night, a number of members of St. Cyprian's joined me at the vigil and candle light walk.

Many thanks to all those who put together last night's moving vigil, particularly Michael Helquist of Bike NOPA and Marc Caswell of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Please read more about the vigil, Yannick Linke and consider giving something in his honor to Doctors without Borders. All this information is available at Bike NOPA and on the SF Streets Blog.

Saint Cyprian's is blessed to be part of an eclectic, dynamic neighborhood community who are helping our little church find all sorts of ways to be an active and meaningful participant in their lives.

Below you'll find the remarks I prepared for the event though I ended up speaking with out notes.

We gather this night in mourning and sorrow for the tragic loss of two people, Yannick Linke, a traveler from far away and Melissa Dennison, a neighbor. We gather to honor them, and also to gain strength for the difficult work of making our streets safer for all, bicyclist, skater, pedestrian, transit rider and driver. We come to this intersection not just because something horrific happened here, but also because we understand that Yannick’s recent death invites us to recognize ourselves as part of a common fabric, that we are intricately connected with one another. This tragic loss of these young lives have called all of us no matter where we are from, or what our mode of transportation to take greater responsibility for the well being of others.

As the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, said,
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny.”

Tonight, we together acknowledge the vulnerability of human life, we come made aware that our local decisions to look out for one another have global implications. The choice to reach out to our neighbors, to mourn the loss of a bright eyed young traveler at this intersection, to work together for safer streets is a step toward not simply a better neighborhood in San Francisco, but literally sends ripples of love, solidarity and compassion all over the world.

May the Holy One, of many names, and traditions to whom all the desires of our hearts are known before we ask, hear our prayers for Yannick and for all who mourn, and grant us newness of life and peace. AMEN

Monday, August 23, 2010

working together for safer streets

St. Cyprian's will join our neighbors on Wednesday evening for a Candlelight Walk and Community Vigil mourning the death of a visiting cyclist and nurturing support for safer streets.

The following information was forwarded to us from a church neighbor today,

A candlelight walk will proceed from a local school a block away from the collision site and gather at the intersection of Masonic and Turk in remembrance of Yannik Linke. The tragic death of the young visitor to San Francisco and the circumstances of the hit-and-run collision have shocked and saddened neighbors, bicyclists, city officials, and everyone concerned about safety on city streets. Representatives from community organizations will speak at the memorial and comments from others will be welcome.

We will also remember our neighbor, Melissa Dennison, who was tragically struck while crossing the street at Fell and Broderick less than a year ago.

The tragic deaths of these two young people underscore the importance of creating safe streets for everyone to use. Please join your neighbors in solidarity for safer streets.

Wednesday, August 25th, 8pm
Meet at San Francisco Day School courtyard, 350 Masonic @ Golden Gate Avenue

The walk will proceed on the sidewalk up Golden Gate Avenue to Turk Street, cross Turk
and gather at the site of the collision.

For more information please visit Bike NOPA and SF Streets Blog

The Reverend Will Scott, Cathedral Missioner to St. Cyprian's spoke with Brian Goebel of SF Streets Blog last week.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

what's happening?

Last night 25 people from St. Cyprian's Episcopal and St. Paulus Lutheran gathered together to share food and stories about the history of these two unique San Francisco congregations. We also spent time getting to know one another sharing what we sense God doing in our lives both individually and collectively. This Sunday, we will hold our third joint worship service and next Wednesday we'll engage in another evening of exploration. A number of participants commented on how these two congregations similarly were founded many years ago with a mission to serve very particular groups of people and are now intentionally striving to be welcoming communities for all. There's much to learn, many more conversations and stories to share. The striving of these two communities to be present to one another, to listen, share and trust across great differences are themselves inspiring practices. Many thanks to all who participated, to the planning team from St. Cyprian's and St. Paulus who put together these events.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Welcome!

Saint Cyprian’s Episcopal Church has been a member of the San Francisco community for over 80 years. We are a small but passionate group of seekers and worshipers from many walks of life. We hope you can come join us on Sundays and throughout the week.


This new blog is yet another way we hope to connect with our neighbors, friends and members. Thanks for checking us out. More soon!


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