Thirty days has September, April, June, and November

I commute to church three mornings a week via BMW (BART, Muni, Walk), which is the subtle payback I get for not having to move myself and my worldly possessions to the beautiful Bay Area like the other Beatitudes Society Fellows did. It's a modern marvel that I can get to St. Cyprian's in 68 minutes using only my feet and a little electricity, and for a host of reasons, I love me some public transit. That said, weird stuff goes down on the 8:10 train to Millbrae and the #31 bus from Powell Street. Yesterday, for instance, the man behind me on the bus howled like a coyote for the duration of his travel. Last night, I got bonked in the face by some guy's armpit - he was taller than me, and trying to reach over my head to hold the railing, and yes, that was just as gross as it sounds like it would be. You can't make this stuff up!

Let me take a tangent here and say this: I am SO AMAZED with you people, you beloved committed life-long members of this church, and those of you who started coming a year ago and keep coming back, and those of you who have come only once or twice. SO amazed. Because most of you come from a long way away! There are so many people in San Francisco (and its surrounding lands) who don't attend church at all, let alone pick one and stick with it, LET ALONE trek all the way from San Mateo before a service on Sunday morning. You are the reason why this church is such a special place, and I stand here today applauding you for showing up, especially if it took a BMW to get you here.

Back to my point: as you might imagine, when I finally arrive at 2097 Turk Street at 9:01 each day, I take a breath and instantly feel deeply settled. Getting to work in this old, quiet church is such a blessing, especially for someone whose brain acts like a pinball (what? distractions? what? where? over there? what?). But that calm didn't last for long yesterday. As I sat down for my weekly meeting with Will and Michael, I looked at the calendar on my laptop and realized that HOLY COW, my fellowship is halfway over! The events and outings I have planned are about to happen! Most of the contacts I need to make for the online directories are, well, contacted! It's almost JULY! It made me remember the immortal words of the great Ferris Bueller:

I think it's time for this pinball-brain to stop and look around for a while.

*

It's been a good week here at St. Cyprian's! I've been part of a number of productive conversations and I am continually feeling more comfortable in the neighborhood. (The baristas at the Starbucks on Fulton & Masonic know my name! Two weeks ago I was just "the girl who works in that one church.") Last Friday I put all of the neighborhood schools, "green" organizations, non-profits, music shops and artists in the community directory, and Will, Michael & I finished the day with chocolate cupcakes that I baked to celebrate that my wedding is exactly a year away. Sunday morning I was late to church due to the unbelievably bad traffic through the city - I totally forgot it was Pride Parade morning! - but I saw the most amazing costumes en route, so it was worth it. The rest of this week has been devoted to preparing for our Green Turk & Lyon L(a)unch. An old friend of mine (we were on the same swim team in Colorado at 9 years old!) works for Pixar, and he volunteered to create our promotional materials, so when I have those images I'll post them here. Tonight, I get to attend the "Global Change: A Spiritual View" seminar at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater. Three of the other Fellows are joining me; I think we'll go out for a pint afterwards and talk about what we heard. It is such a privilege to be a young person in the church these days! The world is changing, and the church is changing, and we have the opportunity to craft it into the body we need it to be. There's a tension between honoring the history of the church and the people who came before us - - - and transforming this institution into something that welcomes and feeds all people. I feel so blessed that I get to live within that.

Happy Thursday! Until next time... - Kelsey

Week 3: More than just wet feet

Hey guys! Already a week has passed since I wrote my last post. I totally can't believe it - time is flying! I think this summer (and my fellowship) will be over before I know it, so I'm going to try and squeeze the guts out of this experience while I have the chance.

So far that mission has been pretty successful. Today I'll give you a little rundown of what I've tackled in the last seven days, and then I have a small favor to ask of you.

Thursday & Friday of last week, I gave the new online directories a little more life. Our community directory is starting to look like a legitimately useful tool! We have more than 60 neighborhood organizations, faith communities, companies and people cataloged after just a week. Who knows how many we'll have in our database by the end of the summer?

The most interesting thing I've encountered in this endeavor is that almost all of the churches in this neighborhood lack even basic internet existence. Take a look at this map: of the 30ish churches and faith centers in our area, only seven have websites! For the others, I walked around and read the church doors to get their information (which is good exercise for me, but bad marketing for them!). I think our neighborhood could stand to take a page from our book. At last count, we have a website, a Facebook page, and at least three blogs - not to mention our developing online directories. That's unique.

The highlight of my week has been meeting with members of St. Cyprian's. I had a piece of Chile Pies' amazing lemon buttercream pie with Michael on Friday; I learned so much about who he is, the incredible life he's lived and his invaluable impact on this church. Every time we talk, I grow more convinced that we're kindred spirits. And after church on Sunday morning, I visited with Norma, who is one of the sassiest ladies I've ever met! She tells the best stories and I laughed with her for half an hour. I have short meetings set with a few other people in the next couple of weeks, and I think Will was right: this is the best possible way to get to know this church.

We've set a date for the Green Turk & Lyon L(a)unch! Mark your calendars: we're planning a party for Saturday, July 23, 2011. Check back here for more details in the next few weeks. (We'll have food, drinks, and door prizes!)

I have other events planned this summer (a table at a couple of different farmers' markets; a conversation with neighborhood parents) but I'll save that information for another post. For now, would you please do me a favor? If you're reading this, we want to know who you are! Post your information in our online church directory or community directory. We really appreciate it, and I promise we won't sell/rent/advertise your information (because goodness knows we get enough junk mail in our own email inboxes - we wouldn't want to make you suffer, too!). Many thanks. Until next time...

- Kelsey

A couple of words from the new summer intern

Hello, devoted members & friends of St. Cyprian's! Hello, casual followers of the Sips blog! Hello, wide world of internet strangers!

My name is Kelsey, and I'm the new summer intern here at St. Cyprian's. The Beatitudes Society awarded me a fellowship to work with you all for the next couple of months; our plan is to build a comprehensive church directory (so you're better connected with each other) and a similar neighborhood directory (so you're better connected with the fantastic community around you!). Hopefully I'll have the chance to host a few events - conversations with young parents, for instance, and the unveiling of the Green Turk & Lyon plans - during my time here as well.

A little about me: I just finished my first year of graduate school at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary across the bay in Berkeley; next May I'll graduate with a master's degree in Systematic & Philosophical Theology. I really enjoy studying systematics - the different doctrines of theology that make up Christianity - and my ultimate goal is to teach an undergraduate comparative religions course. I'm originally from Colorado, I love to be outside, and I'm a die-hard college football fan. Lately I've been trying my hand at vegan baking and planning my wedding! I get to marry my best friend back in Colorado next June. He's pretty great, and hopefully he'll come to church with me a few times this summer so you can meet him, too.

Will & I have accomplished a lot this week (especially considering we only met last Wednesday!). We tackled a walking tour of the whoooooole neighborhood, checked out the Divisadero farmer's market (where I'll have a table with information some day this summer), got the online directories up and running, and sat through a whole day's worth of Beatitudes Society orientation. (Whew!) And even though I've been working at the church for only a week, I am already overwhelmed with how warmly you've welcomed me! I'm so excited to see how this summer unfolds, and I'm anxious to learn more about each of you and the role St. Cyprian's plays in this neighborhood.

PS: Today I got a great taste of local color! A neighborhood twenty-something wandered through the church doors and promptly sat down to play the piano (uninvited, but we didn't mind!). He entertained us for almost an hour. It was the kind of weird-and-great experience that makes San Francisco the best city on the best coast. :)