Saturday, February 12, 2011

Cyprian's at Night - inspiring evening, many more to come

Last night, St. Cyprian's church building on the corner of Turk & Lyon Street was packed with people for our first concert, part of a new partnership with SF Live Arts (formerly Noe Valley Music). Now, to many people this may seem like not a very big deal ( many churches host concerts all the time) but for a little church like ours, taking on a new big project like this is a huge challenge.


As I made my way through the building last night, I was so grateful to see an incredible array of volunteers from the neighborhood and the congregation, who somehow knew deep down that music builds community and that little places with commitment, hard work and care can do big things.

One thing, we at St. Cyprian's are learning is that as we seek to be a space and a people of faith, action, and community --- we can't do any of those things alone. Below is a list of volunteers who helped us pull things off last night without a hitch, everyone who enters our doors gets a copy of this list (and a bit of information about our little church). Thank you to everyone who helped out, thank you to all who showed up, and will show up, thank you to the Spirit of life that was alive last night and animates all our best efforts.

Come for a concert at Cyprian's tonight and in the weeks ahead, and help this "little church that could," do even more big things. Those things include a new kitchen, already used by numerous groups, we want to feed more people with greater confidence and safety. Supporting a neighborhood after-school and summer program serving youth of the Western Addition. Creating a space both inside and out of connectivity for the eclectic and vibrant neighborhood outside our doors.

Some have wondered "how the heck did St. Cyprian's get chosen to host the SF Live Arts Concerts?" Well, I'm still trying to figure out how we got to be this lucky. Last night, Jennifer Wolfe, one of St. Cyprian's highly committed and engaged lay leaders, reminded me that she had encouraged me and our Bishops Committee over a year ago to go check out what Noe Valley Ministry was up to. Thank God we did!

While visiting Noe Valley we met Marshall Cousins, who had been managing the building for many years and he showed us how that little church became such a well connected member of the local neighborhood. And, I think that when Larry Kassin of SF Live Arts was looking for a temporary venue while Noe Valley Ministry went through an extensive renovation, Marshall mentioned St. Cyprian's to him. Because as Marshall noted when he visited us at St. Cyprian's "that place has great acoustics."

The other big question was whether St. Cyprian's wanted to take something like this on, but the Bishops Committee (our lay leadership team) almost unanimously from the very beginning was enthusiastic about the idea. And, with support from the neighborhood, and the hard work of new St. Cyprian's member and special events coordinator Michael Helquist, Cyprian's at Night was born.

We wish to thank the following for their important contributions as Saint Cyprian’s prepared for the launch of this partnership with SF Live Arts...

Michael Helquist – Special Events Coordinator

Gigi Smith – Concessions

Bruno Peguese & Kevin Johnson for advice and guidance on development and financial management

Craig Anderson, Facilities Manager, and the Blood Centers of the Pacific, for generous permission to use their parking lot

Lenore McDonald, director of alumni giving for Golden Gate University for strategy development

Rick Helf of Rightside Imaging, design of Cyprian's new poster and cards promoting our performance space and music series

Alex Senchak -- coordinating selection, purchase, and installation of new sanctuary lighting

Rob Crum -- drafting up-to-date floor plan for Sanctuary and Community Room, required to determine church maximum occupancy permitted

Dale Danley, Jennifer Wolfe -- Cyprian's website design

Jennifer Wolfe, Michael Helquist -- concert series promotion with features in Chronicle and neighborhood newsletters and websites

District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, for assistance with city permits

Captain Denis O'Leary, SFPD Park Station for guidance on permits

Will Valentine -- ongoing assistance with building repairs

Alex Klestoff -- electrician, installation of fire safety upgrades

Ushers -- Cynthia Sasaki, Suzanne Cowan, Paul Bennett, Susan Bernard
Site Help -- Tom de Cook, Will Valentine, Kelly Johnson
Bike Valets -- Nancy Botkin, Maggie Robbins, Ellen Campbell

Community Room Lighting -- Deacon Davidson Bidwell-Waite

The Bishops Committee at St. Cyprian’s: Robyn Amos, Willie Collie, Bruno Peguese, Norma Planiczka, Jennifer Wolfe, Jarie Bolander, Michael Helquist, Gigi Smith, and past committee members Yaromil Ralph, Christopher Ralph & Jim Cromwell


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Be This Now

This is the line that stuck with me from Rev. Will’s sermon last Sunday. The whole “be the change” line has become so commonplace that we barely take notice of what it really means, the responsibility that it confers on us. And, frankly, how can we think about that all the time, when volunteering even for small things outside of our weekly routine feels like trying to stop global warming. Who has the time? But, as we were reminded on Sunday, “It’s all about me” gets a whole new meaning when we read it through the lens Jesus gave his disciples and all those who heard him: You be the salt, you be the light. Sheesh, Jesus is always making it all about you.

Right now, a group of us is working to get St. Cyprian’s a commercial-grade kitchen. To start, we have decided on two uses for it: a food ministry that will prepare hot meals and deliver them to the hungry (possibly in SROs or other supportive-housing situations) and healthy cooking classes targeting specifically low-income African Americans. Most in our group have been or are now involved in such work and we know that once this kitchen is built, we can hit the ground running with some really great programs. But first we have to find the money (oh, about $150,000, give or take), get a design, get an architectural plan, get permits, have it built, install appliances, have it inspected…

Sometimes, being the salt and the light looks incredibly pedestrian. We’re sitting in meetings, we’re talking about money, we’re tired. But when I envision what we’re working toward and remember how awesome it’s going to be, I am inspired again. The work of writing grant proposals, while sometimes stressful, is a great exercise in articulating your goals and why you want to achieve them. When my spirits are flagging, I can go back to what I’ve written and remember, Oh, yeah, we’re going to build something really cool! To wit: “In the St. Cyprian’s Community Kitchen, we envision a place not only where meals are made, but where lives are changed for the better.”

Onward, then! Be this now.

—Jennifer Wolfe

Friday, February 4, 2011

Pastoral Address – St. Cyprian’s Annual Meeting

Presented on January 30, 2011 at St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church

This year, St. Cyprian’s enters our 51st year in this building on Turk & Lyon Streets.   On April 8th, we’ll celebrate 88 years of ministry in the city of San Francisco here in the Episcopal Diocese of California.

One of the gifts that longevity can give us is an appreciation for change in light of the big picture.  Imagine for a moment what life must have been like for the founders of St. Cyprian’s in 1923. What was happening in the culture, the world, San Francisco? What hadn’t happened yet, and what lay ahead? Who was president then?

What about in 1960? What was going on around this country, in San Francisco? What was this congregation like then? What hadn’t happened yet—and what was about to happen?

Of course, this is not a history lesson.  But reflecting on the past and honoring those who came before us can help us be present to our current context and more open to the future God is calling us into. What’s happening around us—in the world and in San Francisco? What hasn’t happened yet, but is about to happen?

I want to take a moment to talk a bit about this past year, 2010, and some of the things that have taken place among us.  Then I’ll share a bit of my sense of where we are going together. Let me first begin by saying I feel very blessed, humbled and honored to be serving as your priest.

Last February, your Bishop’s Committee gathered at CDSP with the Reverend Ida Louise Johnson for a retreat.  In Berkeley, we reflected together on our gifts and became appreciative of the abundance that God has poured out upon this community. An effort to get to know our neighborhood began, initially called Common Era.  In Common Era, people from USF, NOPNA, and local businesses came together to share ideas, hopes and dreams.

In March, a number of us participated in a neighborhood walk, in which our members and other Episcopalians from throughout San Francisco walked around the neighborhood and interviewed strangers about their needs, desires and hopes.

In the spring, we welcomed over 40 college students from across the West Coast who were on pilgrimage to San Francisco. They stayed at our church, learned about St. Ignatius and Oscar Romero, and walked from here to Grace Cathedral. We also began hosting Simply Sandwiches on Friday, a diverse group that makes over 200 sandwiches a week and shares them with the hungry of San Francisco.

We also began exploring a partnership with a nearby church that no longer has a building of their own, and were inspired by their outreach and commitment to the gospel .  All the while, we deepened our appreciation for this community’s unique story.

Our Living Times newsletter improved in the spring as well, when Jennifer Wolfe stepped up to serve as designer and editor.

We honored Ruby McDowell on her 95th birthday, and also baptized a neighborhood child, Lukas Kragan.  We checked in with our elders, among them Ruth Maloof, Eva Webster, and Jaqueline Smith.  We visited a number of members who were sick in the hospital, and grieved the passing of Icyline Thomas.  And with heavy hearts, we helped our neighborhood mourn the tragic death of a visiting cyclist, run down just a few blocks up the street at Turk & Masonic.

This summer and fall we attended two street parties, continuing our efforts to get to know our neighbors. Kira did an amazing job with face painting, and Jennifer created a new colorful banner for us.

We welcomed new people into our life, some who have stepped up mightily to help us many new projects and initiatives.  Among these new people are Jarie Bolander, Michael Helquist, and Tiffany Davis. We also received our first grant for a renovated kitchen.

In December we celebrated 50 years on Turk & Lyon.  We were literally overwhelmed by the crowd coming from all over the Bay Area, including the retired dean of St. George’s Cathedral in Capetown.  Getting ready for the party, we held a work day in which 20 people came together and dramatically spruced up both bathrooms, the hallway, and helped get things much better organized.

All of these activities were done in a spirit of collaboration, respect, and openness to the future. Together we are learning that faith is not just an abstract assent to a set of beliefs, but a willingness to trust God and each other—even the stranger. We are together seeking more fully to be a community of love incarnate, embodied, active and engaged.

What does 2011 hold in store for us at St. Cyprian’s? I think that the year ahead is going to be quite a fun and exciting adventure. In two weeks we will begin hosting multiple concerts a month in our incredible space. We will be welcoming more people than we have in years and this represents an opportunity for us to practice hospitality, which is so much a part of the St. Cyprian’s story from the beginning. More people will learn about the story of Cyprian’s forebears, and if we are open, we will learn more about our neighbors: their stories, struggles, hopes and dreams.

In 2011, we will, with God’s help, renew our kitchen. Why is the kitchen so important? Because a kitchen represents the heart of any home, what matters is not just that we feed people, but how we feed them. We will more confidently and safely be able to cook together, inviting others into the process; we’ll have the opportunity in a new kitchen to share recipes, tell stories, and build an even more vibrant community for all.

If the past year and a half have taught us anything, it is that how we move forward is as important as whether we move forward.  In the year ahead, your Bishop’s Committee will be working very hard to plan ahead, to look not only at the coming six months, but create a one-, three- and five-year plan.  But whether you are on the Bishop’s Committee or not, everyone can and should be part of this process. We’re also, as you saw when you came in today, creating committees to handle the work of the church.  By creating committees, we ensure that the burdens, joys and responsibilities are shared more broadly among the congregation and wider community.

Before this report is complete, I want to say a special thank you every member of the Bishop’s Committee, ably guided by Bruno Peguese, who have worked so hard this past year. We have learned so much from each other, and I’m excited to continue to learn and grow with you.

In closing I want to share a section of The Color Purple that I have shared before with the Bishop’s Committee.  A copy of the book was left here for the congregation by Father Markunas and this quote I think encapsulates an important message for us at St. Cyprian’s—a gift that we can give to each other.

“Tell the truth, have you ever found God in a church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God.”

The Reverend Will Scott, Priest-in-Charge