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
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