i v inG iMeS the St. Cyprian’s newsletter December 2010 INSIDE Dear friends, neighbors, and members of St. Cyprian’s, Advent is a season of anticipation, one that invites us to consider the future with hope, even as we prepare our homes and hearts for the celebration of Christmas, a time of remembering Christ’s incarna- tion at Bethlehem. In many ways the church is like a time machine, taking us back and forward. The teachings of Jesus often emphasize being present in the moment and not being anxious about what is to come or being overly attached to what has been. This month, as St. Cyprian’s celebrates 50 years in our current location at Turk and Lyon Streets, we look back and forward, and we open our eyes and hearts to our present realities. There was a time when St. Cyprian’s did not have its spacious build- ing; we were simply a small group of faithful people worshiping wherever space could be found: in a chapel at Grace Cathedral, at Church of the Advent, and other places around the city. Remember- ing this helps us to not take for granted our Cyprian forebears who worked hard, gave generously, and built the building we now seek to share warmly with our neighbors. Looking forward, as we welcome new groups and organizations in partnership, together becoming intentionally a lively neighborhood gathering place, we can anticipate the need for major improvements to our physical plant, including a commercial-grade kitchen and ac- cessible restrooms. We can be grateful in our present moment that many among our current congregation, extended family, friends, and neighbors are working hard to find resources to support these badly needed improvements. At Advent, as we anticipate God’s hopeful future (when concerns about buildings will cease), let us look to the words of the prophet Isaiah and consider the ways that God may be inviting us to manifest that inspiring vision of peace, justice, and reconciliation 50 years after our arrival at Turk and Lyon: The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Buildings can tell a story about a community, about what is impor- tant to its members and how they sense God at work in their lives. The incarnation, the eternal word becoming flesh as scripture tells us, happened in a barn, a cave; the Christ child was placed in an animal feeding trough and not a bassinet or crib. So as we festively decorate our homes, wrap gifts, and prepare special foods, we do so aware that the story of salvation does not depend solely on us or our efforts but on a creative, determined God who loves us and finds a way to be born in our lives, homes, community, and world no matter what. Only God knows what St. Cyprian’s will be like 50 years in the future, but may we be known as a community that together sought “knowledge of the Lord,” inspired as the saints before us by that little child born in a stable in Bethlehem who teaches us not to be anxious but hopeful in a peace that passes all understanding. Peace, The Reverend Will Scott • St. Cyp’s receives first kitchen renovation grant • Concerts in 2011 • The Village Project • Design lab results • Celebrating 50 years at Turk and Lyon! • Calendar
Transcript
ivinGiMeS
the St. Cyprian’s newsletter
December 2010
INSIDE
Dear friends, neighbors, and members of St. Cyprian’s,
Advent is a season of anticipation, one that invites us to consider the future with hope, even as we prepare our homes and hearts for the celebration of Christmas, a time of remembering Christ’s incarna-tion at Bethlehem. In many ways the church is like a time machine, taking us back and forward. The teachings of Jesus often emphasize being present in the moment and not being anxious about what is to come or being overly attached to what has been. This month, as St. Cyprian’s celebrates 50 years in our current location at Turk and Lyon Streets, we look back and forward, and we open our eyes and hearts to our present realities.
There was a time when St. Cyprian’s did not have its spacious build-ing; we were simply a small group of faithful people worshiping wherever space could be found: in a chapel at Grace Cathedral, at Church of the Advent, and other places around the city. Remember-ing this helps us to not take for granted our Cyprian forebears who worked hard, gave generously, and built the building we now seek to share warmly with our neighbors.
Looking forward, as we welcome new groups and organizations in partnership, together becoming intentionally a lively neighborhood gathering place, we can anticipate the need for major improvements to our physical plant, including a commercial-grade kitchen and ac-cessible restrooms. We can be grateful in our present moment that many among our current congregation, extended family, friends, and neighbors are working hard to find resources to support these badly needed improvements.
At Advent, as we anticipate God’s hopeful future (when concerns about buildings will cease), let us look to the words of the prophet Isaiah and consider the ways that God may be inviting us to manifest that inspiring vision of peace, justice, and reconciliation 50 years after our arrival at Turk and Lyon:
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Buildings can tell a story about a community, about what is impor-tant to its members and how they sense God at work in their lives. The incarnation, the eternal word becoming flesh as scripture tells us, happened in a barn, a cave; the Christ child was placed in an animal feeding trough and not a bassinet or crib. So as we festively decorate our homes, wrap gifts, and prepare special foods, we do so aware that the story of salvation does not depend solely on us or our efforts but on a creative, determined God who loves us and finds a way to be born in our lives, homes, community, and world no matter what. Only God knows what St. Cyprian’s will be like 50 years in the future, but may we be known as a community that together sought “knowledge of the Lord,” inspired as the saints before us by that little child born in a stable in Bethlehem who teaches us not to be anxious but hopeful in a peace that passes all understanding.
Peace, The Reverend Will Scott
• St. Cyp’s receives first kitchen renovation grant
• Concerts in 2011
• The Village Project
• Design lab results
• Celebrating 50 years at Turk and Lyon!
• Calendar
2
ST. CYP’S RECEIVES INAUGURAL RENOVATION GRANTWe are enormously pleased to announce that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, in Orinda, approved our request for one of its outreach grants in the amount of $7,500, to be put toward the renovation of the St. Cyprian’s kitchen. This is a won-derful start to our campaign to raise funds for bringing the kitchen up to commercial-use standards.
Over the past four months, the thought, research, and discus-sions of members Tiffany Davis and Gigi Smith began to take shape into a plan for how we could turn our kitchen into a community resource: a place for families to learn healthful cooking and eating habits, for those in need to get meals, and for low-income culinary entrepreneurs to build up their businesses.
Chef Jean-Marc Fullsack, executive director of the Hospital-ity Management Program at the University of San Francisco, and USF student intern Madelene Parks walked through the kitchen with Tiffany to determine what would be necessary to transform it into a commercial kitchen. We thank them both for the time and effort they put into the assessment. Tiffany took their input and crafted a set of recommendations.
Will Scott was urged by St. Stephen’s member Barbara Bisel to apply for the outreach grant, and Jennifer Wolfe wrote the proposal, using the recommendations assembled by Tiffany, Madelene, and Jean-Marc. It was truly a team effort.
The money will be put into a separate kitchen renovation fund. This may be the first of many grants we apply for, but we could not have hoped for a more encouraging start! Thank you, St. Stephen’s, for supporting our vision of being a hub for a healthy community.
THE NEWS FROM ST. CYPRIAN’S... SF LIVE ARTS COMING IN FEBRUARYA much-respected concert organizer with a superstar track record is set to move his performance series to St. Cyprian’s in early February. Musician Larry Kassin launched his SF Live Arts productions at the Noe Valley Ministry in 1981 with a single purpose: to bring incredible performers to appreciative audiences in an intimate venue. Acts as disparate as the Turtle Island String Quartet, Gil Scot Heron, and Utah Phillips have attracted loyal fans and raves from critics. Academy Award winner Marketa Irglova (for the film Once), comedian Geoff Hoyle, and Joan Baez have also thrilled Noe Valley audiences. Kassin is especially committed to booking local and upcom-ing talent. Beginning February 11 the series will serve as a venue for the San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival. St. Cyprian’s will host SF Live Arts to anchor its own Cyprian’s Live performance space as part of its ongoing outreach to the community. In January, we will provide further information on performers, schedules, and ticket purchases. Please plan to join us in 2011 for a hearty welcome to Larry Kassin and SF Live Arts as we celebrate our 50th anniversary at Turk and Lyon.
WELCOMING THE VILLAGE PROJECT IN DECEMBERThe Village Project is a program funded by Episcopal Chari-ties that gives at-risk youth in the Western Addition academic enrichment programs during after-school hours and the summer. The group will be using our space to rehearse musi-cal Kwanzaa performances. Adrian Williams, director of the Village Project, has received wide acclaim in the city for her commitment to children from neighborhoods traditionally lacking mentorship and services.
BENEFITING FROM SERVICE LEARNINGThroughout the autumn, St. Cyprian’s has received assistance from students in the University of San Francisco’s School of Business & Professional Studies. Students Sheila Domen, Pamela Bosh, Olivia del Barco, and Bianca Flores from Dr. Monika Hudson’s Management and Organizational Dynamics class explored ideas for improving our space for community use, and senior Madelene Parks focused her work on an assess-ment of our kitchen and the possibility of creating an incuba-tor kitchen for low-income culinary entrepreneurs. Many thanks to these students for their hard work, creativity, and advice. St. Cyprian’s looks forward to continued and expanded collaboration with our neighbors at USF.
COMMUNITY CHORUSA number of St. Cyprian’s former and current members are active in the Oakland/Bay Area Community Chorus. Prepare for this joyous season by attending their special holiday con-cert, “We Have Seen His Star,” on Sunday, December 19, at 4 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway, Oakland.
SPIFF-UP DAY: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1–5 P.M.Join St. Cyprian’s members, neighbors, and friends as we prepare for Christmas and make needed improvements to our space. For more information contact Will, [email protected].
ExTREME MAkEOVER: CHURCH EDITIONIt wasn’t quite like the TV show, but St. Cyprian’s hosted a design lab on October 28 to envision a bolder, more colorful exterior appearance for the church building. Fifteen neighbors and congregation members gathered in small groups to focus on exterior painting and lighting, more open sidewalk use for landscaping and seating, and new signs that will be more vis-ible to pedestrians and motorists. The first result we’ll see from the brainstorming exercise will be new banners for the Turk and Lyon sides of the building. Expect to see these in the next few weeks. Damon of New Bohemia Signs has been especially helpful in coming up with color schemes. Below are his ren-derings of some possibilities. We thank all who participated in this evening and look forward to the changes to come.
ON DECEMBER 18, 1960, ST. CYPRIAN’S HELD ITS FIRST SERVICE IN THE NEWLY BUILT CHURCH ON THE CORNER OF TURk AND LYON.
Festive Food and drinks!
RSVP BY DECEMBER 17 (415) 567-1855 OR [email protected] donations at the door gratefully accepted
M u s i c b y d J s n a t h a n a n d a l e c i a M c d o w e l l
“This, then, is the future home of St. Cyprian’s, the Church with the friendly spirit.”
On December 18, 2010,
from 7 to 9 p.m.,
come celebrate
the spirit of the season,
the inspiring history
of our community, and
the next 50 years with
new and old friends at
our Christmas and Anniversary party.
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church has been a member of the San Francisco community for over 80 years.
We are a passionate group of seekers and worshipers from many walks of life.
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church2097 Turk St.San Francisco, CA 94115
