Steps We Might Take:
Responding Faithfully to our Brokenness
Greetings!

Like me, you may be wondering what actions you can take in response to the recent news of staggering acts of violence: the mass shootings, the mass detentions, the mass extinctions -- all of it so large and so overwhelming we risk being paralyzed and unable to respond. But there are meaningful ways to respond, and to inspire both our hope and our action, I’m sharing four opportunities to do something:

~ Learn about accompaniment of immigrant neighbors at Faith in Action’s August 25 Teach-in . Family separations are happening here in the Bay Area. Join the thousands of neighbors who have learned skills in rapid response, courtroom presence, freeing detainees and more. Click here for details and here to RSVP .

~ Join a team of three from St. Gregory’s and attend a training in crisis response. The SF Interfaith Council is offering a workshop and resources to congregations to better prepare us to respond to incidents of domestic terrorism and gun violence in our houses of worship. Email Kerri if you are interested in committing to this uniquely difficult role in our parish (a role we pray will not exist someday).

~ Take steps on your own path toward racial healing . In partnership with Kaleidoscope Institute, one of the leading providers of anti-racism training in the Episcopal Church, the Diocese is offering a weekend of reflection and learning on September 13-14. Email the Rev. Eric Metoyer for information.

~ Donate money. A contribution to Faith in Action Bay Area supports the training of accompaniment volunteers who walk alongside neighbors swept up into ICE's system. A contribution to the Bay Area Immigration Bond Fund can help post bond for a detained parent, reuniting them with their children. A contribution to the Southern Poverty Law Center supports monitoring of and litigation against hate groups as well as advocacy and education in communities impacted by racial inequality and violence.

What ways are you finding to respond in faith through your time, your skills or your financial resources? Share any hope you’ve found or action you’ve been called to on our Facebook page, our Connect app, or at coffee hour.

In faith,
Kerri

Happening at St. Gregory's
This Sunday, August 18 - Proper 15, the Season after Pentecost
  • Daybreak 8 AM, Liturgy at 8:30 & 11:00 AM.
  • Godly Play & Little Friends of God 9:45 AM in the upstairs classrooms.
  • Bible Study in the Schell Library, 9:45 AM.
  • Contemplative Prayer in the Chapel, 9:45 AM.
  • Adult Forum will continue exploring the animals of the Dancing Saints, this time attending to the bear. 9:45 in the Rotunda.
  • The Vestry will meet in the Conference Room, 12:45 PM
Next Sunday, August 25 - Proper 16, the Season after Pentecost
  • Daybreak 8 AM, Liturgy at 8:30 & 11:00 AM.
  • First Sunday Brunch, 9:30 AM in the Rotunda.
  • Godly Play & Little Friends of God 9:45 AM in the upstairs classrooms.
  • Bible Study in the Schell Library, 9:45 AM.
  • Contemplative Prayer in the Chapel, 9:45 AM.
  • Adult Forum will conclude its cycle on the animals of the Dancing Saints, ending with the fourth animal, the wolf. 9:45 in the Rotunda.
  • Icon Writer's Group will be painting Icons at 1:30 in the Rotunda. Betsy Porter can be reached by email for more information.
Our Shared Life
  • Pray for healing for Caroline Sanford, who begins chemotherapy tomorrow, and for David Shulman, who is preparing for surgery on August 26 to remove a mass from the area around his brain.
  • Help feed the hungry at The Food Pantry or Martin de Porres.
  • Come together for contemplative prayer and prayers for healing every Sunday at 9:45 AM in the chapel.
  • Join us for Tai Chi Chuan class, every Thursday, 6:30 – 7:30 PM.
Book Release: Seeing My Skin
This Saturday, August 17, marks the release of a new memoir on race and privilege, written by the Rev. Peter Jarrett-Schell, an Episcopal priest and son of St. Gregory's founders, Ellen and Donald Schell.

Many members of our community are particularly eager to read Peter's book as a natural follow-up to our summer reading and conversation about race and beauty; this theological memoir is particularly of interest to us who share the San Francisco/St. Gregory's context of Peter's formative growing-up years.

You can pre-order Peter's book from our Potrero Hill neighborhood bookstore, Christopher's Books, on 18th Street. We'll have two copies in the Schell Library here at church on Sunday, August 25.
Announcements from Friends and Partners
  • Every Saturday, AA Big Book Meeting 10 AM - 11:30 AM Admin building.
  • Every Wednesday in July and August, Summer Sings is an inclusive, service-based community singing organization. 7:30-8:30 PM
  • August 17, Mission Fusion will host their biweekly dance, 8:30 PM.
Crosses
One Last Thing...

Our own Ruthann Lovetang and Sanford Dole will be performing with Consort Chorale on August 18th at 7:00 PM at First Presbyterian in San Anselmo ( directions). This orchestra supported performance will center on Saint Cecilia, patroness of musicians. While including the works of well known composers such as Vivaldi, Handel, and Brahms, they will also perform a number of modern works, including two pieces by guest conductor Bradley Ellingboe, as well as Sanford Dole's Harmony from A Song for St. Cecilia.
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