The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
An Elegant Day at the
Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples 10/016/2023 |
Yesterday I returned to the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples for the very special occasion of its being honored as an Historical Landmark by the City of San Francisco. I was invited to offer a reflection for the
occasion. |
This is the first Church in America dedicated explicitly to interracial and interfaith worship; it was inaugurated in 1944 by Drs. Howard Thurman and Alfred Fisk. For the last 29 years it has been headed by Dr. Dorsey Blake who, I am proud to say, was vice president of our University of Creation Spirituality for the nine years of its existence. His very able Co-Minister for some 20 years has been Dr. Kathryn Lloyd Benton, a graduate of UCS. |
The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. Photo from SF Heritage, by permission. |
Present for this occasion were Aaron Peskin, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and M. Piar LaValley, Senior Preservation Planner for the City, both of whom effected the designation and shared moving stories of the events that led to this special day. The musicians were amazing–Ghanaian Drummer Pope Flyne; Pianist Dr. Carl Blake; and William Underwood III on the flute. The three of them brought Spirit into the space like wind for a sail. I share some of my talk here. ______ Today is a great day, an elegant day, a day that the City of San Francisco to its credit has had the intuition and imagination to declare this place an Historic Landmark. What is in that term, “historic landmark"? History is the stories we remember, and the City of SF is saying: “Look here. Look at the Story of this place. And remember it. Remember the greatness of the vision that was named and birthed
here and the greatness of the peoples whose own stories and lives were imbued with grace by being here. Remember our ancestors, therefore. Their vision and courage, their hunger and imagining and working for a new and better future.” |
Event flyer for the honoring of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples as an historic landmark. | Webster defines a Landmark as “an event or development that marks a turning point or a stage. A structure, as a building, of unusual historical interest …especially one that is
officially designated and set aside for preservation.” Land. Mark. Mark this land. Mark this place. Officially. Why? So we remember it. So we remember
what happened and is happening and can happen beyond here. What is that? |
It is in the name: A Fellowship of All Peoples. As Howard Thurman wrote, adapting and updating St. Paul: It is my belief that in the Presence of God
there is neither male nor female, white nor black, Gentile nor Jew, Protestant nor Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, nor Muslim, but a human spirit stripped to the literal substance of itself before God. To be continued. |
See Matthew Fox, Christian
Mystics, p. 214.
Banner Image: Detail of the sign outside the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. Photo from SF Heritage, by permission. |
Queries for Contemplation What is your understanding of “landmark” and why is it useful or important to see Howard Thurman’s vision put to use today? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments
field. |
Christian Mystics: 365 Readings & Meditations
As Matthew Fox notes, when an aging Albert Einstein was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, “I wish I had read more of the mystics earlier in my life.” The 365 writings
in Christian Mystics represent a wide-ranging sampling of these readings for modern-day seekers of all faiths — or no faith. The visionaries quoted range from Julian of Norwich to Martin Luther King, Jr., from Thomas Merton to Dorothee Soelle and Thomas Berry.
“Our world is in crisis, and we need road maps that can ground us I wisdom, inspire us to action, and help us gather our talents in service of compassion and
justice. This revolutionary book does just that. Matthew Fox takes some of the most profound spiritual teachings of the West and translates them into practical daily mediations. Study and practice these teachings. Take what’s in this book and teach it to the youth because the new generation cannot afford to suffer the spirit and ethical illiteracy of the past.” — Adam Bucko, spiritual activist and co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation for Homeless
Youth |
|
______________________________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE Matthew Fox will be featured as the guest speaker at the Creation Spirituality Communities online course, Introduction to Creation Spirituality 6-Week Course, led by Instructor Rev. Mary Reaman. Tuesday, October 17, 4:00 PM PT. Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox as he discusses “A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, October 19, 4:00-6:00 pm PT. To register, click HERE. Join Matthew Fox for two days of learning and practice as he speaks at the online Stanford Medicine Contemplation by Design Summit, Wednesday and Thursday, November 1-2, 2023. Wed 4:00pm-5:30pm PT – Lecture, Q&A – Grounding & Expanding, Psyche & Cosmos, Friendship with Self, Others, the Universe: Toward a “Cosmic Religion” (Einstein) and Human/Planetary Survival Thu 7:30am-8:15am – Guided Practice – Finding the Divine (the “I am”, the Christ, the Buddha Nature, the Tselem or
Image of God) Within Thu 12:00pm-1:30pm – Workshop – Recovering the Sacred Masculine and the Divine Feminine Register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Aaron Perry hosts Matthew Fox on the Y On Earth podcast, on “Hildegard von Bingen & Her “Viriditas,” sharing profound wisdom and deep insights about the essential importance of our
relationship with Mother Earth, our celebration of the Divine Feminine, and our connection with Creation Spirituality, drawing upon centuries of knowledge and wisdom from indigenous and mystical traditions world-wide… particularly from the Rhineland Mystic Movement of the medieval European Renaissance, and a most extraordinary woman at its helm: Hildegard von Bingen. |
|
Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
|
|
|
