St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

Let me walk you through what happens at their 10:45am Sunday service as best I can remember: You walk in and make a name tag, newcomers write their names in red whereas others use black. Still others have their own buttons that are kept in the church. The church has two focal areas, the area you see upon entering that is circular with the altar and the area to the right which has rows of chairs. The service starts with everyone standing in the circular area. I don’t remember much about the opening part except that all of the robed people go around and shake everyone’s hands. Then everyone walks to the right side, and finds a seat. This is when they read passages from the Bible. The preacher gives a sermon. Following the sermon, the preacher invites whoever feels called, to stand up and say what the gospel/​sermon got them thinking about. Then the Bible is paraded around and people can touch it or kiss it. Then they offer up prayers of petition and open it up to the community to offer up prayers of petition/​thanksgiving as well. After that, everyone puts their hand on the shoulder of the person beside them and you do a specific pattern of steps toward the altar as you sing, the long lines of people circling around the altar. This is when communion occurs – each person distributing the bread and wine to their neighbor who then gives it to their neighbor, etc. In each of the plates with bread (not wafers) they also have a little bowl with rice wafers for people who are allergic to bread. The pastor walks around with a painting (?) of I’m assuming Jesus or St. Gregory of Nyssa which some people touched and kissed. The collection is passed around, people say peace to each other at some point as well. Announcements occur and then the final song, everyone puts their hand on their neighbors shoulder and do a different grapevine type step as you sing. Refreshments and socializing after the service. There is a children’s area incorporated into the worship space and kids can take trays of activities back to their seats as well. It seemed very kid friendly. The community was predominantly white. They had incense lit almost the entire time although it was not at all overpowering.
When I first saw the name tag system I was concerned that people would be overeager to welcome me. Luckily they weren’t. But they were helpful at all the right times, giving me friendly pointers at key points in the service. The leaders, in their instructions to the entire congregation, were very clear on how to do the dance steps and were very helpful in finding the songs, etc.
The sermon was nice, it was about vulnerability and the pastor (I’m assuming he’s the pastor) shared stories from his personal life.
The people sharing after the sermon were surprisingly vulnerable. I felt uncomfortable for them, afraid they were revealing too much but perhaps they all know each other well enough that there was a trust there. I can imagine that this would be a challenging part of the service if you disagree with what someone says. I did not but I would say it is a liberal community.
One thing that surprised me was that almost everything was chant/​sung. Very few things were spoken. The style of music also sort of surprised me, I only recognized one song and I have been well exposed to rock, contemporary, gospel, Taize and traditional Catholic music. The music at times felt a little too Gregorian chant-​y for my tastes – then again, it is lent which is a more somber, reflective time. I am a pretty confident, courageous singer, I love to sing new stuff without much preparation but I cannot sight read sheet music and the sheet music that was provided was more complex because it put all of the different harmonies right on top of each other on the same staff. They do sing the first verse without harmonies but everything else is in harmony. So I had to try and memorize the melody, having heard it only once, then repeat it back while everyone around me was singing different parts. It was easy to get lost. I wish they had one person with a microphone who continued to sing the melody for people like me who get confused when everyone breaks into harmonies.

Despite a reputation for innovation, the service is completely dominated by the choir and the same few people in the same roles. Very inhospitable to the disabled. If one is not capable of their liturgical dance, one will be shuffled off to a corner to stay out of the way of «the performance.» Based on several services i have attended.

St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church is a magical setting for any event. I go to monthly dances here, and the church enhances the event for sure. This church is worth the time to check it out.

Grateful for this vibrant worshiping community!
Their liturgy is a liturgist’s dream come true — singing, listening, sharing, processing, AND dancing. Yes, dancing. Not the ballerina type of dancing, but communal dancing. I was whisked into the ritual action that their 80 minute service felt like only a half hour. I wanted more! One of my friends said that throughout the whole liturgy she had chills (and she is a person who is critical at liturgical celebration.)
The Friday Food Pantry is another sight to behold as close to 600 locals come and partake of food given freely around the Altar Table. (Really cool symbolism). The volunteers are great and are eager to help. I have volunteered a number of times and enjoy the time getting to know the people who come for «La Bodega.»
Staff Members Paul Fromberg, Sara Miles, (including Richard Fabian and Donald Schell) are very welcoming and hospitable. I brought a group of friends and classmates one Sunday for Sunday Eucharist and they came and talked to my group of friends at the end of the service, answering any questions they had, even posing for a picture mimicking the «dancing saints» mural.
[[As a Roman Catholic, I would definitely suggest to my fellow Catholics to come and check out what «hospitality» REALLY means. And no… hospitality does not mean solely «coffee and donuts.» Come to St. Gregory’s and find out]]

St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church has many facades
–a food pantry (free food fridays) for the needy
–a place of worship
–meeting place
*monthly new taste marketplace event
saturday, april 2^nd
4 – 9 pm.
500 Deharo,
San Francisco, Ca
(across from Anchor Steam Brewery).
foodnotes:
–donations (0-​$ 10) accepted at door
–new taste marketplace is a fundraiser food pantry and the church.
–vendors here also frequent foragesf (sf underground mart) and marin homegrown.
–spread of ready to eat food, and foods takeable to home.
–mochi, cupcakes, candies, and pies are noteworthy here.

St. Gregory of Nyssa is famous for its dancing liturgy. It has a mural of dancing saints that includes Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Queen Elizabeth the First, William Shakespeare. For an Episcopal church, its imagery comes from the Eastern Orthodox than the usual English staid style.
The dancing liturgy is fun, the clergy are welcoming. It’s in a unique spot – with a teddy bear factory and a beer factory nearby. Portrero Hill is an interesting little neighborhood in San Francisco.
St. Gregory’s is a beautiful little spot in the big city.

Food pantry review only.
I’m underemployed (2 hr wk job) and can really use some help with food. Not sure if the other reviewer needs the food or not.
I was extremely grateful to stumble across this on a Friday. You need to provide proof of residence and stand in line to get a plastic card, which entitles you to come every other week for free food. The food is of higher quality than the neighborhood-​based food banks. One week I got a chicken, sweet potatoes, bottle of soy sauce, fresh bread, canned goods, a container of salad greens– all top quality.
I am not sure if everyone in line actually NEEDS the food. If your number is high you have to wait until the lower numbers are served. You need to renew the card every few months or so.
Please don’t abuse the generosity of these folks. St. Gregory’s, I am grateful for your help when I needed it.
**Also, St. Gregory’s rented space to the Asian Pacific Islanders Pride Family celebration, so I am grateful for their support of lgbt issues.

This is a lovely, lively church. Great community. Very warm.
But the visual impression is (intentionally) a little overwhelming, and the dancing takes some getting used to. I still haven’t mastered singing while dancing.

What a great local discovery — seems funny to Unilocal a church, but this one is definitely worth checking out. Definitely not your grandmother’s episcopal church!

Good people.
Good vibes.
Good murals.
Good music.

I have been part of this church for about 20 years and I still love it. Sane, fun, interesting lively people who care for one another. I would not recognize my life without this bunch of people.

We got married at Saint Gregory’s two years ago. The commitment we made to active membership in this amazing community of people has made our marriage happy and strong as it provides endless opportunities to cooperate on projects that make us proud of ourselves and each other and the community.
Saint Gregory’s is an oasis of love and beauty in this nitty gritty City. Unilocalers welcome :)