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Submissions must be in by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to be included in the newsletter.
Caleb Alexander, Beacon Office Manager
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~ Sunday Service, Jan. 28 ~
"Of Bones and Sinew."
Guest Speaker Anthony Johnston
Student Minister with Sedona UU Fellowship
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"Of Bones and Sinew" comes from the words of William Craft; "It is true, our condition as slaves were not by any means the worst, but the thought that we couldn't call the bones and sinews that God gave us our own: but above all, the fact that another man had the power to tear from our cradle the new-born babe and sell it in the shambles like a brute, and then scourge us if we dared to lift a finger to save it from such a fate, haunted us for years."
Ellen and William Craft's pursuit of justice and freedom led to an adventurous escape from this perpetual haunting, to honor their natural desire to experience the love of each other and future generations, as free human beings. The Crafts arrived in Boston, after traveling over 1,000 miles to secure their freedom from American Slavery. Their story is one of many love stories caught in the grips of that peculiar institution known as American Slavery.
The true story of former slaves William and Ellen Craft and their relationship with Unitarian Universalist Minister Theodore Parker will serve as a template for a present day reflection upon Racial Justice in the 21st century.
~ Touchstone Theme: Justice ~
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~ Board of Trustees ~
We would like to express our gratitude to these members of our congregation:
- Mark Alexander for his serious repair work on our office copy machine;
- Andy Hogg and his elves for organizing, setting up, and cleaning up the Christmas Eve service;
- Roz Clark for facilitating Robert's Rules of Order at the January Congregational Meeting;
- Carleton Sheppard for her striking new graphics and layouts for publicity and informational materials for the Building Repair, Improvement, and Expansion (BRIE) team (formerly the Building Expansion Team); and
- Nancy Paxton for her inspiring service on January 21.
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~ Special Notices ~
Office Manager Caleb Alexander will be at Sunday's service to hand out tax documents in person. Please pick up your sealed tax documents if you are able in order to save Beacon a little bit of postage. And you can meet our current office manager!
Caleb has been providing janitorial service since mid 2017 and took on office management for Beacon in December.
Beacon Directory Update
Caleb also took on the Beacon Directory project started by former Office Manager Heather Thornton. With the various revisions, we are very interested in feedback and any further updates to the Directory.
You can find the document following the login under the "Our Congregation" tab on the Beacon website. Please check your own entry and email any changes to Caleb at
[email protected]. Changes to an entry will only be made at the request of the entry holder or their partner, so please notify the entry holder if their entry is in error and encourage them to report corrections. If we do not have a membership date for your entry, we encourage you to provide one as well.
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~ Social Justice Allies (SJA) ~
Item Drive for
Immigrant Families Released from Detention
Please Bring Items on February 11th
Requested items include:
- Protein: Tuna or chicken in small flip-top cans or foil bags; nuts in small bags or flip-top tins; protein Bars, snack bars, cheese & crackers in cups; and applesauce or fruit in small cups or foil packages.
- Hygiene: Wash cloths or small packages of wipes, toothbrushes & toothpaste in small boxes; women's feminine hygiene items (no tampons); chap stick; combs; and small lap blankets.
- Please, all items travel size only.
The Phoenix Restoration Project
"We work with faith-based groups and people of conscience to build a network of mutual support with those being detained and who have been released."
Collaboration with the Phoenix Restoration Project is just one of the ways Beacon has assisted immigrant families since we voted this to be our primary issue of concern four years ago.
The Beacon congregation continues to be committed to supporting families of undocumented immigrants.
Contact PRP by email at [email protected] or call 480-442-9634.
Mark Your Calendars for Monday, February 19 (Presidents' Day)
UU Day at the Legislature (DATL) is
an all-day gathering at the capitol in Phoenix. It's both a statewide UU rally and an opportunity to exchange priorities in small groups with our respective legislators. Rev. Lisa will help us prepare this Sunday. Our good friend Carolyn Kavanagh, who now lives in Sedona and is active with the Sedona Fellowship, will also help by making appointments with Sen. Sylvia Allen and Rep. Bob Thorpe.
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~ Religious Exploration ~
Looking forward to seeing you for RE on Sunday January 28!
- PreK-Grade 2 children will hear the story of The Brave Little Parrot and talk about courage and perseverance.
- Grades 3 & 4 children will hear the story of Harriet Tubman and the Drinking Gourd. We focus on the second Unitarian Universalist Source, expressed in children's language as, "The women and men of long ago and today whose lives remind us to be kind and fair."
- Grades 5-8 will bring the important awareness of justice work with Side with Love! (formerly Standing on the side of love) and their 30 Days of Love program. We did not have any participants on January 21, so, we plan on beginning the program by considering how we can grow our ecosystem.
We are looking forward to:
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~ Circle Suppers ~
Dear Circle Supper Enthusiasts,
I made a mistake trying to cram three Circle Suppers into one year. S
ome groups were still finishing their Circles when new Circles started, and this overlap snowballed and caused two Circles to collapse in Fall 2017. Too many people couldn't schedule themselves in two groups. Oops!
To get back on track, there will be no Circles in Spring 2018. Please stay tuned for an April call to sign up for Summer Circles, which will run May through August. We are keeping the Summer Circles because they provide the only opportunity for our snowbirds. Another set of Circles will run late September through April. And UUs know how to think outside the box, so if you want to connect with newcomers or oldtimers, go ahead and invite people for dinner without waiting till April!
Paul Beier
Circle Supper Coordinator
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~ Chalice Circles ~
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A way to deepen your Beacon experience.
Chalice Circles are an important part of Adult Faith Formation among UU congregations. We are proud to offer this opportunity for spiritual growth to members and friends of Beacon. Chalice Circles are designed to foster introspection and deep listening as participants respond to topic questions from their personal perspective and life experience. Chalice Circles provide:
- A way to foster friendships and caring connections
- An avenue for personal growth and spiritual exploration
- And an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of our church community
Circles will meet once a month for 90 minutes, January through April. The first Circle will be January 23 at 7:00 pm with a second on Sunday, January 28 at 11:30 am, both of which will be in the Beacon Library upstairs. Subsequent meetings may will be held on fourth Sundays at 11:30 am or Tuesdays at 7:00 pm (with some exceptions).
The number of participants per Circle is limited to six. Topics correspond with the monthly Touchstones theme.
As your Chalice Circle facilitator, Char Tarashanti is committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for all participants and guiding the process within the framework of the Chalice Circle format. Char has five years of Chalice Circle experience in her previous congregation in Minnesota
.
Sign up sheets will be available in the lobby this Sunday or contact Char directly at,
(507) 990-3888 or [email protected]. She will be happy to answer your questions or accept registrations.
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~ Tret Fure in Concert, Feb. 3 at 7:00 pm ~
Tret is a singer songwriter in the folk tradition. She has been performing for over 50 years. For many years she was part of the Women's Music Movement. She has been active in the labor movement and has served as the president of Local 1000 for traveling musicians. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Share in an evening of music at Beacon! Contact lore m. dickey for tickets at (318) 265-4287.
lore m. dickey
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~ Save the Date! ~
Guess who turns sixty years old
on
February 11th
?
A celebratory potluck will be held at 11:30 to 2:30 at Beacon and you're invited to join!
Reply if you think you know who is turning sixty!
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~ Community Action Committee ~
Thanks to Beacon's commitment to Share the Plate with approved community partners! For January's undesignated Sunday morning offering money beyond $300 will be presented to Sun Sounds of Flagstaff.
If you would like to nominate an organization to be a community partner, pick up the application in the CAC folder at the bottom of the office stairs. Information and instructions for Share the Plate partners are described on that form.
The CAC is comprised of Joanne Parkes, Sue Strobel, Lynda Dorweiler, Rev. Kevin Lawson and Rich Clark.
With thanks for Beacon's generosity and especially for CAC members' thoughtful, persistent efforts toward living our UU Principles,
Rich Clark, CAC Chair
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~ Save the Date! ~
Rejuvenation - Body, Mind and Spirit:
Youth and Adult Retreat Day
Saturday, February 24, 9:30 - 3:30 at Beacon
Developed by Rev. Kevin and Char Tarashanti with m
ore information coming soon!
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~ In Community ~
lore shared his sorrow of all the children who died before they had a chance to live.
Pia shared her sorrow for her mother, age 91, who broke six ribs in a recent fall.
Dick shared his sorrow that in December he lost a friend of fifty years whom he considered a sister.
Dora shared her joy from the Women's March and the great speech from Mayor Coral Evans. The event was full of excitement and positive energy.
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Plan to join attendees from 185 PWR congregations as the four districts of the Pacific Western Region convene in Portland, Oregon, April 27-29, for the 2018 Regional Assembly. Three dynamic speakers will address the theme,
Stories of Hope, Courage, Resistance, and Resilience. The Rev. Dr. William Barber, a national figure in civil rights activism, will be in the pulpit for Sunday's worship service. Saturday's keynote speaker will be Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian-American woman to be elected to U.S. Congress. Jayapal has spent the last twenty years working internationally and domestically as a leading advocate for women's, immigrant, civil, and human rights. The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, UUA President, will speak at Friday evening's opening ceremony. Frederick-Gray will share her emerging vision for the future of the UUA and the wider movement.
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~ Beacon Calendar ~
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Worship & Religious Exploration
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Worship & Religious Exploration
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Committee on Shared Ministry
Monday, February 5
5:15 pm
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Touchstone Chalice Circle
Sunday, January 28
10:00 am
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Yoga
Tuesday, February 6
11:00 am & 5:00 pm
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Yoga
Tuesday, January 30
11:00 am & 5:00 pm
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QiGong
Tuesday, February 6
6:30 pm
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QiGong
Tuesday, January 30
6:30 pm
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Worship Associates
Wednesday, February 7
5:30 pm
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| Flagstaff Family Food Center Day
Wednesday, January 31
3:30 pm
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Kadampa Buddhist Meditation
Wednesday, February 7
6:30 pm
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Kadampa Buddhist Meditation
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Finance Team Meeting
Wednesday, February 7
6:30 pm
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Religious Exploration Committee
Thursday, February 1
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Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, February 8
7:00 pm
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If you would like to submit a calendar event, send an email to
[email protected]
. With all requests, please indicate the following: proposed start and end time of the event, the space/room preferred, and a rough group size. On the occasion of a cancellation or rescheduling of an event, please let the office know in a timely fashion to ensure that your event is correctly represented in the newsletter and order of service. Thank you!
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~ Beacon Office Hours ~
Rev. Kevin
Lawson
Tues: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wed: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Or by appointment
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Director of RE,
Amy Huntereece
Sun: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Tues:
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wed:
4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
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Office Manager,
Caleb Alexander
Wed: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thurs: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Fri: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Or by appointment
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Office Phone (928) 779-4492
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~ Website Members and Friends Access ~
Interested in accessing the directory and board documents on the Members and Friends page on
BeaconUU.com
? You can get the password over the phone (928-779-4492) during regular office hours, or by requesting it from a board member after Sunday Services. We will not be providing it by email.
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~ Beacon Google Group ~
If you are not on Beacon's exclusive Google group, you are missing out on an important communications link within our congregation. It is useful for spreading information about something going on in Flagstaff, informing others of social action activities, offering an item for sale or to give away, sharing enthusiasm about a book or movie, requesting information or recommendations -- and more! It's simple to sign up! Email Caleb, our Office Manager, at
[email protected].
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