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Submissions must be in by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to be included in the newsletter.
Thanks!
Heather Thornton, Beacon Office Manager
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~ Monthly Worship Theme ~
Where Do We Come From?
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Ministers Musings
February 2, 2017
Dear Ones,
I have heard from many of you of this week in conversations of the emotional toll and the encroaching angst in making effort to navigate new and unique ways to keep up with the daily news. For many of us, staying abreast of the daily news is so very important, yet at times also reaching fever pitch moments of emotional overload. Please know that here at Beacon, your spiritual, faith, covenanted community we too are seeking to learn new ways and manners of addressing the daily barrage of difficult news.
Sakenya and I are mindful of how Beacon remain a strong and constant; welcome gathering space for our children and youth. In conversation just last evening with our Worship Associates Committee, we shared in heartfelt conversation the awareness of the fine line with which we endeavor to remain open and truthful to "the other." We honor that not all UU's think, believe, act or vote alike. I am always reminded of the quote attributed to Francis David - "We need not think alike to love alike."
This is our community, may these be our guiding cairns on the trail through unknown pathways. When we gather weekly, may it be to welcome and sustain one another, to offer hospitality and welcome to the stranger or the newcomer, may it be a time of respite and restoration for the spirit and soul of our being. May we bring forth in our stewardship of Beacon, a new way, an intention of community built on mutual trust and support. May Beacon be lesson in action and deed for our children that there is opportunity to honor diversity, free thought and to achieve peace, liberty and justice for all.
May it be so,
Rev. Kevin
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Monthly Worship Theme Notes
:
Our next three monthly service themes, February, March and April are taken from the artists Paul Gauguin's statement painted in the piece, "
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
Gauguin inscribed the original French title in the upper left corner: D'où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous. The inscription the artist wrote on his canvas has no question mark, no dash, and all words are capitalized. In the upper right corner he signed and dated the painting: P. Gauguin / 1897. These words also appear in our hymnal, "Singing the Journey," within hymn #1003.
During February, we will be exploring our UU, and Beacon Roots, honoring the individuals and events that provide us foundation, acknowledging how we as stewards now tend and care for Beacon. In March, we will explore more of our current lives, we make minor alteration to the statement in the second line, from "What" to "Who" are we. During February and March, you will see that with care and intention, Ministry, Worship Associates, Religious Exploration, Music and Stewardship are working to collaborate and support our Stewardship Campaign 2017 - "Let's Ignite our Beacon Light!" Culminating in our Celebration Sunday, March 26, a full day of special events within our community, the highlight will be our very special Beacon Installation Service at 4:00pm that afternoon.
Utilizing the last segment of Gaugin's quote we round out April, "Where Are We Going?" During this month we will celebrate Easter, one of the high holy day of Christendom, the resurrection of Jesus. For many of us UU's who do not directly follow the Christian path, April is an opportunity for renewal, rebirth, as the sun warms the soil and new life emerges, and the long dormant earth awakens anew. This month will be also hold the Auction sermon purchased by Cassie Dakan, she has selected "What is the future of UUism?" A fitting tie-in to where are we going. We will close out this month and these monthly themes with the very special "Youth Sunday" April 30, 2017. This will be a very special service from RE and Music developed by and presented by our Youth and Children. Where are we going, indeed, let the children teach us and show us the way!
Blessed Be, Rev. Kevin
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Feb 5 - Rev. Kevin
"We drink from wells"
Our new worship service theme for February is "Where do we come from?" This Sunday we will explore our roots and heritage from the Judeo Christian tradition, themes and threads that stay with us, one specific example "tithe." How we today honor, and uphold stewardship for the wells we did not dig. This week is our "sermon on the amount" for our 2017 Stewardship Campaign - Let's Ignite of Beacon
Light!
Religious Exploration Together Sunday!
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Religious Exploration
Dear Parents,
Welcome to 2017! The sum of the numerals in 2017 is equal to the number 10. In numerology, the number 10 is often reduced to the singular numeral 1. It is believed that, "The number 10/1 brings all sorts of new changes into your life, and there seems to be an element of luck within those energies. Through this vibration, you have the insight to recognize and understand the needs of humanity, and the ability to bring peace and harmony to all".
What a perfect way to begin a new year of learning, growing, and changing!
The highlighted UU principle for February is:
"Acceptance of one another and encouragement to
spiritual growth in our congregation"
February 5, 2017
February 12, 2017
February 19, 2017
February 26, 2017: Tales and Myths from African Legend and Lore
.
We will be exploring the continent of Africa and learning about the religions and faiths of the African people. Learning the names and purposes of the Orishas, such as Oshun and Eledumare, our classes will focus on the ancient wisdom found in these stories.
We will be focusing on inclusivity and how Unitarian Universalists encourage spiritual growth welcoming diversity and difference in our congregations.
All classes will be hybridized to include age appropriate discussion and activities.
Volunteers are always welcome! Please email
re@beaconuu.com
to find out how you can contribute to our dynamic RE program.
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Adrianne's Music Box
Congregational Hymns February 2, 2017
#1003 "
Where Do We Come From What Are We Where Are We Going"
was a manifesto the artist Paul Gauguin wrote on the upper left corner of one of his largest painting.
Looking for a society more simple and elemental than that of his native France, Gauguin left for Tahiti in 1891. In addition to several other paintings that express his highly individualistic mythology, he completed this painting around 1898. Gauguin considered it a masterpiece and the grand culmination of his thought.
#123
Spirit of Life
is very well know, loved and claimed by Universal Unitarians. It was composed by a woman named Carolyn McDade. She does not identify herself as a songwriter or musician even though she has composed hundreds of songs and released dozens of CD's, nor as a UU. Instead, she calls herself
"a woman of faith seeking with others to touch what matters." She has given her life in activism, particularly the women's movement. We will be using her composition,Spirit of life repeatedly over the next few months for our own spiritual practice.
#290
Bring, O Past, Your Honor
O Time, your harvest, Golden sheaves of hallowed lives and minds by Truth made free; Come, you faithful spirits, builders of this temple: "To Holiness, to Love, and Liberty." Ring, in glad thanksgiving, bell of grief and gladness, Forth to town and prairie let our festal greeting go, Voices long departed in your tones re-echo: "Praise to the Highest, Peace to all below." Church of pure reformers, pioneers undaunted, company of comrades sworn to keep our spirits free; Long o'er life's swift river, preach the eternal gospel: Faith, hope, and love for all humanity. - Charles H. Lyttle
Reminding me of our call to "put your money where your mouth is" and support in every way, the causes we believe in.
Special Notice!
The Beacon Choir is preparing songs for Reverend Kevin's Installation Service held March 26th, 2017, at 4 pm,
at Celebration Hall, Trinity Heights UMC. I would like to invite those of you, not already in choir but interested, to sing for this special event. Please be prepared to rehearse at 7 pm
, on Thursdays,, March 9
, 16 and 23 at Beacon. I will send you some listening examples and PDF files of the music so you may prepare in advance. Please email me at adrianne.anning@gmail.com.
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Path to Membership
A Path to Membership Class will be held on Sunday, February 5,
after the service, starting at approximately 11:30
and ending at 1:30 pm.
It will be held in the Beacon sanctuary. A light lunch will be served, and child care provided, if necessary. People who are interested in becoming a member of Beacon or who are just interested in knowing more about Beacon and Unitarian Universalism in general are invited to attend. It is usually a fun class. The class is required to become a member. There is a sign-up board at the greeter table. If you have questions, contact Dora Harrison at
dhharrison@aol.com
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LET'S IGNITE OUR BEACON LIGHT!
Let's Ignite Our Beacon Light Question of the Week:
What are your hopes and dreams for the
future of this congregation?
Trish and Paul Black will be in the lobby before and after the service, ready to collect your answer to the question, if you wish to do so. The Stewardship Team will post our answers next week.
Conversations with Rev. Kevin
You should have received a postcard inviting you to one of three parties: Tuesday, February 7, 6-8 pm; Saturday, February 25, 10 am- 12 pm; or Sunday, March 5, 11:45 - 1:45. Enjoy engaging in small group conversations with Rev. Kevin while sampling food and beverages along with live music! Childcare is provided for the Saturday and Sunday parties.
If you did not receive an invitation, or need to change your date, please call Trish Black, 602-350-0592.
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SJA (SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIES) UPDATE
More about Minimum Wage Issue
Elevate Flagstaff,
led by the Chamber of Commerce, has "submitted signatures to essentially repeal Prop. 414 and replace it with the new state minimum of $10, plus 50 cents more , beginning in 2021, when the state minimum is $12" (AZ Daily Sun, Jan., 29). This proposal requests a special election this May.
Bridging Flagstaff,
led by local economist Paul Deasy, aims to eliminate the $2 escalator above the new state minimum (report by Deasy in F3 Social Justice Committee meeting Jan. 26). This would allow a more gradual increase to $15, e.g. a $12 wage would not occur until Jan. 1, 2019.
Flagstaff Needs a Raise,
originator of Prop. 414, passed in Nov. Flagstaff (City) voters, raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 is "holding its ground" (AZ Daily Sun, Jan. 29).
In addition, Flagstaff City Council
held a hearing in which speakers expressed a range of views, with Council members split at least three ways.
Haven't we been saying the minimum wage issue is complicated?
Stay tuned for more updates!
Calendar
- Wed., Feb. 15, 6-7:30p: F3 (Friends of Flagstaff's Future) workshop titled "We are Them and They are Us", in response to requests for social justice-related trainings. Facilitated by David McCain, who has presented at introductory workshop at Beacon. It's free, but reservations are required: contact Tory Syracuse at tsyracuse@friendsofflagstaff.org.
- Sun., Feb. 19, following the service (about 11:15): SJA meeting.
- Mon., Feb. 20, all day at the State Capitol in Phoenix: UUJAZ Day at the Legislature.
- Thurs., Feb. 23, 6-7:30p: Next F3 Social Justice Committee meeting. Location TBA.
- Fri., Mar. 31 - Sun., Apr. 2 in southern Arizona: "Justice District Assembly: Migrant and Immigrant Justice"-the annual meeting of our district of the UUA-with special activities/experiences coordinated by southern Arizona's Baja Four UU Congregations. On the web, search PSWDjusticeday for more information. "Early Bird" registration (through Feb. 15) is $100 per person; after that it is $125. The website offers suggestion for lodging.
Beacon members, friends and visitors are cordially-even enthusiastically-invited to attend SJA's Feb. 19 meeting after the Sunday service. With all our current social justice challenges, we need all the brain- and heart power we can muster!
In community and service,
Roz Clark, SJA Journalist
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SIGN UP!
Time for Circle Suppers at Beacon
Break bread with a few other Beaconites!
How it works:
- Any member or friend of Beacon signs up (with your partner and family, if you wish) during the sign-up period (which ends Feb 20). You are signing up to participate in 3-4 potluck Suppers (or brunches or whatever) during March-May. Each Supper is held in the home of one member of the Circle; nobody hosts more than 1 Supper.
- Paul Beier (paul.beier@gmail.com) assembles participants into "Circles" of about 6-8 persons, notifies all participants of the Circle to which they have been assigned, and recruits one person to be the Ringleader of each Circle.
- The Ringleader of each Circle works with Circle to set the date for the first Supper at the Ringleader's home. At each Supper, the Circle selects a date and a host for the next Supper.
- Continue for until everyone has had the opportunity to host the Circle (hopefully before the next Circles begin).
- Is your home too small to host 6-8 people? No problem! We can work it out...
"A Beacon tradition for 30 years"
What to do:
- Name
- Email
- Phone (gotta have it!)
- Names of other adults who will attend Suppers with you
- Names and ages of kids who will attend suppers with you
- Are you willing to have babies (kids <36 months) old in your Circle? Yes/No
- Are you willing to have kids > 3 years old in your Circle? Yes/No
- Any other information, such as: "only Sunday brunches" or "house too small for me to host" or "please put in circle with Barack."
If you can't remember if you already signed up for Circle Suppers, just sign up again - we will find the duplicates.
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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 Heather, our Office Manager, at
office@beaconuu.com.
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Finance Committee
Mid-Year Report, FY 2016-2017
The past couple of years, there has been a congregational meeting to present a mid-year financial report. However, in the spirit of cutting down on the number of meetings, the finance committee decided instead to present a mid-year report in writing via the weekly Beacon newsletter. It can be painlessly brief. As of the middle of our fiscal year, December 31, 2016, we are in excellent shape. Our overall budget as approved by the congregation for the current year is $159,259. On the revenue side, we had collected 67.4% of the annual total halfway through the year, and on the expenditure side, we have spent 47.7%. Other good news is that the auction was a great success and exceeded the anticipated revenue, and there have been no large unanticipated expenditures. Please feel free to email Bill or Holly if you have any specific questions.
Finance Committee: Bill Towler and Holly Taylor, Co-Chairs, Barry Brenneman, Eric Burns, Anne Wittke, Carl Taylor, Paul Black, Carl Taylor
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NEW FRY"S NUMBER!
Our treasurer has created a new Fry's account for those who only shop occasionally at Fry's, or can't manage to link their Fry's account to Beacon, or don't want to hassle with renewing their affiliation each year.
To use this account, when you go to Fry's, enter the church phone number as the alternate ID! Beacon's phone number is (928) 779-4492
.
Any questions? Just ask our treasurer, Anne Wittke!
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Hello, Beautiful Beaconites!
I just wanted to thank you all for the beautiful flowers you gave me during our Christmas Eve service as well as the Gift Card you gave me--it was SO very generous of you. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as
Beacon's Music Director for 10 years, and I appreciate every moment of that gift. Thank you for loving me, supporting me, and SINGING with me for the last 10 years!!
Much love,
Erika Palm
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February's Share the Plate Partner
Undesignated contributions to December's Sunday service offerings
above $300 (which goes to Beacon's operational budget)
will be presented to the Center.
Nominate your favorite Non-Profit Group or Agency!
If you would like to nominate a non-profit project or agency whose values are consistent with Beacon's for the Share the Plate Program,
please fill out a
nomination form.
They can also be found on the bulletin board in the foyer.
For more information, contact Community Action Committee (CAC) chairs
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Full Moon Heart Circle:
Friday, February 10, 2017 - 6:00 - 7:30 @ Beacon
This is our third gathering where we come together under the light of the full moon. Would you like a quiet space to gather and share what's on your heart, to honor and listen to others? Join with Rev. Kevin and others for this special monthly event; this intentional time for a deeper journey into joys and /or concerns. We gather, call the circle, have a time of contemplation and reflection and then share in community that which is on our hearts and spirits, then we release the circle and go out under the glow of the full moon.
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Beacon Calendar
Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, February 2
7:00 pm
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Stewardship Campaign
Tuesday, February 7
6:15 pm
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Sunday Worship Services
Sunday, February 5
10:00 am
Children's Religious Exploration
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Finance Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 8
6:30 pm
Location TBA |
Path To Membership Class
Sunday, February 5
11:30 pm
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Yoga
Thursday, February 9
11:00 am |
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NAIC Youth Task Force
Monday, February 6
4:30 pm
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Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, February 9
7:00 pm
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Yoga
Tuesday, February 7
11:00 - 12:30 pm
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Full Moon Heart Circle
Friday, February 10
6:30 pm |
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Beacon Office Hours
Minister, Rev. Kevin Lawson:
Monday:
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Tuesday:
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Wednesday:
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
*Other times available by appointment
Director of Religious Exploration, Sakenya McDonald
Sunday:
9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Tuesday -
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Wednesday:
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
*Other times available by appointment
Office Manager, Heather Thornton
Tuesday: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Wednesday:
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Thursday:
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
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Last Sunday
Sunday, January 29
Attendance: 54
Plate Donations: $101.00
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