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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 ~
Who Are We?
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~ Ministers Musings ~
March 9, 2017
Greetings,
Musing's space today is being offered to our Wonderful Stewardship Chairs - Trish and Paul Black, we have concluded the three energetic and successful Community Parties, or as they coined the term "Conversations with Kevin." I very much enjoyed speaking with so many of you at the three events. For those who were not able to attend in person, please know there is always an open door, for any questions or conversation you wish to have regarding Beacon. Additionally we have the Committee on Shared Ministry with whom I meet monthly as we review and support the mission, vision and ministry of Beacon.
Beacon Stewardship Committee
Campaign Update,
March 9, 2017
Rev. Kevin has graciously given up his weekly Minister Musings for an update from the Stewardship Committee.
Stewardship Salutations-
We have just completed the last of the Stewardship Parties and are approaching the end of the campaign.
Our approach to this year's campaign has been to build upon the energy of Rev. Kevin coming to Beacon as its new settled minister with posters, questions of the week, testimonials, social media coverage, stewardship stars, and the three parties featuring "Conversations with Rev. Kevin". Attendance at the parties was tremendous, with around 90 Beacon members and friends enjoying food, "Ice Breakers" that let us know a little more about each other, and stimulating conversation with Rev. Kev. and with each other. Everyone pledged well and signed stewardship stars that now hang in the sanctuary "rafters" as a growing "constellation of Beacon's light".
To date, we have received pledges that total over $107,000 for this next fiscal year. A heartfelt thank you goes out to those who have pledged, especially those who increased their pledges. Those members and friends who did not attend a party have been mailed or handed a pledge packet. Thanks to Holly and Carl Taylor for taking charge of pledge form distribution and collection. Please return your completed pledge forms and Talents & Gifts forms either via return mail or just bring them to Sunday Service. Since our deadline is March 26
th
, please return them promptly (hopefully before the 26
th
) so we can include the pledge amounts in with the total for Celebration Sunday).
Finally, we have the opportunity to experience a somewhat unique situation this year. We could reach a total pledging level that would not require an emergency ask for 'one-time' contributions like we did last year. So...please 'reach for the stars' and pledge generously to Beacon.
Thank you! Paul and Trish Black
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~ Monthly Worship Theme Notes ~
Our 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.
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~
UUA - District / Regional and National News ~
I am appreciative for the many comments I have received in passing along the monthly regional newsletter via the Beacon Google Group. This is a great new development piece of information exchange coming out for the Pacific Western Region of the UUA. If you are not signed up for this additional information platform for sharing news and events of Beacon, UUA and Flagstaff Community - please contact Heather in the office for step by step instructions!
You might recall having seen notice there are two upcoming events, District Assembly and General Assembly, each will have opportunity for congregational delegates. If you are interested in serving as a Delegate Representative to either the District Assembly (Tucson/Amado - April) or the General Assembly (June - New Orleans and offsite local) please email me,
minister@beaconuu.com, and I will compile our roster of interested folks for review with the Board of Trustees, and selection for credentialing of Delegates. *There's a process, this one of our shared principles, democratic process.
Please note District Assembly is approaching quickly March 31
st
and April 1
st
and 2
nd
.
-Rev. Kevin
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Sunday, March 12
Rev. Kevin
"Who Are We: Engagement - How are UU's making a difference in the Community, State and Country at this time."
Sunday, March 19
Worship Associate Carleton Sheppard
"The Noble Activism of Unitarian Universalism
Did you know that there have been UU martyrs throughout history? Taking moral stands and working for social justice are in our DNA. Carleton Sheppard will talk about our proud tradition of activism."
Sunday, March 26
Rev. Kevin
"CELEBRATION SUNDAY! Who Are We: Deepening our commitment to Unitarian Universalism, How shall we walk our talk together building a new way..."
INSTALLATION SERVICE AT TRINITY HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
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~ Full Moon Heart Circle ~
Saturday, March 11
This is our fourth 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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~ Children's ~
~ Religious Exploration ~
Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation is pleased to announce that we are currently recruiting interested candidates to serve our children and youth as an Our Whole Lives (OWL) Facilitator. This amazing and dynamic sexuality education program is nationally accredited and developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ. This holistic program is offered in four age groups (K-2, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10) and we are also considering offering a young adult (18-35) and adult (35+) class in the future. Our facilitators attend a weekend-long training to receive certification and are connected to a team of highly-skilled professionals to continue their ongoing training and education. If you would like to explore the idea of joining the team of Beacon facilitators, please contact one of our OWL coordinators,
Dee Wegwert
(
dwegwertj@yahoo.com
,
1-928-660-8815
)
or Kay Doggett (kaydoggett@aol.com, 928-890-7773
).
A big warm Beacon high-five to Rowan Mitchell-St. John, Mollybeth Huntereece and Micah Huntereece! These three middle-schoolers recently attended the Arizona MUUGS's (Middle-School Unitarian Universalist Group) overnighter in Tucson, Arizona!
Also, a special thank-you to Sienna St. John, who drove and chaperoned our youth and to Amy Huntereece who helped coordinate the efforts to help make the trip possible.
Sakenya McDonald, Director of Religious Exploration
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~ Adrianne's
Music
Box ~
Congregational Hymns March 9, 2017
#155
Circle 'Round for Freedom
by Linda Hirschhorn.
A lover of Talmud and a college philosophy major, Hirschhorn sees polyvocal harmonies as emblematic of the same kind of diversity-within-unity found in the pages of Jewish sacred texts. She believes that different voices blending together in harmony is not only a metaphor for, but an example of, the kind of coexistence the world needs.
#123
Spirit of Life
by
Carolyn McDade continues our body meditation practice.
#108
My Life Flows on in Endless Song
is a
Christian
hymn
with music written by American
Baptist
minister
Robert Wadsworth Lowry
. The song is frequently, though erroneously, cited as a traditional
Quaker
or
Shaker
hymn. Though it is not, in fact, a Quaker hymn, twentieth-century Quakers adopted it as their own and use it widely today.
Learning it in social activist circles of the fifties and hearing Pete Seeger's (erroneous) attribution endeared the song to many contemporary Quakers, who have adopted it as a sort of anthem. The hymn is in public domain and its lyrics have been adapted by many editors, folk singers and groups.
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LET'S IGNITE OUR BEACON LIGHT!
Please turn in your pledge forms ASAP, no later than Celebration Sunday, March 26th!
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SJA (SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIES) UPDATE
City Council's Action on Flagstaff Minimum Wage
Moving a proposed amended minimum wage ordinance forward by a 6-1 City Council vote, here are the main features of Ordinance No. 2017-18 that will have a second (final) vote at the March 21 Council meeting:
- $10.50 an hour on and after July 1, 2017;
- $11 an hour on and after January 1, 2018;
- $12 an hour on and after January 1, 2019:
- $13 an hour on and after January 1, 2020;
- $15 an hour or $2 above the state minimum wage, whichever is greater, on and after January 1, 2021.
The amendment to the staff-prepared ordinance was also approved. It includes:
- $15.50 an hour on and after January 1, 2022
- Cost of living adjustment (written into the Prop. 414) to begin in 2023, rather than 2022.
Responding to confusion about the amendment (I know I'm confused, rrc) a Council member requested an executive session with the City Attorney before the final vote on March 21.
At Council's request in their last meeting, the City Attorney and staff prepared this ordinance that reflects the "negative compounding effects of State (Minimum Wage) Proposition 206 and City Proposition 414 (which) were not anticipated, nor were they described or analyzed for Flagstaff voters in the (November election) Information Pamphlet. (Ordinance No. 2017-08 pdf of March 3, 2017).
Following 19 public comments from representatives of Elevate Flagstaff, Bridging Flagstaff, Abrio and Hozhoni staff and families currently being served, the Council voted to move into executive session before returning to Council chambers for its discussion, followed by a vote to move the amended ordinance forward for a final vote Tuesday, March 21.
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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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WordPress Training!
Beacon is excited to announce that we will be offering a free WordPress training class! This comprehensive class will cover everything from the basics to the more complicated internal workings of WordPress over a nine week period. The classes will Thursdays, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Join us for one class or all!
If you are interested in joining the class, please email Dennis Spurlin at
DESpurlin@acm.org to sign up!
Or, if you are a WordPress web master and are interested in helping facilitate the classes, email Dennis for more info!
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Save the Date!
Beacon spring cleaning will be Saturday, April 15 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
The Beacon town hall/budget forum will be Sunday, May 7th, immediately following the service.
Congregational meeting will be Sunday, June 11th, immediately following service. Details to come!
Beacon Annual Yard Sale: Coming in June!
With the Yard Sale coming up in June, it's not too early to begin to ponder which items around your house you are ready to have live somewhere else. You can either save those things at your house or bring them to the "cottage" in the Beacon back yard. Contact Heather at the office (779-4492) Tues., Wed. or Thurs. afternoons to be sure you'll have access to cottage storage.
Please note: we don't sell clothing or electronics.
Watch future Weekly News editions for details!
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Announcing Qiqong to Beacon!
Qiqong for Healing and Self-Empowerment
Qi is life force energy and the source substance of the entire universe. Gong means cultivation. Through the practice of qigong, we restore the life energy and creative power within ourselves. As the underlying causes of life's challenges are released, we reconnect to the universal source and create new and vital streams of the flow of life.
Yuan Gong is a method that uses the mind, and gentle body movements to effect continuous positive changes to Qi. The goal of Yuan Gong practice is to create within your body and mind an optimum environment for healing to take place and maximize your body's ability to heal itself and uplift the whole of life.
Benefits of regular practice include:
Strengthen your endocrine and immune system
Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
Achieve a deeper sense of well-being, emotional stability and balance
Improve health and promote longevity
Feel more joy and happiness
The instructor, Kayla Smith, is a naturopathic physician who has recently retired and returned to Flagstaff. For the past 10 years she has been the medical director of the Gerson Institute in San Diego. She discovered the practice of qigong 10 years ago and has been in training with two Chinese masters during this time. She feels qigong is the missing link that will enhance all natural healing modalities.
For more information about the class, call
(928) 525-6112
or email ka_star33@yahoo.com
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~ Gratitudes from the Board ~
The Board of Trustees wishes to express our thanks to the following individuals for their hard work in supporting Beacon:
Snow removal -
Bill Towler who cleared the property, and Chris Scully our kind neighbor from next door who cleared our sidewalks! Thanks so much for keeping the snow cleared though three storms and three feet of snow!
To Andy Hogg and the Elves
for the great Christmas Eve service setup, tear down, cookies, décor, etc. It turned out great despite having to move up the time due to an impending snowstorm.
To Barry Malpas and Adrianne Anning
for the wonderful New Year's Eve service
To Eric Burns and Katy Grant and Dennis Spurlin
for taking over the auction database while Anne Wittke was out of town, also all the auction volunteers who made it a great success.
Thank you!
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This Months Share the Plate Partner
The mission of JLB Project is to make the journey easier for
Northern Arizona families who have suffered the loss of a baby
due to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or other infant death through bereavement services, supportive care, and education.
Undesignated contributions to March's Sunday service offerings
above $300 (which goes to Beacon's operational budget)
will be presented to the JLB Project.
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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Beacon Calendar
Beacon Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, March 9
7:00 pm |
Beacon Youth Group
Sunday, March 12
12:30 pm |
LGBTQI Youth Group
Friday, March 10
5:00 pm |
Committee on Shared Ministry
Monday, March 13
5:30 pm |
Full Moon Heart Circle
Saturday, March 11
6:00 pm |
Qi-Gong
Tuesday, March 14
6:30 pm |
Sunday Service and Religious Exploration
Sunday, March 12
10:00 am |
Core Leadership Council
Wednesday, March 15
6:00 pm |
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Beacon Office Hours
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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
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DRE,
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
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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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Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Fundraiser!
Join our Sedona sister congregation for their fundraiser auction!
Help us build community between Sedona and Flagstaff, and foster connections for UU's in the red rocks and the high country!
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Last Sunday
Attendance: 69
Plate Donations: $171.00
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