Submissions must be in by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to be included in the newsletter. 
Heather Thornton, Beacon Office Manager
~ Monthly Worship Theme ~ 

Mi Casa Es...How open is our house?
 
~ This Sunday's Service ~

Mi Casa es - Justice making...
 We again welcome our good friend, Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings with Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona (UUJAZ) to Beacon this morning. Rev. Lisa will be speaking about many of the key focus areas UUJAZ has been working on this past year, and what's to come in the near future.
~ Ministers Musings ~   
 
What a great first year it has been for me with Beacon UU Congregation! Thank you to this vibrant and welcoming community. Attached you will find my reflections upon the year, my first ministers annual report. This along with our Board of Trustees report and the reports submitted from each of our dedicated committees comprise our year-end review and future snapshot to look back and recall the year that was for Beacon 2016-2017. Please follow this link to read the full report.
Some information regarding upcoming weeks: this week we welcome Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings (UUJAZ) to our pulpit, the following Sunday we welcome member lore m. dickey. I will be in New Orleans attending the General Assembly for the UUA these next two Sundays and will not be with you, but I will carry our Beacon Spirit with me to NOLA! Then on Sunday July 2, we welcome members Theresa deBoer and Andy Hogg, along with Friend Sam Piper for a service fitting the patriot weekend, just before the 4 th of July Festivities.  
A brief overview of our Summer Services to let you know that your Worship Associates and Minister are indeed working through the Summer and we hope to see many of you each and every Sunday morning!
JULY
2 - Theresa, Andy and Sam
9 - Rev. Kevin
16 - Adrienne, a special music Sunday!
23 - Rev. Kevin
30 - Andy H. (rumor is - Rock and Roll)
 
AUGUST  
6 - Rev. Kevin
13 - Rev. Kevin
20 - Poetry Sunday (Nancy Paxton and Jack Doggett)
27 - TBD
 
SEPTEMBER
3 - TBD
10 - INGATHERING Service and Pot-Luck Picnic (Bushmaster Park)
 
While I will be in and out of the pulpit during the summer, please know I am maintaining office hours and I will be available for appointments, just call.  I wish everyone a safe and wonderful Summer season!
 
Blessed Be,
Rev. Kevin
~ Board Report ~   
 
The Board's focus this year has been on reviewing and revising the policies and procedures for every function and committee of the business side of keeping Beacon running. Our by-laws clearly state that the upkeep and publicizing of our policies are the responsibility of the Board, but for too long, this has not been possible. One reason has been technical: there has not been the capacity to post and maintain the most recent version of our policies online. Consider that this is a 67-page document. The other reason is human capital: for the past six years, our lay leadership has done a magnificent job of keeping Beacon smoothly and professionally running amid multiple ministerial searches, hellos and good-byes.
So, policies and procedures have languished in various home garages and laptops - often with one section directly conflicting another. Or referencing a Board decision without the corresponding date. Often our leaders have had "private" versions that did not match up with other leaders' equally closely held versions. In short, there were lots of opportunities for improvement!
Carleton Sheppard had started the tedious process of collecting and collating these previously, and this year's Board dug in. A special thanks to her, to Adele Coleman for proofreading, to Theresa deBoer for updating, and Dennis Spurlin for making the website posting possible.

It has been a busy year, and my heartfelt thanks to a Board that was full of wisdom and good cheer (Dennis Spurlin, Anne Witke, Christina Boyd, Theresa deBoer, Amy Huntereece, Adele Coleman, Ruth Roazen) , the many Committee Chairs who contribute so many hours, all who pledge so generously, and the many unsung - but necessary - tasks by our talented membership.
Most of all, a thanks to Rev. Kevin Lawson for his tireless and committed partnership with our lay leadership.  He contributes more to the welfare of Beacon than the average member or friend will ever see, and I am truly grateful for his laughter, light, friendship and fellowship.
Your truly,
Carol Hixson
~ Music Box ~
   


#1017 
We are Building a New Way, 
by Martha Sandafer speaks of our working for peace, for freedom, building a NEW way by planting the seed of love and letting it grow and guide our actions.  This concept makes me think of the discipline required for the work of building.  Learning to love every day and cast off fear, anger and resentment is a daily regiment.  
In a book by Michael A Singer, The Untethered Soul:  The Journey Beyond Yourself,  he teaches about allowing experiences to be what they are without judgement and working toward changing our circumstances  by changing our inner energy, thoughts, voice.  I love his description of keeping our hearts open. "The only thing you have to know is that opening allows energy in, and closing blocks it out. Now you have to decide whether or not you want this energy. How high do you want to get? How much love do you want to feel? How much enthusiasm do you want to have for the things you do? If enjoying a full life means experiencing high energy, love, and enthusiasm all the time, then don't ever close."  The minute we close our hearts off for self-protection, it takes double the energy to open it back up again.  "Do not let anything that happens in life be important enough that you're willing to close your heart over it." 

#1031 Filled with Loving Kindness Traditional Buddhist Meditation set to music by Ian W. Riddell, adapted by Mark Hayes.  This song from our hymnal is a sung expression of the Buddhist meditation known as the metta sutta.  Metta means loving kindness, and is an expression, a visualization and an openness to loving kindness toward ourselves, toward another, and toward us all.  In other words, it is a prayer for loving kindness to be the experience of all beings.  This meditative practice is an example of a daily regiment working toward building a new way of peace and planting love in our hearts.

#318 We Would Be One words by Samuel Anthony Wright is one of two hymns in our UU Hymnal that are set to this lovely tune.  Finlandia, Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history.  Sibelius later reworked the Finlandia Hymn into a stand-alone piece. This hymn, with words written in 1941 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, is one of the most important national songs of Finland.  With different words, it is also sung as a Christian hymn, Be Still, My Soul, Hail, Festal Day, This is My Song (UU #159), and, Prayer for the Nations.
~ SJA UPDATE ~
 
Special Guest at Beacon this Sun., June 18
 
On Sunday, June 18, , Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona (UUJAZ) network, will be in the pulpit and will also meet with SJA following the service! Rev. Lisa was a key leader in planning and implementation of the rich Justice District Assembly: "Migrants and Borderlands Justice" in early April, in which 20 Beacon folks-including 8 Beacon youth-participated. Her sermon on the 18th is titled, "Building the Beloved Community in Arizona."
 
When she meets with SJA after the service (about 11:15), Lisa will share an update on UUJAZ activity, including the new initiatives that are being launched. And-at our request-she will talk with us about lobbying our state legislators. It is frustrating that in recent years, when we have had sizeable delegations attempt to meet with our District 6 legislators, they have not been available to us.
 
All Beacon members, friends and visitors are welcome to gather with us after the June 18 service. It won't mean that you're signing up to become a regular member of SJA (although we would LOVE that!), simply that you'd like to know more about UUJAZ and to soak up Rev. Lisa's learnings vis a vis influencing our District 6 legislators. We want to be sure to have sufficient refreshments, so-if you're not an SJA "regular"-it would be helpful if you'll let me know you plan to meet with us ( clarkrr@q.com or 380-6502) after the June 18 service.
 
Keep in mind that you are ALWAYS welcome to drop into SJA meetings,
Roz Clark, SJA Journalist
~ Volunteers Needed for Pride in the Pines! ~


Come show your Beacon Pride at 
Pride in the Pines!

We still have a need for volunteers for the Beacon booth at Pride in the Pines! Come support both Beacon UU and our Flagstaff LBGTQI community! Contact Gus Millor at 
(954)709-2770 with questions or to sign up!
~ Fundraising the Easy Way! ~

We have added new, easy ways to give back to Beacon! 

Do you shop at Fry's? Use the Beacon phone number, (928) 779-4492, at checkout, and Beacon receives donations from Fry's through their Community Rewards program!

Do you shop online? Use www.iGive.com/BeaconUnitarianUniversalistCongregation and Beacon receives donations from the companies you shop with! 
Or, use smile.amazon.com! Just set Beacon as your charity of choice, and when you use the smile.amazon.com portal to shop, Beacon receives donations from Amazon.com!

Do you know of other passive fundraising methods? Let us know at office@beacon.com!
~ 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. 
Call or email Heather (office@beaconuu.com) with any questions!
 
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.
Save the Date!

Building the Beloved Community in Arizona
Sunday, June 18
Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings, Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona Network (UUJAZ)
In our Unitarian Universalist congregations, we often hear calls to build the "Beloved Community," a term popularized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who often spoke of the Beloved Community as his ultimate goal. How do we shift our worldview to accommodate the values of Beloved Community? How might we have the crucial conversations necessary to begin building the Beloved Community in Arizona?
After the Service: UUJAZ Update
Please enjoy some social time, have some coffee or tea, then meet Rev. Lisa back in the sanctuary for an update on our state action network, Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona network (UUJAZ).  Come hear what the UUJAZ network is doing about racial justice, economic justice, education, immigration, and water in Arizona.  You can take action too!

Pride in the Pines
Saturday, June 24th
Watch future Weekly News editions for details!  

Ingathering / Homecoming 
Sunday, September 10th
We will again gather for service and potluck at Bushmaster Park, the same ramada as last year, adjacent to Thomas School, off Lockett Rd.
~ This Month's Share the Plate Partner ~
 
Northern Arizona Pride Association's mission is to educate, celebrate and increase acceptance and awareness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community of Flagstaff and northern Arizona.

Through the production of our annual Pride in the Pines festival, we aspire to make a positive difference in the LGBTQ reality while creating a sense of Community. It is our Mission to embrace, promote, and support our cultural diversity, civil, and human rights by fighting discrimination of any kind .

Undesignated contributions to this month's Sunday service offerings above 
$300 (which goes to Beacon's operational budget) will be presented to the 
Northern Arizona Pride Association.
~ Classifieds ~

Pride in the Pines - Saturday June 24, 2017
We have some volunteers for scheduling recruitment during the event we are seeking set up and tear down help.  Can you sign up to pick up and take the Beacon Sun Shade and leg weights to set up in our space, and then pick up end of day? Or perhaps you can do one and find a friend to do the other?  We have reserved space and they will provide table and two chairs. We are providing our own sun shade, but need support team for set up and tear down. There is a volunteer sign up sheet by the kitchen door. 
Please email Rev. Kevin, minister@beaconuu.com if you can support Beacon Pride.

Photos!
Requesting photos with permission to use them on the Beacon website! Photos can be of congregational events (please make sure everyone in the photo is named so that I can obtain a release to use them!), the church itself, the grounds, or even just of around town! Help us show the public the beautiful community that is Beacon UU!
Beacon Calendar
Flagstaff Folk Project
Friday, June 16
7:15 pm
Qi-Gong
Tuesday, June 20
6:15 pm
Sunday Service & Religious Exploration
Sunday, June 18
10:00 am
Religious Exploration Committee
Tuesday, June 20
6:30 pm
Social Justice Allies
Sunday, June 18
11:15 am
Core Leadership Council
Wednesday, June 21
6:00 pm
Yoga
Tuesday, June 20
11:00 am, 5:00 pm
Sunday Service & Religious Exploration
Sunday, June 25
10:00 am

If you would like to submit a calendar event, send an email to 
office@beaconuu.com . 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!
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

Please call the office during regular office hours for DRE needs at this time. 

  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