Submissions must be submitted by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to [email protected] 
in order to be included in the newsletter. 
~ Sunday Service, February 10, 2019 ~ 
The Best of Sex
With Dr. Andy Hogg
And Carleton Sheppard
  Dr. Andy Hogg is a psychologist and certified sex therapist in Flagstaff. He will be doing a humorous PowerPoint presentation based on the Unitarian-Universalist sex education curriculum called Our Whole Lives (OWL). The OWL program facilitators will answer some selected questions about sexuality from the congregation. The presentation will offer some practical suggestions about sex and love for Valentine's Day. Sex and love are important aspects of human development and spirituality. 

~ Religious Exploration ~
On Sunday we will continue our work with the curriculum called  Miracles.
 
Miracles designed for a wide age span, provides a prolonged encounter with awe and wonder with frequent opportunities for scientific exploration. Through stories from our Unitarian Universalist Sources and hands-on activities, children engage in defining and discerning the  miraculous and discover their own agency for miracle-making. 
 
Find out more details about what is happening for this coming Sunday in the Religious Exploration blog.

What are our Twelve Senses and how do they relate to spiritual development? Check this new addition to the RE blog and this month’s sense: Life.

Coming Up:
* March 1 Parent Learn & Leave, Kids Stay & Play. Details here!
* March 3 Celebration Sunday, Worship for All Ages
* March 16-17- Spring High School Con in Chandler, AZ

Amy Huntereece
Director of Religious Exploration
~
Here We Grow
 ~

Beacon is launching our annual stewardship pledge campaign.   Stewardship and fundraising undergird everything that a faith community does and call us into deeper connection with each other. While connected to our congregation's annual financial planning and budgeting, stewardship is much bigger.  It is rooted in our faith principles and inspires our generous support of Unitarian Universalism, as well as our commitment to Beacon as our congregational home and the place where we will continue to grow.   
This year, we are layering our approach with a month-long suite of testimonials, conversations, and messages that will lead up to a celebration Sunday.  We hope that you will attend Sunday Worship Services, read the forthcoming weekly news and information we will share, and join us on March 3rd for our pledging and celebration event.

Stewardship Campaign 
~ Ministerial Search ~
notebook_coffee.jpg

The Board met again last night to consider the direction of the ministerial search.  After considerable discussion it was decided to proceed with the search for an Interim minister.  During the interim ministry, we will have time to determine whether a settled minister or a developmental minister will best suit the needs of the congregation in the long term.  Thanks to everyone who gave this thought, cared enough to attend the meetings and provide comments.  It is greatly appreciated.  
 
Our next critical step is to create our search team.  We are looking for both long-time Beacon members and newer members, young and mature, male and female.  And It would be good to have a parent on the committee.  If you are interested, please submit your letter of interest to Wendy Bruun, [email protected], no later than Sunday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.  Be someone who makes a difference in Beacon's future!  
 
If you have questions, please call. 

Dora
928-913-0813
 ~Caution~

Most of the backyard at Beacon has become a construction zone.  Please stay out of the construction area until the project is complete.

Theresa deBoer
REI Project Manager
 ~REI Building Project Update ~

construction_hard_hat.jpg
The Building Expansion Team (BET) had a meeting Wednesday night, with the Board members and our architect, Steve Dorsett, in attendance. We discussed what has been accomplished so far, the changes that had been made to the project, and the final bid from Loven Contracting, which was out of our price range. We plan to meet with Mike Loven next week, to go through his numbers and try to understand why the bid was so high and see if we can work something out. The BET members and the architect had some good ideas on what we could change to help lower the price to something we might be able to afford.

Some of the suggestions for making the project more affordable were to take out the wheelchair ramp in the back, delete the storage area above the new multipurpose room behind the sanctuary, and change the cantilevered porch roof to a regular roof with wooden posts, as well as a lot of other minor things. We are feeling positive that with some modifications this project is continuing to move forward. We will be meeting next week with our BET members, our architect, and our contractor to make revisions and continue planning.

Theresa deBoer
REI Project Manager
~ Winter Chalice Circles ~

Touchstones Chalice Circles are designed to meet our needs for belonging (intimacy) and meaning (ultimacy) by building friendships and providing opportunities to ponder life's questions, small and large, with others who share the common values of our UU Principles.  

The Chalice Circle Schedule Will Continue until April
January to April, 4th Sundays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm OR 4th Tuesdays 7 - 8:30 PM 
 
Please contact Char Tarashanti for more information and to register.
(507) 990-3888
~ Social Justice Allies ~

For your Calendar

Feb. 8 and Feb. 22, all Fridays, 6:30p: Video series on "Fostering Safer Congregations". See link below in the Church Safety paragraph for flyer with specific video titles.

Feb. 10, following the Sunday service (about 11:15): Next SJA meeting. Agenda includes church safety video series and plans; final plans for Day at the Legislature; and confirmation of SJA's social justice priorities.

Feb. 18 (Monday, Presidents' Day), all day at the Capitol in Phoenix: UU Day at the Legislature (DATL). See below.

Mar. 24, Sunday. UUJAZ (UU Justice Arizona) network Executive Director Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings will be the featured speaker in the service that day, and will meet with SJA afterward.

Church Safety
Our congregations strive to be safe and welcoming places to all. There are steps that we can take to make our congregation safer while still creating a supportive space for our learning, growth, and challenge as well as actively working for the inclusion and safety of all people.   Feel free to print, post and otherwise share the "A Word About Fostering Safer Congregations" and "Safer Congregations - A Video Series" fliers.  This event is open to the public.  We encourage folks from other faith communities to join us.   If you have any questions please contact Sue Strobel ( [email protected] or 928-526-5156)  or Terry White ( [email protected]  or 928-699-1138).

Day at the Legislature (DATL)
Whether you are an active Social Justice Ally, a Beacon member, friend or visitor, please think about whether you are interested in participating in UU Day at the Legislature (DATL) Mon., Feb. 18 (Presidents' Day)! Sponsored by UUJAZ (UU Justice Arizona) network, this day-long event at the capitol in Phoenix is part rally/songfest, part education (with the remarkable Anne Schneider's presentation on expected legislative activity), and part opportunity to meet with our LD6 legislators. When SJA meets Sunday, Feb. 10 we will finalize our carpool plans.
For more information about UUJAZ and DATL   see this link,  or google  uujaz.org : DATL is featured on the home page.

Roz Clark
SJA Journalist  
~ Community Action Committee ~
Beacon's community partner for February is The Literacy Center. The Center aims to increase the basic English language and literacy skills of adults, teens, and families in order to improve the quality of personal, economic and community life for all. Programs offer one-to-one tutoring, drop-in tutoring, classes at the center and in the community, and Partnership for Literacy Rehabilitation (jail program). The Center serves 250-300 adults, teens, and families.
Beacon's Share the Plate presents undesignated Sunday morning offering money beyond $300 to the approved community partners.   Members are encouraged to nominate an organization and can pick up an application form in the CAC folder at the bottom of the office stairs.
 
~ Committee Moments ~

Beacon Committees perform critical functions to support Beacon and provide valuable outreach that serves our community.  During January, February, March, and April, some committee representatives will take a few moments during Sunday Service announcements to briefly describe their committee.  The Core Leadership Council provided a short description on January 13th, Leadership Succession Planning Team on January 20th, and the Religious Exploration Committee on January 27th.
You can look forward to hearing from the
Membership Team on                         February 24th,
Building and Grounds on                   March 10th,
Community Action Committee on     March 17th,
Social Justice Allies on                      March 24th,
Worship Associates on                       April 7th,
and Finance on                                   April 14.
Dennis Spurlin
~ Access to the Beacon Building ~

The code to the front door of Beacon has changed.  Members requiring access to the building during non-business hours should contact the Beacon office at 928-779-4492 or email [email protected].  Be sure to leave your name, phone number, and a time you will be available by phone to receive the new code to the front door.  New door codes should not be shared.  Multiple codes will be in use for different users and will be periodically changed or deleted.



Dennis Spurlin
Beacon Board of Trustees,
Vice President
~ Joys and Concerns~
 Sunday, February 3, 2019
 
Andy H. - Grateful for our "OWL program and the 10 11th graders who participated in this past weekend's program, and their spirit . 
Rev. Kevin - grateful for our new Beacon quilt, beautifully designed and made by Lynda D . 
~ Beacon Calendar ~
 
Choir Practice
Thursday, February 7
7:00 pm
RE: Coming of Age Class
Tuesday, February 12
6:30 pm
Church Safety Videos
Friday, February 8
6:00 pm
RE Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 13
5:00 pm
Soul Collage
Saturday, February 9
9:00 am
Finance Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 139
6:30 pm
Soul Collage Open Studio
Saturday, February 9
12:00 pm
Choir Practice
Thursday, February 14
7:00 pm
Worship & Religious Exploration
Sunday, February 10
 10:00 am
Folk Project
Friday, February 15
7:15 pm
Yoga Practice
Tuesday, February 12
11:00 am
High School OWL
Saturday, February 16
10:00 am
Qi Gong
Tuesday, January 8
6:30 pm
 Worship & Religious Exploration
Sunday, February 17
10:00 am
 
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!
~ Beacon Office Hours ~
Minister, 
Rev. Kevin  Lawson 

Tues: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wed: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thurs: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Or by appointment
Director of RE, 
Amy Huntereece

Sun: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Wed:  8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Or by appointment 
  Office Manager, 
Volunteer

Tues: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Wed: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Thurs: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Or by appointment
Office Phone (928) 779-4492
~ Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles ~
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Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides. We live out these Principles within a "living tradition" of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from  sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience.  Learn more at beaconuu.com!

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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 our Office Manager, at  [email protected].