Submissions must be submitted by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to [email protected] 
in order to be included in the newsletter. 
~ Sunday Service, January 27, 2019 ~ 
What Religious Education Can do for You?
With Nancy Paxton
       Please join Amy Huntereece, Nancy Paxton, and others for this inspiring talk about many of the ways that a UU Religious Education can enrich your life. As a life-long UU, Nancy will identify several ways that her childhood religious education as a Unitarian has enhanced her life. Amy and others will then provide an update about how UU religious education has changed and how it affects our current offerings at Beacon.

~ Monthly Touchstone Theme: Grace ~ 
~ Ministerial Search ~

Dear Members and Friends of Beacon,

Many thanks to all of you who attended the Question/Answer sessions with Sarah Millspaugh on January 13 and then with Reverend Kevin on January 20. Last night, the Board considered the various options that are available for engaging a new minister. Those options are: Interim minister for 1 to 2 years then Settled Minister; Developmental Minister - contract for 5 to 7 years to work on developmental issues of the congregation; Interim Minister then Developmental Minister; or Contract Minister, contract renewable annually. The Board's consensus was Interim Minister then Developmental Minister or Settled Minister. This gives us the time to spend the first year of an Interim Ministry learning more about the developmental needs/desires of the congregation and deciding whether the developmental ministry or settled ministry best fits our needs. We would like to discuss this with the congregation after the service of Feb. 3 (11:30). This would be a discussion, question and answer session, etc. The Board will then take that input and make a final decision on direction.

In any event we will need a search committee. If you are interested in serving on that committee, please submit your name and why you wish to serve at the Feb. 3 meeting or before. The Leadership Succession Planning Team will be submitting to the Board the committee nominees. Submit your name either to me ( [email protected]) or to Wendy Bruun ( [email protected]).

Again, thank you for your interest and concern. I, and the Board, look forward to your comments and observations.
Sincerely,

Dora 
~ Religious Exploration ~

On Sunday we will continue our work with the curriculum called  Miracles .

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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.

Coming Up:
  • January 27, RE service with Nancy Paxton and Amy Huntereece
  • February 1-2 MUUGS in Amado, AZ. All Middle School Youth are invited to attend a special overnight gathering with other UU Middle school kids. Let Amy ([email protected]) know if you are interested!
  • February 3, FIRST SUNDAY FUN DAY. CLOTHING DRIVE AND WAFFLE PARTY! Join Linda Ochi in the purple room during service.
Amy Huntereece
Director of Religious Exploration 
~ Letter to the Congregation ~
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Dear Members and Friends, 

I want to report to you on the efforts so far this year that resulted from the Board discussions early in the year as well as the congregational input that you gave to me in July. The Board adopted "Aspirations" for this year, and each committee has been asked to set goals or outline action steps that would assist in attaining these aspirations. I hope you, too, will want to be a part of this.

I had planned to kick off the new calendar year with this letter, but as you know, a new priority presented itself about two weeks ago. While searching for a new minister clearly is a top priority, we plan to continue working on these aspirations.

So, below are the aspirations as adopted by the Board. Hopefully, at the end of the year we can look back and say, yes, we did make significant progress in these areas.

Beacon Aspirations for 2018-19

The Beacon Congregation and its committees will, through sharing of our time, talent and treasure,
  1. Continue and enhance actions that create a welcoming place of peace, warmth and unity; of energy and inspiration; of active involvement by all ages; and of fun, compassion and spiritual discovery.
  2. Continue and expand community outreach and involvement through social justice, community action, and whatever avenues and ideas may present themselves as needing our attention, and align with our mission and vision.
  3. Complete Building Expansion project within budget and with timely updates for, and feedback from, the Congregation.
  4. Explore avenues to provide a more stable financial footing for the organization for now and in the future.
Please explore ways you can become involves in these aspirations. Call me: 928-913-0813 or 928-699-9020.

~ Access to the Beacon Building~

The code to the front door of Beacon will change on February 1, 2019.  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 to be contacted by phone with 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.

~ This Month's Share the Plate Partner~

Beacon's community partner for January 2019 is Flagstaff Shelter Services (FSS).  Established in 2006 by concerned citizens, business owners, and faith-based organizations, FSS provides critical shelter, food, and access to resources for Flagstaff's most vulnerable people.  Regardless of faith, mental health or sobriety, the shelter serves any adult experiencing homelessness.
In 2014, FSS became a year-round shelter serving those in need every night of the year, providing personal and behavioral crisis response, and helping clients move from crisis toward self-sufficiency. 

Congregational members can nominate an organization to be a community partner.  Please complete this form and give it to the greeter on Sunday or contact a member of the committee with supporting documentation for your nomination.    Members of CAC are Joanne Parkes, Sue Strobel, Susan Patrick, Steven Patrick, and Lynda L. Dorweiler.

~ 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 with New Circles in January
4th Sundays, January to April, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Starting January 27 
OR 4th Tuesdays, September to December, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, Starting January 29
 
Please contact Char Tarashanti for more information and to register.

(507) 990-3888
~ Social Justice Allies ~

Calendar reminders:

Sunday, January 27, following the service: (about 11:15): SJA meeting. Agenda items include
a process for determining our social justice priorities; church safety video series schedule;
plans for Day at the Legislature;

Sunday, February 10: The next SJA meeting (same schedule);

Monday, February 18 (Presidents' Day) at the Capitol in Phoenix: UUJAZ (UU Justice Arizona) network's Day at the Legislature (DATL). Please see below and link for that day's general outline.

Sunday, March 24: UUJAZ Executive Director Rev. Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings will be in the pulpit, the meet with SJA following the service.

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 January 27 we will begin to put together our carpool plans.

*For more information about UUJAZ, go to uujaz.org/home page.

**Dr. Anne Schneider, a member of Valley UU Congregation is a retired ASU political science professor. She examines Arizona state legislative activity then writes and distributes the Arizona Legislative Alert, "shining a bright light for social justice". Send me your email address if you would like to receive this enlightening summary of and commentary on legislative develop- ments. Anne was in Flagstaff last Thursday for a political action lunch and-thanks to Roseanne Fulcher's posting a heads-up on the googlegroup, Beacon was well-represented! Anne acknowledged her Beacon UU friends as soon as she took the mic.

For more DATL information, see this link, or google uujaz.org: DATL is featured on the home page.

Roz Clark
SJA Journalist  
~ REI Building Project Update ~

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Intense planning continues! We have a draft contract and will receive a final estimate from the contractor this Friday, which will hopefully lead to a final contract and a construction schedule soon after. The architect has just resubmitted the updated plans to the city, addressing their comments. We should hear back from the city on the permit in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Unisource will be tearing up the backyard as they relocate the neighbor's gas line. This part of the project should be starting this week, probably by the time you read this article. Please stay out of the backyard and away from the alley until completion. I believe they will need a couple of weeks to do their work.
 
~ 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 and the Leadership Succession Planning Team followed on January 30th.

You can look forward to hearing from the
Religious Exploration Committee on January 27th,
Committee on Shared Ministry on     February 3rd,
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
~ Joys and Concerns~
 Sunday, January 20, 2019
 
Linda O. - Expressed thanks for the Coming of Age program this week.
Paul B. - Visited mom last week - thankful for quality hours with her. Sang "I'm going to lift my mother up" with her. 
Kay J. - Expressed joy for Coming of Age program.  Thanks to Amy, Cynthia, and Kat.  Great that we're doing lots of things outside of Sunday service.
Nancy P. - Saw son and daughter in Albuquerque last weekend.  Expressed joy of participating in Women's March yesterday and the many from Beacon were participating.
Laura C. - Expressed a joy at seeing old friends here and in the Women's March yesterday.  Also a joy for heading to Kenya for 2 months and helping others.  Thanks for this grace filled loving Beacon community.
~ Beacon Calendar ~


Choir Practice
Thursday, January 24
 7:00 pm
Yoga Practice
Tuesday, January 29
11:00 am
Worship & Religious Exploration
Sunday, January 27
 10:00 am
Family Food Center
Wednesday, January 30 
3:30 pm
SJA Meeting
Sunday, January 27
 11:15 am
OWL Parent Orientation
Thursday, January 31
11:30 am
OWL Parent Orientation
Sunday, January 27
 11:30 am
Choir Practice
Thursday, January 31
7:00 pm
Chalice Circles
Sunday, January 27
11:30 am
Church Safety Videos
Friday, February 1
8:00 pm


 
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 ~

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!


~ 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].