Beacon Weekly News for April 12, 2018

Submissions must be in by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to be included in the newsletter.

Caleb Alexander, Beacon Office Manager

~ Sunday Service, April 15 ~

"Why We Gather"

Speaker Cassie Dakan

The message is an extension of research done by Harvard Divinity students into HOW millennials gather to experience community, and personal and spiritual growth. How can Beacon transform and offer programs that draw in and engage young adults?

Led by Cassie Dakan, Ariana Tyler, and Sami Austin for our Intergenerational Sunday.

~ Touchstone Theme: Transformation ~

Click here to read April's Touchstone Journal.

~ Committee on Shared Ministry (CoSM) ~

Beacon's Committee on Shared Ministry Wants to Hear from You

On April 9, all Beacon's members and friends were notified of this brief, two-part survey asking about your observations of Rev. Kevin Lawson's work at Beacon this year. Beacon's Committee on Shared Ministry will review and summarize these responses as part of our annual report to the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Association about Rev. Kevin's work. These reports are required in the first three years of any UU minister in preliminary fellowship, and your responses are an important part of this credentialing process.

Part 1 asks about specific aspects of the work that Rev. Kevin performs and provides examples of the kinds of services in each category, recognizing that you that you may not have personally experienced all of the work that Rev. Kevin performs. Please take advantage of the pull-down space to explain your responses.

Part 2 gives you a chance to comment in more detail or describe other aspects of Rev. Kevin's work at Beacon. One of the goals of the Committee on Shared Ministry is to promote trust, openness, and generosity among all Beacon's members. That is why we also ask you to describe your involvement with Beacon and to sign your name to the questionnaire. The survey will close on April 23.

If you cannot access the questionnaire, please see a member of CoSM: Dru Monroe, Collin Weller, Mark James, or Nancy Paxton. Or contact me by email or phone, (928) 814-9423. Use this link to access the survey.

Thank you for your feedback,

Nancy Paxton

CoSM Chair

~ Finance Committee ~

Have you made your pledge?

The annual Stewardship Campaign for Beacon's 2018/19 operating budget and the Capital Campaign for the proposed "Repair, Expand and Improve" plans (REI) are in full swing! Until the end of this month, Visiting Stewards are calling on everyone to make their annual pledges. During this Sunday's service, Finance Committee member Barry Brenneman will report to the congregation on where we stand with the Stewardship Campaign and the proposed budget for next year.

Barry will explain the several reasons we have not yet raised enough pledges to maintain the Beacon annual budget at its current level. Please make your pledge NOW so that the Finance Committee can determine what our congregational priorities will be for the coming year. Some expenses may have to be eliminated for a balanced budget. Everyone is asked to increase their pledges as much as possible to maintain the programs that allow us to "do church well."

Carleton Sheppard

Communications Chair

~ Social Justice Allies (SJA) ~

Film series on Democracy and Public Engagement. Our second film, How to Change the World, co-sponsored by SJA and the Flagstaff Reading Group, was another solid success! About 40 people, including several of our Beacon folks as well as a few students--Thank you, Cassie Dakan!--gathered to view a remarkable documentary about the founding, development and challenges of-and-by Greenpeace.

The last two films of our series will be The Yes Men Fix the World on Monday, May 7, and Freedom Riders on Monday, June 4. Plan to bring a friend or two!

The next SJA meeting will be this Sunday, April 15, following the service (about 11:15). Agenda items include updates on our Community Film Series; a progress report on the efforts of Beacon's newly formed Church Safety Committee; and reviews of our SJA Charter update and 2018-19 budget request. Beacon members, friends and visitors are always welcome! Snacks will be provided.


From AZ Daily Sun, April 11

Concerned by the current practice of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office of holding immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) up to 48 hours beyond their release date? (Click here for article.) If so, consider attending the City Council meeting Tuesday, April 17, at 6:00 pm in support of a City resolution calling for this practice to stop. These ICE detainers are not judicial warrants, i.e. not required by law; they are simply requests by ICE. This is a City issue because all people arrested in the City as well as the County are sent to the local jail.

If we go the next Tuesday's Council meeting we are asked to wear a white shirt in solidarity with our local undocumented immigrant neighbors.

In community,

Roz Clark, SJA Journalist

~ Religious Exploration ~

PreK-Grade 4 - Staying with our April theme, Transformation, this coming Sunday we will talk about Decomposition. The story, "And It Is Good," shows the important role decomposition plays in the cycle of life.

You can check out the preparation activities in our Google Group for Grades 3 & 4 if you would like! These are some suggestions of things you can do this week to get ready for our lesson on Sunday. Activities are appropriate for younger children as well.

Note: The story title for April 15 is incorrect in the post. Sorry!

Grades 5-8 - This week we have some special interactive things happening during the service! Older kids are encouraged to stay in service and participate. Their teacher, Sami, will be helping to lead the service.

Amy Huntereece

Director of Religious Exploration

~ Website Update ~

Access to the Beacon Directory and other personal information on the Beacon website will soon be limited to members and friends who have registered accounts on the Beacon website. Click this link to register now.

Care of,

Dennis Spurlin

President of the Board

~ Music Box: Personal Announcement ~

I am so excited for Mikayla Rogers to have her Junior Recital this Saturday. The recital will be 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 14 in Ashurst Hall at NAU. The recital is free. She will be performing Beethoven, Liszt, and Vine on piano.

Click here for the full flyer.

Thank you,

Adrianne Anning

Music Director

~ Beacon Annual Yard Sale ~

The cottage will be open this Sunday, April 15, from 9:00 to 11:30 to drop off items for the Saturday, June 2 yard sale.

Thank you,

Barry Brenneman

Trustee-at-Large

~ Building & Grounds Committee ~

Building & Grounds Workday is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 from 9:00 am to noon. Come and enjoy breakfast goodies and help do some spring cleaning and yardwork!

~ Community Action Committee ~

Beacon's community partner for April will be the Northern Arizona Interfaith Council (NAIC). NAIC is a regional inter-denominational, non-partisan organization that addresses social justice issues. This coalition of congregations and organizations in Flagstaff, Sedona and Prescott has three basic goals:

To build relationships across our community based on trust and a willingness to listen to each other;
To equip our members and leadership with skills and practices to get results;
To achieve change on concrete issues, as part of our common call to justice.

Most of NAIC's efforts the last year have been focused on supporting families of undocumented immigrants, which was the first social justice issues on which Beacon voted (unanimously, in 2013) to take a public stance.

~ ~ ~

To nominate an organization to be a Beacon community partner, pick up an application in the CAC folder at the bottom of the office stairs. Information and instructions for Share the Plate partners are described on that form. The CAC has recently selected additional community partners for May and June.

The CAC is comprised of Joanne Parkes, Sue Strobel, Lynda Dorweiler, Rev. Kevin Lawson and Rich Clark.

With continuing thanks for Beacon's generosity and especially for CAC members' thoughtful, persistent efforts to "bring our UU Principles to life,"

Rich Clark

CAC Chair

~ Circle Suppers Sign Up ~

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) by Sunday April 22. You are signing up to participate in 3-5 potluck Suppers (or brunches or whatever) during May-September. Each Supper is held in the home of one member of the Circle; nobody hosts more than 1 Supper. If your home is too small to host, sign up anyway - it will work out!

Paul Beier assembles participants into "Circles" of 6-8 adults (plus kids in kid-tolerant groups), notifies you of the Circle to which you have been assigned, and assigns one person to be the Ringleader of each Circle.

The Ringleader of each Circle sets up the date for the first Supper at the Ringleader's home. At each Supper, the Circle selects a date and host for the next Supper. Continue until everyone has had hosted.

"A Beacon Tradition for 30 Years"

Before Sunday, April 22, fill out this short form (link). Alternatively, you can find the clipboard at Sunday Serviecs (April 8, 15, or 22) and fill out the information by hand. Worried you've already signed up? Don't! I will find the duplicates.

Sincerely,

Paul Beier

~ In Community ~

Walt shared the sorrow of a college friend who is ill as well as the joy of the political organizing of teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and now Arizona, including the "walk-in" this week.

Anne shared the joy of her daughter's birthday!

~ Beacon Calendar ~

Choir Rehearsal Thursday, April 12 7:00 pm	Choir Rehearsal Thursday, April 19 7:00 pm
Building & Grounds Work Day Saturday, April 14 9:00 am	Cheap Lunch Bunch Friday, April 20 11:30 am at Subway Sandwiches
RE Committee Meeting Sunday, April 15 8:30 am	Flagstaff Folk Project Friday, April 20 7:15 pm
Worship & Religious Exploration Sunday, April 15 10:00 am	Worship & Religious Exploration Sunday, April 22 10:00 am
SJA Meeting Sunday, April 15 11:15 am	Touchstones Chalice Circle Sunday, April 22 11:30 am
Yoga Practice Tuesday, April 17 11:00 am & 5:00 pm	Humanists of Northern Arizona Sunday, April 22 3:30 pm
QiGong Tuesday, April 17 11:30 am at Cafe Rio	Film: "Defying the Nazis" Monday, April 23 6:00 pm
Core Leadership Council Wednesday, April 18 5:15 pm	Yoga Practice Tuesday, April 24 11:00 am & 5:00 pm
Kadampa Buddhist Teachings Wednesday, April 18 6:30 pm	QiGong Tuesday, April 24 6:30 pm

For the full calendar of events at Beacon, you can find that on our website!

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

Tues: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wed: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Or by appointment

Director of RE,

Amy Huntereece

Sun: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Tues: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wed: 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Office Manager,

Caleb Alexander

Wed: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Thurs: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Fri: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Or by appointment

Office Phone (928) 779-4492

~ 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 Caleb, our Office Manager, at office@beaconuu.com.