Submissions must be in by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to be included in the newsletter. 
Caleb Alexander, Beacon Office Manager
~ Sunday Service, May 27 ~ 
Labyrinth Service
With Worship Associate Nancy Paxton

Service will not be offered at Beacon! Service will be held at the
Flagstaff Community Labyrinth. See below for location and directions.

~ Touchstone Theme: Beloved Community ~ 
~ Labyrinth Service, May 27 ~

Walking the Flagstaff Community Labyrinth
May 27, 2018 10:00 am 
Lone Tree Road at Brannen Circle (not at Beacon) 
For centuries, labyrinths have been part of many cultures around the world. Walking a labyrinth in community with music, as we will do May 27, is a special shared meditation. The Flagstaff Community Labyrinth, perched on the edge of a small cliff, is made of fifteen tons of lichen-covered lava boulders. It has a path length of a quarter mile; its wide lanes allow you to walk at your own pace. Children are welcome to walk the labyrinth with a spirit of reverence, or to enjoy the nearby play structure with supervision provided by RE (parents, show up and follow the signs). Please arrive between 9:50 and 10:15; staggered entry will allow those who arrive early to leave early. Wear good walking shoes (no high heels). 

Park near the intersection of Lone Tree Road and Brannen Circle (three blocks south of REI). The Arizona Trail/Rio de Flag Trail crosses Lone Tree road there. From Lone Tree-Brannen, walk the Arizona Trail east (toward the sun) for 800 feet (about four minutes) from Lone Tree Road, then turn left on the well-marked path to the labyrinth. You can also park on the streets across sawmill, but not in the covered parking. Then, walk past the playground to the Labyrinth. 

There are public restrooms nearby. Sorry, the labyrinth is not wheelchair-accessible. Questions? Just call Maryann 

Thank you,
Nancy Paxton and Maryann van Drielen (928) 606-5115
~ Political Activity in Churches ~
What CAN we do and what can we NOT do?
Advocacy, Lobbying, and Elections

With election season budding with the promise of full blossoming on its way, there have been some conversations at Beacon--some informal, some structured. Representatives of Social Justice Allies (SJA) and our Board of Trustees have engaged in preliminary conversations about the need for structured policies and guidelines surrounding advocacy, lobbying, and elections.

Let's first distinguish between "policies" and "guidelines for best practices." Here's one way to think about the differences between these two categories:
  1. Policies are legal requirements for political activity that are prescribed by IRS regulations for all congregations. It just so happens that Unitarian Universalist Association that administers congregations has developed a very helpful document, The Real Rules: Congregations and the IRS (Rules) on Advocacy, Lobbying, and Elections. Click here to read the introduction and summary of The Real Rules: Three-Point System.  For more, see UUA.org's page.
  2. Then there are "best practices" which we also need to address: How can we go about engaging in legal political activities in ways that take into account our current space limitations while respecting our congregants' needs and comfort?
In our May 20 SJA meeting, we (1) clarified (broadly, not specifically) IRS legalities and (2) "tried on" a few first-draft guidelines for best practices.  The next steps appear to be to present the framework of a proposal to:
  1. Core Leadership Council of Beacon's committee chairs in mid-June, then to
  2. Beacon's Board of Trustees, perhaps in their meeting later in June.
Ultimately, the Board will decide what the policies and guidelines will be-taking our proposal into consideration.
~ Repair, Expand, Improve Update~

The leadership of the Building Expansion Team would like to thank everyone for their
valuable input at the May 13 Town Hall meeting. With all the questions and comments
we received regarding construction estimates, financing options, and cost reduction
possibilities, we feel that we have some more work to do before voting to go forward
with construction. So we'd like to postpone the vote for a couple of months to allow us
to work through some issues and try to get some better options for the congregation.
For more information on our continuing strategy going forward, please click here.

Care of, 
Theresa deBoer
~ Beacon Annual Yard Sale ~

sale_decorative.jpg
donations_box.jpg
Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 7:00 am
If you haven't already started your spring cleaning, snap to it! Beacon is collecting donation items for our upcoming Yard Sale to sell and raise funds. Keep Beacon in mind and drop off donations before June 2!
~ Barry Brenneman
~ Committee on Shared Ministry ~

Thanks for Your Responses 
The Committee on Shared Ministry warmly thanks the congregation for taking the time to respond to the Survey Monkey questionnaire about Rev. Kevin's work this year that we distributed electronically to you April 9-23. We received very thoughtful responses from 52 members and were very pleased to hear from 50% of our current membership in our first effort to survey of the congregation. We were impressed by the warm appreciation you expressed for all aspects of Rev. Kevin's work at Beacon and beyond. A large majority of the respondents identified his work in all areas as a "strength" or "satisfactory." A small number noted two areas that needed improvement or were an area for growth. CoSM will work with  him to develop strategies to address these concerns in the coming year. We will include your observations in our annual report to the Ministerial Fellowship Committee of the UUA, and in our annual report to the congregation but, as we hope we made clear, your comments will remain anonymous. 

We also want to thank the eight members of Beacon who attended our first "Listening Circle" on April 29; this group included new and long-time members. The participants offered very interesting insights about why they were first attracted to Beacon and what they identify as some of the successes and challenges that Beacon is facing right now. We will summarize these results, along with other activities that CoSM has performed in our annual committee report to the congregation later in June. If you have questions or concerns, please contact one of the members of the CoSM: Nancy Paxton, Mark James, Dru Monroe, and Collin Weller.

Care of,
Nancy Paxton
~ Adult Faith Formation ~

Image Source: SoulCollage
SoulCollage® at Beacon: An intuitive process for self discovery and building community, with trained SoulCollage® facilitator, Char Tarashanti
Using the SoulCollage® process, everyone becomes an instant artist. You can create your own deck of personal wisdom cards to help you explore the wholeness of your Being.  All classes will run from  9:00 am - 12:00 pm  and include time for participants to make one or two cards, all supplies provided. Suggested donation $5 per person. Additional cared making will be part of optional open studio,  12:00 - 2:00 pm . Supplies available for purchase. Bring your own bag lunch. Please register by clicking here for this brief survey.  Questions about the classes or process may be directed to Char Tarashanti at (507) 990-3888 or by email at biobalance@charter.net
 
Each class will begin with a brief introduction to SoulCollage® and then focus on a specific suit or topic:  June 9 - Committee Suit;  July 7 - Community Suit;  August 11 - Companion Suit;  September 8 - Counsel Suit; October 13 - Transpersonal Cards;  and November 10 - Readings, Tapping Into the Wisdom of Your Cards If you miss one or two this time around, the plan is to offer the complete series again January - June 2019, so you can pick it up then. 
 
"Creative play in community is a wonderful way to discover what is
wanting to emerge from your inner being at this time in your life."   
~ Audrey Chowdhury, SoulCollage® Facilitator Trainer
~ Religious Exploration ~

Click for the full poster!
No RE classes this week! See you at the Labyrinth. Childcare will be available at the nearby Sawmill Multicultural Art and Nature County Park. 

Concerts in the Park Roadshow
Wednesdays, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, None on July 4th
Bring a picnic and join the Beacon gang for fabulous free summer entertainment in June and July ! The first concert will be the folk rock band Earthtones, June 6 at Jim Cullen Memorial Park, 519 W. Piute Road. In July, concerts will move to Bushmaster Park at 3150 N. Alta Vista.  Click for the full line up and schedule!

Beacon at Buffalo Park Walk and Reflection
Selected Saturdays TBD at 9:00 am 
Bring a water bottle and join Rev. Kev and the Beacon gang for fresh air, exercise, and socializing. Walk and talk from the Park Ramada just inside the main gates at 9:00 am. Looking forward to this new outdoor opportunity for out of office-office hours! Check the calendar for upcoming dates

Chalice Camp Registration!
Please email Amy Huntereece to request registration form or with any questions: re@beaconuu.com. Our theme this summer is Gather in Spirit, A program that teaches stewardship with a focus on water through scientific and spiritual lenses, using activities a wide range of ages can do together, this program addresses the importance of water, the inequity of access to clean water, and actions we can take as Unitarian Universalist stewards. Tell your friends! All are welcome!

Click for full-sized banner
Join us for the Fourth of July Parade & Concert! 
8 am to March, Parade at 9 am, Concert at 2:15 pm
March with us or cheer us on along the parade route! After the parade, meet back at Beacon for a cookout before heading to Ft. Tuthill for A Flag Fourth with the Flagstaff Symphony under the Ponderosa pines with an Independence Day concert! Click for details.

Amy Huntereece
Director of Religious Exploration
~ Social Justice Allies (SJA) ~

SJA Film Series: Freedom Riders
Monday, June 4, 7:00 pm at Beacon
Freedom Riders  is the last film in our series focusing on democracy and public engagement. This event is co-sponsored by Beacon Social Justice Allies (SJA) and The Flagstaff Reading Group.  Freedom Riders   is the powerful, harrowing, and ultimately inspiring story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever! From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives to challenge Jim Crow laws and a segregated interstate travel system. This is the story of hundreds of courageous civil rights activists who brought the ongoing practice of racial segregation in the U.S. South to national attention.
 
Special Guest: UUJAZ Rev. Lisa McDaniel Hutchings
Sunday, June 10 at Sunday Worship
UU Justice Arizona Network (UUJAZ) Executive Director Rev. Lisa McDaniel Hutchings will speak from the pulpit during service, then meet with SJA following the service.

Special Notice:  Beacon leadership and SJA are in the process of developing policies and guidelines for political activity.
 
In community,
Roz Clark, SJA Journalist
~ Upcoming Events ~

Humanist Discovery: The Ethics of Building Bridges Beyond Belief
Sunday, May 27, 4:30 pm at Beacon
Humanist Discovery continues!  This Memorial Day weekend  we have something for you on the  Sunday  evening of your extended weekend. Kile Jones is an Atheist that has been engaged in outreach and bridge building with faith communities for years. His "Interview an Atheist at Church" initiative has had him in front of congregations across the country. Kile will share what drives him to engage in this work, its challenges and rewards, and participate in a discussion/Q&A. ~ Brian Wallace

Pride in the Pines
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Beacon participates annually in this community event.  Please see the volunteer sign up sheet near the Kitchen door.  Join with Rev. Kevin and our amazing volunteers as we share our support for the sexual orientation/gender identity communities of Northern Arizona. The list of individual letters is ever increasing. This is always a fun and festive way for Beacon to affirm our welcoming and open congregation for all.

Flagstaff Fourth of July Community Parade
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Plans are underway for Beacon to participate in Flagstaff's 4th of July Parade.  If you would like to participate please email Rev. Kevin , or DRE Amy . We're building a list of those interested. We will be developing our entry and the event falls in the middle of Chalice Camp, so our kids will be with us for this festive outreach opportunity!

Beacon Summer Day Retreat
Save the Date: Saturday August 4, 2018
Stayed tuned for upcoming information on Beacon Day Camp for all ages (our summer day retreat is  August 4, 2018). This event is being developed by Rev. Kevin and Char Tarashanti and will be a summer followup to our exciting Winter Retreat Day.
~ In Community ~

lore shared joy that he was discharged from a treatment on Thursday and is celebrating 24 years of sobriety. He also shared concern for an upcoming surgery. He will inform the community how best to reach him later on.

Becky expressed gratitude to all who supported her last week. Bruce is home from the hospital. 

A newcomer joined us and expressed concern for school shootings as well as joy over the Royal Wedding.

Dora shared the joy to have known Anne Cotten for 20 years. Anne is moving to the Valley and will be missed.

Anne shared her deep, tearful appreciation for this beloved community at Beacon. Beacon has enriched her life in so many ways! She wishes for us all to keep it going and keep Beacon beloved!

The office will soon share Anne's new address so that the Beacon community can share well wishes in her new home. 
~ Beacon Calendar ~

Beacon Labyrinth Service
Sunday, May 27 at  10:00 am 
~ See special note above! ~
Beacon Yard Sale!
Saturday, June 2
7:00 am
Humanist Discovery Discussion
Sunday, May 27
4:30 pm
Worship & Religious Exploration
Sunday, June 3
10:00 am
Yoga Practice
Tuesday, May 29
11:00 am & 5:00 pm
Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 3
11:30 am
QiGong
Tuesday, May 29
5:00 pm
SJA Film Series: Freedom Riders
Monday, June 4
7:00 pm
Touchstones Chalice Circle
Tuesday, May 29
7:00 pm
Yoga Practice
Tuesday, June 5
11:00 am & 5:00 pm
Family Food Center Service Day
Wednesday, May 30
3:30 pm
Worship Associates Meeting
Wednesday, June 6
5:30 pm
Kadampa Buddhist Teachings
Wednesday, May 30
6:30 pm
Kadampa Buddhist Teachings
Wednesday, June 6
6:30 pm

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 corre3ctly 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