Spiritually Open, Intentionally Inclusive since 1958
510 N Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-779-4492
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Please click on the links below to read more about Beacon's Action Plan:

- This Sunday at Beacon -
June 28th, 2020


In-Person Service  
"Walking the Flagstaff Community Labyrinth"
Hosted by Paul Beier and Maryann VanDrielen

*Please wear your mask to be in compliance with Flagstaff city ordinances.
*In an Outdoor Location with a low risk of disease transmission.  

Labyrinths have been part of many cultures around the world for 3,000 years. Walking a labyrinth in community with music (as we will do May 24) is a special shared meditation. The Flagstaff Community Labyrinth, perched on the edge of a small cliff, is made of 15 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. Photos and much more information  on the web .

Less than 0.3% of COVID cases were contracted outdoors. To make that risk ever lower: (1) Please arrive between 9:45 and 10:15 AM to help us create a 3-minute gap between start times of each family group. (2) A sign at the entrance to the labyrinth will explain how to affectionately approach another walker, pass back to back, and continue your walk. Total time from entry to exit is about 15 minutes.

NEW THIS WEEK: Socially-distanced socializing! After you walk the labyrinth (or instead of walking if you have limited mobility) please socialize in adjacent Sawmill Park. Within 200 feet of the Willow Bend parking lot are 6 areas, each of which allows 3 to 8 individuals (or small groups) gather and maintain 8 foot spacing using a combination of existing benches and your folding chairs (please bring if you can!). In the foreground of the photo you can see an 8-ft bench facing a 20-ft stone wall; in the background is the Willow Bend gazebo, an octagon with 8-ft sides and full shade.


Three parking options and a google map are available on the " Where is it?"  page of the Flagstaff Labyrinth website. Wear good walking shoes (no high heels). Sorry, the labyrinth is not wheelchair-accessible, but Sawmill Park is.

Joys and Concerns

While Beacon maintains our Social Distance, please email Reverend Robin if you would like any Joys and Concerns shared with the congregation.  Please submit the Joys and Concerns to minister@beaconuu.com by Thursday at 12:00 pm for inclusion in that Sunday's worship.

Spotlight this Week!

Get Plugged In
Join a Beacon Team

Volunteers are very much needed for important and valuable teams at Beacon. Most folks find that when they get more involved in the work of the church, they feel more connected. 
Just send your name along to Rev. Robin and she'll connect you with others who share your zeal for that area of congregational life.  Once the teams are formed, they will decide on how they will operate and how leadership will be determined. Work is shared and not excessive and can be done remotely (Zoom meetings, too). Rev. Robin will support all teams.
  • Membership (Congregational Engagement): (3 or more people)
  • Social Gatherings and Outings (including safe social events during the COVID restrictions)  (3 or more people)
  • Activate Team for Electoral Issues (3 or more people)
  • Activate for BIPOC Allyship Team (3 or more people)
  Other committees that would be happy to have other members are:
  • Religious Education and Family Ministry 
  • Caring Connections (Pastoral Concerns)

A Special Message from Rev. Robin
 
Dear Beloved Community,

America is on fire with rage, weary from a pandemic, and aching with despair. Along with the rest of our country, we've read and heard so many devastating accounts over the past week, the most heart-rending from people of color coping with another case of murderous systemic racism in our country. I do not need to (nor, am I entitled to) add anything to their experiences or parse what they have to say about racism. They live it. 

...To read the full message on our website, please click here
Religious Exploration

We encourage Beacon families to continue Religious Exploration at home!  



Religious Exploration Survey

Dear Beacon Families,

As we plan programs for families at Beacon for the rest of the summer and next fall we would like to get an idea of what type of program would best serve you during these uncertain times. It would be extremely helpful if you could fill out the following survey for us and send it back. The results will only be shared between Rev. Robin and the Religious Exploration committee. Please feel free to be honest in your answers, we're definitely not here to judge or shame anyone. We hope you are all hanging in there and please reach out to us if there is any support we can offer you at this time.

Take care and peace be with you,
Rev. Robin and The Beacon Religious Exploration Committee
Lifespan Religious Exploration Resources for Learning About and Responding to Racism
~ For Children and Adults ~

This painful moment in time calls us to focus our learning and reflection on allyship to people of color, understanding white privilege, and reflecting on how we can part of a systemic sea change and solution in our society. 

For the next few weeks, Beacon will be providing resources for all ages addressing how we as individuals and as communities can learn about and respond to racism.  For the full list of resources, activities and community meetings, visit Beacon's Religious Exploration pages.


~ Beacon Connections ~

Beacon's Stories Project

 
Our featured writer for this week is Cassie Dakan!   Please follow the link to read her story.  May the stories ease your isolation, provide some entertainment and help you feel more connected to other Beacon members during this time of social distancing!

New stories are welcome any time. Just send your 1000 word or less offering to edrumontroe@gmail.com

~ Monthly Touchstone Theme: Good and Evil ~

Chalice Circles  
Virtual Meeting in July
Date To Be Decided


All are welcome!   The theme for June is Good and Evil. This month's Touchstones journal link can be found here.

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.  All are welcome.

Discussion examines subjects as provided in the monthly journal of Unitarian Universalism,  Touchstones.   To meet the needs of the congregation, we have made attendance open. 
Social Justice Allies

Book GroUUp - How To Be An Anti-Racist 
July 17, noon 

Hosted by Unitarian Universalist Justice Arizona Network, UUJAZ 
Join Rev. Tina Squire the third Friday of each month at noon for a justice-centered book discussion from the perspective of our Unitarian Universalist values. 


How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi, is a bracingly original approach to understanding and up-rooting racism and inequality.



Call to Join Beacon's Activate Teams

Beacon's mission and our UU faith call us to work together towards the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.  In order to keep our Beacon community on that track, we are seeking motivated volunteers to join two Beacon teams with a social justice orientation:
  • Activate Team for Electoral Issues (3 or more people)
  • Activate for BIPOC Allyship Team: (3 or more people)
Teams work together to decide their agenda's.  If you are interested in joining either of these teams, please contact Rev. Robin within the next week.
Get out the Vote:
Phone Bank at General Assembly

Call 100,000 Voters: Phone Bank at GA! We've partnered with Reclaim Our Vote so you can play a key role in supporting voters, helping them to know their options, get to the polls, and participate in democracy. To reach our goal of 100,000 phone calls, we need 800 UU's to commit to two hours of phone banking. During General Assembly, there will be three faith-wide phone banks. Join us for one, two, or all three!


Wednesday, June 24, 2020 5:00 AM - Sunday, June 28, 2020 7:00 PM

UU Justice Arizona Network

You may be thinking that the national conversation happening around police violence will have an effect on upcoming elections... and you are right! From County Attorney to Sheriff, City Council to State Senate, we have an opportunity this election cycle to push candidates to commit to issues we value. Join UUJAZ for the following events:

General Assembly Day 1 - Organizing Your Congregation to UU the Vote!
Wednesday June 24th 12-2pm
Join this kick-off to GA, where Janine from UUJAZ and Isis of Puente Human Rights Movement will speak about partnerships.

General Assembly Day 5 - Building Resilience for Uncomfortable Conversations
Sunday June 28th 12:30-2pm
Join a panel (that includes Janine of UUJAZ) of white anti-racist UUs, to discuss the challenges and strategies of attempting the difficult talks you want to have.
Register for GA to attend virtually


UU the Vote AZ - Meet Our New Coordinator
Tuesday June 30th 6-7pm

Meet Bryan Rassmussen, our UUJAZ UU the Vote coordinator, for a Q+A about the webinars and actions we have planned leading up to November.
Zoom: 
Backyard Construction Update

Volunteers showed up in force last Monday to haul off rubble and lay down fresh new woodchips in the playground area.  What a beautiful area we will have to come back to!





























Volunteers who helped:   Dennis Spurlin, Carl Taylor, Mark James, Anne Wittke, Linda Ochi and Theresa deBoer

 ~ Wider Community ~

Pacific Western Region
UU Virtual Youth Camp


Save the Date: July 5-12
FUUsion: 4 Districts, 1 Region, VirtUUally Together!

Join us for PWR's virtual week-long multi-faceted event for Middle and High School youth (rising 6th  - class of 2020).
Registration is now open with fees starting at $115 with small increases for additional tracks and programming.
Scholarships are available , and no interested youth will be turned away.


See you online in July!


Paul Beier is offering these signs (18x24", plus a wire frame to display it in the ground) in exchange for (a) a promise to put it in your front yard or in another visible place, and (b) a reasonable donation (my cost is $6.08 each; I suggest a donation of $5 or $10; any excess proceeds will go to Beacon, or for more signs). If you need a campaign sign that your HOA cannot call a campaign sign, this is for you. Please email paul.beier@nau.edu to arrange to pick-up and pay in a COVID-safe manner. I plan to put on my face mask and take several (and a stack of voter registration forms) door-to-door in my neighborhood; you can too! I will bring the signs to the June 28 labyrinth service. (Note: Because the signs are releasing volatile compounds, they are not suitable for indoor use.) 

Flagstaff National Monuments Volunteer Opportunity
Site Stewards Wanted

Flagstaff Area National Monuments are seeking interested volunteers for the Site Steward Monitoring Program!

Site Stewards monitor archaeological sites to check the condition of the sites, record any changes or disturbances, and determine recommendations for the sites.  Site Steward requirements include signing a volunteer contract, an annual in-field training with National Park Service archaeologists, a one year probationary period, and visiting assigned archaeological sites twice a year. 

It is a great way to get out and explore the archaeology of Walnut Canyon and Wupatki!  If interested please contact Alex covert by email at alex_covert@nps.gov
Beacon is Hiring
Please share with your community!
  • Office Manager, 15 hours/week.  Starting August 1st.  Full job description and details here
~ This Week at Beacon  ~


Worship
Sunday, June 28, 2020
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Worship Associates Meeting
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
5:30 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 correctly represented in the newsletter and order of service. Thank you!
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Everyday Ways to Support Beacon UU 

1.  When you go to  Fry's  grocery store, use the Beacon phone number ( 928 779 4492 ) as the Alternate ID when it asks for it at the beginning of checkout, and you will get shopping discounts for Fry's members, as well as donating a percentage of your expenditure to Beacon. You can also sign up for an individual account if you prefer that, or want to take advantage of the gasoline discounts. You have to pick Beacon as your beneficiary when you set up your own account.

2.  If you shop on Amazon, please use "Amazon Smile"  and choose Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation (do not abbreviate UU) as your recipient. We will receive a 0.5%  for every purchase and that can add up!  Remember that you have to start each shopping session at  smile.amazon.com  for us to receive the donation. 

3. Another online fundraiser is   igive.comOnce again, create your own account with a user name and password, then select settings, my cause, and type in Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation (do not abbreviate UU) . Then you can order from any of the hundreds of organizations listed under igive.  There are also coupons listed online you can use when ordering from some organizations.

4.  Basha's has a special debit card that you can charge up before shopping, and a portion of  what goes through the debit card gets donated to Beacon because that card is tied to Beacon.  Ask Anne Wittke for further information.

Have other ideas for our income incubator? leave them on a card in the bin in the lobby, or send them to Rev. Robin. 
Beacon Office Hours & Contacts  ~
Office Phone (928) 779-4492

Minister,
Rev. Robin Zucker

Mon: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wed: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thurs: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Or by appointment:
978-505-7245 - talk and text (confidential line) 
Get to know Rev. Robin at  www.uurobinzucker.com
Director of RE 


Our engaging programs for all ages continue while  we search for a new Religious Exploration Director.

Rev. Robin can answer your RE questions.
  Office Manager,
Ben Jefferies
 
Mon: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Wed: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Thurs: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm


 

~ 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!




You no longer need to forward your spam emails to spam@uce.gov , because the Federal Trade Commission is now collecting spam through a honeypot, which is an online trap. This change makes it more efficient for the FTC to collect spam that is deceptive or violates the CAN-SPAM Act. This change saves tax dollars, your time, and helps the FTC collect deceptive and illegal spam.  If you lost money to a scam that started with an email, please report it at ftc.gov/complaint . There, you can also report spam you receive.  Read more about how to limit spam, phone calls, and mail

~ 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  office@beaconuu.com or Visit:  https://groups.google.com/d/forum/uuflag
Contribute to Beacon's Weekly News

Newsletter submissions must be submitted by Wednesday at 4:00 pm to  office@beaconuu.com  in order to be included in the newsletter.