Spiritually Open, Intentionally Inclusive since 1958
510 N Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-779-4492e
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E-News for September 2 - September 9, 2021
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COVID SAFETY POLICY UPDATE
The leadership of Beacon wants to update you on our COVID safety policies, in light of the Delta variant surge. We will hold committee and team meetings on Zoom for the time being. We’ll continue with in person worship with masks and hand sanitizing required, regardless of vaccination status.
The Board and minister have agreed on a safety policy for other programming:
We welcome you to participate in choir if you are fully vaccinated and willing to wear a mask. Participation in small group gatherings such as dinner groups or adult RE (intimate groups in a small room) will also require vaccination and willingness to wear a mask. We will make adjustments to the policy, as needed.
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September 5th, 2021 - Annual Church Picnic! Come one and all to Beacon’s annual picnic in Bushmaster Park! Look for Beacon’s banners marking the ramada where we will gather. After brief introductions of our new Board of Trustees and staff, there will be lots of opportunities for you to re-connect with your new and long-standing friends at Beacon. Linda Ochi will offer some outdoor fun for our younger members. This year, we ask you to bring your own food, beverages, plates, and utensils to minimize the risks of Covid infection, and Flagstaff’s parks prohibit the use of glass containers. We look forward to seeing you all next Sunday as we mark the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.
The picnic will be from 10:30am-12:30pm in Bushmaster Park (3150 N Alta Vista Drive)
Directions to the Beacon Ramada: Next to the east parking lot which you enter across from N Thomas Drive.
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We are back in the sanctuary for worship! Masks are required. Regular services will resume on September 12th.
Sunday, September 12, 2021: Ingathering All Ages worship and Water Communion – “Returning to the Well” Rev. Robin Landerman Zucker preaching, with Worship Associate Nancy Paxton. Music from our new Choir Director Jason Drahos and Accompanist Andrew Attilio. Please bring a small jar or vial of water that represents a place that is special or sacred to you for our backyard water communion.
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Beacon UU – YouTube sensation! 15 months, 63 recorded and edited worship services that you can tune into anytime you’d like for a first viewing or a re-viewing. Share our channel with friends you’d like to introduce to Beacon. See our virtual service history on the "Beacon UUC" Youtube Channel.
Come to the Post-Service Gatherings at 11!
Come to the Post-Service Gatherings at 11 am to connect, share joys and sorrows, and reflect on the service. These will be held in person, in the backyard of the church so that we may remove our masks.
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Please note: We recommend that you donate to Vanco directly from a bank account to save us the fees associated with credit card donations. More for us to sustain our congregation.
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COME AND MAKE MUSIC AT BEACON!
The Beacon Choir is resuming its rehearsals and live performances in worship in September. We are so fortunate that Jason Drahos has joined us as Choir Director and Andrew Attilio is on board as our Accompanist. You do not need to “audition” to join the choir. You are welcome if you are fully vaccinated and willing to wear a mask. Special singing masks are recommended. There are many available. Click this link to see one option for a singing mask.
The first choir rehearsal will be Thursday, September 2, from 7-8:30 PM
The first choir performance will be Sunday, September 19, 2021
Jason will be at the service on August 29, and he’s looking forward to meeting the Beacon community.
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Religious Exploration
The 2020-2021 year Religious Exploration classes were a great success. We are so grateful for the dedication and creativity of our Beacon teachers, Dru Monroe and Stephanie Van Belle and their counterparts at Granite Peak UU in Prescott. Click "Check it out!" to learn more about what we just completed.
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Kids at Beacon- All are welcome!
Our Summer/Early Fall plan
for Family Ministry:
Children and youth are always welcome in worship! We are not providing childcare or religious education currently at this time on Sunday mornings, but we would love to see young people at the worship service. We do ask that children over 3 years old wear a face mask while in the church building. There will also be activity packets available for children during the service.
Thank You To Everyone Who Contributed to our August Month of Kindness.
A big thanks to everyone who donated popsicles, magazines, snacks for local schools, and their time to our celebration of kindness.
Sunday, September 5th - 10:30 a.m. at Bushmaster Park
All ages Labor Day Picnic: Come join us for ultimate frisbee, kickball, Bocce ball, and fun. This is a bring your own snacks and food event. Hope to see you there!
Donate your time for the months of September and October as a classroom volunteer from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m on Sunday. Every week will offer childcare, and every other week will feature the CartUUns curriculum in a joint Zoom/In-Person class. It is vitally important as we restart in person classes and youth activities with almost all volunteers leading them that we have enough wonderful people to work with and nurture the children and youth of this congregation.
To sign up to volunteer, click this link, email Linda Ochi at Lindaochi31@gmail.com, or catch her on Sunday mornings and sign-up. She'll be the one with the clipboard and a big thank you smile for those who sign-up to help!
You can check out the Beacon Calendar for more detailed descriptions of these events!
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Religious Exploration for Adults
Spirited Conversations with Rev. Robin
Join Rev. Robin for a new series of “spirited conversations” on topics such as possibility, trust, journey, wholeness, memory, story, and healing. We’ll use a rich treasure trove of materials drawing from different spiritual exploration programs similar to Touchstones. We’ll meet as a large group and in smaller breakout groups. The program will be 2 Thursdays per month, from 12-1:30 on Zoom. Bring your lunch! Early departures understood for work or life demands.
On September 9 and September 23, we’ll explore what it means to be “a community of possibility.” Download this pdf to read the collection of readings and answer some of the reflective questions prior to our meetings. (questions 1-7 for 9/9 and 8-14 for 9/23). Invite your friends to experience religious exploration at Beacon!
Registration is not required for the class, but Rev. Robin would like an idea of how many people will be attending. Email minister@beaconuu.com to let her know.
Meeting ID: 733 037 2039
Passcode: 968647
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Share Your Joys and Sorrows- Chime In!
One way we can sustain connection during this time apart is by sharing our personal joys and sorrows. These can be small things or large things that effect your life. Please send these to Rev. Robin by Saturday night each week at minister@beaconuu.com The Joys and Sorrows you send will be included in our first in-sanctuary service on June 27th.
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Joys and Sorrows
August 29th
Rich C. went to California to help out his sister. He feels like she is in the best place possible, considering.
Anne W. sends prayers to people in Louisiana in anticipation of the hurricane.
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Porch Visits with Rev. Robin
(Weather Permitting)
Who is that minister in her "Soul" mobile? It's Rev. Robin! - ready to
come by for a visit on your porch, patio, or deck. She can be masked or unmasked, based on your vaccination status and personal comfort. Trailhead meet-ups and easy hikes, we could even meet at a park, or walk in your neighborhood. You decide! Just give a shout-minister@beaconuu.com
or 978-505-7245
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Community Action Committee (Share the Plate) Returns
When in-person services ceased because of the pandemic, Share the Plate became a non-viable way to give money to non-profit service agencies in Flagstaff. The Board and Finance committee saw the potential for this to resume now that we are meeting in the sanctuary. The Committee composed of Susan Patrick, Joanne Parkes, and Lynda L. Dorweiler will accept nominations from congregants for 501c3 organizations to receive our donations. In the past years, (2016-2019), we have given over $3000 per year to several deserving agencies. It is our hope that the congregation can continue with helping these organizations reach their goals.
For the months of July, August, and September, the committee has chosen Flagstaff Family Food Center to receive our donation.
Flagstaff Family Food Center served over 63,000 daily meals last year at their location on N. Second Street. They also provide many other services: Backdoor lunch program, Children’s literacy, Food Rescue Program, Food for Farms, Food Box Program, Homebound Senior Deliveries, and Mobile Pantries. Sue Stroebel has continued to maintain a volunteer service to help distribute food at their Second Street location.
Undesignated contributions in each month’s plate offerings over $250 will be presented to the designated agency. Thank you for your generosity and helping to maintain Beacon’s service to the community.
Lynda L. Dorweiler, Chair of Community Action Committee
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Activate at Beacon with the Social Justice Allies!
Zoom meeting September 8, 2021, 5:30 PM
Esteemed Beacon members and friends,
We cordially invite you to meet up with us (by zoom) next Wed., Sept. 8 at 5:30 (see invitation below) to share your thinking as we chart a promising course for moving Beacon’s social justice work forward—and, yes, we have some creative ideas!
Think about a social justice issue, e.g. racism, immigration, voting rights, education funding, hunger, environmental matters (or something different) that you are worried about, working on, or that you’re yearning to work on.
More importantly, an issue about which you’d be willing to communicate
information and/or updates to the rest of us as an SJA liason.
We are optimistic about emerging from Covid effects in the near future, believing that by sharing our commitment to social justice we can create changes that will benefit more people in our community and beyond.
In community,
Roz Clark and Rev. Robin Zucker
Meeting ID: 733 037 2039
Passcode: 968647
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Volunteer At Flagstaff Food Center With Beacon! |
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The Flagstaff Food Center is doing small group volunteers for their dinner service! Beacon is looking for a group of 5 volunteers to help out!
Volunteers are needed the 4th & 5th Wednesdays of every month, from 3pm-5pm. The dinner service is at the FFFC Kitchen (1903 N 2nd Street)
The dinner service is different during the pandemic. There is no indoor dining as we hand all the dinners out in to-go containers through a walk-up window. We need help from volunteers to portion meals into to-go containers, hand food out through our walk-up window, and wash serving pans.
Volunteer Safety: Volunteers are required to wear a mask, closed-toe shoes, and long pants, and to regularly wash or sanitize their hands and practice six feet of social distancing whenever possible. Gloves for food preparation and distribution will be provided to you at the kitchen. We have plexiglass installed at our walk-up window as a safeguard against COVID-19. We provide hand sanitizer and handwashing facilities and encourage regular use. We have enhanced cleaning protocols at our facilities and sanitize surfaces daily.
Sue Strobel will be organizing teams monthly, she can be contacted at 928 522-3284 (cell) or 928-526-5156 (home) if interested in volunteering!
More summer volunteer opportunities can be found here.
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The Hearth: September Social
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Let’s celebrate the changing seasons with an Equinox Craft Party. Have a favorite art medium? Bring it! Need some ideas? We’ll have them! Not into crafting? Come anyway! We will gather to create art together and to celebrate being in a virtual space together.
The Hearth Socials are for Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color. We are centering everyone who identifies as a Person of Color, for example, People of African Descent, Caribbean, Native/American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latina/o and Hispanic, Middle Eastern/Arab, and Multiracial. Please feel free to invite friends and family who are UU - adjacent, even if they don’t identify as Unitarian Universalist.
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LOVE & JUSTICE: Abolition and Alternatives to Policing UUs proclaim that no one is outside the circle of love, therefore, our goals are also abolitionist goals. Join UUJAZ team member Thoi every first Wednesday of the month in actively resisting the systems of policing and incarceration while building relationships and community with other passionate UUs in Arizona. Email Thoi to register for the next meeting.
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2021 Rural Arizona Summit This exciting exchange of successes, strategies and tactics will build and empower rural voices in state and local government, elections, and in their communities. Tentative panels include, Candidate Recruitment & Support, Messaging & Communication: How to Move Rural Voters, Voter Registration & Protection, and Building Rural Coalitions. Register here for the event on September 18th, 2021, from 12-5pm
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Lifespan Religious Exploration Resources for Learning About and Responding to Racism |
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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.
Beacon has provided 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.
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Healing Racism and Murdoch Center Programs and Events
Healing Racism Arizona and the Murdoch Community Center in Flagstaff have several events in the next few weeks that might be of interest to the Beacon community. Healing Racism Arizona is accessible through Facebook. The live events for the Murdoch Community Center are also through Facebook
And can be watched afterwards on their YouTube channel Tune in here.
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Worship
Sunday, September 5th, 2021
10:30am-12:30pm
All Church Picnic
Bushmaster Park
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SJA Meeting
September 8th, 2021
5:30pm
Meeting ID: 733 037 2039
Passcode: 968647
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You can keep up with future Beacon events by checking out the Beacon calendar!
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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.
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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.com. Once 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.
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~ Beacon Office Hours & Contacts ~
Office Phone (928) 779-4492
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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)
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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.
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Office Manager,
Alexei Besser-Gilbert
he/him/his
Mon: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wed: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thurs: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
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~ 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!
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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.
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If you are not on Beacon's dedicated 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!
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Contribute to Beacon's Weekly News
Newsletter submissions must be submitted by Wednesday at 4:00 pm
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