Spiritually Open, Intentionally Inclusive since 1958
510 N Leroux
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-779-4492e
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E-News for January 5th, 2022 - January 12th, 2022
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AN IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE MINISTER AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
BEACON’S UPDATED COVID POLICY BEGINNING SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022
Due to an uptick in COVID cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant, we have updated our safety policy to include proof of full vaccination status (2 or 3 shots) for ages 5 and older. This new policy is not a judgement of personal health care decisions. It is an institutional policy to safeguard the well-being of the community.
Beginning, Sunday January 2, 2022, vaccination will be required to attend worship services, participate in the choir, and be part of small group gatherings. We will still expect masks to be worn and hands to be sanitized. Committee meetings will continue to take place mostly on Zoom.
On January 2, 2022 (or the next time you attend a Sunday service) please bring your COVID vaccination card or a photo of the card on your phone. Once we have verified your status, you’ll have a small dot placed on your nametag. You can also email a photo of your COVID vaccination card to the Beacon office in advance of January 2, 2022 and we’ll put the sticker on your nametag in advance. office@beaconuu.com
Thank you. We’ll continue to adapt and update this policy along with new public health developments.
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- Sundays at Beacon -
WE’RE BACK IN THE SANCTUARY FOR WORSHIP! JOIN US.
Masks and Proof of Vaccination required.
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Service For January 9th, 2022, at 10am - Some Assembly Required: On Becoming A Self It’s New Year’s Resolution time! Again? (sigh) Yet, in the wake of the pandemic, what might we "resolve" when our confidence in the lives we've planned has been so irrevocably impacted? Have we become more tender towards ourselves, more flexible with others? "Now, I become myself," writes the poet May Sarton, "it's taken time, many years and places. I have been dissolved and shaken, worn other people's faces." This morning, we’ll explore what it might mean to view our imperfections and “areas of improvement” with compassion, honesty, and humor, as we embrace the ever-evolving process of becoming fully an authentic “Self.” Rev. Robin Landerman Zucker, preaching, with Worship Associate Cheryl Austin and jazz music from Austin Shaw.
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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 You can also view past sermon descriptions and PDFs on our website here.
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 has resumed its rehearsals and live performances in worship. We are so fortunate that Jason Drahos has joined us as Choir Director. 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.
There will not be a choir practice for January 6th, 2022.
Choir practice is usually every Thursday, 7-8:30pm, at Beacon.
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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!
Volunteers are crucial for the success of Religious Exploration. As more children start getting vaccinated, Beacon wants to have open arms and classrooms for and child who wants to join us. RE volunteers work from 10am-11am to care for children with Alexei Besser-Gilbert. Please consider donating your time to an hour of volunteer work with wonderful kids! You can sign up in the church lobby or at this link!
Children and youth are always welcome in worship! We do ask that children over 3 years old wear a face mask while in the church building. There will be activity packets available for children during the service.
Religious Exploration is back at Beacon!
Note: There is a small error in this letter. Alexei's hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10am-3pm.
RE Offerings for January 9th, 2022
K-5th
CartUUns
10am-11am
In-Person or On Zoom
Meeting ID: 838 6517 8451
Passcode: beacon510
In CartUUns, the class will be watching a couple episodes of the 'Forky Asks A Question' series and discussing curiosity. We will be making our own Forkies. Stephanie Van Belle will be coordinating bag dropoff this week.
Middle School
D'oh God
11:30am-12:45pm
Meeting ID: 828 2774 0814
Passcode: beacon510
On January 9, the middle/high school D'oh God class will watch a Simpsons episode titled The Frying Game ( Season 13, Episode 21) about the death penalty and social justice. During the month of Martin Luther King's birthday, it seems like a great time to consider this issue.
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Religious Exploration for Adults
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New programs coming in January! |
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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. These are spoken during service every Sunday, or you can send them to Rev. Robin by Saturday night each week at minister@beaconuu.com to be shared.
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Joys and Sorrows for January 2nd, 2022
Barry M.'s friend in Phoenix unfortunately had a stroke. His spouse was exposed to COVID, so it's been a difficult time for them. We send our support.
Jan R. is glad to be back from Denver after 4 days of delays!
Nancy P. expresses concern for Charlie K., who had a heart attack.
Paul B. had a lovely time with his family over the holidays, and enjoyed playing Santa.
Mary P. expresses joy over a new grandchild and being able to see their birth.
Dora H. expresses concern for those who lost their homes to the wildfires in Colorado.
Becky H. shares her sadness over the pass of Mary Jo Rybolt. She will be missed.
Elson is just glad to be here!
Robin Z. expresses concern for Jason, whose partner was exposed to COVID. She also expresses joy for her trip to Portland to see her daughter. Robin also expressed appreciation to the choir for their practice for Christmas Eve, even though they were unable to perform.
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January-March 2022 Share the Plate Partner |
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Beacon’s community partner for January-March 2022 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, and ethnicity the shelter serves any adult experiencing homelessness.
In 2014, FSS became a year-round shelter serving those in need every day and night of the year, providing personal and behavioral crisis response, onsite health clinic, and helping clients move from crisis toward self-sufficiency.
The Shelter sees 2000 unduplicated individuals per year: 20% are vets, 40% are women (98% of the women have experienced domestic violence), and 21% are older than 55. 86% of the individuals do not return to homelessness.
Undesignated contributions to this quarter’s Sunday service offerings above $250 will be presented to Flagstaff Shelter Services. Nominations for 501c3 agencies can be made through a form located in the office in the CAC folder or by contacting a CAC member.
CAC members are Susan Patrick, Katy Grant, and Lynda L. Dorweiler.
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Activate at Beacon with the Social Justice Allies! |
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Author and Professor Cathy Small will be visiting us on Sunday, February 6th.
We encourage the Beacon UU community to read her book and participate in a discussion with her. Pia Driessen-Knittle is coordinating this effort as a member of the Social Justice Allies team. piadriessenknittle@gmail.com
Cathy Small is professor emerita of Anthropology at NAU. In "The Man in the Dog Park" published in 2020 by Cornell University Press, she shares insight into Flagstaff's homeless population through her personal relationship over 6 years with Ross Moore, a homeless man she met in the dog park at Thorpe Park.
"Spurred by a personal relationship with a homeless man who became her co-author, Cathy A. Small takes a compelling look at what it means and what it takes to be homeless. Interviews and encounters with dozens of homeless people lead us into a world that most have never seen. We travel as an intimate observer into the places that many homeless frequent, including a community shelter, a day labor agency, a panhandling corner, a pawn shop, and a HUD housing office." (Cornell University Press)
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DEMOCRACY VIGILS
A new year brings fresh possibilities and is often a time when our spirits rise. Through Side With Love's UU the Vote campaign for democracy and voting rights, we have worked hard this past year to build a multi-racial democracy and combat the attack on voting rights and democracy waged on our Black, Indigenous and people of color communities.
The same faction that led the insurrection on January 6th to overturn the results of the 2020 election has continued their work of silencing voices through partisan gerrymandering, blocking critical democracy legislation, and building systems for future attempts to undermine free and fair elections.
We must not forget what happened -- and we must demand action from our leaders to prevent another attack on our democracy.
January 6th is being remembered by Side With Love and UUs all over America with faith, peace, and solidarity. Check out mobilize.us's website for January 6th vigils you can participate in online or in-person. Many UU churches are hosting one that you can attend.
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Together We Will, Flagstaff Postcard Writers weekly group
The postcard writers will be together every week on Wednesday at 7 PM on Zoom
Meeting ID: 841 1623 9939
Passcode: postcards
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SIDE WITH LOVE ACTION CENTER
The work that we do together to build a world in which all of us are free and thriving is interrelated. When we ground our spirits, grow our skills, and act strategically for justice in deep relationship with each other and our Movements, we choose to Side With Love.
Action Center is a place where we unite in work towards a world where we all thrive. Together we take action, Side With Love, and make deep impacts in this critical moment. Links for various action areas such as Democracy, LGBTQ and Gender Justice, and Climate Justice.
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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) Beacon's next volunteer date is January 26th.
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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Liminal Flagstaff
Liminal is a nonprofit community center recently opened on 217 S. San Francisco St. Offering resources, a pay-what-you can cafe, and a space to have fun freely and safely. We will share any upcoming events they have here!
You can learn more about Liminal and how to support them through their Instagram and Linktree.
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Jardines Mentales; January 13th and/or 17th Jardines Mentales, or 'Mental Gardens,' is a reoccuring workshop at Liminal that offers psychological healing through art therapy activities. January's theme is self-awareness. There are 12 spots per event, registration will be open soon.
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Day at the Legislature 2022 February 21st, 2022, 9:00 am
Look forward to more information coming soon about both live and virtual meetings with legislators, lobby training, action circle training, request-to-speak training, and events with our partners on the issues you care about.
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Creating a New Way: Workshop for Men on Courage for Feminism and Anti-Racism Thursday, Jan. 27th in Tucson 5:30 - 7:30 pm
For white men and boys who want to live with social justice values in our hearts and minds, rather than the messages that blame people of color, women, LGBTQ+ for our pain. For white men and boys who want beloved community, who believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all, and want to be courageous against systems of oppression that divide us. This interactive workshop will be an opportunity to explore what it means to be feminist and anti-racist and ways that we can reject and heal from patriarchal masculinity and work together to live our values and root our identities in love and collective liberation. Register for this workshop here.
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Courage for Racial Justice, Courage for Collective Liberation
Multiple offerings:
Monday, Jan. 24th in Phoenix 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Wednesday, Jan. 26th in Sedona 10:00 am -12:00 pm
Wednesday, Jan. 26th in Prescott 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Anti-racism and racial justice are core to our spiritual/religious values and taking action for justice and collective liberation is a way that we live our values, in our congregations, and in our communities. Join us for an interactive workshop with longtime social justice educator, author, and organizer, Chris Crass, one of the leading voices in the country calling for and supporting white people to work for racial justice. Whether you’ve been active for decades or a few days, this is an opportunity to develop a stronger culture of inspiration, resilience, and courage for racial justice.
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Where Do We Go From Here: Voting Rights in Arizona Webinar
Join people of faith as we unite to protect our cherished right to vote in Arizona. Join faith-based partners for a presentation and conversation on the current state of voting rights in Arizona.
Learn what happened in Arizona throughout the 2021 Legislative Session and what to expect in the new year. Although we are hopeful that Congress may still act on important federal legislation like the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we are preparing for a serious fight here in Arizona in 2022. In the coming months we know that Democracy Will Be on the Ballot in 2022.
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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 Service
Saturday, January 9th, 2022
5:30pm
Some Assembly Required: On Becoming A Self
Beacon Sanctuary
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Choir Rehearsal
Every Thursday
7-8:30pm
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K-5th Grade RE
CartUUns
Sunday, January 9th, 2022
from 10am-11am
In-Person at Beacon or On Zoom
Meeting ID: 838 6517 8451
Passcode: beacon510
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6th Grade and Up RE
D'oh God
Sunday, January 9th, 2022
from 11:30am-12:45pm
On Zoom
Meeting ID: 828 2774 0814
Passcode: beacon510
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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
she/her/hers
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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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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