From the Minister’s Desk

Exciting and busy times here at Beacon, the New Year is off and moving at a quickening pace. The Congregational meeting affirmed the direction to proceed with the upcoming Capital Campaign program to learn of Beacon’s Capacity for Repair, Improvement and Expansion of our Community Home. Like any home from time to time, we need to address some repairs, modernize and update some areas, and most certainly, we are in need of some more space.

Have you begun to notice our building is increasingly in use, for the whole week, not just for a couple of hours on Sunday mornings? We are hosting regular weekly rental groups, we have several special musical events coming up and we just shared an evening with Planned Parenthood Flagstaff, and Northern AZ Pride in co-sponsoring Holly Near in Concert. This was a rousing success bringing many new folks into our space and welcoming several former members and friends back home. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Tret Fure Concert, Saturday, February 3, 2018. See the flyers in the lobby or contact lore dickey for tickets. Tret will also be our musical guest on Sunday morning for our service.

With all the energy and excitement there are a couple of special events coming up I wish to highlight – Char Tarashanti and I are developing a Retreat Day, “Rejuvenation – Body, Mind and Spirit for youth and adults,” for Saturday February 24th. I will be offering a two session UU Common Read for the current national selection of “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry.” About UU Common Read from the UUA:

“A Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations. Each year, the Unitarian Universalist Common Read is chosen by a committee including both headquarters and field staff of the UUA.”

About the book: Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry, edited by Mitra Rahnema (Skinner House, 2017), centers the stories, analyses, and insights of a number of Unitarian Universalist religious professionals of color as they explore how racial identity is made both visible and invisible in Unitarian Universalist communities.

Please also be looking ahead for new monthly Orientations and New Member programming on the First Sunday of each month now through June. I look forward to working in collaboration with our Congregational Vitality Team (CVT) members as we share these welcoming opportunities.

Lastly, please do not miss our ongoing opportunities for small group connection and community in our weekly Yoga classes on Tuesdays, Qigong also on Tuesday evenings, Choir meets every Thursday and is always welcoming to all participants, Chalice Circles will meet the last Sunday and Tuesday, January through April and then a summer series May through August. There is also the return of the Lunch Bunch, stay tuned for dates and locations, and of course the monthly Beacon Co-Sponsored Flagstaff Folk Project each third Friday of the month.

So yes indeed, Beacon is alive and filled with energy, excitement and activities!

Grateful to be on the journey with you,

Rev. Kevin