Upcoming Services

Sunday, March 17th, 10:30 am • Sapperton Hall and online*

Self Care — The Older I Get, The More I Need!
Rev. Meg Roberts and the Pastoral Support Team

Join Meg and the Pastoral Support Team to explore what helps and hinders our self-care. There are many dimensions: emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical. We’ll share and learn from each other.

Order of Service (updated the day before the service)

*Please register to receive the Zoom link. Enter your name and email address, and the Zoom link will be emailed directly to you. (We are using the same Zoom link from week to week, so you only have to register once to be able to attend all the Sunday morning services.)

Zoom orientation information is available here.

 March & April Services

Sunday
Mar 3
10:30 am

Paths to Belonging
Service Leader: David Kristjanson

Today we will celebrate the rich tapestry of human experience within our community and honour the diverse journeys that people have taken to find a spiritual home here. A few members will share their personal stories, affirming the richness of our shared path towards spiritual growth and belonging here at Beacon. We will also set aside some time for small group discussion so you can share your own journey of spiritual exploration with each other.  As we listen to these stories may we be reminded of the importance of embracing the diversity of human experience and the beauty of finding common ground and belonging amidst our differences.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.      Thank you for your support

Sunday
Mar 10
10:30 am
In times of great change, what can the wisdom of our bodies offer us?
Speaker: Arran Morton

Description: Our bodies gain information from and engage with the human and non human world in ways our conscious mind is often unaware of.  Let’s explore how developing a deeper relationship with our bodies’ wisdom can support us in navigating challenging transitions.

Speaker bio: Arran Morton currently lives in Victoria, BC – though he is from Scotland and came to Victoria via the ‘scenic route’. He loves to be near the ocean, the trees, and Vancouver Island life generally. His work has focused on love-based community building as well as training and facilitation on issues related to healthy relationships, sexuality, conflict resolution and restorative justice/practices. Arran was the Director of Spiritual Exploration at First Unitarian Church of Victoria until he adopted his daughter in 2021. He is currently the Minister at Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship.

Sunday
Mar 17
10:30 am
Unitarian Universalist Sources: Bringing It Home
Janet Pivnick

Over the past year and a half, Beacon has been exploring the sources of our faith. Today we will consider how the various sources inform our own lives both as individuals and as a community. What is the beautiful interfaith mosaic that is Beacon?

Choir performs this week.

Sunday
Mar 24
10:30 am

Self Care — The Older I Get, The More I Need!
Rev. Meg Roberts and the Pastoral Support Team

Join Meg and the Pastoral Support Team to explore what helps and hinders our self-care. There are many dimensions: emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical. We’ll share and learn from each other.

Sunday
Mar 31
10:30 am
TBD

Choir performs this week.

Sunday
April 7
10:30 am

Hope Matters
Teresa Morton and Rev. Meg Roberts

We’ll invite a celebration of global progress in this time of climate crisis. Inspired by the book Hope Matters by Elin Kelsey, we’ll share insights, practices and jewels of wonder. Join us in exploring what gives you hope!

This Sunday, for the 10 minutes before the service we’re experimenting with having a pre-service sing-along. After the service, we’ll have a discussion table about resilient species and solutions journalism.

Choir performs this week and it is ‘Food Bank Sunday.’

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online. Thank you for your support.

Sunday
April 14
10:30 am
TBD

Envirobee after the service.

Sunday
April 21
10:30 am
TBD

Soup Lunch & Beacon’s Annual General Meeting after the service.

Sunday
April 28
10:30 am
TBD

Choir performs this week.

 January & February Services

Sunday,
Jan 7
11:30 am
Cherish the Past, Embrace the Future
Rev. Meg Roberts and the Congregational Conversations Team

Join Rev. Meg Roberts and the Congregational Conversations Team as we reflect on the precious moments from Beacon’s past, recognize the strengths & constraints of our present circumstances, and look to the possibilities of the future. We will explore how we can move forward, support each other along the way, and gather strength from being rooted in our values and our community.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.      Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Jan 14
10:30 am

To be or not to be — and ChatGPT: How is AI shaping our understanding of what it means to be human?
Speaker: Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz (recording)

The advent of AI and chatbots has opened a whole new area of ethics. In what ways is artificial intelligence pushing us to strengthen our ethical and theological muscles? What do our answers to these questions say about our understanding of what it means to be human, especially the ways in which this understanding impacts our relations with other humans and with the other-than-human world.

Speaker bio: Karen Fraser Gitlitz is Saskatoon Unitarians’ parish minister and a professional Art Therapist.  For the past three summers, she has been a participant and a core walker with the Water Walk for the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, following Indigenous leadership by walking the river in Ceremony for the healing of the water. In all of these activities—ministry, art therapy, and water walking—she has witnessed the healing that arises when we are able to connect to ourselves, our communities, and the land.

Sunday,
Jan 21
10:30 am

Why Do We Have Many Sources of Wisdom?

Rev. Meg Roberts

Unlike most other religions, Unitarians draw from various sources of wisdom and spirituality. We support each other to find those resources that help us understand life’s challenges and live in ways congruent with our principles and values. This Sunday I will launch a series of monthly ‘sources services’ by exploring how we came to be pluralistic as a religious movement. The choir will join us, under the direction of Faith Veikle. After the service, we hope you will stay and enjoy our soup lunch and have conversation about which sources you turn to for inspiration!

Sunday,
Jan 28
10:30 am
Navigating the Seven C’s – Sailing Through Calm, Stormy and Uncharted Waters
Colin Chow

This time of year can bring forth a great deal of stress, anxiety, negativity and poor mental health.  There is research that explains some of the reasons behind this.  The speaker will take us through Seven C’s (Comfort, Communication, Conflict/Contempt, Change, Courage, Curiosity and Connection) which are mental health related concepts that can help explain why we might choose to “sink or swim” through the waters of our lives.

Colin Chow is honoured to return as a guest speaker with the Beacon Unitarian community.  Colin has a strong connection to New Westminster as a previous long term resident.  He has worked with many faith communities, independent/public schools, post-secondary art/college/universities and in print/radio journalism in his work as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Educator and University Faculty.

Sunday,
Feb 4
10:30 am
What Sustains and Inspires Us in this Climate?
Rev. Meg Roberts

In this time, we are facing multiple climate crises. It can be frightening and dispiriting. How can our values and practices sustain and inspire us – as individuals and as a Unitarian community? How can we get from despair to hope?

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

After the Service

Soup Lunch: At Sapperton & we will celebrate Beacon’s 41st birthday with cake!

Sunday,
Feb 11
10:30 am
Vote For the Planet
Satya Brown

Satya Brown is a retired physician and a founding member of Beacon Unitarian Church. She lived and worked in Cuba from 1962 to 1979 where she went to medical school and worked as a doctor. Her book ‘My Cuban Revolution: How Fidel Castro changed my life’ tells the story of those years. Satya remained a family doctor for another 30 years after returning to her roots in British Columbia. Her main focus since retiring has been environmental activism, doing all she can to stop climate change.

After the Service

Envirobee: We will be exploring renewable energy, looking especially at the book ‘The Future is Now’ by Bob McDonald of Quirks and Quarks fame. Teresa Morton will lead the in-person discussion while Mary Bennett will host the on-line portion.

Sunday,
Feb 18
10:30 am
Our Sources: World Religions
Rev. Meg Roberts

As Unitarian Universalists, we draw “wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.” I certainly know that such wisdom has helped me at crucial times in my life. What wisdom has inspired and supported you? What spiritual practices do you do that come from world religions?

Today we’ll take a special collection for the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Sharing Our Faith Fund which offers congregations grants for growth and outreach.

Sunday,
Feb 25
10:30 am

Pink Shirt Sunday
Service Leader: David Kristjanson

We have all experienced some kind of bullying in our lives, whether we were bullied ourselves, witnessed someone else being bullied, or maybe even participated in the bullying. This Sunday we will learn some things about bullying, and about some of the effects on its victims. We will also hear how Pink Shirt Day started in 2007 in Nova Scotia and has since grown into a global anti-bullying movement. Please wear pink this Sunday for Beacon’s first Pink Shirt Sunday and support the children, adults and elders who have been, and may still be being, bullied.

If we have enough people wearing pink, we will take a photo to put on our website.

November and December Services

Sunday,
Nov 5
10:30 am
Our Dialogue on Death & Dying
Rev. Meg Roberts, Michael Scales, Judy Villett and Laura Redmond
Special guest musician: Jane Slemon, Director of Care, RN, at Rotary Hospice House in Richmond

Four Beaconites share experiences on preparing for end of life:
• What’s left behind?
• Will Power!
• To dig or not to dig?
• Celebrating Life in Death

Jane Slemon, member of UCV, has generously agreed to share two of her own songs with us: Feather and Stone (about respecting the whole life of the individual and keeping space for who they are regardless of whether they take agency in their passing) and Breathing August (about her father’s walk down a country road, as he nears the end of his life, and the preparation of his mind).

Join us and reflect on how you yourself want to get prepared and what resources might help.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Nov 12
11:30 am
In this polarized world… can we just talk?
Rev. Brian Kiely

Conversation has become a dangerous thing! Will I offend if I speak? Will I get attacked for voicing an opinion? Speaking is becoming scary. Unitarian Universalists have always prided themselves on personal freedom and rational discourse. I believe it’s the only way out of this polarized age.

Join us for Envirobee after the service.

Sunday,
Nov 19
10:30 am
Let Your Heart Sing
Rev. Meg Roberts, Kate Smith, Bill Marshall & Marylke Nieuwenhuis

Using songs from Joyce Poley’s compilation, Let Your Heart Sing, we will reflect on the power of song and music-making in our lives. Join us in these uplifting songs!

You are invited to attend a “Soup Lunch” after the service in the downstairs hall. Suggested donation is $5 or as you are able.

Sunday,
Nov 26
10:30 am
Sounds Great! A service of music, song and poetry
Glenn Wootton and friends

Come join us for a service of music, song and poetry. Each participant will start with a brief introduction about their piece and then perform it for the rest of us.

Choir performs.

Sunday,
Dec 3
10:30 am
“Love Your Enemy”
Guest Speaker Earl Morris

December 3rd is the first Sunday of Advent and my thoughts turn to the wisdom teachings of Jesus. We will collectively explore the Koan-like, short saying of Jesus: “Love Your Enemy” (Matthew 5: 43-45).
Then in small groups we will explore the question: After an anger-provoking incident can you recommend loving your enemy?

Bio: Earl Morris is a retired physician who last worked as a hospitalist at Eagle Ridge Hospital. The wisdom teachings of Jesus were the subject of the meditative Quaker service held in his home before he left the Quaker religion.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Dec 10
10:30 am
Holiday Blues
Rev. Meg Roberts

Feelings of sadness often come up during the winter holiday season—sometimes because we miss people we have lost or because we are feeling lonely. Sometimes we just find the whole bright tinsel commercialism a bit wearying. Through words, songs and ritual, we will offer ways to express how we are feeling. We may even find moments of peace to help us make our way through this time.

Choir performs.

Note to Beacon members: Please plan on attending the budget meeting after the service today.

Sunday,
Dec 17
10:30 am
Unitarianism, Spirituality and the Holiday Season
Guest Speaker: Lay Chaplain Janet Pivnick

Many Unitarians have an uncomfortable relationship with the idea of spirituality. But what is spirituality and how does it show up in our lives? As many faiths are preparing to celebrate significant holy days, we’ll consider the place that spirituality holds in Unitarian celebrations.

Join us for Envirobee after the service.

Sunday,
Dec 24
10:30 am
Christmas Carols and Lessons
Rev. Meg Roberts and friends

As we gather on the morning of Christmas Eve, we will share the story of this holiday through a Unitarian lens. The choir, under the direction of Faith Veikle, will lead us in carols. We will offer readings about how to find meaning for ourselves this Christmas.

Choir performs.

Please join us after the Sunday service for a special turkey dinner in the downstairs hall. Suggested donation is $5 or as you are able. Last minute participants welcome.

Sunday,
Dec 31
10:30 am
Forgiveness, Freedom and Fun
Marilyn Medén and friends
We will let go of the old and ring in the new in a joyful and convivial way with thoughtfulness, meditation, the music of Kate Smith Bill Marshall, and the trumpet of John Hagen. When you arrive, please pick up a forgiveness bookmark.

September and October Services

Sunday,
Sep 10

10:30 am

The Annual Water Ceremony
Rev. Meg Roberts
Welcome! if you’re new to us and Welcome Back! if you’ve been part of Beacon’s community for a while. Beacon’s program year starts again with this special service. The annual water ceremony service is for all ages: we pour water from various sources into one common bowl, symbolizing the re-gathering of this community after a summer break. If you would like to bring water from your summer experiences to put into the bowl, please do (whether from a favourite place or from your tap at home)!

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Sep 17

11:30 am

This year’s Sharing the Plate recipient: Purpose Independent Secondary School Lunch Program
Guest Presenter: Merilynn Cook, Principal, Purpose Independent Secondary School
Hosted by the Sharing the Plate Committee
Please come and join us to learn about our Sharing the Plate recipient for the 2023–24 church year. Merilynn Cook, principal of Purpose Secondary School, will tell us about the school and its lunch program. The lunch program will receive half of the open funds collected during in-person church services.
Sunday,
Sep 24

10:30 am

Balancing Our Anxiety and Our Trust
Rev. Meg Roberts
This summer has been suffused by the impacts of climate emergencies, as well as other anxiety-creating news in the world and in people’s lives. With leaves falling and nights cooling, summer officially ends as we pass through the September 22 fall equinox. Let’s explore what the natural world shows us about how to live more in balance, finding ways to manage our anxiety and foster our trust.
Sunday,
Oct 1

10:30 am

The Path to Ministry
Guest Speaker: Janet Pivnick

For the past few years, Beacon has taken on the role of “sponsoring congregation” for a ministerial student, Janet Pivnick. In this service, Janet will provide information about ministerial requirements, share stories about her own journey, and answer questions from Beaconites. Hear about this unique contribution that Beacon is making to the future of Unitarianism.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Oct 8

10:30 am

Meaning Making in Liminal Times: Can We Give What We Get?
Guest Speakers: Rev. Debra Faulk and Danielle Weber (recording)

In these liminal times, how does our Unitarian Universalist faith sustain us? So much loss and change has diminished our feelings of wellbeing and connection while heightening the sense of scarcity and amplifying anxiety. What commonly held values can we call on to inform our responses, motivate actions and provide some ease? Could generosity be a response that expands to reciprocity?

Debra’s bio: Rev Debra Faulk, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, retired in 2021 as Minister Emerita after 11 years with Calgary Unitarians. She received a BA in psychology and anthropology from UVic and a Master of Divinity from Vancouver School of Theology. She has served as chaplain at Vancouver General Hospital, Director of Religious Education in Victoria and Parish Minister to congregations in Alberta and Ontario.

Previous Board experience includes both the Toronto and Calgary Interfaith Council and the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, working to collaborate with labour and non-profits to address systemic social change in the city. Currently she is one of the two BC reps to the CUC (Canadian Unitarian Council) Board of Trustees.

Debra, as a single mom, raised two children who have blessed her with 5 grandchildren. Currently she is excited with the adventure of co-ownership of her new home in Victoria,building community and being close to family.

Danielle’s bio: Rev. Danielle Webber (they/she) is a white, queer minister living in the traditional and unceded territory of the Okanagan/Sylix people (Kelowna, BC) with their partner Adam, and their 95lb lap dog Brin. They decided to become a minister in 2012 while completing a Bachelor’s of Art in Psychology and Religious Studies and completed the Masters of Divinity in 2016, and a Masters of Arts in Leadership Studies in 2018, both from Meadville Lombard Theological School, in Chicago Il. Danielle’s Divinity Thesis focused on building relationships between the Indigenous Peoples of South-Eastern Alberta and the Calgary Unitarian Church, where she was a Student Minister. Their Leadership Studies thesis focused on creating relationships between churches and other non-profit organizations to develop community engagement and leadership development.

Throughout their education, Rev. Danielle focused on multigenerational, multicultural faith formation, recognizing that we can create moments of meaning making no matter what we are doing, and how we are gathered. Essential to Rev. Danielle work is bringing to light the expansiveness of Unitarian Universalism. Through leaning into interdependence, and recognizing that faith formation can happen everywhere, UUs can become radically inclusive in creating space within our communities for those already here and those joining.

Sunday,
Oct 15

10:30 am

On Zoom only (no in-person service at Sapperton Hall)

It Begins With You
Rev. Brian Kieley

You belong here! Without you, this community cannot thrive and will never find its place on the map. You have found something good here that you share with other Beaconites. Together you make this community thrive and will help it find its place on the map. But Beacon begins with you, as participant and supporter. With Pledge Drive starting, Beacon does need your contributions… but first, it needs you.

Sunday,
Oct 22

10:30 am

Why You Belong Here
Rev. Meg Roberts

As humans, we have a fundamental need to belong. Some people come to Unitarian communities out of a sense of not fitting in elsewhere and wanting to be with those of similar values. We’ll explore why understanding our need to belong is so important to creating a healthy, joyful and thriving community here at Beacon. Because you do belong here!

Also, as an added bonus, Beacon’s re-birthed choir, under the leadership of Faith Veikle, will be sharing songs with us today.

Sunday,
Oct 29

10:30 am

Bring Your Joy!
Rev. Meg Roberts

In times such as these, when so much can weigh down our spirits and hearts, cultivating joy is an antidote. Bring stories of what brings you joy in life and in community – including here at Beacon! We want to joyfully thrive together. That means learning to override the all too human tendency to jump to the negative rather than the positive. We can practice that when we meet!

July and August Services

Sunday,
July 9

4:00 pm

Ripples of Happiness
Service Coordinator: Marilyn Medèn
At four in the afternoon on July 9th, in the exuberance of John Hagen’s backyard, but inside if necessary, we will experience how happiness moves from one person to another. John Hagen, Sue Sparlin, and Marylke Nieuwenhuis will provide inspirational music. We have chairs, but maybe not enough, so please bring your own if it’s convenient. You are also invited to arrive early to help set up, and to bring finger food for enjoyment at the end of the service. John and Marilyn will provide beverages.
(Please check the online directory for John’s address, or fill out the Beacon Connecting Form if you are a newcomer).
Sunday,
Aug 20

11:00 am

Everything You Wanted to Know About Unitarianism But Were Afraid to Ask!
Summer Service in the Park
Service leaders: Rev. Meg Roberts, David Kristjanson, Glenn Wootton
Music: Kate Smith and Bill Marshall

Bring a friend or family member and questions about Unitarianism for Rev. Meg to answer in this interactive service. Join us for song and celebration under the trees. Bring your own lawn chair and perhaps snacks or a picnic lunch for afterwards. We will meet in Sapperton Park across the street from the Royal Columbian Hospital. There is a playground and spray park if you want to bring your kids and/or grandkids. Look for the Beacon Banner. Look forward to seeing you there!

Sunday,
Aug 27

10:30 am

Summer Singing Service
Service Coordinator: Peggy Lunderville
All ages are welcome to join us for a morning of singing/playing at Peggy Lunderville’s home (please check the on-line directory for contact info, or fill out the Beacon Connecting Form if you are a newcomer). This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect as a community in the summer as we sing our favourite hymns from the charcoal and teal hymnbooks, as well as the “Joyce Poley” songbooks. Bring musical instruments if you wish to accompany. If you have a hymn you would like to see included, please contact Peggy Lunderville ahead of time. There will also be room for some requests at the service itself. Potluck lunch to follow (tea, coffee, juice and water will be provided). Our home is wheelchair accessible.
Sunday,
Sep 10

10:30 am

The Annual Water Ceremony
Rev. Meg Roberts

Beacon’s program year starts again with this special service. The annual water ceremony service is for all ages: we pour water from various sources into one common bowl, symbolizing the re-gathering of this community after a summer break. If you would like to bring water from your summer experiences to put into the bowl, please do (whether from a favourite place or from your tap at home)!

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

May and June Services

Sunday,
May 7

10:30 am

The Wisdom of Chief Inspector Gamache
Rev. Meg Roberts
I’m a big fan of Louise Penny’s detective novels. Her protagonist is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. With all his new recruits he shares four statements of wisdom that were passed down to him. Come explore how this wisdom relates to the wisdom given to you, whether from your elders, your favourite novel or film.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
May 14

10:30 am

A story of wonder. Wonder comes first.
Speaker: Elizabeth Campbell
This journey takes you to the original peoples of the earth who survived by traveling from place to place to find food. When they found abundance and were able to stop and rest for a while, they had time to wonder. These are the stories of many peoples from many places. They are the basis of our own histories and stories. This is a story of wonder.
Sunday,
May 21

10:30 am

Diverse Voices United in Harmony
Service Coordinator: Glenn Wootton
Our community is a form of commonwealth for ourselves and for the community at large. We gather each week to celebrate our shared desire to learn and enrich each other. Please join Glenn Wootton and a number of other members and friends of Beacon as we do this through song, instrumental music, and spoken word poetry.
Sunday,
May 28

10:30 am

Grounded in Song
Rev. Meg Roberts with guests The Sacred Web Singers
What is our relationship to the earth? Join Rev. Meg Roberts and the Sacred Web Singers, with choir director Susan Summers, as we become grounded in song. They’ll share music and readings about how we connect to this beautiful blue-green planet we call home.
Sunday,
June 4

10:30 am

‘You Want Me to Feel Curious and Compassionate About Them?!’
Rev. Meg Roberts
In the loving kindness meditation, one aspect of it is to cultivate compassion for a difficult person. That’s not always easy. I find becoming curious helps me access compassion in a way that has integrity. Come find out how.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
June 11

10:30 am

LIFE: My Sense of the Holy by Rev. Ev Morris
Presented by David Kristjanson and friends
Rev. Everett Morris is a member of Beacon and a retired Unitarian minister who served Beacon from
1998–2002. We have a tradition at Beacon of honouring our elders with a Celebration of a Living Life,
and in the spirit of that tradition, we will be presenting LIFE: My Sense of the Holy, a service from
Rev. Ev’s 2010 book, THE UNITARIAN SPIRIT, ten complete sermons. Unfortunately, Rev Ev’s
ongoing struggle with Parkinson’s makes it impossible for him to do this service himself.
Please join us for this Celebration of Rev. Ev Morris.
Sunday,
June 18

10:30 am

Flower Communion Ceremony
Rev. Meg Roberts
On this 100th anniversary year of the Flower Communion, you are invited to be part of this special service. As we experience this multi-platform experience, we take time to be reminded how our diversity is our strength and speaks to our core values as a community.

If you are joining us in person at Sapperton, please bring one flower to share. (We’ll have a few extra in case you forget.) If you are joining us online via Zoom, please have your flower there to be part of the ceremony. Whether you bring the flower from your yard, or buy one, or even draw one, it is welcome.

March and April Services

Sunday,
Mar 5

10:30 am

“Worth Keeping”
Rev. Brian Kiely
What is it we actually do here on Sundays? Just what does ‘worship’ mean for humanists, agnostics and atheists?

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Mar 12

10:30 am

Moms Stop The Harm
Guest Speaker: Deb Bailey
Today we welcome Deb Bailey, who lost her daughter, Ola, age 21, to the overdose epidemic. She will talk to us about Moms Stop The Harm, a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use-related harms and deaths. They advocate for the change of failed drug policies, provide peer support to grieving families, and assist those with loved ones who use or have used substances. https://www.momsstoptheharm.com/
Sunday,
Mar 19

10:30 am

The Challenge of Lay Chaplaincy
Marilyn Meden, Janet Pivnick, Sue Sparlin
Beacon currently has two serving lay chaplains: Janet Pivnick and Sue Sparlin. Together with the past lay chaplain, Marilyn Meden, they will share stories of their experience as lay chaplains and give you some history into the formation of this uniquely Canadian Unitarian program. They will be available during coffee hour to answer your questions.
Sunday,
Mar 26

10:30 am

Spring
Rev. Brian Kiely
Well, it might feel like spring in the Lower Mainland, but in Edmonton spring happening when it should is a 50/50 proposition. Today we will take time to reflect on seasons happening when they will.
Sunday,
Apr 2

10:30 am

Divine Curiosity
Rev. Brian Kiely

Words matter. We seem to live in an age where using a loaded word can trigger a fusillade of angry opinions and even get one… and I hate this word… ‘cancelled’. But as I near the end of my time at Beacon, I want to explore one of those dangerous words… god. It has depth and utility well beyond the definition that triggers some people. And we really haven’t found a good replacement yet.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Apr 9

10:30 am

New Life
Rev. Meg Roberts

At this special time of year three world religions have holy days: in Islam it is Ramadan, in Judaism it is Passover, and in Christianity it’s Easter. Each celebrates what brings new life to the person and the community. At Beacon, what brings new life to each of us and to this community? On my first Sunday back after medical leave, I look forward to celebrating this holiday with you! I hope to see you there.

Sunday,
Apr 16

10:30 am

A Congregational Conversation
Rev. Brian Kiely (in person!)

This will be part service, part congregational discussion of the financial future of the congregation. I will lead a short worshipful beginning and then facilitate a conversation about money, the challenges facing the community and the options that lay before you. This will NOT be a voting meeting, but a chance to discuss with one another and see if we can find a way forward.

Sunday,
Apr 23

10:30 am

Truth, Courage and Solutions
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
Guest Speakers: Teresa Morton and Mary Bennett
For Earth Day 2023 we will explore the book ‘All We Can Save’ which has the subtitle ‘Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis’. This compendium of 60 essays and poems features women scientists and poets. It is a wonderful, affirming journey through the myriad ways that the climate crisis is, and will be, affecting us. Join Teresa Morton and Mary Bennett for an examination of this ground-breaking work!
Sunday,
Apr 30

Special Service 10:30 to 11:30 am

and

Special Workshop 11:45 am to 1:15 pm

Consensus Decision-Making
Guest Speaker: Peter Scales, Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Victoria BC)
Special Service (10:30 to 11:30 am) and Special Workshop (11:45 am to 1:15 pm)

Twenty years ago, when the Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Victoria BC) was rent by divergent visions of how to get along, one of the members brought forward a model of consensus that Capital has been using with great effect ever since. By giving the voting members four ways of saying ‘yes’, the Gradients of Agreement model promotes smarter decisions and greater openness. Peter will be speaking to us at our service and at a special workshop about how Capital UU in Victoria successfully uses the Gradients of Agreement to do a better job of reaching a consensus.

January and February Services

Sunday,
Jan 1

10:30 am

Wisdom from Feminist Unitarians
Sue Sparlin and friends
Today we start a new year. Do we have the courage to practice new ways of thinking, of being together? Over the past decades feminist Unitarians have challenged our base assumptions, have questioned whether our Unitarian structures and institutions truly reflect our values, or whether our values are rooted primarily in patristictic biases. For this service I will focus on those feminist Unitarian writings that I find uplifting and hopeful as we re-commit to creating a community of inclusion and balance for all living beings.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Jan 8

10:30 am

Out of the Flames
Rev. Samaya Oakley
Join us for our first Fire Communion service since 2020.
Out of the flames of 2022 we rise. We rise for courage and conviction, knowing that being on the side of love and justice is who we are. Out of the flames we rise with hope in our hearts to help heal a broken world. Out of the flames we rise with love in our hearts that celebrates our shared humanity.
Sunday,
Jan 15

10:30 am

A Brave Faith
Rev. Brian Kiely
There have been some Unitarians and Universalists in the past who risked a great deal on behalf of their beliefs. Some even risked their lives. Those aren’t problems we face today in Canada, but sometimes it still takes courage to speak out for what we believe.
Sunday,
Jan 22

10:30 am

Bubbles of Joy
Worship Services Committee
A focus on joy seems to be bubbling up in many places these days. In dark times in the world, people often turn to joy as a counterbalance to the dark and a shift in perspective about worldly challenges. What brings you joy? What are recommended ways to fill our lives with joy? Going beyond talk, let’s take some time to be joyful together.
Sunday,
Jan 29

10:30 am

An Interesting UU History Part 1: Europe
Rev. Brian Kiely
Did you know, Unitarianism was once the national faith of a country? Or that a Unitarian god missed being official doctrine by a narrow vote? Or that a very early Universalist was condemned as a heretic more than a century after his death? UU history is full of interesting characters.
Sunday,
Feb 5

10:30 am

An Interesting UU History Part 2: North America
Rev. Brian Kiely
The odd stories of our tradition are not just confined to the Old World. Today I will use a few more stories to highlight the history of our faith on this continent.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Feb 12

10:30 am

Yes, I Believe: An Atheist’s Truths
Marilyn Medèn

In a Valentine’s Day take on love we will explore our truths. We will look at belief and life, truth and community. If you do not love God, who do you love? Whether you are God-oriented or not there are questions… and Marilyn will answer them according to her beliefs.

Sunday,
Feb 19

10:30 am

Finding Yourself First
Rev. Brian Kiely
Many of us were taught that prayer was something that went from you to… somewhere or someone else. But the American preacher and activist Howard Thurman held that prayer was really an inward journey. Before we can work for the world, we have to find ourselves first.
Sunday,
Feb 26

10:30 am

“Happy Birthday to Us!”
Rev. Brian Kiely
It’s Beacon’s 40th birthday. Let’s reminisce and look forward as well. And for you who can make it to Sapperton Hall… there will be cake!

November and December Services

Sunday,
Nov 6

10:30 am

Dwelling in the Realm of Death
Dr. Susan Breiddal
Join us for conversations around grief and loss, with Dr. Susan Breiddal. In this service Dr. Breiddal, who was a Victoria Hospice counsellor for the past twenty years, will use storytelling to present a picture of what it is like to work in hospice care and serve the dying and their families. She will be available for questions and discussion after the service. Her main motivation in promoting her book is the thought that some might be inspired to open discussion with others about death, and that people will learn it is not so scary to say what really needs to be said. Dr. Breiddal’s book, In the Shadow of Angels: Intimate Stories from a Hospice Counsellor (2021 FriesenPress) is available at Friesen Press or amazon.ca.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Nov 13

10:30 am

Good and Evil – Gifts of Nature
Speaker: Phil Campbell

Are good and evil absolutes, or are they a reflection of the way nature works? Myths and metaphors – originally intended to help us understand the ebb and flow of nature – have been reified in Western religion and culture, polarizing our views of “right” and “wrong”. Maybe it is time to redefine Good and Evil once again, allowing the ethnic forms to dissolve and then resolve into something new.

Sunday,
Nov 20

10:30 am

“Who Was This Jesus Guy Anyway?”
Rev Brian Kiely
A lot of UUs have trouble with Jesus because his story has been weaponized, fictionalized (well it’s mostly fiction) and turned into a tool for keeping people in line. And that’s just wrong! Today I will try to peel back some of the bad PR and try to explore what we actually know with the help of John Shelby Spong’s writings.
Sunday,
Nov 27

10:30 am

Anticipation
Rev. Brian Kiely

Today marks the start of Advent, a season of anticipation in the Christian calendar. It is a time of preparation, for all kinds of things… for a time of family, or perhaps a time without family. It can be joyous, arduous or something in-between. The holiday season is inescapable. How we prepare ourselves matters.

Sunday,
Dec 4

10:30 am

Waiting for Joy
Rev. Samaya Oakley

Through the experience of joy, Researcher Matthew Kuan Johnson shares that we become more truly ourselves – the colours seem brighter, physical movements feel freer and easier, and smiling happens involuntarily. Join Rev. Samaya for an exploration of what the sacred texts have to say about waiting for joy even when the days are dark.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Dec 11

10:30 am

Joy To The World
Rev. Debra Faulk
We will use the lyrics of this the well-known Christmas carol, written more than 300 years ago, as inspiration to explore some of the deeper meanings of joy.
Bio: Debra Faulk, Minister Emerita, recently retired after serving Calgary Unitarians for eleven years. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and has served the wider denomination since her youth. She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from UVic and a Masters degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. Her passions include interfaith collaboration, community organizing, and gardening.
Sunday,
Dec 18

10:30 am

A Christmas Carol
Rev. Brian Kiely

Since a very young age I have been entranced by Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, both the book and the film, (you know…THE film…with Alastair Sim…in black and white!). But it was only decades later that I learned that this is at its heart, and in its creation, a Unitarian Christmas story.
Saturday,
Dec 24

7:00 pm

Christmas Eve Service, 7 pm on Zoom only
Rev. Brian Kiely

Come and join me in Zoomland for a simple service of readings and music and candles and reflections. I have never been one in my career for big Christmas Eve shows. I thought it mean to recruit a boatload of volunteers on this silent night. So let’s enjoy a quiet time in what is sometimes a holiday storm. Bring a candle or two and maybe a cup of cheer.
Sunday,
Dec. 25

Times to be announced

Christmas Day – Online Hosted Conversations (no service)
In lieu of a service, we will be offering three times during the day when you can connect with a host and others online (as we’ve done in the past couple of years). Look for more information in December’s Beacon This Week and on the website for details as to times and the Zoom registration connection.

Past Services

September and October 2022

Sunday,
Sep 11

10:30 am

The Annual Water Ceremony
Worship Services Committee
Beacon’s program year starts again with this special service. At this annual, all-ages ceremony we pour water from various sources into one common bowl, symbolizing the re-gathering of this community after a summer break.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Sep 18

10:30 am

“If you’re a church, then how come…?”
Rev. Brian Kiely
For a lot of us explaining Unitarianism can be a challenge, especially when people ask with their own ideas of what a church should be. Today let’s explore some of the basics we hold dear.
Sunday,
Sep 25

10:30 am

Lifelong Learning
Rev. Brian Kiely
Learning is a key element in practicing a liberal religion. Ideas must always be tested. In these days of social media lunacy and conspiracy gone wild, it’s even more important to maintain our own thoughtful integrity.
Sunday,
Oct 2

10:30 am

Sociocracy
Service Coordinator: Marilyn Medèn
Eight Beaconites have found a wise method of decision making. It allows us to make decisions using consent rather than majority voting. It goes a long way in producing good decisions by encouraging different points of view and having checks and balances. The method is ‘Sociocracy’. It’s inclusive and connecting. We will enjoy sharing this method with you on Sunday, October 2nd.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Summer 2022

Sunday,
Jul 10

11:00 am

Poetry, Prose & Music Service: The Advantages of Diversity
Service Coordinator: Marilyn Medèn
At eleven in the morning, on July 10th, in the exuberance of John Hagen’s garden, [but inside if necessary], you are invited to enjoy music, prose, poetry and even food to celebrate the advantages of diversity. John Hagen, Marylke Nieuwenhuis and Sue Sparlin will provide inspirational music.

(Please check the o-line directory for John’s address, or fill out the Beacon Connecting Form if you are a newcomer).

Sunday,
Aug 14

11:00 am

Worship in the Park: Celebrating Our Diverse Self-Expression
Service Coordinator: Sue Sparlin (Beacon member and Lay Chaplain)

Please join us for song and celebration on the theme of our diverse self-expression. Bring your own lawn chair and perhaps snacks or a picnic lunch for afterwards. We will meet in Sapperton Park. Look for the Beacon Banner.

Sunday,
Aug 28

10:30 am

Summer Singing Service
Service Coordinator: Peggy Lunderville

All ages are welcome to join us for a morning of singing/playing at Peggy Lunderville’s home (please check the on-line directory for contact info, or fill out the Beacon Connecting Form if you are a newcomer). This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect as a community in the summer as we sing our favourite hymns from the charcoal and teal hymnbooks, as well as the “Joyce Poley” songbooks. Bring musical instruments if you wish to accompany. If you have a hymn you would like to see included, please contact Peggy Lunderville ahead of time. There will also be room for some requests at the service itself. Potluck lunch to follow (tea, coffee, juice and water will be provided). Our home is wheelchair accessible.

June 2022

Sunday,
Jun 5

10:30 am

Work: A Collaborative Service
Rev. Brian Kiely and the Worship Services Committee
What is the meaning of work in your life? Is it joyful? Is it…well…work? Are there hardships? In this collaborative service we will listen to Beaconites reflecting on the meaning of work in their lives. If you would like to speak for 3–5 minutes, or contribute words to be read by others, please contact Brian at brikie@aol.com. We will also have a time for comments from the floor, Zoom style.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Jun 12

10:30 am

Pride and Parenting
Rev. Brian Kiely
Some of the earliest memories my children have is their annual participation in the “Rainbow Parade”. They began in strollers. Unitarians and especially Edmonton Unitarians have a long tradition of supporting the ever evolving alphabet of LGBTQ2S persons. Last year it went from “the right thing for me to do” to something more personal as my now son came out as Trans. Declan will share his transition perspective as well.
Sunday,
Jun 19

10:30 am

Solstice, Summer and Slowing Down
Rev. Brian Kiely
In this last regular service of the year, the members of Beacon can unknot their shoulders and say, “We made it!” Made it through another COVID year, made it though Zoom services, perhaps made it even back to a hopeful place of ‘perhaps next year will be different’. But today is a day to let go awhile and take a collective breath. It’s a day of gratitude.

May 2022

Sunday,
May 1

10:30 am

Gather Round the Maypole
Rev. Brian Kiely
Since the 13th century, this ritual of Spring and fertility celebrated the joy of the returning warmth (I know, I know, B.C. has been warm and springy for MONTHS). It’s earthy, sexual, and was therefore banned by later Puritans. So let’s talk about delightful earthiness.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
May 8

10:30 am

Think Globally, Act Locally – An Honouring of Women Both Far and Near
Guest Speaker: Janet Pivnick
On this day in which we honour mothers, grandmothers, aunts and all those women who raise us, nurture us and mentor us, let’s celebrate the ways in which Unitarians are supporting women around the world. Sending humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees in Hungary and participating in the recent NGO Commission on the Status of Women are just two of the recent Unitarian social justice activities that focus on the rights of women and girls. We’ll lift up the women in our lives and explore the work that Unitarians are doing in support of women.
Sunday,
May 15

10:00 am

10 AM: CUC National Service: A service for all Canadian Unitarians
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
We invite you to take a deep, deep breath. Join us Sunday, May 15 for a restorative service. Together, we will pause to reflect on the breath that sustains us.
Sunday, May 22

10:30 am

The Power of One: Medicine Wheel and the Number ZERO
Sharon Jinkerson-Brass (a multifaith series video)
Living relationally means connecting to all of creation in our Indigenous ways of being and doing. Sharon will share time honoured traditions around being connected to the past, present and the future as well as our environment and the spirit world. Living relationally means embracing the notion that life is a ceremony.
Sunday,
May 29

10:30 am

Finding Yourself First
Rev. Brian Kiely
The core of spirituality is inside us. We can be shown techniques, taught words and practices but in the end, the spiritual journey is inward towards the centre of our being.

April 2022

Sunday,
Apr 3

10:30 am

Ideas, Ideals, and Ideologues
Phillip Campbell
The world today seems to be rife with clashing ideologies—perhaps it always has been. People are willing to risk relationships, jobs and life itself for ideologies that move them so much they feel they must impose them on everyone else at almost any cost. Today we will look at how ideas become ideals and how idealogues develop from ideals.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Apr 10

10:30 am

Admitting Courage
Rev. Brian Kiely
What does it take to be courageous in our own lives? I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit.
Sunday,
Apr 17

10:00 am

Wisdom from Hinduism
Rev. Abhi Janamanchi
(a multifaith series video)

Bio: The Rev. Abhi Janamanchi currently serves as Senior Minister of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, MD. Born and raised in southern India, Abhi moved to the US in 1994. He is a third-generation member of the Brahmo Samaj, a Unitarian Hindu reform movement with ties to Unitarian Universalism. Abhi graduated from Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago in 1998. Abhi has been actively involved in international interfaith and multicultural work for over two decades including serving as President of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF).

Sunday, Apr 24

10:30 am

Not Unhappy
Rev. Brian Kiely
Our culture seems hell bent on having us live in sunshine and happiness all the time. Is that possible? Or even a good thing to desire?

March 2022

Sunday,
Mar. 6

10:00 am

The View from Space
Rev. Brian Kiely
The rash of billionaires taking their ecstatic 10-minute thrill rides has brought back the excitement of space flight. The first astronauts discovered humbling insights in their journeys back in the 1960s. In this service I will use the words of those flight pioneers to focus on the enlightenment of space exploration.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Mar. 13

10:30 am

Singing in the Shower
Rev. Brian Kiely
I was one of those kids told to just mouth the words in the elementary school pageant songs. I never drew, because I didn’t think I could. I never risked writing a story outside of an English assignment. I was afraid to be shamed by critics. I thought art was something to be judged by others. It’s not.
Sunday,
Mar. 20

10:30 am

Going From Woke to Wise
Speaker: Sukhvinder Kaur Vinning (a multifaith series video)
There are far more woke people than ever before, yet we still struggle with conflict in this world, often with well intentioned woke people. It is not enough to be woke. We must cultivate wisdom, the practice of putting our knowledge into action and learning from our results. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the holy religious scripture of Sikhism) contains wisdom from many traditions and cultures, and in this spirit, we will be focusing on teachings from Passover, Easter and Vaisakhi, to explore how to shift from woke to wise. Participants are encouraged to be familiar with the term ‘woke’ and the history of Passover, Easter and Vaisakhi as the service will focus on the teachings rather than historical context.

Born in BC, Sukhvinder Kaur Vinning is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant. She works with decision makers to build cultures of equity and respect with diverse colleagues, staff, clients and stakeholders. She is passionate about de-colonizing societal systems and is developing non-colonial systems and relationships with Indigenous communities. Sukhvinder has years of experience in fostering trust and understanding, and collaborates with partners from diverse backgrounds to catalyze positive social change rooted in leadership of self. She is working on how to respond to climate change in a non-colonial way and create measurable change. She brings an extensive interfaith background to her work.

Sunday, Mar. 27

10:30 am

Foolish Sunday
Brian Kiely and others
On this Sunday closest to April Fool’s Day, we’ll share music, storytelling, and playful joy. Although we live in difficult times, we can keep our sense of humour. Bring a joke to share and come join the fun!

Note: Brian says he needs your help with this service, so if you would like to contribute a song, a story, a poem or even a charming cat video, please let him know.

February 2022

Sunday,
Feb. 6

10:00 am

Celebration and Contemplation: The Path of an 8th Principle
Service Leaders: Revs. Victoria Ingram and Meghann Robern
Unitarians and Universalists have been on the forefront of social change and justice seeking for hundreds of years. In November 2021, congregations of the Canadian Unitarian Council once again stepped forward, this time to commit ourselves to dismantling racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion for all people. Be part of celebrating this commitment to foundational social change as we contemplate the steps we take to move forward in our commitment to justice in ourselves, our denomination, and our larger society.
Join us live on Zoom or the CUC’s YouTube channel. If you are unable to attend, the service will be made available early the following week. Call in toll-free: 1-855 703 8985; Meeting ID 847 1005 5117; Passcode: 482463. To register please go here.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Feb. 13

10:30 am

For the Love Of Beacon
Beacon is turning 39! Join the Religious Exploration committee, the Connecting committee, and Worship Services as we celebrate Beacon’s birthday with a special emphasis on Religious Exploration. We will conduct a ritual of remembrance and appreciation in honour of our DRE extraordinaire, Ashley Cole, who will be leaving at the end of February. We will thank her for her service to Beacon over the past six years.
Sunday,
Feb. 20

10:30 am

Charting Dark Spaces: Philosophizing in a time of Cholera
Speaker: Dr. Kira Tomsons
Service Leader: Susan White
In a time of social upheaval, it can be difficult to find a way forward amidst despair and overwhelming access to information about events in the world. Philosophy, while perhaps often seen as aloof and above such things, actually can help provide a light with its commitment to wisdom, values, and critical engagement with our experiences, so that we might walk a path into, through, and out of the darkness.

Bio: Kira Tomsons is a faculty instructor at Douglas College. She writes and teaches about the ethics of care, feminist considerations in bioethics and business ethics, and the ethics of lying to children. She hangs out with her wife, children and two cats, playing video games, knitting and dabbling with art.

Sunday, Feb. 27

10:30 am

We are Called to be People of Empathy
Guest Speaker: Ken Madden (A Multi-Faith Series Video)
Empathy can be said to be ‘the caring that arises when there is understanding.’

Bio: Ken’s walk started as a Deacon in a mainstream Lutheran Church. Further in his walk, Sensei Ken was ordained in Kyoto and has taught the buddhadharma for over a decade at a Calgary Buddhist Temple. He has been the University of Calgary Buddhist Chaplain and worked for interfaith harmony before recently returning to the Vancouver area where he grew up. He created and has run ‘The Circle’ sangha: their mindful practices of ‘emotional intelligence’ now align with Calgary Buddhist Meditation where online circumstance allows him to remain a teacher. His approach is non-sectarian and practical, and he is delighted when Buddhist understanding aligns with science. Oh! and this life can be joyful and fun and kind when we allow our difficulties to drift away!

Past Services

January 2022

Sunday,
Jan. 2

10:30 am

Welcome to 2022
Service Leaders: Worship Services Committee
Join Beacon’s Worship Services Committee for a social hour on Zoom to share our good wishes for the new year. Bring snacks and beverages of your choice—
eggnog and fruitcake anyone? Bring poetry, readings and songs to share as you feel moved.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Jan. 9

10:30 am

Is it a bird, is it a plane, or …
Guest Minister: Rev Debra Faulk
The superheroes of each generation inform us in unique ways about which values are being focussed on during their time. This morning let us explore differences, and let us open avenues of deeper intergenerational understanding and communication.

Bio: Debra Faulk, Minister Emerita, recently retired after serving Calgary Unitarians for eleven years. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and has served the wider denomination since her youth. She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from UVic and a Masters degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. Her passions include interfaith collaboration, community organizing, and gardening. She is now into a new venture of home co-ownership in Victoria.

Sunday,
Jan. 16

10:30 am

Eat/Pray/Love: What would a sabbatical year look like in your life?
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
The Old Testament designates every seventh year as a Sabbatical Year also known as Shmita. The observance of Shmita has seen a resurgence in recent years. 2021-2022 is a Shmita year and I have been engaged in a year-long exploration of “sabbatical” purposes and practices. Today, we’ll look at the theological roots, the modern practices and what a sabbatical year could look like in your life.
Sunday, Jan. 23

10:30 am

Who are we called to be?
Presenter: Connie Waterman
The sacred writings of the Bahá’í faith say that from the struggles of humanity must arise a new race of people, one that will emerge from its present stage of adolescence to adulthood and maturity. What does this mean? Who are we called to be?

Bio: Connie is a certified fitness consultant now retired and living in Comox. She is a member of the Bahá’í Faith, serving for almost 50 years as an elected member of her local Spiritual Assembly. Connie was a founding member of the Surrey Interfaith Council and is the past president of the board of the Multifaith Action Society (MAS), the oldest interfaith group in the province.

Sunday, Jan. 31

10:30 am

“Global Unitarianism”
Guest Speaker: Rev Brian Kiely
Bending the theme of “World Religions” slightly, I have had the pleasure of being active with Unitarianism internationally for many years.  On any given Sunday, what you get will depend on where you are in our UU global community.

Bio: Brian Kiely recently retired from 22 years of service at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. Before that he spent a decade at South Fraser and even spent a year being the very part-time minister at Beacon. Brian is a former president of the CUC and the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists along with a couple of stints on the Executive of the UU Ministers of Canada. In “retirement” he is enjoying experiencing the gig economy with a judicatory position for the City of Edmonton, as well as working on municipal and federal elections and the Canadian Census.

December 2021

Sunday,
Dec. 5

10:30 am

Responding to Adversity
Guest Speaker: Ahmed Khan (a multi-faith series video)
Life is essentially comedy and tragedy. These are the two great stages humans find themselves repeatedly entering. In an age of political divisiveness, social justice activism, and mass shootings, what is our response to these tragedies? In this reflection video, Ahmed Khan explains the Islamic perspective on responding to adversity through the tribulations of the Prophet Muhammad.

Bio: Ahmed Khan is a writer, keynote speaker, and lecturer with a special focus on Islam. He previously served as the President of the Simon Fraser University Muslim Student Association where he acted as a chaplain and community leader. He has conducted lectures at prominent institutions such as SFU, Capilano University, and the Muslim Association of Canada. During his spare time, Ahmed loves to read, spend time with family, write poetry, and practice Jiu-Jitsu.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Dec. 12

10:30 am

The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
Service Leaders: Ashley Cole and Susan White, with all-ages participation
Join us for our annual all-ages pageant. Our tale this year, adapted from the story by Lemony Snicket, and told by a core group of narrators and actors, is about an irate latke at Hanukkah that escapes from being cooked in a hot frying pan. During his escape he runs into various Christmas characters who are unfamiliar with the customs of Hanukkah. Come and join the fun!
Sunday,
Dec. 19

10:30 am

What Would Jesus Do?
Guest Speakers: Revs. Debra Faulk and Samaya Oakley (a multi-faith series video)
Service Leader: Glenn Wootton
What are the gifts from our Christian heritage that would help us to answer the question: Who are we called to be? In this season that highlights the Christian tradition, let us explore this question.

Bio: Debra Faulk, Minister Emerita, recently retired after serving Calgary Unitarians for eleven years. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and has served the wider denomination since her youth. She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from UVic and a Masters degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. Her passions include interfaith collaboration, community organizing, and gardening. She is now into a new venture of home co-ownership in Victoria.

Bio: The Rev. Samaya Oakley serves as the Minister for the South Fraser Unitarian Congregation. After attending the North Shore Unitarian Church, she quickly became active continentally through the Youth Office of the UUA. She also is a facilitator for all levels of the Our Whole Lives program. She was a member of the team that prepared the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guides—five age-appropriate reflection guides for use in Canadian UU congregations.

Friday, Dec. 24

7 pm

Friday, Dec. 24, 7 PM
A Child is Born
Join South Fraser Unitarian Congregation for our online Christmas Eve service. In our lessons and carols service, we’ll take time to remember the ancient story of the birth of Jesus—and what it means for our lives today.
Note: Pre-registration is required. Please fill out the form at: https://surreyunitarians.ca/worship/access-our-online-worship/
Sunday, Dec. 26

10:30 am

Our Truths!
Service leaders: Marilyn Medén and Susan White
We are nearing the end of the year, and we look back, even over our lives, and try to make some sense out of existence. Do we refer to outside sources? Do we look to our own experiences? What ideas influence our human selves, those lives that are always in the process of becoming? Marilyn Medén will use ideas from Steven Pinker and Scott Barry Kaufman, then she and other Beaconites will speak of some beliefs we have and maybe even live by. Truth can be difficult to pin down! But we will try.

November 2021

Sunday,
Nov 7

10:30 am

Being Good Without God
Guest Speaker: Rev. Debra Faulk
Service Leader: Glenn Wootton
One of the challenges raised to Unitarian Universalists by more traditional religionists is how can we be good without the idea of an external motivator. Our claim is that we are people of deeds not creeds. What then is the motivation to do good deeds?

Bio: Debra Faulk, Minister Emerita, recently retired after serving Calgary Unitarians for eleven years. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and has served the wider denomination since her youth. She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from UVic and a Masters degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. Her passions include interfaith collaboration, community organizing, and gardening. She is now into a new venture of home co-ownership in Victoria.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Nov. 14

10:30 am

Humanism
Speaker: Phil Campbell
Service Leader: Marilyn Medén
Humanism is a philosophy that encourages people to think for themselves, valuing science and reason. It is focused on human means for comprehending reality and pursuing good. Humanist ethics are based on respect for all life and regard human values as having meaning in the context of human life rather than the promise of life after death. How do these words act as one of our sources? How do they influence the way of life of those who are Humanists? Phil Campbell will explore these ideas.
Sunday,
Nov. 21

10:30 am

Respectful Passion: What’s Really Important?
Guest Speaker: Rev. Brian Kiely
Many congregations in Canada have been struggling with the proposed 8th Principle. Passions run high on both sides. So how do we have a respectful discussion? And more importantly what will happen to the community that is Beacon once the vote is taken? (P.S. Brian has taken no position regarding the 8th Principle.)

Bio: Brian Kiely recently retired from 22 years of service at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. Before that he spent a decade at South Fraser and even spent a year being the very part-time minister at Beacon. Brian is a former president of the CUC and the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists along with a couple of stints on the Executive of the UU Ministers of Canada. In “retirement” he is enjoying experiencing the gig economy with a judicatory position for the City of Edmonton, as well as working on municipal and federal elections and the Canadian Census.

Sunday, Nov. 28

10:00 am

Change by Nature
National CUC Service
Led by youth and young adults, this service recognizes and celebrates our 60-year history, and calls on us to fulfill the possibilities of our future together. Come for a delightful and spiritual experience! Register here.

October 2021

Sunday,
Oct 3

10:30 am

In the Flow
Guest Speaker: Debra Faulk
Service Leader: Glenn Wootton
The theme of Water and Life inspires reflection on the communal and individual capacity to stay in the flow and get through the rapids of life and change while keeping our own boat, and the vessel of community, afloat.
Bio: Debra Faulk, Minister Emerita, recently retired after serving Calgary Unitarians for eleven years. She is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and has served the wider denomination since her youth. She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology from UVic and a Masters degree from the Vancouver School of Theology. Her passions include interfaith collaboration, community organizing, and gardening. She is now into a new venture of home co-ownership in Victoria.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Oct 10

10:30 am

Eco-Change Challenge
Rev. Meg Roberts and Teresa Morton
Our planet is challenged as are so many of us during this past year and a half. In response to the signals of the climate crisis—drought, fires and floods—we know we need each other to work together for change at both the smaller and the larger levels. Join Teresa and Meg in exploring some of our fears, challenges, and hopes for eco-change in our individual lives and in society around us. When we come together as a team and a community, we can make a difference as part of a larger network of change agents. Check out the 3-week Eco-Challenge that is running October 6th to 27th—we hope you’ll join our Unitarian team! (type in MetroVan to find the team—the password is ‘2021Unis!’). Come and learn more—you may be inspired and find your own way of engaging with the challenge of eco-change.
Sunday,
Oct 17

10:30 am

All Gathered Here and Those Far Away
Service Coordinators: The Beacon Pledge Drive Team
We give thanks to all the amazing people who share their talents and treasure at Beacon. This Sunday we will be highlighting some of this talent in appreciation of all that has sustained us as a community through these challenging times.
Sunday,
Oct 24

10:30 am

Money Matters
It seems odd to have a visiting minister exhorting a community to give to the annual pledge drive (though I probably will…a little). Instead, I want to look at the way money matters in our lives. What is its purpose? Its usefulness? What degree of control does it exert on our lives.

Rev. Brian Kiely recently retired from 22 years of service at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. Before that he spent a decade at South Fraser and even spent a year being the very part-time minister at Beacon. Brian is a former President of the CUC and the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists along with a couple of stints on the Executive of the UU Ministers of Canada. In “retirement” he is enjoying experiencing the gig economy with a judicatory position for the City of Edmonton, as well as working on municipal and federal elections and the Canadian Census.

Sunday,
Oct 31

10:30 am

An All Hallows’ Eve and Samhain Journey
Guest Speaker (Video): Rev. Mary Malinski
Service Leader: Rev. Samaya Oakley
Come to this fun service where we will be honouring our ancestors in the All Hallows’ Eve spirit. We will also include our second installment of the multifaith series this year: a short video by our multifaith Wiccan colleague, Reverend Mary Malinski. According to Rev. Mary: “The goddess Hekate has become increasingly popular in recent years. She is known by many epithets—Mother of Witches, Keeper of the Keys of Wisdom, Torchbearer, and Goddess of the Crossroads, among others. She is a goddess of the dark time, both the dark of the moon and the dark of the year. We will talk about the celebration of Samhain, and take a meditation journey to visit our ancestors with Hekate’s guidance.”

Guest Speaker Bio: Reverend Mary Malinski is the Archpriestess of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Canada, and the founder of the Circle of the Sacred Muse, the public ritual group of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church. She has been leading rituals for more than 20 years, and writing guided meditations for almost as long. Mary also teaches at the Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, and holds a Bachelor in Wiccan Ministry from the same school.

September 2021

Sunday,
Sep 12

10:30 am

The Annual Water Ceremony
Multiplatform: In-Person at Sapperton and Online via Zoom
Rev. Meg Roberts and the Worship Services Committee
Beacon’s program year starts again with this special service. At this annual, all-ages ceremony we pour water from various sources into one common bowl, symbolizing the re-gathering of this community after a summer break.
We will be adapting this ceremony to be within Beacon’s COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines (as well as the Provincial Health Officer’s orders). In-person attendance will be limited and will require an RSVP. If all the available spots are filled, you can always join us online—indeed some may prefer to connect virtually. Meeting in Sapperton Hall will include extra safety precautions (considering the Delta variant). We look forward to seeing you and creating this ritual of belonging together.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Sep 19

10:30 am

Meeting Youth Where They Are
Multiplatform: In-Person at Sapperton and Online via Zoom
Guest Speaker: Jessica Williams, Executive Director Access Youth Outreach Services Society
Service leaders: Glenn Wootton and Susan White
Beacon’s Sharing the Plate recipient for the coming year is Access Youth. Its purpose is to enhance the quality of life for youth in the Tri Cities and Ridge Meadows communities who are marginalized, isolated, homeless or at risk of homelessness. They do this through building relationships by enhancing youths’ connection with community and by strengthening family relationships by bringing services to them. For more information: www.accessyouth.org.
Sunday,
Sep 26

10:30 am

Who are we called to be in today’s world?
Online via Zoom
Rev. Meg Roberts
This service kicks off a series of services over this year. Our sister congregation in Surrey/White Rock, South Fraser Unitarians and Rev. Samaya Oakley invited Beacon to join in a multifaith exploration one Sunday each month: a guest speaker sends us a video exploring a question inspired by their own religious tradition. We are lucky to have Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan share her reflections in this first short video on the question, “Who are we called to be in today’s world?” Following that will be small group conversation about our own thoughts and feelings.
To respond to this question as a community, we invite all ages to wear an orange shirt as we mark the September 30th first annual “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.” Orange Shirt Day commemorations have been happening since 2013. This day is “to honour Survivors of Residential Schools, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.” Want to know how to talk to your kids, grandkids, young relatives and friends about this? See this article, “What is Orange Shirt Day?
Engaging with this topic can be very challenging:
• For survivors and their families, The Indian Residential School Survivors Society 24-hour crisis line is available at 1-866-925-4419.
• At Beacon, if you are wanting a listening ear or support, whether you are Indigenous, multi-ancestry, or non-Indigenous, please contact us: pastoralcare@beaconunitarian.org or Rev. Meg Roberts, minister@beaconunitarian.org, 778-870-9015

Past Services

June 2021

Sunday,
Jun 6

10:30 am

Living with Hope and Gratitude
Service Leader: Rev. Meg Roberts
What gives you hope? What do you feel grateful for these days? This month, we will be exploring how we cultivate hope and gratitude in our lives, in our families and in our Beacon community. Hope you can join us! We’ll also have a new member ceremony that day to officially welcome members into the Beacon congregation.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Jun 13

10:30 am

A Compassionate City
Guest Speaker: Kay Johnson, a Founder of New West Hospice Society
Service Leaders: Heather Brown and Susan White. Music by Michael Scales.
Kay worked for 45 years in nursing and, noticing her gifts of acceptance, care and lack of fear in the presence of the dying, she gravitated towards hospice and palliative care. It was this work that inspired her to start New West Hospice Society. It isn’t a building, but a network of community based supports that show compassion for the dying and their loved ones. It’s about neighbour helping neighbour, providing practical and emotional support.
New West Hospice Society: Our mission is to promote and affirm that dying, death and grief are part of life across the life span. Our vision: We will work to build a community where death is no longer hidden or whispered about; where people know what to say and do to be supportive; where residents can die with dignity; and family and friends can grieve well. It is a model of care based on the Compassionate City Charter (founder Allan Kellehear): “A compassionate city is a community that recognizes that care for one another at times of crisis and loss is not simply a task solely for health and social services but is everyone’s responsibility.” For more information visit: https://www.compassionate-communitiesuk.co.uk/the-compassionate-city-charter.
Sunday,
Jun 20

10:00 am

All-Ages Flower Celebration
Co-leaders: Ashley Cole and Rev. Meg Roberts
Join us for a participatory, all-ages flower celebration reflecting on what we are grateful for and what brings us hope. You are invited to bring a flower with you and you will have time in small groups to share on how our various flowers represent our hopes and gratitude from this past year and how they (virtually) come together to make a beautiful bouquet! As we close out this church year, let us celebrate each other and the gift that Beacon is in our lives.

May 2021

Sunday,
May 2

10:30 am

Companions on the Way
Guest Minister: Rev. Katie Stein Sather
Friends are precious. If we didn’t really know it before, the pandemic has given us cause to treasure them all the more. Let’s think about our friends, and how we treasure them.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
May 9

10:30 am

Principled Living—Our Challenges and Our Joys
Service Leader: Rev. Meg Roberts and Friends
Come hear from fellow Unitarians and Universalists about the challenges and joys they have found in living these principles we affirm. What do these principles mean to you with regards to what you face in your life?
Sunday,
May 16

10:00 am

10 am Pacific Time (1.5 hrs)
National Service Online—Multigenerational Worship Service
Now, more than ever we need to be grounded in connection, in hope, and in love. As the cycles of the seasons teach us the gifts of the dark as well as the light, we still need energy—a spark—to fuel living into our aspirations and values no matter the season, the struggle, or the celebration. This Sunday service will celebrate how our UU faith and our connections are crucial to sustaining and amplifying that spark. All are welcome to join us at our Sunday Worship Service.
The Sunday service will be live-streamed on Zoom at http://bit.ly/NationalWorshipMay16 (Meeting ID: 885 0018 9706, Passcode: 595025) and will be closed captioned, and on the CUC’s YouTube Channel.
Please note: Beacon will not be offering a separate service on May 16, so we hope you’ll join us as we connect with other Unitarians and Universalists across this country. Your Pastoral Support Team will be offering a virtual way to post your joys and sorrows at Beacon that weekend, so we can remain in touch. Watch for more details through the e-news Beacon This Week, or contact us at pastoralcare@beaconunitarian.org.
Sunday,
May 23

10:30 am

True Facts
Guest Speaker: Lea Morris
Service Coordinator: Susan White
Most of the facts of life are indisputable. Except in few cases, the truth is open to discussion.
Speaker Bio: “A great voice singing great songs.” That is the simplest way to introduce you to LEA’s music. While she often draws comparisons to other female phenoms like Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco, LEA’s sound seamlessly blends gospel, jazz, country and R&B into her own style—SoulFolk. LEA performs at a far-ranging array of venues, including arts centers, universities, festivals, and places of worship. She is consistently acknowledged by the Washington Area Music Association as one of the region’s best vocalists, songwriters and recording artists. More info at www.thisisLEA.com.
Sunday,
May 30

10:30 am

What helps us sustain our light as Unitarian Universalists?
Service Leader: Rev. Meg Roberts
We can feel isolated as a small movement in the religious world. After communing online with other Unitarian Universalists earlier this month, I will share some of the stimulating ideas and heart-lifting moments I gleaned from my experiences at our annual Canadian Unitarian Council’s conference. Our light is stronger than we think and we can help it grow even brighter!

April 2021

Sunday,
Apr 4

10:30 am

Working Against Racism: Finding Inspiration Close to Home
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
When I was asked to offer a service on Martin Luther King on the anniversary of his death, I became curious about the men and women who have fought for civil rights in our own country. What are their stories? Where can we turn for home-grown inspiration as we grapple with anti-black racism in Canada? What lessons do they offer that speak to our context? In this month in which we contemplate the Unitarian Universalist’s proposed 8th principle focusing on anti-racism, I will share some of what I have been discovering.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Apr 11

10:30 am

How Do You Talk About Racism?
Service Leader: Rev. Meg Roberts
I believe it is important to speak up when things are said that are racist, including with family and friends. Yet how do I do it in a way that will be effective in helping dismantle racism while still connecting within that relationship? I and a few other Beaconites attended a Canadian Unitarian Council workshop by Dr. David Campt that gave us some tools to do just that. I will share what I’m learning about how to bring compassion, as well as an effective method to further those conversations.
Sunday,
Apr 18

10:30 am

In Praise of Dirt
Service Leaders: Ashley Cole and Susan White
Come join us for an all ages Dirt Ceremony as we celebrate Earth Day by honouring the Earth and the communities of those who care for it. We will take time to reflect on our own personal connection to dirt and explore the resiliency of farmers, activists and Earth defenders around the world. You are invited to bring a small sample of dirt from your backyard, local playground, beach or even a potted plant, bin of compost or simply a memory—any dirt that resonates with you!
Sunday,
Apr 25

10:30 am

Joyfully Thankful for All of You
Service Co-leaders: Rev. Meg Roberts & Friends
I appreciate you, all of you—those new to us, those who have been around for years, and especially our families. And all the ways you are part of this community: those who come on Sundays or in small groups, or who are part of our phone web; those who participate in meetings, and the leaders and staff who run them and the many Beacon programs. Without you, this community would not exist. With you, we can thrive. Today is about showing that gratitude and appreciation. We’ll have a shorter service today, as our annual general meeting will follow on Zoom after a short break. Join us and celebrate!

March 2021

Sunday,
Mar 7

10:30 am

Singing Our Way Through
Guest Song Leader:
Rev. Wendy Luella Perkins
Service Leader: Susan White
When the first lock-down happened back in March 2020, singer-songwriter and UU community minister Wendy Luella Perkins pivoted her in-person singing meditation practice, Soulful Singing, to an online one. She has been singing every morning with folks since then. Today Wendy Luella will look back at this most difficult and unusual year through the lens of some of the songs she has written over the last twelve months. This will be a highly participatory, song-filled service.
Wendy Luella is committed to creating spaces where folks can access and liberate their voices. In her Soulful Singing over the last 19 years, she has seen again and again the power of song to support folks to heal, grow and step more fully into their own authentic power. Her song “We Give Thanks”, #1010 in Singing the Journey and her seasonal song “Every Night a Holy Night” are sung and shared in UU congregations around the continent.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Mar 14

10:30 am

One Year Later on Zoom: How are you doing?
Beacon’s Pastoral Support Team: Rev. Meg Roberts, Laura Redmond and Judy Villett
It’s been one year since we’ve been doing Sunday services and other programming online. Although it’s not the same as being in person, we’re grateful we’re still connecting and supporting one another as best we can. How are you doing in the midst of the ongoing pandemic? What have you learned? What will help support you in the coming months?
Sunday,
Mar 21

10:30 am

Finding Balance in Our Lives
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
Part spring concert, part learning exchange, today’s service provides a contemplation of balance as we celebrate the equinox. Beaconites have diverse ways to bring balance into their lives from music to writing to dance to communing with nature. Some of these gifts will be shared today as we hear about and participate in a variety of spiritual practices.
Sunday,
Mar 28

10:30 am

Foolish Sunday
Service co-leaders: Rev. Meg Roberts & Friends
On this Sunday closest to April Fool’s Day, we’ll share music, storytelling, and playful joy. Although we live in difficult times, we can keep our sense of humour. Bring a joke to share and come join the fun!

February 2021

Sunday,
Feb 7

10:00 am

10 am
CUC National Service:
A Faith Worth Failing For
Revs. Shana Lynngood and
Samaya Oakley
We often talk about Unitarian Universalism as a transformational faith—and yet to be transformed means to take a risk. How is it that we are averse to taking such risks when it comes to widening the circle of who we are as a community? Join Revs. Shana Lynngood and Samaya Oakley for a service that explores how we’ve failed and how we can learn from those failures to become the transformational faith we proclaim to be. Zoom link: http://bit.ly/SOF_2021
The service will also be viewable on the CUC YouTube channel.

Food Bank Sunday (the 1st Sunday of every month) is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program. Your support is always very much appreciated. Click here to donate online.

Thank you for your support

Sunday,
Feb 14

10:30 am

A Love Worth Celebrating
Rev. Meg Roberts
Valentine’s Day has long been linked to a story of a Christian Saint who helped couples who were separated. The real history is much more interesting than that. Come hear stories of love of all kinds—with a romantic partner, between friends, within families, in nature. Then consider how you want to celebrate the nature of love in your life.
Sunday,
Feb 21

10:30 am

Beacon Birthday Service
Join your Worship Service Committee in taking a look back at the memories created by Beacon congregants of both the past and present, and in looking forward to what might lie ahead.
Sunday,
Feb 28

10:30 am

Equality Does Not Provide Equity
Rev. Meg Roberts
These days we hear on the news about systemic injustice. As Unitarians, we believe in promoting justice, equity and compassion in human relations. To do that, we need to really understand what the difference is between equality and equity. When we do, we can find out what forms of equity are needed in our society now. This Sunday we’ll have a new member ceremony, as well as take a special collection for the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Sharing Our Faith fund.

January 2021

Sunday,
Jan 3

10:30 am

In the Beginning
Guest Speaker: Rev. Samaya Oakley
Service Leader: Susan White
As we move into 2021, we take time to reflect on what it means to live in a time worthy of despair and how it is the price we pay for being awake and alive in this time. We’ll explore creation stories and how they might guide us during these times.
The Rev. Samaya Oakley serves as the Minister for the South Fraser Unitarian Congregation. After attending the North Shore Unitarian Church, she quickly became active continentally through the Youth Office of the UUA. She also is a facilitator for all levels of the Our Whole Lives program. She became a part of the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guides—five age-appropriate reflection guides for use in Canadian UU congregations.
Sunday,
Jan 10

10:30 am

What gives your life meaning?
Rev. Meg Roberts
Starting a new calendar year inspires me to reflect on what gives my life meaning. How will that be reflected in where I focus my energies this year? I would like you to consider: What gives your life meaning? What inspires you to get up in the morning? We’ll have a chance to share and to connect these ideas in a creative way to the year that lies ahead.
Sunday,
Jan 17

10:30 am

A Search for Truth in a Pluralistic Democracy
Guest Speaker: Evan Pivnick
Unitarians affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. As the truths in our society have become more diverse, our society has become increasingly polarized. It need not be so. Drawing on his years working with the BC Green Party during the time that it held the balance of power in BC’s first minority government in seventy years, Evan Pivnick will share his experiences and ideas about how we can seek and follow our own individual truths without demonizing the truths of others.
Sunday,
Jan 24

10:30 am

Where has your search for truth led you?
Rev. Meg Roberts
People are drawn to a Unitarian Universalist community because it allows people to share the truth as they understand it, and hear others’ understanding of the truth. Where has your search for truth led you? What are the questions that you still seek answers for?
Sunday,
Jan 31

10:30 am

Anti-racism Work as Spiritual Practice
Guest Speaker: Donovan Hayden
Service Coordinator: Nancy Rupert
Summer 2020 has been described as a moment of racial reckoning. Black people, along with allies, took to the streets to protest police brutality and anti-Black racism. However, with those months of intense activism behind us, those committed to social justice must ask “What do we do now?”. It is easy to lose energy and purpose in the struggle against white supremacy. As Unitarians, committed to this struggle, it is important that we continue to engage and support anti-racism work through spiritual practice.
Donovan Hayden is a Black activist and artist. He is currently a MA student in Theatre & Performance Studies at York University in Toronto. He spent the last year in Pittsburgh, PA, where he participated in the Black Lives Matter protests after the killing of George Floyd. Through his experiences, Donovan has had the opportunity to engage with Unitarians and anti-racism work on both sides of the border. He remains committed to using theatre and activism to achieve black liberation and dismantle white supremacy.

December 2020

Sunday,
Dec 6

10:30 am

Having the Holiday Blues
Rev. Meg Roberts
Come hear stories, readings and music to help us explore how we are feeling about this month’s winter holidays. What will support our spiritual growth and our emotional health in this year like no other we’ve known? Have a candle on hand if you would like one as part of our ritual sharing.
Tuesday,
Dec 8

7:00 pm

Stresses and Holidays
Tuesday, 7– 8:30 pm
Colin Chow
Registered Clinical Counsellor Colin Chow will facilitate a Zoom session about the stresses we might be feeling as we move into the holiday season and will work collaboratively with us to make meaning from this uncertainty. Registration required—please contact Rev. Meg Roberts.
Sunday,
Dec 13

10:30 am

What the Dickens! A (UU) Christmas Carol
Ashley Cole, the RE Department and you
Join us for our annual whole-church holiday pageant. Our tale this year will be the classic, well-known story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man whose heart was changed toward goodness in the course of one extraordinary night. This play is told primarily by a core group of narrators & actors but has opportunities for whole church participation. Come and join the fun!
Sunday,
Dec 20

10:30 am

Love Actually
Service Leaders: Susan White, Heather Brown
In this year’s holiday season, which traditionally celebrates peace and joy, it is perhaps love that we need most. And it’s love, actually, that holds us in community. Come celebrate together with a little tenderness, a little poignancy, a little humour and a lot of love (and music).
Thursday,
Dec 24

7:00 pm

Christmas Eve Service
Rev. Meg Roberts
With inspiring stories and music of the season, we reflect on what it means to connect and be in community. What does this holiday mean to you? Bring friends and family to this service as well as anyone else who might like to be in a community on this holiday eve. We hope you’ll stay after the service for an online social hour—our coffee hour team will host this time of conversation and connecting. Have on hand your favourite treat and drink to enjoy!
Sunday,
Dec 27

10:30 am

Movement
Marilyn Medén
Moving from one year to the next, inspired by words and music, we dance in body, mind, and soul. In the privacy of our own homes, we are unrestrained, and unrepressed.

November 2020

Sunday,
Nov 1

10:30 am

Every Day Saints and the Power of Disobedience
Guest Service Leader: Joe Jencks, International Touring Musician
Service Coordinator: Nancy Rupert
The 5th principal of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition states that we uphold “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” But democratic values live not only at the ballot box, they also live in the streets and in our financial choices.
We talk about civil disobedience as a tool of free and democratic society, and an expression of conscience. But what of ‘economic disobedience’? How can civil dissent lead to strengthening the fabric of community and civil society?
There is no easy answer, and still we ask the questions: Whose voice is left out of the conversation? How are we accepting our own unconscious bias? How do we craft a governing process that can be an expression of agape – of love turned into conscientious action?
Join international touring musician and guest service leader Joe Jencks, on Sunday November 1st, for a celebration and exploration of these questions and more, in story and song.
Sunday,
Nov 8

10:30 am

What Can Democracy Look Like?
Rev. Meg Roberts
The United States election on November 3 will have massive impacts not only on that country but on Canada and the rest of the world. We’ll gather together to make sense of what has happened that week. Bring your heads, hearts, hands and spirits as we share what democracy means for us here and now.
Sunday,
Nov 15

10:00 am (Pacific Time)

Sustaining Our Light
Canadian Unitarian Council will host this Cross Canada Service (10 am PT via Zoom. Join using this direct Zoom link: http://bit.ly/UUService).
This national service focuses on “Sustaining Our Light” during these unusual and troubling times. Filled with music and reflections, and with participation from Unitarian Universalists across Canada, the service explores why we need each other and offers opportunities for us to connect and create community together.
Sunday,
Nov 22

10:30 am

How Can We Use Our Conscience Responsibly?
Rev. Meg Roberts
Freedom of religious thought and right of conscience are embedded in our Unitarian Universalist foundation. How do we deal with the tensions that can arise between our individual conscience and the well-being of others in society at large?
Sunday,
Nov 29

10:30 am

Welcoming a New Year: Practices to Reduce Trauma in Daily Life
Janet Pivnick
In the past year, trauma has become part of everyday experience for most of the world. 2021 will not likely bring the immediate relief that many have hoped for, but we can find new ways to deal with the sense of overwhelm. This service focuses on practices to help manage that sense of trauma as it arises in each of our lives.

October 2020

Sunday,
Oct 4

10:30 am

Beacon Pledge Drive
Join your pledge drive team this Sunday as we reveal our theme for this year and reflect on why Beacon is worth our time and treasure.
Sunday,
Oct 11

10:30 am

Whole and Healing in our Beacon Community (Part 1)
Rev. Meg Roberts
Here at Beacon, we are a whole and healing spiritual community—one that supports each other while also learning our areas for growth. When I start healing myself, I learn better how to be part of the healing of the world. Here at Beacon, I am in the excellent company of others in this wholeness and healing. Today, we’ll also celebrate Beacon with the kick-off to our yearly pledge drive.
Sunday,
Oct 18

10:30 am

Connecting with Compassion and Respect
Judy Villet and Laura Redmond
Service Coordinator: Susan White
Members of our Pastoral Support Team share why connecting with compassion and respect is so important to them in what they do, as well as to this community. Come join the conversation, enhanced with music and the artistry from our Caring Quilts.
Sunday,
Oct 25

10:30 am

Whole and Healing in our World Community (Part 2)
Rev. Meg Roberts
Whole, broken and healing—our world is all these things.
When I see myself in relation to others in that healing work, I learn what is needed to do the work of racial justice, decolonization, and other anti-oppression work (including for the healing of our planet).

September 2020

Sunday,
Sep 13

10:30 am

Water Communion – Beacon Connects within the Web of Life
Rev. Meg Roberts
Beacon’s program year starts again with the annual water ceremony service which is for all ages. This ritual symbolizes the re-gathering of this community after a summer break. For this online service, I’ll have water to pour on your behalf into a bowl symbolizing Beacon, with the water symbolizing each of you and the gift you are to this spiritual community. (If you want, feel free to have water on hand if you want to do your own pouring into a bowl along with me!) Since many of us were not travelling this summer, rather than pouring in water from summer adventures,
I invite you to briefly share what nourishes you about being in community and what you want to offer to the community in the coming year. You may offer a special gift you have (like being a good listener), or contribute through working on a committee, or simply showing up to be at services or be in one of our small group programs. This is a community that belongs to you, whether you are here for the first time or for all of Beacon’s 37 years. I look forward to seeing you online and together creating this ritual of belonging.
Sunday,
Sep 20

10:30 am

Finding our Place in the Interdependent Web
Service Coordinators: Susan White and Janet Pivnick
Speaker: Janet Pivnick

Globally, the last six months have been unsettling and filled with uncertainty. As Unitarians, where do we find our ground in difficult times? Today’s service will consider the support, comfort and wisdom that our seventh principle can provide.
Sunday,
Sep 27

10:30 am

How can we be a Healthy Interdependent Web within the Larger Web?
Rev. Meg Roberts
Just as any ecosystem has ways of operating that keep it healthy, so too does any human community. What can we learn to help us function in healthier ways within our family system, within Beacon’s, and within the larger web of existence?

June 2020

Sunday,
Jun 7

10:30 am

Soulful Singing—Leveraging the Power of Song in Tricky and Troubled Times
Guest Minister: Rev. Wendy Luella Perkins
Service Coordinator: Janet Pivnick
Join singer-songwriter and UU community minister, the Rev. Wendy Luella Perkins for a spirited service of singing and reflecting on leaning into the power of song during these challenging days. We’ll share songs and chants through the oral tradition in an active meditative practice called Soulful Singing. At this time of not being able to touch physically, we need to hold each other close in many other ways—in our hearts, prayers, dreams and SONGS. This service promises to be participatory, grounding and uplifting.
Sunday,
Jun 14

10:30 am

What am I called to do?
Rev. Meg Roberts
In the face of George Floyd’s murder, and other killings and discrimination against Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) here in Canada, what am I called to do as a White person? I am practicing being anti-racist, listening to BIPOC people, learning to change myself and walk with others to affect changes in our communities and in our society. What are you called to do right now?
Sunday,
Jun 21

9:30 am

Flower Communion: Whole Church Service
Co-Leaders: Ashley Cole and Rev. Meg Roberts
You are invited to bring a flower, a sweet piece of summer into your home for this special all-ages, online, Flower Communion. If what you have access to is a wildflower in the yard, it is welcomed. If you want to buy a flower, it is welcomed. If you’d like to draw a flower, it is welcomed. As we navigate this online experience, the flower in your heart is more than enough if you show up without a flower. We celebrate each of you and the gift that Beacon is in our lives.

Past Services

May 2020

Sunday,
May 3

10:30 am

Pet Parade
Guest Minister: Rev. Katie Stein Sather
Service Coordinator: Janet Pivnick
The animals in our lives bless us with their very presence. They give us a reason to get up in the morning, to get out and exercise, and they often love us unconditionally. Let’s meet them online and share a short story about how they are precious to you.
Sunday,
May 10

10:30 am

Perfectly Imperfect
Rev. Meg Roberts
In this topsy turvy time, we may be experiencing stress which can strain our relationships. What do we expect of ourselves and each other? How can we embrace being perfectly imperfect and accept that in others? The ancient Greeks developed the concept of perfection but it is often misunderstood. We’ll practice some techniques that engage our senses of humour and humility! We will also honour Mother’s Day, so if you wish to have a picture of your mother(s) on hand (if they’re not in the house with you), please do.
Sunday,
May 17

9:30 am

9:30 am Pacific Time
Canadian Unitarian Council’s Cross-Canada Sunday Service
Join UUs from across Canada for a unique opportunity to celebrate in a national Sunday Service together. Rev. Norm Horofker from the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax, with his ministerial colleagues, will lead a worship service for Canadians across the country and worldwide. Information will be shared in “Beacon This Week” email about how to connect to this online service—through Zoom, Youtube or Facebook. Please Note: This will be the service offered for Beaconites to join for this Sunday.
Sunday, May 24

10:30 am

Forget Your Perfect Offering
Beacon Members: Nancy Rupert, Judy Villet and David Kristjanson
From Anthem by Leonard Cohen:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
That’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen’s lyrics inspire us to look at flaws as opportunities. Let us gather together to celebrate the imperfections of our lives, and the beauty, growth and wisdom that can emerge as a result.
Sunday,
May 31

10:30 am

The Cycle of Life
Rev. Meg Roberts
Human beings are mortal—we are born, we live, we die. In times of crisis, we are very aware of this fact and of how interconnected we really are. How can we as Unitarians be prepared and live life to the fullest now? As we sing, “For all life is a gift which we are called to use to build the common good, and make our own days glad.”

April 2020

Sunday,
Apr 5

10:30 am

We Are All Are Connected
Service Leader: Marilyn Meden
You’ve heard of the six degrees of separation? It might not always be six, but as we have recently seen, we are all connected! The story for all ages will set the tone for readings and music performed by our Beacon members. Connect with people you know well, and those you would like to know better, through the words and music they have chosen.
Sunday,
Apr 12

10:30 am

Born to Leap: Whole Church Spirit Jam
Ashley Cole, Rev. Meg Roberts and all of you!
What can we learn from the life cycle of salmon about how to be the best we can be? We will be using the Spirit Jam model of multiple exploratory break out stations: at this all ages service, we’ll explore what makes each of us unique, how do we overcome challenges and what do we love.
Sunday,
Apr 19

10:30 am

Living with Less Plastic – Two Years In
Teresa Morton, Marilyn Medén
You will be surprised at the changes we have made during the last two years! Come & celebrate the congregation’s ‘Less Plastic’ successes. Win a prize at Enviro-Bingo! Hear about accomplishments from around the world including those of Greta Thunberg. Reflect on where we want our ‘Living with Less Plastic’ to go in the next two years, and let us know your thoughts.
Sunday, Apr 26

10:30 am

Evolving With these Changing Times
Rev. Meg Roberts
During times of great upheaval in society and in our personal lives, what helped humans in the very evolution of our species? What kinds of creativity is emerging right now in the world, in the face of the COVID-19 virus as well as with climate emergency? How can we ground ourselves and each other to those things we hold as sacred, as core to what is most important in life? We’ll hear stories and share stories.

March 2020

Sunday,
Mar 1

10:30 am

Loving Someone with Mental Illness
Guest speaker: Lynne Bonner
From depression to borderline personality disorder, mental illness is often stigmatized in our culture. In this service, Lynne Bonner, First Unitarian Church of Victoria Worship Associate, presents a personal story to shed light on the experience of loving someone who struggles with mental illness, and presents some lessons learned—insights that apply to human relationships in general, as well as relationships affected by mental illness. The service includes a simple ritual that gives all present the option to honour ourselves and our loved ones. In addition, a skilled listening ear will be available throughout and after the service if difficult feelings come up for any of us, or if you wish to find community resources for further support.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Israel to learn about Judaism. Youth can help out by supporting the children’s learning, or enjoy the complete service with the adults.
Sunday,
Mar 8

10:30 am

Listening to the Wisdom Within
Rev. Meg Roberts
We reflect on the wisdom that guides our lives—those sources that sustain us, the people in our lives, the wisdom from our bodies and from the earth (the mother who sustains us all). It takes courage in our world to follow the wisdom we cultivate within, so let us support one another along that path. Special thanks to the Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women’s Association for the resources they offer us for this service, as we join congregations across Canada celebrating International Women’s Day.
• Choir sings
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Pakistan to learn about Sikhism. Youth can help out by supporting the children’s learning, or enjoy the complete service with the adults.
Sunday,
Mar 22

10:30 am

What Grounds You During Times of Uncertainty?
Service Leader: Rev. Meg Roberts

Alongside other people of faith,Unitarians care for each other. In this time which calls for social distancing, what community connecting and spiritual practices will ground us during this period of uncertainty?

All ages are welcome to participate during this online service; there are parts that will be more participatory and parts that are more reflection. For those who would like more hands-on activities,(especially our young ones), we will be sharing some during the service.

Sunday,
Mar 29

10:30 am

When the World Stops, What Do I Notice?
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
We are in unprecedented times that call on us to develop new skills, new perspectives and new ways of interacting with each other. These times can bring on anxiety and bring out beauty. Without the rush and distractions of daily life, we can hear and see different things or see familiar things differently. When the world stops, what are you noticing?
This week we will continue our experimentation with zoom technology by creating breakout rooms where we can have discussions with each other.

February 2020

Sunday,
Feb 2

10:30 am

Justice versus Forgiveness
Nancy Rupert and
Marilyn Medén
Do you believe in justice? Is it always, sometimes, or never the answer? Forgiveness is such an easy word to say but can be very difficult to put into practice. We will watch a powerful video of an extraordinary true story. You will see the people, the conflict, and the result. Come prepared to reflect on your own ideas in a guided group discussion.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Iran to learn about the Baha’i faith, while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarianism.
Sunday,
Feb 9

10:30 am

Stories of Our Elders
Rev. Meg Roberts
Beacon’s 37th Anniversary is on February 6th. Today is a chance to hear stories from our elders as well as share special moments of what makes Beacon a special community in our lives—with both its shadows and its light! To celebrate this anniversary, we’ll have a new member ceremony, and a soup lunch after the service.
• Choir sings.
• Beacon Birthday Soup lunch
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Iran to learn about the Baha’i faith, while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarianism.
Sunday,
Feb 16

10:30 am

Facing Shadow, Cultivating Hope
Rev. Meg Roberts
As we face the shadows in ourselves and in our world, how do we face the painful feelings, including despair, and cultivate hope? I’d like to share some things I’ve learned from my own life as well as from the teachings of Buddhist Joanna Macy.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to India to learn about Jainism, while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarianism.
Sunday, Feb 23

10:30 am

What does it mean to ‘have a voice?’
Guest Speaker: Leah Hokanson
Service Leaders: Heather Brown and Susan White
What does it mean to be a vibrational being living in a vibratory universe, with an innate ability to make sound that can be used consciously? Since time immemorial, Indigenous cultures and spiritual communities have regarded singing, chanting, toning, and other ways of using the voice as integral to individual and communal well-being. Today there is a resurgence of practice and understanding of what these traditions have long known: that the voice is both a portal to presence, and a powerful vibrational medium that can heal and transform. Come and explore—with body, mind and spirit—what it really means to ‘have a voice.’
From Leah Hokanson’s website: I am a music and sound explorer, with over 30 years experience as a vocalist, pianist, conductor, teacher, and facilitator. My work connects the voice with healing, creative expression, and embodied inquiry. My intention here is to share my creative work, to invite participation, and to encourage conversation about the vibrational nature of reality—particularly as it relates to the voice, vocal sounding, and singing!
• Choir sings.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Israel to learn about Judaism, while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarianism.

January 2020

Sunday,
Jan 5

10:30 am

Out of the Flames, a whole-church service
Guest Minister: Rev. Samaya Oakley; Coordinator: Janet Pivnick
Rev. Samaya Oakley joins us for our annual Fire Communion service. Out of the flames of 2019 we rise. We rise for courage and conviction knowing that being on the side of love and justice is who we are. Out of the flames we rise with hope in our hearts to help heal a broken world. Out of the flames we rise with love in our hearts that celebrates our shared humanity. This is an all ages service—there is no separate Religious Exploration program scheduled for today.
Sunday,
Jan 12

10:30 am

The Thresholds of Spiritual Life
Rev. Meg Roberts
Humans go through various stages of life: infant, child, youth, young adult, adult, mature adult, and older adult. How does spiritual growth arise from or influence these life stages? As adults, how can we cross these thresholds in a mindful way?
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Boston where they will learn about Unitarian Universalism while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarian Universalism.
• Choir sings
Sunday,
Jan 19

10:30 am

What is a family?
With Sue Sparlin, Beacon member and Lay Chaplain
Service Leader: Marilyn Meden
In her role as Lay Chaplain, Sue has been asked to perform a ceremony of union for a polyamorous family: two identified woman and one identified man. This made her question our Beacon definitions of family. What wording do our administrative forms use? Do they say “mom” and “dad” or “parent one” and “parent two”? What about “parent three”? What about families where there are no children at all. What makes someone you know “family” instead of “good friend”? Sue will share what she discovered and open a conversation about how this might affect our congregational life.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Utah to learn about Mormonism while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarianism.
Sunday, Jan 26

10:30 am

We Need Not Think Alike To Love Alike
Rev. Meg Roberts
The title of this service is inspired by words of Francis David, Transylvanian minister, in one of the first Unitarian movements in the world, in 16th century Europe. Come and hear why he crossed over the threshold from one set of beliefs into another and, by doing so, became a heretic. Why does freedom of religion, the use of reason in religion, and the need for compassion, come out as the gold of Unitarianism? We’ll consider how our Unitarian ancestor’s life is relevant for us today at Beacon as we learn from each other’s beliefs, ideas and lives.
Religious Exploration Program: The children will ‘travel’ to Ireland to learn about Paganism while the youth continue to study the intersections of social justice and Unitarian Universalism.
• Choir sings

December 2019

Sunday,
Dec 1

10:30 am

Advent Spiral
Rev. Meg Roberts
Please join us for an intergenerational journey into the heart of the spiral. Celebrate the turn of the seasons and the coming of winter—time of reflection and introspection. In this Whole Church service, we’ll be walking a spiral, ‘lighting’ candles and making wishes for the coming year, all within a very special circle of song and chant. It is a magical service! Suitable for all ages.
Sunday,
Dec 8

10:30 am

Prelude to Christmas
Donna Hamilton
Music is a form of prayer, uniting people everywhere, and transforming a large empty hall into a sacred space. Come for some of the favourite songs of the season. Hear the choir sing (complete with accompaniment of piano, recorder, and violin!), hear some stories and join in singing a variety of Christmas music.
• Choir sings
Children & Youth will gather downstairs for final pageant preparations.
Sunday,
Dec 15

10:30 am

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: No-Rehearsal Pageant
The Religious Exploration department and you!
Join us for our annual whole church pageant in which all ages are welcome to participate in creating this well-loved story. The Grinch tries to steal Christmas from the villagers of Whoville and learns a lesson about love and belonging. Today is an opportunity to explore what Christmas means to us.
Sunday, Dec 22

10:30 am

The Gift of Darkness
Service Leaders: Worship Services Committee
As we awake from the longest night of the year, the Worship Services Committee invites you to consider the gifts of darkness. As a society, we seek the light and fear the darkness—both literally and metaphorically. In so doing, imbalances can be created on a personal, societal and planetary level. Let’s explore together what can be gained by entering the darkness and embracing its gifts.
• Choir sings
Children & Youth will celebrate with a holiday party
Tuesday, Dec 24

7:00 pm

Christmas Eve, 7 PM:
Each Night a Child is Born is a Holy Night

Rev. Meg Roberts
We celebrate all births and remember one in particular this evening. With inspiring stories and music of the season, we remember why these new beginnings are such a holy time. Bring friends and family to this service as well as anyone else who might like to be in a community on this holiday eve. We will gather in peace and love. Please also bring cookies to share after our service!
Sunday, Dec 29

10:30 am

Gratitudes and Goodbyes
Marilyn Medén & Sue Sparlin
We move on in our lives. Circumstances change. We change. But our history remains. Using music, we will explore both letting go and embracing our past. This will be a service of spiritual and bodily comfort. Come in your pajamas if you wish and enjoy coffee, tea, and sweetbreads before and during the service. There will not be a children’s program, but we will have story for all ages and a craft table for children.

November 2019

Sunday,
Nov 3
Holy as Mud
Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Barbara Wells ten Hove
Service Leader: Donna Hamilton
The work of the church can be messy but it is powerfully meaningful and important. Our guest preacher, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Wells ten Hove, who has been a UU minister for 35 years, will share her thoughts on how congregational life empowers us to build a better world.
Children & Youth: This morning the children and youth begin preparing for the annual winter pageant. This year’s theme is The Grinch, adapted as a no rehearsal pageant.
Sunday, Nov 10

10:30 am

Deepening Community Roots, Freeing Vision’s Wings
Rev. Meg Roberts
I had the privilege of meeting with five small groups of Beaconites to get a sense of what makes this Beacon community so important to them. I also heard inspiring ideas for giving Beacon’s vision—Connect, Inspire, Transform—wings. I want to share some of what I’ve been learning as well as some ideas of my own. I look forward to hearing your ideas as well. On this Sunday closest to Remembrance Day, we’ll hold a minute of silence to remember those who have died (Armed Forces and civilians) as well as others affected by wars. May we remember, and work towards a more peaceful and just world.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: will continue to prepare for the winter pageant.
Sunday, Nov 17

10:30 am

Dreaming a Future Together
Guest Speaker: Joan Carolyn, CUC Congregational Life Team Lead
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
As Beacon celebrates a new shared ministry relationship, Joan Carolyn invites us to a morning honoring who we are and where we might go. Imagine an enjoyable time, sitting well around a fire, like a hearth, openly sharing hospitality. As we gaze into the fire, what images of love and care experienced at Beacon come to mind? Where might we want to improve or move in some new directions? How do we remain open to other ways of knowing, seeing and experience? If we can learn to live well with the fires of relationship, we will grow to places beyond our dreams.
Children & Youth: Herbal Spirit Jam with Alex Dragan.
Sunday, Nov 24

10:30 am

Being Open to Joy
Rev. Meg Roberts
In the midst of the suffering and anxiety of our lives, our dear ones, and our world, it can be very challenging to be open to joy. Joy can happen spontaneously in unexpected moments as well as through philosophical and spiritual practices. What brings you joy? What are you open to experiencing today?
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: This morning the children and youth will continue to prepare for the winter pageant.

October 2019

Sunday,
Oct 6

10:30 am

Picking up the Gauntlet: Extending a Hand in Fellowship to our Christian Neighbours
On October 6, Sapperton Pensioners’ Hall is not available for the Beacon service. The Worship Committee is coordinating excursions to Christian churches within the area that Beacon serves so that we can educate ourselves and reach out in fellowship, building bridges not walls.
Children & Youth: Families are encouraged to sign up, alongside the rest of the Beacon community, to attend a Christian service in place of a service at Beacon.
Sunday, Oct 13

10:30 am

Gratitude for this Land: Whole Church Spirit Jam
Rev. Meg Roberts and Ashley Cole, Religious Exploration Director
Thanksgiving holiday is a time for folks to gather and say “Thank you!” for what we have received from the earth and each other. Using the Spirit Jam model of multiple exploratory break out stations, this all ages service brings attention to our role as guests on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples. We’ll practice showing our gratitude for the gifts of this land and for being alive.
Children & Youth: This morning the children and youth will remain upstairs for the duration of this whole church service.
Sunday, Oct 20

10:30 am

The Selfish Act of Giving
Guest Speaker: Comedian Ryan Guenther
Service Leader: Heather Brown
Charity and volunteering are almost always framed as altruistic actions, with all the focus on how someone else will benefit from our good deed. In fact, we often feel guilty about deriving pleasure from something which is supposed to be selfless. This is completely backwards, doing good should feel good because it’s good, and it’s okay to admit it. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but a stairway to heaven can be built from selfish acts.
Ryan Guenther grew up in a log cabin on an island near Prince Rupert. He started attending the Unitarian church at age 10 when his family moved to Victoria, and he’s sung in the choir, edited the newsletter, managed the website, and is currently serving as a Sunday Service Associate and on the Board at North Shore Unitarian Church in Vancouver. He started doing stand up comedy in 2010 and has performed at clubs and festivals from Prince George to Orlando, Florida.
• Choir sings
Children & Youth: This morning the children will visit Vatican City, Rome where they will learn about Catholicism and prayer. The youth are invited to explore the call to understanding and different ways to attempt to understand.
Sunday, Oct 27

10:30 am

A Jolt of Currency
Rev. Meg Roberts

When we work, we get paid for expending our energy. Money becomes, in some ways, a storehouse of energy. How do we make decisions about where to infuse that energy, both in our personal lives and in our Beacon community? This Sunday kicks off Beacon’s annual pledge drive. This year’s theme is “Roots hold us close, wings set us free.” How can our Unitarian values be our roots, grounding us in making decisions about where to invest that storehouse of energy? Then our dreams can take flight!
• Choir sings
Children & Youth: Join the children and youth for our annual Halloween dress up and festive party.

September 2019

Sunday,
Sep 8

10:30 am

The Annual Water Ceremony—Beacon Belongs to You
Rev. Meg Roberts
Beacon’s program year starts again with this special service and I am lucky to be starting with you as Consulting Minister. The annual water ceremony service is for all ages: we pour water from various sources into one common bowl, symbolizing the re-gathering of this community after a summer break. If you want, identify where the water comes from (whether from a favourite place or from your tap at home), then briefly share about the spiritual significance of the water for you: How does it connect you to what you value and with the web of life? How do you connect it to this community? This is a community that belongs to you, whether you are here for the first time or for all of Beacon’s 36 years. (You can either bring water from your summer experiences or use the water we provide.) I look forward to seeing you there and creating together this ritual of belonging.
Sunday, Sep 15

10:30 am

Belonging: Keeping, losing, gaining vital connections
Guest Speaker: Raneem Al Rbaai, Syrian youth
Service Leader: Marilyn Medén
Raneem Al Rbaai will speak for herself and we will also hear Mohamad’s story (her brother). Their stories will lead us to our own.
Sunday, Sep 22

10:30 am

Repentance and Return: The Meaning of Teshuvah
Guest Speaker: Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
Back by popular demand—Rabbi Laura joins us again, this time to share the meaning of this very holy time of year in the Jewish calendar. Jews open the New Year with ten days of teshuvah—repentance and return. Repentance requires both inner and interpersonal work. We’ll discuss the Biblical origins of teshuvah along with some contemporary psycho-spiritual interpretations.
Sunday, Sep 29

10:30 am

How can I belong when what I believe isn’t what you believe?
Rev. Meg Roberts
As Unitarians, one of the principles we affirm is “acceptance of one another, and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” How do we do this when we each draw from different sources for our inspiration? How can we relate to one another when there are such differences? I’ll propose some ideas and methods that may help, and I look forward to hearing what works for you.

Summer 2019

Sunday,
Jul 14

10:45 am

Poetry, Prose, Music
Coordinator: Marilyn Medén
Once again there will be a Poetry, Prose & Music service, with a finger food-pot luck, at the Astoria Retirement Home, 2245 Kelly Ave. Port Coquitlam. Weather permitting, we will be on the patio.
As usual, you are invited, really encouraged, to read from your own writing, or that of others. Please, please let me know as soon as possible what you would like to read, so I can plan “the arc” of the service, [and I know what to add to it myself!] Please bring your own plate and cup as well as some simple food to share at the end of the service. Coffee and tea are available for a $1 donation. Contact Marilyn Medén for more information: m.j.meden@telus.net or 604-469-6797.
Sunday, Aug 11

10:30 am

Sunshine, Singing and Socializing
Coordinator: Peggy Lunderville
All are welcome to join us for this annual favourite—a morning of singing at the Lunderville’s. This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect as a community in the summer as we sing our favourite hymns in worship. Bring musical instruments if you wish to accompany. Potluck to follow. If you have a hymn you wish to see included, please contact Peggy Lunderville ahead of time.

June 2019

Sunday,
Jun 2

10:30 am

Two services to choose from today:
1. Gifts from our Grandmothers (Sapperton Hall)
Service Leader, Sue Sparlin
We celebrate our heritage with memories of our maternal ancestors. Bring something that reminds you of your mother or grandmother… a quilt, a card, a flower? We will share stories of what our grandmothers gave to us and sing songs that celebrate our connections to the past and our contributions to the future. An all-ages service (no separate Religious Exploration program today).
2. Travel Adventures
Sasamat Outdoor Centre (3302 Senkler Rd, Belcarra, BC V3H 4S3)
Service Leader: Calum Kwan (Youth from North Shore Unitarian Church)
Our guest speaker on Sunday will be long-time camper Gabi Harvey telling a few stories of her travelling life. Look forward to hearing bits about Ecuador, Italy and cruise ships. An all-ages service.
Sunday, Jun 9

10:30 am

Hey, That’s Our Way to Say Goodbye: A Celebration of Ministry
Service Leaders: Worship Services Team
As Reverend Debra prepares to depart across the Salish Sea to her new home in Nanaimo, today we take a moment to say “thank you” for a seven year ministry that has fit like a glove and has brought much growth and change and joy to the Beacon community.
• The service will be slightly longer than usual, and a sandwich lunch will follow.
Children & Youth: Youth are invited to remain upstairs for the service. Downstairs there will be a year end celebration and wrap up of the RE program.
Sunday, Jun 16

10:30 am

Ending and Beginnings
Rev. Debra Thorne
Exactly seven years ago I arrived on your doorstep, an eager new minister excited to serve Beacon. That day I brought my suitcase and unpacked it, today I’ll do the reverse. With your help I will pack my suitcase with all the moments of experience and gifts that Beacon has given me. We will release the Covenant of our Ministry, and create a Covenant for the Future.
• Following the service there will be the annual congregational picnic at Sapperton Park. Hot dogs are provided, please bring fruit, veggies and sweets for sharing. (If it’s raining we’ll cook up the hotdogs in the parking lot!)
Children & Youth: Children and youth will help set up for the annual church picnic in the park (weather dependent).

May 2019

Sunday,
May 5

10:30 am

Becoming Unitarian?
Rev. Debra Thorne
How does one become a Unitarian? There is no creed we all agree to believe and not everyone likes coffee! There are principles that most people think are pretty fine. There will be a New Member Ceremony today.
• The Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children and youth will explore the various rituals and traditions of May.
Sunday, May 12

10:30 am

Staying Open to the “Other”
Guest Speaker: Nancy Rupert
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
As Unitarians, we value diversity, but what does this mean in practice? How can we learn to become more aware of our assumptions in order to stay open to others? There will be a Lay Chaplaincy Installation today.
Children & Youth: The children and youth will focus on what they appreciate about Beacon.
Sunday, May 19

10:30 am

Coming of Age
Rev. Debra Thorne, DRE Ashley Cole
Transitioning from childhood to youth is a time of excitement and confusion. To risk new activities on our own, to question family traditions, and to begin to think for ourselves requires reflection and courage. As part of their ‘Coming of Age’ yearlong program, two of Beacon’s youth reflected on their beliefs. We’ll hear their credos today as we recognise their evolution.
• The Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The youth will be leading the service, the children will be downstairs continuing to explore what they appreciate about Beacon
Sunday,
May 26

10:30 am

The Grace of Years
Rev. Debra Thorne
We are always ‘coming of age’, but there has never been such a large cohort of healthy, vital and engaged elders in history. Rev. Debra asked Beacon Elders to share their experiences and wisdom to questions like: What is the evolutionary purpose of long life? What does freedom look like at ninety? What does authority look like at eighty-five? What insights, what knowledge do you have that younger generations need?
• During the service there will be a Naming Ceremony for Eamon Burns-Scott.
• The Sharing-our-Plate Recipient, Camp Kerry, will be presented with Beacon’s donation.
Children & Youth: Spirit Jam Sunday

April 2019

Sunday,
Apr 7

10:30 am

Growing Whole
Rev. Debra Thorne
Growing whole is a lifelong project. Individuation is the lesson. Jungian James Hollis says, “While revering the mystery of others, our individuation summons each of us to stand in the presence of our own mystery, and become more fully responsible for who we are in this journey we call our life.”
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children will discuss public witness as a way to show one’s faith by working for a just world. The youth will reflect on the importance of understanding and explore different ways to attempt to understand.
Sunday, Apr 14

10:30 am

The Fry Creek Wilderness Camp of the North West Wilderness Society of the Unitarian Church
Guest Speaker: John Doyle
Service Leader: Susan White
A beautiful campground (boat access only) awaits you at the base of the Purcells on majestic Kootenay Lake. There is no electricity, no running water and artfully created pit toilets. Unitarians and other like minded families have been enjoying “Camp” since 1966.
John Doyle is the current Camp Director of the Fry Creek Wilderness Camp. His family has been going to Camp every summer since 2000 to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of the Kootenays.
Children & Youth: Debra will speak to the children and youth about goodbyes in this special ‘Farewells’ Spirit Jam.
Sunday, Apr 21

10:30 am

Frozen Birds and Pink Rabbits: Death and Beyond
Rev. Debra Thorne
In Pagan folklore the Goddess Ostara compassionately brings a frozen bird back to life. Her magik, though, inexplicitly transforms the dead bird into a rabbit. Grateful for its renewal this bird-turned-rabbit produces pink eggs! So, is death really what we think it is? Are you ready for the unexpected?
• The Choir sings
Children & Youth: Both children and youth will participate in our annual Easter egg hunt! Depending on the weather it will either be at the park or in the downstairs hall.
Sunday,
Apr 28

10:30 am

Ain’t Fun? Not Sustainable!
Rev. Debra Thorne
Very Special Guests: The Wilds! Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright
The Wilds join us to celebrate Year 1 of the ‘Living with Less Plastic Initiative’. Creating and building a renewable energy future is both practical and spiritual, in every sense of the word. Singing together is a powerful, pragmatic way to help motivate and sustain our collective efforts. “If it ain’t fun, it’s not sustainable!” Talk is not enough; we need to take bold, coordinated, comprehensive action if we are going to rebuild communities, and transform the culture to become fossil free. Together we will sing our future into being! This is a service for all ages.
The Wilds is led by singers/songwriters Holly Arntzen (vocals, dulcimer, piano) and Kevin Wright (vocals, percussion, sax). They are the core members of the Artist Response Team (ART), which produces a steady stream of Voices Of Nature school music programs and community concerts throughout western Canada and beyond.
• Beacon’s AGM follows the Service
Children & Youth: Whole church service today.

March 2019

Sunday,
Mar 3

10:30 am

The Privilege of Freedom
Rev. Debra Thorne
It’s been 102 years since women were able to vote and hold office in British Columbia. This year five and half million women in the Indian state of Kerala stood along the road, hand in hand for the freedom to enter a holy temple. Last month three young women who went to fight for ISIS now want to return to Canada. In the week of International Woman’s Day let us take stock of freedoms won and the shifting sands of responsibility that comes with freedom.
• Choir sings.
Sunday, Mar 10

10:30 am

Is Freedom only Fantasy?
Rev. Debra Thorne
Are we truly free or are we stuck in a reality TV show, like the dystopian series Hunger Games where everything is a manipulation? Can we be sure if we really have the freedom of choice? Living in Canada today with our rule of law, and Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in relative peace and safety, are there any freedoms we would fight for, or die for?
Sunday, Mar 17

10:30 am

Seeds of Survival
Rev. Debra Thorne
The Spring Equinox (March 20th) marks the perfect point of balance between day and night, and the reawakening of seeds in the warming earth. The wheel turns and the maidens rise from the darkness and clothe themselves in the colours of spring. It is time for dancing, as hope and renewal ascend from the winter of our lives.
• Choir sings.
Sunday,
Mar 24

10:30 am

Finding My Spiritual Path
Guest Speaker: Karl Perrin
Describing Unitarian religion often focuses on what it isn’t. For me, what makes us religious is our gentle encouragement of a variety of collective and personal “spiritual” practices, broadly conceived. I’ll describe some of mine, and how I grew into them. Perhaps our paths will cross.
Karl Perrin is a life long Unitarian. He learned activism at Sunday school in Detroit, and has been an environmental activist since 1993. Currently he is helping to stop the second dilbit pipeline to Burnaby. In 2012, he wrote an anti-pipeline divestment resolution passed by a wide majority at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver.
Sunday,
Mar 31

10:30 am

Free to be Wise
Guest Speaker: Allegra Sloman
Service Leader: Marilyn Medén
Using the wisdom research of Dilip Jeste as a starting point, writer and entertainer Allegra Sloman will tell you that you’re free to be wise, examine both the appearance and source of wisdom, and consider what wisdom might best be applied to.

February 2019

Sunday,
Feb 3

10:30 am

For the Spirit of the Water
Rev. Helen McFadyen
In 2004, Josephine Mandamin, an Anishabaabewe grandmother known as the “Water Walker” began a series of sacred walks. Traversing thousands of miles, Josephine walked around each of the Great Lakes with an open copper pail bearing water. Her purpose was to remind people of their connection to water, and encourage everyone to do their part to protect it.
Josephine’s story moves and inspires me. But, to what? All the urgent demands around social and environmental issues can seem relentless and overwhelming. This year’s Sharing Our Faith Sunday theme is Water. Today, we’ll examine our spiritual connection to water, and name simple ways we can each “do our part” in protecting this sacred life source.
Bio: Rev. Helen McFadyen works as Administrator of the Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry (AIM) certification program, assisting Unitarian Universalist congregations across North America to become more accessible, inclusive, and supporting of people with disabilities and their families. She is also advancing her doctorate research on “The experience of mutual support in elders living in senior co-housing community”. Helen recently joined the national CUC Truth, Reconciliation, Resource Team, to which she brings her Indigenous identity and an intersectional perspective. She lives in Victoria with guide dog, Camilla.
• Choir sings

Children & Youth: The children will learn about U.U. memorial rituals. The youth will explore sources, meanings, uses, and expressions of hope.
Sunday, Feb 10

10:30 am

Into the Spotlight
Out in Harmony Choir
Director: Nicola Hamilton
Service Leader: Rev. Debra Thorne
Out in Harmony brings us the voices of women, of gay men, of people of colour, and of people from all along the queer spectrum. This is the heart music of people who refuse to be relegated to the sidelines. Music that calls everyone to community and to action. Music that moves our hearts as we move our bodies. It is music that shares our stories, expresses our lives, and defiantly shouts out to the world who we are. Help us amplify these voices and bring them into the spotlight.
Children & Youth: The children will learn about the importance of community and the ritual of welcoming new members. The youth will explore spirituality and spiritual practices.
• Beacon Birthday Soup Lunch
Sunday, Feb 17

10:30 am

The Nature of Water is to Move
Rev. Debra Thorne
The nature of water is to move, fast or slow it doesn’t matter. When water stills for too long it begins to grow algae, when it’s plummeting it’s dangerous. What does it take to get our lives moving when they are stuck? What does it take to slow our lives down when they are tumbling?
• Choir sings
Children & Youth: The children explore actions and behaviors that create a welcoming environment. The youth will explore the meaning and role of reason in religion.
Sunday,
Feb 24

10:30 am

Lessons of the River
Rev. Katie Stein Sather and Carol Woodworth
Service Coordinator: Nancy Rupert
Reverend Katie Stein Sather and Carol Woodworth are both devoted paddlers, spending many hours on the water. This Sunday they will share with us the wisdom they have gained while navigating the waterways of Canada.
Children & Youth: Religious Exploration Spirit Jam Sunday!

January 2019

Sunday,
Jan 6

10:30 am

This Fire is Love
Rev. Debra Thorne
We begin the new year with our annual Fire Communion. This service is for the whole family and asks ‘what do you want to bring into the world this year?’ We will sing, dance, drum and share stories about creating a world that we want to live in: a world of justice and joy, a world of truth and creativity.
Sunday, Jan 13

10:30 am

Everything I Know
Rev. Debra Thorne
When I turned 60 I decided to write a book about everything I know. The book is slow in coming but the meditation on what I know has been fruitful. The premise is that life experience is a great university of the soul and everything that happens to us is a lesson. The first lesson is ‘living in a body’.
Children & Youth: The children learn about the common Unitarian Universalist ritual of sharing our joys and concerns, while the youth will be continuing with their lessons on the theology of love.
Sunday, Jan 20

10:30 am

We Have Come To Be Danced
Rev. Debra Thorne,
Guest Speaker: Sheila Langston
This body. Your body. Your particular body. All that this body has lived through, endured, loved—every breath, every beat of the heart—is a dance. We will listen together to what our bodies have to say, and allow each to expand, to speak, to express itself through movement and music. From wheelchairs, from standing, from sitting in a chair—all bodies are welcome.
Sheila is a Jungian Analyst, Body-Voice Specialist and International BodySoul facilitator. Sheila’s Website: www.sheilalangston.com
Children & Youth: The children explore contexts in which they can practice sharing a sign of Unitarian Universalist faith. Youth explore sources, meanings, uses, and expressions of hope.
Sunday,
Jan 27

10:30 am

Staying Embodied through Times of Physical Change
Guest Speaker: Sarah Louise Turner
Service Leaders: Nancy Rupert and Janet Pivnick
Our bodies both connect us to and give us information about the world around us. How do we learn to heed the spiritual messages that our bodies are telling us and how do we find spiritual equilibrium when, due to illness or pain, those messages aren’t trustworthy? Join actress and educator, Sarah Louise Turner, to contemplate the connection between embodiment and spiritual wisdom in an ever-changing body.
Children & Youth: Spirit Jam Sunday.

December 2018

Sunday,
Dec 2

10:30 am

Resistance Never Ends
Guest Speaker: Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan
Service Coordinator: Janet Pivnick
The celebration of Chanukah provides an annual reminder of the journey from oppression through war to freedom. This struggle towards freedom is continuously replayed within the Jewish faith and resonates with the Jewish experience today. Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan will be leading us in song and story and helping us to unpack the deeper meanings of Chanukah.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children and youth will be preparing for the solstice pageant happening December 16th.
Sunday, Dec 9

10:30 am

The Light of Taizé
Rev. Debra Thorne, Beacon Singers
In a small village in France near the end of WW2, a group of ecumenical brothers started a movement that has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. The simple act of singing together surmounted obstacles of language, theology, politics and gender, and uncovered a longing in the hearts of young people to live in kindness, simplicity and reconciliation. We will tell the story of the Taizé Community and sing together in their tradition.
Children & Youth: The children and youth will be preparing for the solstice pageant happening next week.
Sunday, Dec 16

10:30 am

A No–Prep Solstice Pageant
Rev. Debra Thorne, DRE Ashley Cole, the Beacon Choir and all of you!
Come hear an old, old story about the longest, darkest night of the year, when we gather together to stay warm and tell stories about heroes and lovers and a tree! This will be a no-prep readers theatre solstice pageant in which everyone can participate, even the late comers!
• Choir sings.
Sunday,
Dec 23

10:30 am

A Blue Christmas Service
Rev. Debra Thorne
When delight goes out of the world and one’s heart is heavy… when the seasonal pressures drain the pleasure from your days… when your own life doesn’t mesh with the frenzy of consumerism… when good cheer seems distant—these are the times we need each other and the permission to be ourselves, however we are. Let us sing and be real.
Children & Youth: Year end celebration.
Monday,
Dec 24

7 pm

Christmas Eve: Love Reborn
7 PM
Rev. Debra Thorne, Sue Sparlin, Ming Xuan Chung
The waiting is over! It is the eve of the birth of love. Through inspiring readings and the much loved music of the season we remember unknown lands of the heart, risking everything for love, risking everything for peace. This is a service to bring your friends and anyone who might be alone and would rather be with others tonight. Please also bring cookies to share after the service!
Sunday,
Dec 30

10:30 am

Tapestry of Our Year
Sue Sparlin and friends
Completing the year together, with readings, sharing and song. (No Religious Exploration program today.)
Sunday,
Jan 6

10:30 am

This Fire is Love
Rev Debra Thorne, The Beacon Choir
On this first service of the New Year we gather together, families and friends, to share in the tradition of a fire communion. We’ll recognise the experiences gathered in 2018 and we’ll set our intentions for 2019 using the fire of love to heal the world.

November 2018

Sunday,
Nov 4

10:30 am

The Stories of Our Lives
Service Co-ordinator: Phil Campbell, The Beacon Choir
People probably started telling stories as soon as humans started speaking. Stories provided a way of passing on skills learned and the history of the tribe. Everyone has a story to tell. The stories of our lives are so much more than a biography. In this service we will look at how and why stories are important. There is a library of stories within each one of us. Some brave members of the congregation will share stories about themselves that will help to tell us how they became who they are today.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children will look at traditions and rituals for welcoming new life into families and faith communities.The youth will explore Unitarian Universalism’s theology of love focusing on “agape” (brotherly) love.
Sunday, Nov 11

10:30 am

Spark of Creativity
Rev. Debra Thorne
The universe began with a spark or a bang or a cloud of chaos! The universe has never stopped being creative, and our lives are nothing but the continuous unfolding of that original creative moment. How do human beings keep up with the creative universe?
Children & Youth: Today the children will identify ways we care for others in our families, at school, in the congregation, and in the wider world. Children will learn about the common Unitarian Universalist ritual of sharing our joys and concerns. The youth will explore sources, meanings, uses, and expressions of hope.
Sunday, Nov 18

10:30 am

The Ecstasy of Art
Rev. Debra Thorne, Beacon Choir
There is a mapable process of creativity that includes moments of agony and moments of ecstasy. It’s a wild ride to an unknown destination. How does art touch our lives? How are our lives works of art?
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: This morning we welcome Susan White to lead us in a percussion Spirit Jam.
Sunday,
Nov 25

10:30 am

Rebel with a Cause
Marilyn Medén and Heather Brown

What makes some people able to think outside the box? Marilyn Medén and Heather Brown will explore what makes a creative thinker, and then give each of you a chance to have fun and stretch your thinking. They’ll ask: What allowed famous inventers and changemakers like Edison and Darwin to create new ways of seeing and understanding the world? How are people such as John Stuart Mills and Elon Musk able to branch out from accepted norms or ways of thinking, and how can we apply that thinking in our our lives, in small ways, and even in larger ones, such as combating climate change?
Children & Youth: This morning the children and youth join forces to learn about and prepare for the upcoming mid-December solstice themed pageant.

October 2018

Sunday,
Oct 7

10:30 am

Spiritual Maturity
Rev. Debra Thorne
The beliefs we held as children often change as we grow and gain life experience—or they will if we remain engaged. Spiritual growth means we are intentionally testing and refining what we know of life, meaning and reality. When did you last check if your beliefs were current?
Children & Youth: The children discover there can be multiple answers to big questions. Youth will explore Unitarian Universalism as a living tradition with deep historical and theological ‘roots’, as well as ‘wings’ of change and creativity.
Sunday, Oct 14

10:30 am

Fishing Tips
Rev. Debra Thorne, Ashley Cole, Board Members and the Beacon Choir
If you always fish in the same place and in the same way and get no fish what kind of fisher are you? Maybe it’s time to try something new, like the other side of the boat, or new tackle? This first Pledge Sunday we figure out how to fill the boat with lots of fish! A service for the whole family that includes plenty of music and creative play.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: This morning is a whole church service, there will not be a separate Religious Exploration program.
Sunday, Oct 21

10:30 am

Music Makes Us
Guest: Patti Powell
Service Coordinator: Susan White
Anne Lamott writes “…music is about as physical as it gets: your essential rhythm is your heartbeat, your essential sound, the breath. We’re walking temples of noise, and when you add tender hearts to this mix, it somehow lets us meet in places we couldn’t get to any other way.” Patti Powell, singing instigator extraordinaire, director of four community choirs in metro Vancouver and soloist with City Soul Choir, will join us once again in song.
Children & Youth: The children are invited to experience wonder, awe, and reverence for life, particularly in its emergence through birth or new beginnings. Youth explore Unitarian Universalism’s theology of love.
Sunday,
Oct 28

10:30 am

Carry the Flame (and more Fishing Tips!)
Rev. Debra Thorne and the Beacon Choir
Our chalice flame burns as a symbol of the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and as a symbol of religious freedom and social justice. Although the flame itself is weightless, it takes strength and courage to carry it. Beaconites carry the flame by supporting the ideals of compassion and respect, of joy and justice for all; with the hope that this flame will transform lives.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: Spirit Jam Sunday.

September 2018

Sunday,
Sep 9

10:30 am

Vision that Connects: Ingathering and Water Ceremony
Rev. Debra Thorne
The seasonal wheel turns, summer is coming to an end and we flow back to Beacon from the many shores, coastlines and pools of summer activities. Each year we reconnect the Beacon community through the image of water, a symbol of the spirit and of the diversity and strength in community. Please bring with you a little water that represents the spiritual journey you have been on through the summer. This service is for the whole family, participation from children and youth is welcome and appreciated.
• Choir sings
• Soup Lunch following the service
Sunday, Sep 16

10:30 am

Vision that Transforms
Rev. Debra Thorne
When have you been so inspired by someone’s words that your life was transformed? Today or 550 years ago, when Francis David inspired the first Unitarian kingdom based on respect and acceptance of all religious faiths, an individual’s words and actions have the power to transform lives. We are both the transformed and the transforming.
In addition, this service will include the installation of Beacon’s new Lay Chaplain Judith McLean.
• Choir sings
Children & Youth: Curriculum for this fall will focus on UU identity. This week the children will explore the signs, symbols and rituals of UU faith while the youth will explore the themes of journey and wholeness through a UU lens.
Sunday, Sep 23

10:30 am

Vision that Inspires
Rev. Debra Thorne
These are difficult days on the earth. We are faced with burning forests, rising oceans and air we cannot breathe. The system humans have created to manage ourselves has pulled the rug out from our traditions of truth and trust, honour and integrity. How can we envision our world today in a way that inspires hope?
Children & Youth: Today the children will explore leadership within the UU community and discover ways they can become faithful leaders. The youth will explore faith journeys, from abstract to specific.
Sunday,
Sep 30

10:30 am

How, Then, Shall We Live?
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
In his book, How, Then, Shall We Live?, Wayne Muller asks fundamental questions that allow us to “glimpse that relentless spark of spiritual magic that burns within each of us, a spark that can light our way as we venture forth.” These questions cause us to dig deep into our Unitarian principles, ponder how we want to live our lives and consider what our contribution might be to the world. In this service, you will have an opportunity for quiet reflection, creative play and sharing with others in our warm and welcoming community, as we ponder the question: “How, then, shall we live?”
In addition, a representative for the 2018–19 Sharing-the-Plate Recipient ‘Camp Kerry’ will be with us.
• Choir sings
Children & Youth: This morning we welcome Eden Patten who will lead a sing-along Spirit Jam with the children based on this month’s theme of vision.

Summer 2018

Sunday,
Jul 15

11 am

Poetry, Prose & Music
Marilyn Medén
Once again there will be a Poetry, Prose & Music service, with a finger food-pot luck, at the Astoria Retirement Home, 2245 Kelly Ave. Port Coquitlam. Weather permitting, we will be on the patio.
Four themes for the next Beacon year look like good prompts: Vision, Creativity, Freedom, and Beauty. What a good way to start us thinking! As usual, you are invited, really encouraged, to read what you choose (not necessarily on a theme) from your own writing or that of others. Please, please let Marilyn Medén know as soon as possible that you would like to read, or offer music, so she can plan “the arc” of the service, [and she knows what to add to it herself!] Please bring your own plate as well as some simple food to share at the end of the service. Coffee and tea are available for a $1 donation. m.j.meden at telus.net or 604 469 6797.
Sunday, Aug 19

10:30 am

Sunday in the Park
Rev. Debra Thorne
The theme of this year’s New West Pride Festival is “Together We Can”. Our service celebrates the power inherent in interdependence. When we reach out and connect to others we are serving the flow of universal energy. We are source and conduit, unique part and universal whole. Come join us under the trees in Tipperary Park, top of 4th Street in New Westminster. Bring a chair or blanket for comfort.
Sunday, Aug 26

10:30 am

Sunshine, Singing and Socializing
Peggy Lunderville

Join Beaconites and friends for a morning of singing at the Lunderville’s. Sing Unitarian hymns from Singing the Living Tradition, Singing the Journey, Let Your Heart Sing and more. Bring musical instruments if you wish to accompany. This service is hosted by Beacon but is open to all. Potluck to follow. If you have a hymn you wish to see included, please contact Peggy Lunderville ahead of time.

June 2018

Sunday,
Jun 3

10:30 am

When Questions are the Answer
Rev. Debra Thorne
Have you got a question that you’d like Rev. Debra to answer? That was the invitation to the community. The questions flowed in—from the theological and eschatological to the environmental and historical. Rev. Debra will attempt to answer them all.
• Today is the last Food Bank Sunday until September. Please bring your non-perishables and cheques to support the local Food Bank.
Children & Youth: The children will celebrate the completion of the Circle of Trees curriculum while the youth will be asking their final question of the Riddle & Mystery program: “How can I know what to believe?”
Sunday, Jun 10

10:30 am

There will be two communities meeting this Sunday—one at Sapperton Hall, and the other at Sasamat Family Camp.

Sapperton: Beacon’s Sapperton doors will be open but there will be no formal service. Michael Scales is your host and Sue Sparlin will lead singing. There is no child care, nor nursery, as we hope you will make your way to Sasamat Family Camp to enjoy the service under the trees by the lake.

Camp Sasamat: (3302 Senkler Rd, Belcarra, BC V3H 4S3)
Community among the Trees
Laura Redmond, Patti Powell
“The interdependent web of all existence” is composed of thousands of communities. What is the meaning of community for you? Do trees have community? Do trees and people share a community? We will have a chance to deepen in our relationship with nature and with each other.

Sunday, Jun 17

10:30 am

Connect – Inspire – Transform
Rev. Debra Thorne
This year the Beacon community committed to making the world a better place in five significant areas: the Settlement 2 Team has been preparing to sponsor more members of the Al Raabi family; Beacon has been educating ourselves about reconciliation and Indigenous history; members have committed to reduce our use of single-use plastic over the coming year; and, many of us committed to not staying silent any longer when we experience or know of others experiencing sexual harassment and abuse. This Sunday, we will also welcome Sarah Stewart of Aunt Leah’s so that Beacon can present the Sharing-the-Plate donation. We are fulfilling our mission statement to ‘connect-inspire-transform’ in real and significant ways, and now it’s time to celebrate!
• After the service is the Whole Church Summer Picnic. Please bring food or drink to share. Hotdogs (meat and veggie) will be provided. It will take place at Sapperton Park. There is a water feature and playground, and big trees for shade. If it rains we’ll stay at Sapperton.
Children & Youth: Final service of the year will include an extended time for all ages followed by a church picnic at Sapperton Park.

May 2018

Sunday,
May 6

10:30 am

Transforming Perspective
Rev. Debra Thorne
How do we live together with completely different world views? Members of Beacon have been educating themselves in the history of indigenous people and realizing that their way of seeing and being in the world is so very different than that of the settler. For example there is no word for wilderness in First Nation world view, their word for wilderness is simply ‘home’. Participants from the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation program will join Rev. Debra and share examples from their transformed perspective.
Children & Youth: Join us in our monthly Spirit Jam! This month we welcome Bette Goode to teach us about gardening. We will be using the compost we created in the March Spirit Jam!
Sunday, May 13

10:30 am

Healing in the era of ‘Me Too!’
Rev. Debra Thorne
It was like a tidal wave that swept the first world. So much good healing has come from the early days of the ‘Me Too!’ movement. With unchallenged power this wave uprooted systems of decayed power, and unfortunately a few innocent lives as well. In the aftermath of the first wave there is a dissonance that needs understanding.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children will view a visual essay by Canadian activist Franke James and create one of their own. The youth will explore, “What should I do with my life?”
Sunday, May 20

10:30 am

What about me? Being a man in the era of ‘Me Too!’
Phil Campbell with Theo Boere, Executive Director and Founder of Men’s Resource Center
Men have done some truly awful things to women. We should all be ashamed—shouldn’t we? How can we men respond to this in a meaningful way and still hold on to our maleness with pride? Should we as men hold to the Possum Lodge oath, Quando omni flunkus moritati, or do we enter into dialogue with our women friends, lovers and neighbours about what our gender identity means to us and what it means to treat each other with respect and dignity irrespective of gender?
Children & Youth: The children and youth will participate in a ritual that fosters a deep connection between themselves and trees.
Sunday, May 27

10:30 am

Labyrinth Walks: A Contemplative Practice for Wholeness
Rev. Debra Thorne
Special Guest: Diana Ng
Walking the labyrinth has been a spiritual practice since the 11th century and rediscovered in the last fifty years as part of the reclaiming of contemplative practices both in and outside Catholic and Protestant communities. Diana Ng, member of South Fraser Unitarians, built her first 42 foot diameter labyrinth in Fleetwood Park, Surrey, in 2008. Diana comes to labyrinths from a spiritual and practical point of view. In her own words, labyrinths are ‘a quiet place where the simple act of walking promotes self-awareness, presence, and calm’. You will have the chance to walk one of Diana’s labyrinths during the service.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth: The children and youth will continue with the ritual introduced in last week’s workshop.

April 2018

Sunday,
Apr. 1

10:30 am

A Holy Foolishness
Rev. Debra Thorne
Hee-hee-hee! Did you hear the one about the Unitarian? The world of humour has a pointed wisdom, and jokes about Unitarians are no exception. What do jokes tell us about who we are? What humour delights and what humour offends? Let’s try a little ‘laughing yoga’ with our chocolate bunnies this Easter Sunday.
Children & Youth Program: The children and youth will participate in an egg hunt, followed by a brief discussion on what this time of year means for different religious backgrounds.
Sunday, Apr. 8

10:30 am

A Question of Evil
Rev. Debra Thorne
Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the North are clearly bad. Real life is not so specific. Yet is there a line we can draw between good and evil? What is the function of evil in the stories we tell and how do we confront the very real structures of evil in our world?
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth Program: The children will explore interdependence and how trees impact all creatures and plants in the web of life. The youth will question: “How am I connected with everything else?”
Sunday, Apr. 15

10:30 am

Stitch by Stitch: A Journey of Rediscovery
Guest Speaker: Lara Charles
Service Coordinator: Janet Pivnick
Brene Brown has said that “if we want our children to love and accept who they are, our job is to love and accept who we are.” But how do we get to this place of self-acceptance? Join Lara Charles as she shares her journey of rediscovering her passion for life, teaching and learning, through the most challenging and rewarding time of her life. She will share the lessons she learned about nature’s capacity to shift how we look at the world and our lives—as these lessons were revealed—stich by stitch, in the creation of a quilt.
Children & Youth Program: Join us for our April Spirit Jam with Glen Wootton who will be sharing his joy of singing and song writing with us!
Sunday, Apr. 22

10:30 am

Creatures of our Plastic: Earth Day Service
Rev. Debra Thorne, Ashley Cole and Teresa Morton
Did you know that worldwide we use one million plastic bags every minute! Half of all this plastic we use is only used once and then thrown away. How did this happen in a single generation and can we change it? Today we launch a two-year project to learn about how we live with plastic and how we might change our thinking about how we use it (see the Minister’s Message, page 2, for more information.) This is a Whole Church Sunday service with creative activities, games, songs and dancing for the whole family!
• Choir sings.
• Soup lunch and AGM
Children & Youth Program: Children and youth will be participating in the whole church service.
Sunday, Apr. 29

10:30 am

The Passionate Humanist
Guest Speaker: Jim Stephenson
Service Coordinator: Marilyn Medén
Unitarian Universalists have been referred to as God’s frozen people. We appreciate dispassionate analysis and a sober search for truth. We tend not to evangelize. and frequently don’t admit that we go to church. While we may be “spiritual”, we are not “religious” and usually don’t practice elaborate rituals. Does this mean we are lifeless and boring? Does a skeptical bent mean that we have no place for passion, enthusiasm, zeal, wonder, and joy? On April 29, Jim Stephenson, an accounting consultant and former Green Party candidate, with degrees in engineering, business, and economics, will share his experience living life with passion, enthusiasm, zeal, wonder, and joy. May the farce be with us.
Children & Youth Program: The children will continue to build on their understanding of, and respect for, trees through multiple modes of learning. The youth will question: “What should I do with my life?”

March 2018

Sunday,
Mar. 4

10:30 am

Wade in the Waters
Rev. Debra Thorne and Patti Powell
You are invited to bring a friend this Sunday on a singing journey, led by Patti and Debra. We’ll travel through a raging storm, into the deep forest alive with birds and animals, to the healing river waters. This service is an experience through sound, words and movement of both the inner and outer wilderness of being alive. Come prepared to sing, to laugh and (perhaps) to cry, in a celebration of the human spirit.
Beacon is fortunate to have Patti lead us once again, with her soulful high spirited style of musical worship. Patti Powell conducts four community choirs in metro Vancouver, and is a soloist in the City Soul Choir.
Children & Youth Program: The children will be concluding the Miracles program by exploring phenomena that remain mysterious and awe-inspiring, even under scientific examination. The Jr. youth continue with the Riddle and Mystery program—today’s big question: Is life fair?
Sunday, Mar. 11

10:30 am

Singing, Shouting & Celebration: 250 Years of Universalism
John Hagen, Phil Campbell, choir members and others
What’s in our name? Today we are going to take a look at ‘Universalism’, the other ‘U’ within the historical background of our UU faith. Our intention is to gain knowledge and perspective on a very different religious period in our church history (1800–1920), and how it’s adherents then influenced who we are today. Come and join us for singing, shouting & celebration! We will: sing old hymns; explore old theology; admire the pioneering of new religious values which we still adhere to today; and learn a little more about our Universalist forebears.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth Program: The children will begin a new multi-aged program entitled Circle of Trees. Today they will explore how trees are an integral part of all life on earth, and yet are facing stresses as a result of deforestation and pollution. The Jr. youth will be asking the big question: how can I tell right from wrong?
Sunday, Mar. 18

10:30 am

The Last Wilderness
Rev. Debra Thorne
The last wilderness is the uncharted land on the map of our life journey—death—the greatest human mystery of them all. Some say that religions were created to respond to the fear of human mortality. Science too, is galvanized to nail down the facts on death. Both human views will be explored as we ask: What will the land of death be like? (This service theme was chosen by Sue Sparlin when she ‘bought’ a Sunday service theme at the silent auction for the Al Rbaai Family in 2016.)
Children & Youth Program: This morning the children will explore the ways in which trees are life giving. The youth will be asking the big question: What is truth? They will search for deep truths in the morals of fables, and in their interactions with peers.
Sunday, Mar. 25

10:30 am

Beyond the Pail: Finding Meaning in the Here and Now
Guest Speaker: Valentin Schaefer
Service Coordinator: JanetPivnick
The creation of a bucket list encourages
people to seek the extraordinary with expensive trips and adventures. Contemplating retirement, Val Schaefer, an Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, is choosing to think “beyond the pail”. Expanding mindfulness to find the extraordinary in the ordinary is a different type of adventure that involves cultivating new ways of knowing. Using stories of discovery in the natural world, Val offers ideas for finding fulfillment by staying rooted in place.
• Choir sings.
Children & Youth Program: Spirit Jam Sunday! This morning the children and Jr. youth will be joined by Deb Henry who will be teaching us about composting and the ‘miracle’ of this transformation.

February 2018

Sunday,
Feb. 4

10:30 am

As Individuals in an Interrelated World
Lay Chaplain: Marilyn Medén
Marilyn Medén looks to the future: The end of war? An interrelated world? Sure. Let’s start with ourselves. Try things out. Practise peace. Let peace begin with us! “When people act for selfless ends, there is vast augmentation of their individual capacities. Something wonderful, something momentous happens. An irresistible force begins to move, which, though we may not see it, is going to change our world.” —Eknath Easwaraen, Spiritual Leader. Marylke Nieuwenhuis will play her recorder.
Children & Youth Program: Rev. Debra Thorne will lead the children and youth in a Spirit Jam session downstairs.
Sunday, Feb. 11

10:30 am

Beacon’s Birthday!
Rev. Debra Thorne and Beacon Members
Today we celebrate Beacon’s 35th Anniversary by remembering Beacon iniatives that changed lives across the world and across the years. Stories from a transformational experience in the youth group; to the Bed and Breakfast program that started the Building Fund; from the homelessness initiative that started the POCO Food Bank; and more recently the Refugee Settlement program that is uniting families and two distinct cultures. This is a moment to celebrate the power of a community to connect, inspire and transform our lives.
• New member ceremony
• The choir will sing
• Soup Lunch with birthday cake following the service
Children & Youth Program: The children will explore the miracle of social change while the youth explore the topic of death asking the big question, “What happens when we die?”
Sunday, Feb. 18

10:30 am

Riddle & Mystery:
A Whole Church Sunday!
Rev. Debra Thorne and Ashley Cole
Unitarians may thrive on the joy of our interdependence, but we do not always agree about the answers to the big questions. Nevertheless, we think that searching for the answers is important. So this Sunday we explore the ‘riddle and mystery’ questions: Who are we? Where have we come from? Where are we going? We’ll dive into these questions as a creative, fun-loving interdependent, whole church!
• A special collection will be taken to support the Canadian Unitarian Sharing Our Faith program.
Sunday, Feb. 25

10:30 am

Put a Little Love in Your Heart: Giving and Receiving at Burning Man
Amber Strocel, Jeff Young
Service Leader: Donna Hamilton
What does it mean to truly give a gift, and what does it mean to truly receive a gift? One Beaconite explores gifting through the lens of Burning Man, an intentional arts community created for one week each summer in the Nevada desert. Expect music, pictures, and big questions.
Amber Strocel has been active at Beacon since 2001. In that time she switched careers twice, had two children, and discovered a love of skiing and playing guitar. She is now a teacher and loves working with children. This past summer she attended Burning Man for the first time, and developed some new perspectives on what it means to really give and receive a gift.
Jeff Young is an entertainment lawyer and music producer who lives in the Vancouver area with his wife Doris. He also teaches at a number of post-secondary institutions, and is the proud father of an adult daughter. He is a three time “burner”, having attended Burning Man in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In his free time he enjoys skiing and composing music.
Children & Youth Program: The children will explore the miracles that we can make ourselves and the youth will be asking, “Why do bad things happen?”

January 2018

Sunday,
Jan. 7

10:30 am

Raven Brings the Light—Fire Communion Service
Rev. Debra Thorne
In a time when darkness covered the land, a boy named Weget is born, who was destined to bring light back into the world. ‘Raven Brings the Light’, the classic west coast Indigenous story, will support our Fire Communion as we honour the flames of insight and rebirth and enter the new year together, as an interconnected community.
Sunday, Jan. 14

10:30 am

When All Life is Risk
Rev. Debra Thorne
Special Guests: Fazineh Keita & Ava Vanderstarren
Fazineh Keita grew up in Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war. As a former child soldier, Fazineh is using his experience to bring awareness to the realities of war. Since graduating from the Vancouver Film School, Fazineh has used his skills to tell stories, educate youth and to help people find healing through art. He and Ava created ‘Innocence Lost Foundation’, a project to rehabilitate former child soldiers in Sierra Leone.
Sunday, Jan. 21

10:30 am

Better Than Chocolate
Rev. Debra Thorne
What could be better than chocolate? What about safe and loving intimate relations? What about fully alive sensory experiences? What about healthy bodies exploring trustworthy relationships? What about really good, clear communications with those who you care for? What about spiritual deepening through love and vulnerability? This month we’ll risk talking about sex, sexuality and love. Oh, and there’ll be a chocolate meditation!
• Beacon Choir sings.
Sunday, Jan. 28
A Quiet Risk: Living an Undivided Life
Special Guests: Kimiko Karpoff and Rachel Yordy
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
Showing up as ourselves, daring to live authentically, aligning our public selves with our inner life are risks that the soul takes moment by moment, without fanfare or notice. Circle of Trust approaches, based on the work of Parker Palmer, provide an opportunity to be in community to support each other in the difficult work of listening and acting upon one’s soul call.
Janet is joined by Kimiko Karpoff and Rachel Yordy, all of whom have experience with Circle of Trust approaches, to share principles and practices of this powerful work.
• Beacon Choir sings.

December 2017

Sunday,
Dec. 3

10:30 am

Give Peace a Chance?
Rev. Debra Thorne
From their hotel bed in Montreal in 1969 John and Yoko sang ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and it became the worldwide anthem for a peace movement. Do we still yearn for peace or have we become habituated to the violence around us? Are we prepared to embrace the challenge of our time—to hold peace in our hearts without closing ourselves off from the violence of the world?
Sunday, Dec. 10

10:30 am

Singing our Way Through
Special Guest: Patti Powell
Service Leaders: Donna Hamilton and Janet Pivnick
The darkness that envelops us as we move towards winter brings with it moments of quiet contemplation and peace. As we enter into stillness, we also find the spark of wonder and anticipation. Join us for a musical journey through this dark time of year with song leading and sharing by Patti Powell. Patti leads community choirs in Vancouver and New Westminster, and she led the choral workshop at Camp Sasamat this past year.
• Choir sings.
Sunday, Dec. 17

10:30 am

The No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant!
Rev. Debra Thorne,
Ashley Cole, Director of Religious Exploration, and all of you!
What would December be without the annual Christmas pageant? This year, we will all be called upon to help create the well-known story. There will be costumes, songs to sing, and of course many animals who want to see this babe who was born in their barn. Please join us for this wonderful family celebration of community and creativity.
• Choir sings.
Sunday, Dec. 24

7:00 pm only

Christmas Eve: Peace Reborn
Rev. Debra Thorne and Guests
Music by Ming-Xuan Chung
Christmas Eve holds our deep yearning for peace—in our hearts and in the world. In the dark of the winter when the light of the sun is weakest, a story is told of the light returning. This evening we remind ourselves of the story through poetry and music, of the fulfillment of prophesy and hope. The birth of the Christ is a metaphor to calm our minds and lighten our souls. Come and listen, come and sing, come and be comforted, come and be renewed.
Note: There is no service in the morning on December 24th.
Sunday,
Dec. 31

10:30 am

Tweaking My Story
Service Coordinators: Vrindy Spencer and Marilyn Méden
What makes your story? Marilyn Medén and Vrindy Spencer use two local and true events (one involving risk) to invite you to reflect on why we act the way we do. How can you influence yourself? What would you like as part of your story, and to send as a ripple into the world?

November Services

Sunday,
Nov. 5

10:30 am

First Nations and Pipelines
Karl Perrin and Holly Arntzen
Europeans colonized this land. Elsewhere (e.g. India, Kenya) the colonizers vacated. But not here. As First Nations claim rights, and Canada says it supports their “free, prior, and informed consent” before corporate colonization is permitted, we must ask, “How did we get here?” and perhaps, “Are we colonizers, colonized, or both?”
Karl Perrin (born 1945) was raised in the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit. That church and its youth group launched him into the Civil Rights Movement and the Peace Corps. Landing in Vancouver in 1970 he was delighted to find a whole city that seemed kinda’ Unitarian. Eventually he settled down in the Unitarian Church of Vancouver where he chaired the Environment Committee for 17 years. In Nov. 2014 he was arrested for crossing a police line, protesting Kinder Morgan TMX workers drilling in Burnaby Mountain.
Holly Arntzen is a singer/songwriter producer who has dedicated her musical life to nature and building common ground in communities for a green and peaceful future. She is a co-founder of the Artist Response Team (ART), a production house that specializes in music, ecology, education, entertainment and action. ART produces Voices of Nature, school music programs and concerts that feature giant throngs of children singing out for the Earth. Together with Kevin Wright she heads up The Wilds Band.
Sunday, Nov. 12

10:30 am

Remembering
Risks Taken
Rev. Debra Thorne
In 1939, Waitstill and Martha Sharp, a Unitarian minister and his wife, agreed to live their principles by leaving their children behind with their congregation in Massachusetts and setting out to the front lines of World War II, to help save the lives of political dissidents and Jewish refugees. This is a remarkable story of a Unitarian couple’s courageous work to rescue hundreds of people endangered by the Nazi occupation of Europe.
Sunday, Nov. 19

10:30 am

God Has No Religion
Rev. Debra Thorne
When we ask ultimate questions we get open ended answers. Being naturally curious, human beings continue to want to know the meaning of everything, which has led to an explosion of scientific disciplines like astrophysics and molecular biology. We know so much and so little. How has the evolution of scientific knowledge impacted the meaning of God? How has religion responded to the need to evolve?
• The choir sings.
Sunday, Nov. 26

10:30 am

The Reason You Walk
Vrindy Spencer, Judith McLean, and Al Sather
On November 26th three Beacon speakers, Vrindy Spencer, Judith McLean, and Al Sather, will use the title of Wab Kinew’s book The Reason You Walk, to explore what is important in their lives, what gets them up in the morning, and what keeps them going.
• The choir sings.

October Services

Sunday,
Oct. 1

10:30 am

Generous Listening, Courageous Dialogue
Tyler Vittie, Audrey Taylor
Service Leader: Janet Pivnick
Through the decision to celebrate Canada 150+, Vancouver signalled an intention to make reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples a priority. The CUC has, similarly, made a commitment to embark on a path of reconciliation within congregations. What is reconciliation? Why is it receiving so much attention? Where does it fit in our lives? Today, we will listen (via video) to the perspectives of Chief Robert Joseph, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada, and hear from the facilitators of Beacon’s upcoming exploration of the CUC’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guide.
Sunday, Oct. 8

10:30 am

Mentoring: a Generosity of Knowledge
Rev. Debra Thorne
Without the generosity of those who share their experience and knowledge, our lives would be an endless repetition of discovery—with little growth, depth or progress. Unitarians are lifelong learners but are we mentors to the next generation? Are we generous with our knowledge? Are we stingy when it comes to sharing our wisdom? The mentor relationship is marked by interdependence, humbleness and respect.
Sunday, Oct. 15

10:30 am

The Heart of Generosity
Rev. Debra Thorne
The heart of generosity means the source, the feeling, the aliveness, and the abundance of generosity. Where there is suspicion, anxiety and scarcity, generosity cannot exist. Only when our hearts are trusting, feeling safe and open can we access the source of our generosity. Today I share with you what it means to be part of a community that feeds your heart and spirit with abundant generosity, and how your generous heart nourishes the community.
• Today is the first of three Pledge Sundays. If you enjoy our Sunday services, appreciate the warmth of community, are inspired by Beacon’s commitment to justice, please consider a generous pledge for 2018.
• Beacon choir sings
• A Soup Lunch follows the service.
Sunday, Oct. 22

10:30 am

An Experience in Shared Ministry
Phil Campbell, Jean Donaldson, Marylke Nieuwenhuis
Phil Campbell: As UUs, we are keenly aware of the interdependent web of existence. The concept is enshrined in our core seven principles. When it comes to ministry, interdependence means that we all share the ministry of the church and minister to each other. I recently was on the receiving end of this collective ministry when I was critically ill and hospitalised for an extended period of time. In this service, I will share my experience with you, along with some thoughts about shared ministry.
Jean Donaldson will speak of her connection with Beacon. Marylke Nieuwenhuis will play the recorder.
• Beacon choir sings
Sunday, Oct. 29
10:30 am
Generous Spirit
Rev. Debra Thorne
Every religion upholds the practice of giving as a spiritual act. Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed all offered teachings on giving as a spiritual practice. What do we as North Americans understand about the spiritual depth of giving? There are many different world views on giving—some that we are familiar with and others that are unfamiliar and may challenge our thinking about our identity and the meaning of community.
Tyler Vittie will speak of his connection with Beacon.
• Beacon choir sings
• Today is your last best opportunity to make your financial pledge to support Beacon’s smooth sailing through 2018.

September Services

Sunday,
Sep. 10

10:30 am

Return Again to the Place We Belong: A Water Ceremony
Rev. Debra Thorne
The seasonal wheel turns, summer moves into autumn and we return to Beacon from the many shores, coastlines and pools of summer travel. Each year we reconnect our community in September through the symbol of water, a symbol of travel, or the spirit, and of diversity and strength. Please bring with you a little water that represents the spiritual journey you have been on through the summer.
• Choir sings
Sunday, Sep. 17

10:30 am

Belonging Begins Here
Rev. Debra Thorne

When our home is unsafe, when our country is unsafe, when our bodies are unsafe, who do we turn to and how do we find a place to belong? Canada is filled with amazing people who have made brave choices in desperate times and who have found a safe harbour in Canada. From all over the world people look to Canada as a place to belong.
Also at this service will be a representative from the Sharing the Plate 2017–18 recipient, Aunt Leah’s. For over 25 years, Aunt Leah’s Place has been helping kids in foster care and helping young mothers achieve a better future by providing guidance, supported housing, job training and coaching on essential life skills. They believe every individual deserves to feel safe, cared for, and have a sense of belonging.
• Choir sings
Sunday, Sep. 24

9:30 am or
10:30 am
Walking with
All Our Relations
Rev. Debra Thorne and
Janet Pivnick
This Sunday is a little bit different. The Sunday services team encourages all Beaconites to join with Unitarians from all the Lower Mainland churches and ‘Walk for Reconciliation’. The City of Vancouver, as part of its Canada+150 celebrations, has organized a walk for reconciliation on Sept. 24th. As part of the Unitarian commitment to reconciliation, all Beaconites are encouraged to participate in this march. Rev. Emily Hartlief of the Northshore Unitarians, and Rev. Samaya Oakley from South Fraser, will lead the Unitarian participation and Janet Pivnick will focalize the Beacon contingent. (More details will be available the Sunday before.)
There will be a service at Sapperton led by Rev. Debra Thorne for those who cannot make the walk. A live stream connection from the walk will be part of the Sunday service.
Following the march there is a Reconciliation Expo from 10:30 till 3 pm at Strathcona Park. More info at http://reconciliationcanada.ca/walk-for-reconciliation-2017/
Walk for Reconciliation begins at 9:30 am, the service at Sapperton begins at 10:30 am.

Summer Services 2017

Sunday,
Jul. 9

11:00 am

Poetry, Prose, Music Service: Leadership & Following
Marilyn Medén
Location: Astoria Retirement Home, 2245 Kelly Ave. Port Coquitlam

Potluck snack: Please bring your own plate as well as some simple finger food to share at the end of the service. Coffee and tea are available for a $1 donation. Weather permitting, we will be on the patio.

The theme will be Leadership Versus Finding Your Own Path. Ideas you might contemplate are: What is authority? Be your own authority. What is Leadership and Following if one must inevitably and necessarily come to one’s own awareness/answer? The above introduces the semantics of Law+Order. A video you may wish to watch is “Law & Order” and Civil Disobedience | Philosophy Tube

You are invited, really encouraged, to read what you choose (not necessarily on the theme) from your own writing or that of others. Please, please let Marilyn Medén (m.j.meden@telus.net 604-469-6797) know as soon as possible that you would like to read, so she can plan “the arc” of the service, [and she knows what to add to it herself!]. Marylke Nieuwenhuis will play the recorder and Michael Jenkins will be one of the speakers.

Sat., Aug. 19

3–8 pm

New Westminster Pride Street Festival
Coordinator:
David Krisjanson
Location: Columbia Street in New Westminster

Come visit the Beacon table on Columbia Street in New Westminster. Sit with us for a while and talk to people who stop with questions. Contact David Krisjanson to sign up for a shift at the table between 2 pm and 9 pm. Set up the booth from 2–2:45 pm; pack up the booth from 8–9 pm.

Sunday, Aug. 20

10:30 am

Sunday Service in the Park: Freedom to Be
Rev. Debra Thorne
Location: Tipperary Park, New Westminster

We are all unique and precious. However you identify and wherever you are on your spiritual and personal journey, you are welcome. Bring a friend and join us for a gentling, a quieting and a deepening time under the trees in Tipperary Park, New Westminster,

Enter from 4th Street off Royal Avenue, parking on Fourth Street, meet at the Friendship Garden.

Sunday, Aug. 27
10:30 am
Music in the Summer

Peggy and Tom Lunderville
Location: Armstrong Ave. and Cariboo Rd.

Come join us at the Lundervilles’ to sing hymns—old favourites and those still to be discovered—or bring your instrument and play along. There is no audition for singers or players, we welcome you as you are. If you’ve hungered for more than three hymns at a service and would be just as happy singing as listening to a sermon on a beautiful August morning, this is the service for you. If you don’t know all our hymns, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get comfortable with a few more of our musical treasures. Please join us after the service for beverages and conversation and a potluck lunch. Call Peggy Lunderville for any questions.

June 2017

Choose from two services:

Sunday,
June 4,
10:30 am

At Camp Sasamat, 3302 Senkler Rd, Belcarra, BC V3H 4S3:
Flying High!
Co-ordinated by Laura Redmond and Rev. Debra Thorne
Community singing will be led by Patti Powell
Welcome summer and join with campers, families and friends at the annual pilgrimage to Camp Sasamat. We gather under the trees, on the shores of Lake Sasamat to sing, play and worship together.
Patti Powell is a community choir leader in the Ubuntu Choir Network. Ubuntu choirs aim to be inclusive, community-focused, non-auditioned and socially-engaged. Patti leads four community choirs and is an apprentice conductor with Brian Tate and the City Soul Choir.

At Sapperton Pensioner’s Hall, 318 Keary Street, New West:
‘Roots hold me close. Wings set me free.’
Coordinated by Sue Sparlin and friends
Before we dare great things we need to know there is a safe place to land. We will share stories of our roots, our safety nets, and how having them has made it possible to try something new or daring. We will sing and laugh and soar to great heights, then land softly and share food together. This is an all-ages service. There is no separate RE program for the children. An art table will be provided at the back of the room. Cookies and juice will be available to share upstairs after the service.The food bank collection will be next Sunday, on June 11th.

Sunday,
June 11,
10:30 am
Living in Whiteness
Rev. Debra Thorne
There is a difficult and necessary conversation taking place right now across Canadian and American Unitarian Universalist communities. In the past month there have been 690 congregations offering services and teach-ins on the issues of ‘white supremacy’. The institutions are being challenged as are the congregations to face with courage and love that which is so hard to see. I will share my understanding of what white supremacy means and bring Beacon into this crucial conversation.
Sunday,
June 18,
10:30 am
Up Up and Away!
Rev. Debra Thorne and
DRE Ashley Cole
This our last service together before the summer months take us off in many directions. It is a time to celebrate each and everyone in the Beacon community. Young and old and in between, we will weave together our dreams and hopes for future days in a colourful tapestry of love and gratitude.
• After the service we will head out to the park for our annual family picnic. Please bring the whole family and a contribution for the potluck lunch.

May 2017

Sunday,
May 7

10:30 am

Healing Waters
Rev. Debra Thorne
Recently returned from the Celtic waters of Scotland, Rev. Debra shares her insights and discoveries from her sabbatical journey.
Sunday, May 14

10:30 am

Unquenchable Spirit
Rev. Debra Thorne and friends
Lalleshwari was a thirteenth century Hindu mystic and poet, who lived a life of ecstatic freedom and devotion after fleeing a cruel marriage. Lalla inspired many in the Sufi tradition in Kashmir and is described as the supreme Mistress Mother of Yoga.
• The choir sings
Sunday, May 21

10:30 am

Thirst for Peace

Rob Hughes, Lawyer

“Peace is not the absence of war. It is the presence of justice and the absence of fear.”
—Dr. Ursula Franklin, Quaker, scientist, peace advocate, feminist, educator.
This morning, Rob Hughes, an immigration and refugee lawyer, will be talking about his work with LGBTQI+ refugees who flee persecution in their home countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and what we can do to support them.
Rob represents LGBTQ and seropositive refugee claimants as well as applicants in same-sex relationships immigrating to Canada or applying for visitor, work and study permits. In 2000 Rob co-founded the Rainbow Refugee Committee, a support group for queer refugee claimants in Vancouver. His practice, Out/Law Immigration Legal Services is located in New Westminster. Rob is a Quaker, a member of The Society of Friends.
Sunday, May 28
10:30 am
Belonging: Unity in Diversity
Rev Debra Thorne
It has been one hundred and fifty years since the Canadian Confederation was formed. In light of the commitment to the process of Truth and Reconciliation, how can Unitarians celebrate the establishment of Canada and at the same time honour and respect Aboriginal history?
• There will be a new member ceremony this morning.
• The choir sings

April 2017

Sunday,
Apr. 2

10:30 am

The Power of Compassion
Sandy Burpee
Compassion is a powerful emotion, but does it always lead us in the right direction? Today we will explore the nature of compassion and consider its intersection with the ethical treatment of others.
A long time Beacon member, Sandy has chaired the Tri-Cities Homelessness & Housing Task Group since December 2006. Previously he was the founding chair of the Fraser-Burrard Community Justice Society (now the CERA society), a restorative justice program for youth, as well as the Tri-Cities Housing Coalition. He was Volunteer Lead at SHARE’s Coquitlam food bank depot for 10 years until May 2014, and is a Life Member of Coquitlam Search & Rescue. Sandy retired from a career with BC Hydro in 2004. On March 20, 2017 he was presented with a BC Medal of Good Citizenship at a ceremony at the Coquitlam Town Centre fire hall.
Sunday, Apr. 9

10:30 am

Compassion:
Our Interrelated Lives
Sarah Hong, Susan Millar, Sita Sahasrabudhe, Janet Pivnick and Marilyn Medén
Beacon writers Sarah Hong, Susan Millar, Sita Sahasrabudhe, Janet Pivnick and Marilyn Medén will go deeply into their own and others’ experience of compassion, to give us food for thought and action.
Sunday, Apr. 16

10:30 am

Compassion in the workplace
David Jordan and
Brigit Atkinson
Service coordinator: Joan Morris
With the theme of compassion this month, two Beaconites will explore their experience of compassion working in the caring professions. David Jordan, a wheelchair technician, and Brigit Atkinson, a registered clinical counsellor and trauma therapist, both work in an environment where compassion can make a difference in the lives of those they care for. Find out what role compassion plays in their work.
Sunday, Apr. 23
10:30 am
Autonomy and Choice
Rev. Arthur Berman
Service Coordinator:
Marilyn Medén
We welcome the Rev. Arthur Berman’s return. His sermon will deal with the ethical issues raised by medically assisted death. His views are informed by his experiences as a spiritual care practitioner at Vancouver General Hospital.
• Choir sings
Sunday,
Apr. 30

10:30 am

Compassion in
Troubling Times
Guest Speaker:
Heather Talbot

Service Coordinators: Nancy Rupert and Janet Pivnick
Recent world events have left Unitarians feeling a sense of despair and seeking ways to support and catalyze change. Yet some may wonder how to participate in social justice without burning out or giving in to despair. Join us this week to listen to Heather Talbot share the ideas of deep ecologist Joanna Macy who has created an experiential model called the Work that Reconnects. Heather will answer the question, “How can we keep our hearts open in these troubling times?
• Choir sings

Heather Talbot is an artist and counsellor who has been facilitating Joanna Macy’s ‘work that reconnects’ for the past six years.

March 2017

Sunday,
Mar. 5

10:30 am

The Cost of Our Arising
Rev. Debra Thorne
In this season of Lent the Christian tradition begins its journey of delving deeply into the meaning of death and the renewal of life. On a similar theme, we turn our focus to discerning that which is essential from what is not. From the mystic Gurdjieff to Saint David, wise people have set down formulas for deepening spiritually by leading simpler lives.
Sunday, Mar. 12

10:30 am

To Live Deliberately
Rev. Samaya Oakley
Service Coordinator:
Joan Morris
We live in an age where we are constantly bombarded with messages
about how to dress, what to eat, what to drive, what to listen to, and how to live. How do we, as Unitarian Universalists, maneuver ourselves through the quagmire of these messages? This service looks at the words of our Universalist forefather, Henry David Thoreau, to see if they provide any clues for those of us living in the twenty-first century.
• Choir sings.
Sunday, Mar. 19

10:30 am

Failing at Simplicity
Rev. Debra Thorne
As a country and as a culture, Canadians are the most wasteful, indulgent and neglectful in the world. We have been called environmental laggards. Knowing this doesn’t seem to make a difference. How do we encourage a sea-change in our
relationship with earth and technological resources? I suggest our survival is dependent on a spiritual transformation.
Sunday, Mar. 26
10:30 am
Searching For Clarity, Finding Focus
Janet Pivnick and
Marilyn Medén
What are those aspects of our lives that call to us again and again, providing meaning and grounding? What can we let fall away? Are there common threads that have accompanied your journey, that call you forth? Janet Pivnick and Marilyn Medén will lead a service to help us clarify a focal point in our lives.
• Choir sings

February 2017

Sunday,
Feb. 5

10:30 am

When Love Requires Justice
Rev. Debra Thorne
The Social Contract envisioned by Rousseau in 1762 stated that it was only ‘the people’ who had the power to govern—not monarchs. He might say the same today. Yet any social contract requires each person’s buy-in, which requires us making choices, every day. What happens when my justice is not your justice? How do we keep our hearts open when our world vision differs? When does love require us to walk in another’s shoes?
Sunday, Feb. 12

10:30 am

The Syrian Conflict:
A Personal Perspective
Mohamad Kebbewar
Mohamad has been a volunteer translator for the Settlement Team since last summer, after serendipitously meeting Susan Millar at a poetry reading in which he was presenting. Mohamad, a native of Syria, will be speaking about the Syrian conflict and sharing some of his original writing.
Mohamad Kebbewar was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria, and educated in Canada. His writing is about the struggle of the ordinary citizen in a war that grinds an entire population into nothingness, and what remains after the rubble has settled.
Sunday, Feb. 19

10:30 am

Our Interdependence Calls
Rev. Debra Thorne
Listen. We are not alone. Breathe. We are connected to every person and every plant and every star. There is a humming rising from this connection, it is a song of joy and a song of love. It is a truth more powerful than a bushel of doubts, more real than your own hand. Smile.
This is Sharing Our Faith Sunday when a special collection will be taken to aid ministry, projects and outreach for congregations throughout the Canadian Unitarian movement.
Sunday, Feb. 26
10:30 am
Joy and Justice
in Climate Action

Guy Dauncey
If we don’t have a pretty firm idea of where we are going, how are we going to get there? Guy Dauncey, eco-futurist and author of 101 Solutions to Global Warming; Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic and Journey to the Future, will speak of joy and justice in climate action. Guy’s positive vision of a sustainable and congenial future, will lead us to see the possibility of practical and enjoyable action.

January 2017

Sunday,
Jan. 1

10:30 am

Meditating on the New Year: A Simple Service of Readings and Contemplation

Sue Sparlin and Marilyn Meden

Please join us as we turn our focus to the coming year. This is an all-ages service (no religious exploration classes for the children today).
Sunday, Jan. 8

10:30 am

Letting Go: A Fire Communion
Rev. Debra Thorne
Through the elements of soothing water and sparkling fire we remember and release the past year to make way for the new. We will honour those we have lost and all that was unfinished and unrealized. We will celebrate small victories and major accomplishments. We will make way for the new.
Sunday, Jan. 15

10:30 am

Polyamory
Guest Speakers: Madeline Micheals and Melanie Ray

Service Coordinator: Marilyn Medén

As part of our spiritual development we open ourselves to a deeper understanding of the many ways in which human love is expressed. On this Sunday we are fortunate to have two polyamorous speakers tell us of their outlook and about polyamory in their lives. We will also welcome a guest soloist, Zoey Wren.
Sunday, Jan. 22
10:30 am
New Normal(s)
Rev. Debra Thorne
From the outside, we can’t see how brains function, but they do. Neurodiversity is the term that describes a spectrum of human functions including thinking, sensing and feeling. The Neurodiversity movement suggests that there is a greater range of normal variations of brain-body function than previously understood. This ‘new normal’ requires a radical expanding of our hearts as we welcome—with understanding, not judgement—those who, in the past, were considered ‘different’.
Sunday, Jan. 29
10:30 am
Disability, Radical Inclusion, and Attitude Shifts
Dave Symington
Service Coordinator: Joan Morris
This talk will explore various issues concerning disability, societal attitudes, and some radical ideas about sexuality and inclusion. Through personal experience of living with a disability for over 40 years, as well as 20 years of living without a disability, the speaker will explore systemic and social changes up to this point and possibilities for the future.
Dave Symington spent most of his career working in the post secondary system as a counselor, advisor, program manager and policy coordinator. He currently spends his time engaged in music, advocacy and volunteer work.

December 2016

Sunday,
Dec. 4

10:30 am

Sweet Expectation
Rev. Debra Thorne
Savouring possibilities that life may bring is a delicious joy, to be held lightly and released freely when expectations are not met; the wisdom comes from knowing when to hold on and when to let go. How can we hold on to a sweet expectation in these dark days of winter?
Sunday, Dec. 11

10:30 am

Revelation: Neither Sealed Nor Known
Rev. Ev Morris
In my opinion, the essence of Unitarian truth is simple. That which separates us from, and elevates us above all other religions, is one simple phrase: Revelation is neither sealed nor known. It amazes me that something so clear and central and basic has received such little attention. This sermon tries to correct this oversight.
Rev. Ev Morris is a member of Beacon and a retired Unitarian minister who served Beacon from 1998-2002. A few years ago Rev. Ev self published a little book of poetry and a book of sermons. He has recently produced a blog of what he assessed were his best sermons over his 15 year career as a minister. You can find these sermons and some of his other writings at https://evmorris.wordpress.com.
Sunday, Dec. 18

10:30 am

A Common Light
Rev. Debra Thorne and a cast of hundreds!
The Beacon family pageant is a joyous celebration of the many festivals of light at this time of year. The children and youth will dramatize the holy days of Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice and the Islamic celebration of the birth of Mohammed. There will be guest singers and musicians, and the Beacon Choir.
Saturday, Dec. 24

7:00 pm

Christmas Eve Service, 7 pm
Moments of Magic
Rev. Debra Thorne and Guests
Join us for a Christmas Eve of readings and music celebrating the surprises of Christmas; the moments of magic when children’s eyes light up, friends’ smiles warm your heart and when the unexpected hoped for dream becomes real. There will be hot apple cider after the service. Please bring cookies to share.

(There will be no Sunday service on December 25th. Merry Christmas!)

November 2016

Sunday,
Nov. 6

10:30 am

Friends in Hard Times
Rev. Debra Thorne
Eight years ago in Chicago I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama, in a room of Unitarians, some of who had marched alongside Martin Luther King in the great civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery. It was a day of unimagined joy. This next American election has been unimaginable in a very different way. How do we understand the forces at play and support our American friends and neighbours?
Sunday, Nov. 13

10:30 am

Hunger for Peace
Rev. Debra Thorne, John Hagen and Guests
Why do we engage in fighting, and with the same breath, yearn for peace? In the human dance between conflict and harmony is a struggle to live at a deeper level. Let this be a time to renew our desire for peace between nations and peace in our souls. Through music and readings the longing for peace breaks through, feeding our hope, strengthening our will.
Sunday, Nov. 20

10:30 am

Hungry Ghosts
Rev. Debra Thorne
Children who are loved and surrounded by a safe and nurturing community grow with an ability to connect to others. On the other hand—according to Dr. Gabor Mate, physician and writer—trauma, abandonment, and neglect have a direct effect on the human body and mind and are the underlying reasons adults become addicts.
• The choir sings
Sunday,
Nov. 27

10:30 am

SOUL FOOD:
Bread for LIFE!
Service Co-ordinator: Joan Morris;
Guest Speaker: Anne Morrison
This talk will explore how unfulfilled yearnings are sometimes even more depleting than going without food, by preventing us from experiencing true contentment in life. Join Anne Morrison as she explores how tending to our yearnings is the universal food that fuels our life energy and enables us to experience inner peace. We all hunger to experience our own worth and have our yearnings fulfilled.
• The choir sings

Anne is a former member of the Beacon Unitarian Church and a current member of the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. As a community developer and therapist, Anne has over 40 years’ experience facilitating ways for people to transform inner pain so that they can stand tall in their own magnificence. Anne currently conducts individual, couple and family therapy, as well as therapist training and supervision, from her serene Chemainus home office. Anne’s website: annemorrison.ca

October 2016

Sunday,
Oct. 2

10:30 am

The Light between Us
Rev. Debra Thorne
We live in a diverse and beautiful world. Everyday, somewhere on the earth, it is a sacred and holy day. This week marks both the Jewish and the Islamic new year, and the Hindu festival of Navratri. How are we inspired and transformed in this time of spiritual interdependence?
Also on this Sunday, Shari Mahar will introduce the Sharing the Plate program recipient organization: Community Integration Society Services.
Sunday, Oct. 9

10:30 am

Currency Transformed
Rev. Meg Roberts
As Unitarians, we are comfortable talking about politics, religion, and sex. So how can we become more comfortable talking about a very important driver in our lives and culture—money? I think of money as ‘stored energy.’ How do we decide where to invest that energy to reflect what we care about so it actually changes lives? Reflecting on these things is exactly what a spiritual community can help us with.
Rev. Meg Roberts is in her fifth year as a part-time consulting minister with the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship. She lives in Vancouver, and also does a community ministry called Spirit Arts: using our creativity to explore our spiritual lives.
Sunday, Oct. 16

10:30 am

Coming through the Storm
Rev. Debra Thorne and Deepak Sahasrabudhe
When the foundations crumble and we tumble into the darkness of loss, what do we reach for to find our way back to the light, to safety, to stability? Each of us will find we have strengths we didn’t expect to find, courage we didn’t know we had, and perhaps a whole new way of seeing ourselves.
Sunday,
Oct. 23

10:30 am

Circle of Care
Rev. Debra Thorne
Many of us value caring, value being a caring, compassionate and giving person. Yet caring too much can be detrimental to ourselves and others. Caring for the wrong reasons can be unhealthy. When we take a look at the whole circle of both care and carelessness we become more aware of our motivations behind our value of caring.
• Choir sings
• Nelson visitors and Soup Lunch
Sunday,
Oct. 30

10:30 am

Breaking Free
Cathy Tingskov
Service Coordinator:
Marilyn Medén
‘Breaking free’ from internalized oppression, to live a happier healthier life, can be a challenging process. For some who are not quite there yet, it can take months, years, or even a lifetime to achieve. Yet, at any age, the risks and benefits are well-worth the journey.
Using personal stories, Cathy Tingskov will share some experiences on her path to breaking free. In doing so, she hopes to support and inspire others who may be on similar journeys.
• Choir sings

September 2016

Sunday,
Sept. 11

10:30 am

Juicy Roots: In-Gathering Service and Water Communion
Rev. Debra Thorne
It’s time to gather again as community after a summer of gardening and travel, visitors and solo journeys. Please bring a sample of water that represents your summer and be prepared to share what water means to you: spiritually, socially and environmentally. Children will attend the service upstairs to start, and then go downstairs to have their own water service.
Sunday, Sept. 18

10:30 am

Deep-rooted Tradition
Rev. Debra Thorne and the Beacon Choir
If you ever thought being a Unitarian was easy because you can ‘believe anything’, think again! Unitarian theological roots have been growing for close to five hundred years. Ours is a deep-rooted tradition of liberal ideals—ideals of diversity and inclusiveness, of interdependence and the free will to seek and chose a faith that is true to oneself. (This is an excellent service to introduce friends and neighbours to the roots of our tradition.)
• Choir sings
Sunday, Sept. 25

10:30 am

Finding our way home
Co-ordinated by Joan Morris
How, when we are in chaos and time of personal challenge, do we find a way back to our roots? How do we reconnect to our deeper selves? Four of our members will share stories about how they find their way back to their roots, whether it be through community, nature, theology or their inner resources.
• Choir sings

Summer Services

Sunday,
July 17,
11 am
Poetry! Prose! Music! Listen, read, or play at an informal service outside on the patio (or in the Gathering Room) at The Astoria, 2245 Kelly Ave. in Port Coquitlam (Denis Probst’s home). Bring your own writing or someone else’s. Entertain us with a musical instrument. There is coffee and tea available for a donation, or bring your own beverage. We will have a light potluck lunch after the service.

If you would like to read or play, please let Marilyn know you’re coming, so she can do a little planning. Marilyn Medén 604-869-6797, m.j.meden@telus.net.

Saturday,
August 13,
3 pm to 8 pm
New Westminster Pride Street Festival
Come visit the Beacon table on Columbia Street in New Westminster. Sit with us for a while and talk to people who stop with questions. Contact Sue Sparlin to sign up for a shift at the table between 2 pm and 9 pm. Set up the booth from 2–2:45 pm; pack up the booth from 8–9 pm.
Sunday, August 14, 11 am
Sunday Worship in the Park
Tipperary Park, New Westminster
Rev. Debra Thorne
We are all unique and precious. However you identify, and wherever you are on your spiritual and personal journey, you are welcome. Join us for a gentling, a quieting and a deepening time under the trees. Tipperary Park, New Westminster, entrance for cars from 4th Street off Royal Avenue. Parking on Fourth Street, meet at the Friendship Garden.
Sunday,
August 21,
10:30 am
Music in the Summer

At the Lundervilles’
Come join us to sing hymns, new and old favourites, or bring your instrument and play along. There is no audition for singers or players, we welcome you as you are. If you’ve hungered for more than three hymns at a service and would be just as happy singing as listening to the sermon on a beautiful August morning, this is the service for you. If you don’t know all our hymns, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get comfortable with a few more of our musical treasures. Please join us after the service for beverages and conversation and a potluck lunch. Call Peggy Lunderville for any questions, further info, or address: 604-522-3001.

June 2016

Sunday,
June 5,
10:30 am
At Camp Sasamat, 3302 Senkler Rd, Belcarra, BC V3H 4S3:
Sing a Joyful Song
Rev. Debra Thorne and
Laura Redmond
In the beauty of the Sasamat Camp, amid the trees and family of campers, we will sing our joy of being together. This annual worship service brings together families from across the Lower Mainland.

At Sapperton Pensioner’s Hall, 318 Keary Street, New West:
Joy or Happiness?
Is there a difference?
Beacon member Sue Sparlin and friends
Today’s informal service will explore our lived experience of joy and happiness. People will be asked to share their own thoughts on the subject. Sue will bring some readings. You are invited to bring poems or music or readings that speak to you of joy or happiness and how they might differ.
This will be an all-ages service. Any children will be invited to join in the discussion. The food bank collection will be next Sunday, June 12th.

Sunday,
June 12,
10:30 am
Transitions
Rev. Debra Thorne
There are times in our lives when ‘what was’ is no longer and ‘what will be’ is unknown. These are the transitions of our lives. Sometimes we are aware when the transition is upon us and other times it is only on reflection that we see the moment of change. Today we celebrate Danae McLean and Hannah Brown who are bridging from youth to adulthood.
A tea, in honour of Beacon elder Ivy Hubbard, will follow the service.
• Food bank collection
Sunday,
June 19,
10:30 am
Our Interdependence Calls Us to Love and Justice
Rev. Debra Thorne
We are each called to something in our lives. Have you heard a whisper in your heart, or a shout from the world beyond you? What inspires you, what moves you, what gives meaning to your life? What calls you?
This service will also include a presentation from our Sharing the Plate program to I’s on the Street.
• Beacon Family year-end picnic follows the service

May 2016

Sunday,
May 1,
10:30 am
May Day Blooming
Rev. Debra Thorne and
Casey Thorne-Stainsby
May Day, or Beltane, is traditionally a time to celebrate abundance and growth. In this intergenerational service the whole community will take this opportunity to consider the things we would like to see blooming in ourselves, our relationships and the wider world. We will reflect and share with a Compost Communion ritual, and dance around the Maypole. There will be no Sunday school classes as the children will be participating in the whole service.
Sunday,
May 8,
10:30 am
Continuous Revelation
Rev. Debra Thorne
Some religions look to books for revelation, some look to prophets, some to stones, and some to numbers. How do these experiences and methods of revelation compare across the religious landscape? How does the Unitarian understanding of revelation distinguish itself and support your being in this world?

• Choir sings

Sunday,
May 15,
10:30 am
The Song of the
Winter Wren
Rev. Debra Thorne and
Teresa Morton
The Winter Wren returns to precisely the same spot in a wooded acreage on Vancouver Island, for safety & rest. What size was the map of her world? How did she know this was a protected niche? Science would eventually be able to elucidate the size of winter wren’s range, but only if we turned our science ‘spotlight’ on it. And in employing our spotlight we risk losing sight of the whole, of the interconnectedness, of the old knowledge. Perhaps, as our ‘scientific progress’ proceeds, we are losing as much, or more, indigenous knowledge. What are the risks associated with this erosion of place-based, time-enriched understanding and knowledge?

• Choir sings

Sun.
May 22,
10:00 am
Chan Centre at UBC
Growing Bolder
Every Day
Chan Centre at UBC, 10 am
Rev. Debra Thorne, Rev. Steven Epperson
Join 500+ Unitarians at the Canadian Unitarian Council Conference at UBC. The worship service will feature Aline LaFlamme and Daughters of the Drum and the Conference Choir under the direction of Alison Nixon. Not to be missed!

Doors to the Chan open at 9:30 and the service begins at 10:00 am. Please allow plenty of time to park in the nearby structure and walk a short distance to the entrance. There is a special accessible drop-off zone. Free admission tickets to the Chan (required for entry) will be available in local churches by the weekend of May 8, from volunteers outside the building on the morning, or in packets for registered participants. Contact your local Host Committee member if you can offer a ride to anyone needing assistance.

For directions and parking to the Chan Centre go to: http://chancentre.com/directions/

Sunday,
May 29,
10:30 am
Continuous Revelation: Engaging in Life’s Planned & Serendipitous Moments!
Joan Carolyn, CUC Congregational Development staff for BC and Western Regions
Service Co-ordinator: Joan Morris
What does it mean to engage well with life? With a commitment to give concrete expression to what we value, be prepared to act. And then with humility and eyes wide open, be prepared to engage life—from the well-planned event to the ever surprising serendipitous opportunities—continually open to inspiration and re-creation.
Joan has been privileged to pursue studies in World Religions and Cultural Anthropology (B.A.) as well as completing a B. Th. and M. Div. (double major, Theology and Peace Studies). Outside of the classroom, Joan has sought to continue life-long learning—of special note here are training and experience with: Conflict Resolution; Cycles of Violence/Wellness Planning; and Aboriginal Awareness.

April 2016

Sunday,
Apr. 3,
10:30 am
I am an imPerfectionist:
A Unitarian Confession
Rev. Debra Thorne
The fault, the blemish, the crack, the imperfect is part of nature and human experience. To think otherwise would be irrational. Yet we are irrational beings and need processes to release the pressures of shame and guilt: a challenge for Unitarians. Confession is good for the soul.
Sunday,
Apr. 10,
10:30 am
Do it Anyway!
Rev. Debra Thorne
If we look into the historical roots of the first world problem of perfection, we’ll see that by putting so much focus on our selves, and striving to be something more than we are, we trap our ability to change the real wrongs in the world.
Sunday,
Apr. 17,
10:30 am
The Importance of Imperfection

Lam Wong

Service Coordinator: Marilyn Méden

Realistically, we always begin with imperfection. From ourselves to the world, from art to philosophy. Everything begins with the essential recognition, and acceptance of imperfection. Lam Wong, Buddhist, Eastern scholar, and artist will engage us with The Importance of Imperfection. Upstairs, after the service, you are invited to participate in a tea ceremony.

• Choir sings

Sun.
Apr. 24,
10:30 am
The Real Cause of Addiction

Rev. Amanda Aikman

Service Coordinator: Joan Morris

What if everything we have been told about addiction is wrong? What if the real cause of addiction is very different, and simpler, from what we have come to believe?
Rev. Amanda Aikman serves South Fraser Unitarian Congregation in Surrey as their half-time minister. She is retiring in June and looks forward to devoting herself to writing plays and avoiding yardwork.• Choir sings

March 2016

Sunday,
Mar. 6,
10:30 am
Strangers in a New Land
Rev. Debra Thorne
The Syrian refugee family sponsored by Beacon Unitarian Congregation is about to arrive. Imagine being a stranger in a new land where every smell and taste and smiling face is unfamiliar. How do we minimize our assumptions and our expectations? How do we maximize our cultural awareness?
• Food Bank Sunday
Sunday,
Mar. 13,
10:30 am
Trending Towards Love
Rev. Debra Thorne and guest speaker Rev. Schuyler Vogel
We put a lot of effort into being the best we can, but often we fall short anyways. How can we make sense of our vulnerabilities and see others as equally human?
Rev. Schuyler Vogel is the minister of United Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He is a recent graduate of Harvard Divinity School and previously served several congregations as a religious educator.
• Choir sings
• Theology Pub after the service
Sunday,
Mar. 20,
10:30 am
Resurrection Again!
Rev. Debra Thorne and Casey Thorne-Stainsby
The first day of Spring unleashes winter’s buried energy—flowers bloom, sap runs, desire for the renewal of life returns with glee. How wonderful is our interconnectedness with all the forces of nature. How intricate are the many religious responses to this annual renewal of earth energy.
The RE children will help the adults raise the energy of spring for the first half of the service and then will go downstairs to prepare a surprise for the adults.
• Choir sings
Sun.
Mar. 27,
10:30 am
Transformation Survival
Sita Sahasrabudhe, Susan White and Sue Sparlin
Service Coordinator: Joan Morris
Three Beaconites will share personal stories of events that turned their lives around. Big changes in one’s life can result in a major shift in perspective, or a whole new lifestyle. Retirement, major moves, or illness affect all of us in major ways. Come and hear how these individuals’ lives have been affected by major life changes.

February 2016

Sunday,
Feb. 7,
10:30 am
Sharing Our Faith:
A Year of Reconciliation

Rev. Debra Thorne
It is an auspicious time in Canada, an opportunity to heal historical and present day wrongs through knowledge and spiritual commitment. This opportunity for reconciliation is being shared by Unitarians across Canada as part of our commitment to Indigenous people through the Truth and Reconciliation process.
Sunday,
Feb. 14,
10:30 am
Feeding the Phoenix  
Marilyn Medén and Friends
How do we rise above “we/they” and move into just plain “We”? If our private lives are a microcosm of the larger picture, the nation, the world—what guidelines can we use? Can we really “be the change we want to see”? Friends from our congregation will explore the possibilities.
• Choir sings
Sunday,
Feb. 21,
10:30 am
When the Water Runs Clear
Aline LaFlamme
Co-ordinated by Rev. Debra Thorne
Reconciliation is justice. It is a profound tradition within Aboriginal culture rooted in ‘right relationship’. Without right relations there would be no community. When relationships are broken because of hurtful or thoughtless action, reconciliation transforms them and community is restored.
• Choir sings
Aline LaFlamme is a Métis grandmother, Sundancer and pipe carrier whose work includes teaching traditional Aboriginal culture and history, as well as facilitating healing workshops and ceremonies. Aline blends modern methods of non-violent communication approaches with traditional ways of resolving conflicts, focusing always on restoring relationships. Aline has deep trust in traditional methods of restorative justice. This she has incorporated into several healing programs she implemented at the Aboriginal Front Door Society and in various prison programs she established.
Sun.
Feb. 28,
10:30 am
What is the Shape of Justice?
Paul Caspell
Co-ordinated by Joan Morris
Join Paul Caspell as he recounts his journey toward restorative justice after a distracted driver killed his brother John. He will describe the life experiences that led to his family’s decision to pursue an alternative penalty to jail time.

January 2016

Sunday,
Jan. 3,
10:30 am
Letting Go:
A Fire Communion
Joan Morris, Nancy Rupert, Rev. Debra Thorne

The Fire Communion will be a creative and flashy letting go of 2015, so as to make room for all the surprises, gifts and learnings that await us in 2016. Through contemplation and visual art we gather up our experiences of the past year and prepare to release them.
Sunday,
Jan. 10,
10:30 am
Playing with Art, and Life
Rev. Katie Stein Sather
When I retired from the Unitarian ministry and started art quilting, I was immediately struck by the details of my creative process, and how moving from words to art was both similar and different. I realized that creativity and play—and the risk-taking necessary to be creative—leads to a more satisfying life.

Rev. Katie Stein Sather, has ministered in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a suburb of Detroit, MI and for 8 years at Beacon. She retired from active ministry in 2011, and now focuses her time and energy on paddling and textile art. Last June she paddled the ultra-marathon canoe race the Yukon River Quest, successfully completing the race. 717 km in 52 hours 47 minutes 35 seconds!

Sunday,
Jan. 17,
10:30 am
To play’s the thing…
Don Hauka
Playing: kid’s stuff. Waste of time—not enough time. Life’s too busy. “Play” isn’t taken seriously, even in the dictionary: “Play: engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” But you can achieve a lot just by horsing around and not being afraid to have fun. Don Hauka leads you on a journey of discovery of the power of play in a creative process peppered with epiphanies. Join us on January 17 and have your game-face on!
• Choir sings
Sunday,
Jan. 24,
10:30 pm
Our Unitarian Ancestors Part 1
Rev. Debra Thorne
The history of Unitarianism is filled with men and women who have stood above the crowd through brave and principled action. Some spoke truth to power, while others saw an opportunity to fight injustice. Many were also quite eccentric personalities! Today you’ll meet a few of them.
There will also be a new member ceremony and the choir sings.
Sunday,
Jan. 31,
10:30 am
Divine Comedy
Ryan Gunther
Coordinator: Marilyn Medén
Comedy and religion are polar opposites in terms of tone, but often serve the same fundamental purpose: to help us deal with the parts of life that are horrible. This will be a serious discussion of comedy, a light-hearted look at religion, and an exploration of the many ways the two overlap.
Well known in the stand-up comedy field, Ryan Gunther will entertain and enlighten.

December 2015

Sunday,
Dec. 6,
10:30 am
Wisdom from the
World’s Religions
Harold Rosen
Coordinators: Nancy Rupert
& Marilyn Méden
Harold Rosen, a former minister at Beacon, is now a community interfaith educator who designs and teaches courses on world religions. He will engage us in an exploration of Unitarian’s third source of wisdom—that which comes from the world’s religions that inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life. He will address the place of ‘wisdom’ in our lives, and explore two kinds of wisdom from the world’s religions: universally abiding moral-spiritual principles, and historically progressing social-institutional guidelines.
• There will be a discussion of the sermon upstairs after the service.
• Violist Derek Darling will play.
Sunday,
Dec. 13,
10:30 am
Sometimes a Blue Christmas
Rev. Debra Thorne
As we approach the longest night of the year, we pause and touch the tender places of loss and hurt. The Blue Christmas Service is a time for acknowledging both personal pain and the suffering in the world, that we may make ready our hearts for the return of hope and love.
Sunday,
Dec. 20,
10:30 am
A Christmas Pageant
Rev. Debra Thorne, Amber Strocel, L. Redmond and You!
A mother and father seeking refuge have arrived at our doors. We welcome them in and make them comfortable. Then our neighbours arrive, including some shepherds, donkeys and a couple of angels—everyone wants to welcome the new babe. A star in the east has led wise ones to us, and they bring gifts to the child. Together we celebrate every new birth.
• Choir sings.
Thurs.
Dec. 24,
7 pm
Christmas Eve Stories
Rev. Debra Thorne
There is a glass of mulled apple cider and some cookies waiting for you tonight. Come cozy up with Carol and Elf to hear a tale or two this Christmas Eve with your Beacon Family. We’ll sing your favourite Christmas carols, and share stories both poignant and spiritual.
Sunday,
Dec. 27,
10:30 am
Stories that End Well
Marilyn Medén and Friends
On this Sunday—so close after Christmas, and the last Sunday of our theme, Story—we will listen to, read, and interpret stories that illustrate our principles, arrive from many sources, and end well. It will be a joyous, and yet serious; interactive, and yet personal; relaxing, and yet engaging time.

November 2015

Sunday,
Nov. 1,
10:30 a.m.
A Light in the Window
Rev. Arthur Berman
Coordinator: Marilyn Medén
Rev. Berman, a chaplain at the Vancouver General Hospital, presents an exploration of home and family, their meaning for us, and how our religious movement contributes to our sense of community.
Rev. Berman has been a Chaplain for the Vancouver General Hospital for 16 years. He is a member of the North Shore Unitarian Church.
Sunday,
Nov. 8,
10:30 a.m.
Telling the Truth
Rev. Debra Thorne
Telling the truth to ourselves and to others may lead to integrity. But the real truth is a fun but bumpy ride over the potholes made by little white lies, false claims, embellishments and tall stories! When must truth be spoken? On what do you stake your integrity?
Sunday,
Nov. 15,
10:30 a.m.
The Grace in Aging
Rev. Debra Thorne
Aging is a spiritual practice like no other. If we were to take to heart the precariousness of our existence, what strivings and consuming, what cherished beliefs, what clung to personal stories would we let go of? And in that letting go are we prepared for what will return to us?
• Choir sings
Sunday,
Nov. 22,
10:30 a.m.
Climate Change: Really, Why Should I Give a Hoot?
Terry McComas
Co-ordinator:
Rev. Debra Thorne
One hears many alarming predictions about climate change, but sees few examples in our daily life. The local weather remains mild, our fish still swim, our gardens continue to grow. Experts generally agree that the impacts elsewhere will be more pronounced. So, why should we care?
Sunday,
Nov. 29,
10:30 a.m.
Extending our Welcome
Rev. Meg Roberts
Coordinator: Joan Morris
Beacon went through an educational process and an official vote in 2004 to become a Unitarian Universalist ‘Welcoming Congregation’, acknowledging support for the inclusion and participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. That was eleven years ago. What are some issues transgender people face today and how can we, with integrity, be more welcoming of transgender people?
• Choir sings
Rev. Meg Roberts is a quarter-time consulting minister with Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship. She is a guest minister in Unitarian congregations across BC. Rev. Roberts also offers Spirit Arts workshops, using creativity to explore our spiritual lives.