Service Descriptions

In the season of Halloween, Samhain, and All Souls’ Day we gather for a ritual to honour our ancestors. You are invited to bring a photo of one of your beloveds, or an object that you associate with them, to the service this morning. Whether you are online or in person, there will be an opportunity to share your photo or object and name your ancestor and one thing you learned from them about how to live a good life. We will also remember members of the congregation who have died in the last few years, as well as our Unitarian Universalist ancestors that formed our movement. With music, words, ritual, and dance, this celebration also offers us a chance to think of one thing that we want to leave our descendants—our legacy.

Linked to our service topic, the Beacon film club is hosting a discussion of the Disney movie Coco. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living and to reverse his family’s ban on music. Stay tuned for an invitation to an online watch party, tentatively scheduled for Wed. Oct. 30th at 6:30. The film club will meet online on Friday. Nov. 1 at 7 pm to discuss it.

Food Bank Sunday: The 1st Sunday of every month is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program.

One of the things that impairs me deeply connecting with others is when I act as if I’m right. I may believe people have a right to their own views, but in practice, I react as though I believe I’m right and others are wrong. So it is at times in our communities – one-on-one, in small groups, within whole congregations, and in the larger world. What core beliefs do I need to give up to foster healthy relationships amongst and within Unitarian Universalist communities?

What values and practices will help me weave this into my daily life, and develop deeper and deeper compassion for myself and others?

You’re invited to a soup lunch after the service. Suggested donation is $5 or pay what you can. Newcomers are invited to be our guests.

Music is a universal language that unites us across cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds. By singing together we weave our individual lives into a powerful tapestry of community, each voice unique and yet united. Join us as we welcome back Patti Powell, singing instigator extraordinaire. Come with an open heart and be uplifted.

We invite you to join us for Envirobee after the service.

A deeper dive into ‘What does it mean to share our joys and sorrows with our community?’ With blues music and reflections from Michael and friends.

Holidays are around the corner. Some of us love the holidays and they’re not for everyone.

Join Rev. Meg and the Pastoral Support Team (in person and online) to share and listen about the Holiday Blues. You are part of a circle of empathy and care.

Whatever wonderful things we hope Beacon can do in the wider world, it really all starts with us. Nothing good will happen at Beacon without us … no services, no community, no caring, no music, no forum for Unitarian social justice. It really starts with us. This week before Thanksgiving, as we think about stewardship, we should start by thanking ourselves.

Food Bank Sunday: The 1st Sunday of every month is when Beacon collects donations for SHARE’s food bank program.

10:15 AM: Come early to visit! Coffee and tea will be ready at Sapperton. Zoom room will be open as well.
Pre-service sing-along! Come along and lift your spirits and your voices with others who enjoy the gift of song and singing.

Join us for a Thanksgiving lunch after the service — all are welcome.
Invite family and friends as well. Turkey dinner with all the fixings (vegan and gluten free options). Contact Peggy Lunderville if able to RSVP and if bringing food. Last minute participants welcome. By donation.

Do you hear that voice calling you, calling us? That voice which calls us together here today in this room made holy by our presence and by the sacred breath we share in our singing and speaking and silence. That voice which calls us to remember that we are not alone and that we are inextricably linked to all other life—woven into a vast tapestry of existence of which we are a powerful, integral, and holy part. Come together here today to hear three Beacon members tell you what called them to Beacon. Come to hear Ming-Xuan Chung play his beautiful music. Come to listen and sing along with Kate Smith and Bill Marshall.

Come, Come, Whoever You Are, Wanderer, Worshiper, Lover of Leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come yet again come.

We invite you to join us for Envirobee after the service.

Beaconites have a wonderful history of putting their values into action – both within our own community and by reaching out to those beyond ourselves. In this service, that history can inspire us to look at our vision for the coming year(s). As part of that, we’ll create a web of connections: where are Beaconites putting their values into action in their lives?

Come early at 10:15am and join in our sing-along, and stay afterwards for conversation and refreshments – online and in-person!

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)!

This year’s Sharing the Plate Recipient: Century House Association Peer Support (CHAPS)
Guest Speaker: MaryAnn Becher

MaryAnn Becher is the coordinator of Century House Association Peer Support, a helping program designed to enhance the social and mental well-being of older adults who are facing life transitions and challenges. Come and learn all about Beacon’s 2024/2025 Sharing the Plate recipient.

After the service there will be a Soup Lunch and Teresa Morton will be holding her monthly Envirobee.

Welcome Newcomers and All Comers!
Rev. Meg Roberts and The Connecting Committee

Ever wonder what Unitarianism really is all about? What do they believe? What do they value? This service is a time to bring your family, friends and neighbours, as well as for all newcomers—and all comers—to come together.

We’ll explore what values are most important to us as individuals and as a Beacon community. There will be good music, good humour, and good value for your time!

10:15 am:  Join our Pre-Service Sing-Along

After the service, there will be a short gathering for newcomers and all who have questions, like ‘What the heck is Unitarianism, anyways?’

We’ll connect in-person and online.

What If We Prioritized Rest?
Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz (video recording)

When I think about prioritizing rest, my head fills with voices—parents, mentors, even past employers—and I notice a strong reaction in my body. To help us understand what is happening and why rest is so significant, we will lean into the writings of black authors and activists such as Tricia Hersey, who have identified the theological necessity of rest for individuals and communities.

Bio: Karen Fraser Gitlitz is a Unitarian Universalist minister and a professional Art Therapist. Karen and her partner Paul recently relocated to the Saanich peninsula on southern Vancouver Island, BC. Karen continues to serve small Canadian UU congregations through the Meaning Making Project while deepening her exploration of the intersection between spirituality, the arts, and social justice.

Louise Penny has the great gift of empathizing with the characters in her murder mysteries. We will explore how real life empathy, love, hope, and forgiveness are shown in a variety of her characters. Kate Smith and Bill Marshall will provide their lively and meaningful music.

The service will be at 4 pm on July 14th in the exuberance of John Hagen’s backyard, 1834 London Street, New Westminster. It would be good to have a little social time after, so if you would like, you could bring a plate of appetizers to share, and please bring your own beverage.

Please contact Marilyn Medén if you wish more detail (contact details in the online Breeze directory).

Beacon Unitarian is once again participating in the New West Pride Festival. We are looking for 8–10 volunteers to hang out at the Beacon Booth and tell people about our Welcoming Congregation. There will be at least two people at our booth at all times. Shifts are one to two hours long, sometime between 2:30 and 8:30 pm—there is lots of flexibility and it’s always lots of fun. Please email David Kristjanson for more information.

Come 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. Please invite a friend or neighbour. There is a playground and spray park for anyone who would like to bring kids and/or grandkids. Look for the Beacon Banner.

All ages and all levels of musical ability are welcome to join us for a morning of singing/playing at Peggy Lunderville’s home (8892 Armstrong Avenue, Burnaby. Call or text Peggy at 604-812-5939 if more information is needed). 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 be 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.

You are invited to a spirited review of our congregational process from this last year. This will be an opportunity to reflect on our experiences and look to our future. Join us at 10:20 am for a pre-service sing-along. In addition, the choir will sing today.

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.

Let’s worship the way plants do, starting as a seed in a quiet place, drinking in water and sunshine, and then bursting forth with leaves and flowers to bless those around us!

The choir performs, and there is a soup lunch after the service. Suggested donation for the soup lunch is $5 or pay what you can. Newcomers are invited to be our guests.

How do we help effectively across a culture gap? Drawing from more than a decade of personal experience, Liz James tells a story that has it all … Humour, thoughtful analysis, and confrontations with lions. Not a metaphor. Real lions.

Bio: Liz James is the founder of a 230,000-person online UU community called the Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society (UUHS); half of The Cracked Cup podcast; and working on a book with Skinner House Press. Liz is based out of Saskatchewan, where she is building a tiny house with her own two hands. She believes in a Unitarian Universalism that is filled with meaning and joy, and that sees change as an adventure.

We have been so lucky this year to enjoy the music of our choir under the leadership of choir director Faith Veikle, accompanied by Ming-Xuan Chung. As the choir wraps up, this is a celebration of the choir and all it has brought to Beacon’s life and spirit.

Humanism in Our Lives
Rev. Meg Roberts, John Hagen and Marilyn Medén

As part of our sources series, we’ll explore how humanism affects our lives. Meg will put this in the context of our movement’s history, and Marilyn and John will share their stories. We’ll invite you to consider what humanist ideas you connect with.

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.

Join us as we hear Merrilyn Cook, the principal of Purpose Independent School, about their past year and the lunch program that Beacon is contributing to. We will be presenting them with our Sharing the Plate contributions from this last year.

Envirobee after the service.