About the Beacon
The Beacon newsletter is published and distributed bi-weekly on Tuesdays, generally on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. The 1st Tuesday includes upcoming services and events, as well as communication from the Minister, the Director of Rreligious Education, and others; the 2nd Tuesday issue focuses on information from Committees, Social Justice projects, and General Interest information. [Information about submitting to the Beacon]
Beacon Issues
The most recent issue appears at the top of the list. Please note that Beacon issues prior to May 2026 are PDFs.
Submitting to the Beacon
The Beacon is focused on articles and longer content about activities, events, projects, and people at USNF. It’s not for announcements, which go in the Sunday Times. The Beacon is a place to share more detailed information and stories.
Articles are due by 5:00 PM Monday, the week prior to the Beacon's Tuesday publication date (8 days in advance). Please see the Beacon Newsletter Deadlines for specific dates.
Submission Guidelines
Article length: 250 word count is preferred, but it can be up to 350 words. If the word count is above 350, the editor will discuss with the author.
Include a title for your article.
Photos
Pictures are encouraged! Please include pictures as separate files, not in the body of the article.
Links
Include the URLs for any links you want to include, in a list below the text. In the list, include each URL and identify what it is and where it should go. The editor will insert the links into the proper text. Please be sure all URLs work.
| How to format accessible links |
| Be sure that any links you include are placed on text that clearly describes where the link goes, not on generic words like "click here," "here," or "this page." |
| For example, instead of: "To learn more about the concert on May 1, click here." Use one of these options: "To learn more about the concert, visit the May 1 concert web page." "Learn more about the May 1 concert." |
Submitting
Include the name and contact information (email and phone) for the person submitting, so the editor can reach them quickly with questions.
To submit, please upload your article (either in Word or as a Google Doc), and your photos, using the same Google link. Email your committee chair or newsletter@uunorthampton.org for the link. Once you have followed the appropriate link and are in Google Drive, click on the “+New” icon on the top left of the page, then click on “File Upload”. When you have completed your uploads, just close the browser page.
Please only submit an article once (not for multiple issues), unless there is an ongoing need. If an article must run more than once, base your follow-up articles on the edited version of the text from the prior issue.
If you need help with uploading the article, please reach out to Ghelp@uunorthampton.org.