Committees
JOIN THE HIKING GROUP for the PLANNING POTLUCK to find out more about their group. CONTACT Catherine Groseclose at or sonia at for more details.
Planning Potluck II in Elliot Hall Tuesday, Dec. 5 6:30 - 8:30. Bring your day-planner/calendar, a dish to share, and some ideas about hikes you’d like to lead!
An evening holiday lights walk around Temple Square End in a hot toddy somewhere Date/time/details to be determined at Planning Potluck contact Sonia
A walk around sugar house park Date and time to be determined at Planning Potluck contact Sonia
Winter Solstice Celebration
Join us Thursday, December 21 at 6:00pm for a service exploring Shadow and Solstice. We will tell an Inuit story called Raven Steals the Light through music, drama, and shadow play! Then join us in Eliot Hall for our traditional Vegan Chili Dinner. A suggested donation of $15 for adults and $5 for children will help send our Jr. High class to Boston. This event sells out every year, so be sure to buy your tickets at the RE table starting this Sunday, December 3rd.
Mindfulness Group
Meditation is held Sundays, after the first service ends, around 10:00 am. We gather in the Parlor, up the stairs at the south side of Eliot Hall. Mindfulness practice is shared, then followed by 20 minutes of guided meditation, and closing with loving kindness. All are welcome for the first time, to investigate or to maintain mindfulness practice.
Artists Discussing Art
On the last Monday of every month Artists gather in the Haven at 7 pm to discuss each others art in progress or recently completed. This discussion is open to all visual artist, watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, fused glass, and clay. Bring work to discuss or just come to listen. Bring a light refreshment to share. Please contact Bill Reed at with questions.
Colorado River System – Songs, Photos and Stories by Art Lee
Friday, December 15, 2017, 7PM, Eliot Hall, First Unitarian Church of SLC
Our next Environmental Ministry program, Colorado River System – Songs, Photos and Stories by Art Lee, will be held on Fri, Dec 15, 2017, 7PM, Eliot Hall. Art’s show is in two parts: 1) Whitewater Rafting, and 2) Water Management. In the first part, you’ll experience the beauty and power of the Colorado, Green and San Juan Rivers. In the second part, migratory birds and pueblo ruins hint of our vulnerability to drought. Art Lee is a nature photographer and singer-songwriter, NatureSings.COM, ArtsAndNature.ORG. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us.
Special Opportunity: If you are joining us for Art Lee’s Colorado River System program on the evening of Dec 15th and would like to save a trip by dropping off your items for the Dec 16th SWAP with us at the same time, please feel free to do so!
Thank you to all members and friends who have volunteered to participate in the Caring Network!
The Caring Network will offer its FIRST training on Monday, December 4, from 6:30 till 8:30 in Eliot Hall. The topic of the training will be: How to Help When You're Not Sure How To Help.
This training will be a potluck dinner as well, so please bring a dish to share. All Caring Network participants are invited to attend!
As part of the program at the Refugee Resettlement Committee Volunteer Dinner tonight the following special recognition of volunteer efforts was made in the form of “Hannah Awards,” (recognition comparable to an Oscar, Emmy, etc.) Use of the name Hannah was inspired by its' Hebrew translation, meaning “grace” or “favor,” to capture the spirit of the RRC volunteer activity. Awards in the form of a prominent letter “H” (suitable for painting, plating, etc), were presented to those in attendance and will be delivered to other awardees later:
- "Walking Wounded Award" to Ron Anderson, who has continued to be active in donation pick up and delivery despite a recently aggravated leg muscle limiting his mobility.
- "Worthy Traveler Award" to Michael Pennie and Doug Roberts, who have traveled the farthest distance recently to be available for hauling duty.
- "Olympic Hopeful Award" to Bonnie Baty and Ross Chambless, for agility and creativity shown in unconventional access to dwellings in household delivery and set ups.
- "Rolling Wonders Award" to Andrea Globokar and Frank Globokar, for set up of the Pedal Project and successful refurbishing and delivery of donated bicycles, new helmets and locks.
- “Basket Bounties Award” to Nancy Rasmuson and Johanna Whiteman, for set up of the Welcome Basket Project and successful delivery of full baskets.
- “Happy Housewares Award” to Carolyn Erickson, Nancy Douglas and Nancy Howard, for skilled Unit 564 household donation related activity.
- "Beverly Hillbillies Award” to Jim Wilcox and Gary Widdison, for creative stacking and hauling of donations through downtown SLC.
- “Spinner of Gold/Successful Prospector Award” to Frank Steffey and Meredith and Robert Peterson, for RRC fund raising, e.g. managing KSL donation sales, etc.
- “Weather Warrior Award” to IRC Volunteer Coordinator Kayla Norman, for braving the first snow storm of 2017 to train IRC volunteers at First Church.
- “Fireman Award” to Richard Anderton, Joe Herring, Gene Mahalko, Will Morris, Mohammed Mushib and John Rasmuson, for response on short notice to urgent RRC activity.
Thank you to Rev Monica Dobbins, First Church Board member Jan Crane and IRC staff Jessica Anderson, Jess Sheets and Kayla Norman, for attendance tonight. And thank you to all RRC volunteers for making a positive difference in many lives.
First Church is excited to begin a social justice partnership with Planned Parenthood of Utah. This partnership will include community gatherings, legislative action, and a volunteer sex education program benefiting incarcerated women.
We want YOU to get involved! The first step is to become a Planned Parenthood Ambassador. It's a simple process of signing up to be included in their email distribution list; then Planned Parenthood will notify you by email when a volunteer opportunity arises.
To become an Ambassador, please click this link. Scroll down to the middle of the page, and under "Become an Ambassador", click "Sign Up Now".
Then simply fill out the form, and watch for a welcome email from Planned Parenthood (note: it may appear in your spam filter!).
And be on the lookout for information from the Social Justice Council about opportunities to serve throughout the year!
In times of trouble in our lives, we need the support of our church community more than ever. But as the church grows, it needs new ways to approach the needs of our members and friends when they stumble upon tough times. That's why the Caring Network is getting an upgrade, and we need YOU to help!
In years past, the Caring Committee would email the volunteer list when someone in the church had an illness, a death in the family, or an emergency, and whoever was available would volunteer to fill the need. But as our church grows, a small committee can't fill all the needs. So instead, we're moving from a committee to a network. That means the committee will reach out to a few volunteers who live in the same geographic area and contact them DIRECTLY when there is a need. Neighbors helping neighbors, with better follow-through; and our relationships will grow stronger and deeper too.
In order for this to work, we need LOTS of volunteers! We're looking for 100 church members and friends who'd be willing to provide a meal, child care, or a ride to church a few times a year, for someone in your neighborhood who is sick or has had an emergency or death in the family.
If you can fill this need, please visit our website and fill out the NEW Caring Network Participation Form: http://slcuu.org/ programs/committees-and- groups/item/24-caring-network
Frequently asked questions:
1. I'm already signed up for the Caring Network. We are starting over with a brand new list, so please sign up again with the new form!
2. Are you trying to form a committee of a hundred people?! No - this isn't a committee, it's a network. But there will still be a committee, and we'd love for you to join!
3. How many times a year will I need to volunteer? It depends on how many people in your neighborhood have needs this year. But the more people we can sign up, the more we can do as a group, and the fewer things each person will have to do.
4. I'm still confused, how can I learn more? There will be a brief (15 minute) information session after both services on October 1st. Rev. Monica will describe the program and answer any questions, and of course be available to sign people up. Please also look for our table in Eliot Hall during the month of October.
The Climate Crisis: A Fresh Look - What do We do, by When, and How?
Location: The Haven, First Unitarian Church, 569 S 1300 E, SLC
Time & Dates: 6:30PM-8:30PM, Thursdays (except for one Friday) Oct 12 & 27 (Friday), Nov 9, Dec 7, Jan 11 & 25, and Feb 8 & 22
We know that we are in a climate crisis. But, what does this mean? What are the most impactful things we can do? Where will we be most effective in focusing our action?
Will resisting Trump be consequent? Can cities and states “make Trump irrelevant”? Is education the path to follow? What about legislation? Petitions, rallies, demonstrations, protests, civil disobedience, lawsuits - what place do these efforts have?
Are all of these together, and more, enough to stabilize the climate? What if all the groups (local, state, national, international//large and small) working on all the efforts they are working on now actually accomplished their stated goals, will this stabilize the climate? And will it stabilize the climate at the 2◦C Paris Accord heat ceiling?
Are we in a climate emergency? If so, how can we tell and what does this mean? And if so, what do we do about it? Are current efforts sufficient, if they accomplish what they state is needed? If not, what more or different needs to be done, and how can it be accomplished?
The New York Magazine and author Wallace-Wells published “Uninhabitable Earth,” very recently. He interviewed dozens of experts and climate scientists. What is the importance of this article that millions of people have read and discussed?
The Fresh Look at the Climate Crisis will begin with Wallace-Wells article and include other readings that are just as intriguing, and perspectives that are just as informed by science and experts, and in so doing, together we will answer these questions.
This course will be a fascinating and challenging ride. We will have the input and involvement of some of the best climate scientists in the world, and we will examine information and implications that are not being discussed or explained at any level in the conversations about the climate crisis.
This course offers a completely different view of the Climate Crisis, a completely different view of your role in the crisis, and a completely different view of how to respond effectively.
This is not about telling those who come to the course to do more of what they are already doing, or to ask them to do the things they are doing better. This is something different and fascinating. This is a Fresh Look, and a Revelation.
Sign-up for this course online by clicking here or sign up at the Environmental Ministry Table at church on Sunday. The materials for the course: the readings, the discussion questions and thoughts will be circulated via email throughout the course. Attend the full course or specific sessions that fit your schedule. But please sign-up to receive the materials.
The content for the first session on Thursday, October 12th will be based on the “Uninhabitable Earth, the Annotated version.” A video that will be referred to is from Kevin Anderson, and the YouTube is here (Note: the hyperlinks to the course material will be sent by email to the entire class after registration.)
A key theme throughout the course will be to define and to deal with the Hydra-Headed Meta-Delusion that describes the way we have responded to the climate crisis so far. This particular type of mythological hydra, a ten-headed one, mated in its ancestry with a dragon. When a hero is able to cut off one head, two more grow in its stead. These two are each more deadly than the one severed. The blood from this hydra, if splashed on a human, causes the human to become insane in short order. This hydra’s greatest vulnerability is ice.
Recycle with Environmental Ministry
Environmental Ministry is still participating in four Terracycle recycling brigades. We collect a number of things, most of which are not recyclable through the city or county recycling programs. Then we send them to Terracycle, and the church receives a check paying us 2¢ for each item. Here are lists for those of you unsure just what things we collect:
Oral care products packaging: Any brand of toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, and floss containers. Sorry, no electric toothbrush parts are accepted.
Energy bar package recycling: Any brand of foil-lined energy bar wrappers; foil-lined granola bar wrappers; foil-lined meal replacement bar wrappers; foil-lined protein bar wrappers; foil-lined diet bar wrappers.
Cereal bags: Plastic cereal bags and box liners.
Personal care and beauty product packaging: Hair care packaging such as shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, and hair paste caps. Skin care packaging such as lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps. Cosmetics packaging such as plastic lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eye shadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils.
We also collect electronic waste for the YRUU’s partnership with Planet Green at our table. This project is to earn money for their service trip next summer. Items collected are: Inkjet cartridges, laser/toner cartridges, cell phones and accessories, GPS and radar detectors, e-book readers, calculators, iPods/MP3 players, video/digital cameras, PDA’s, iPads/tablets, Video games and consoles.
Now that you know what to bring in, find a corner or doorknob where you can place a bag for collecting these items. Then take them to the bins next to the Environmental Ministry table. We plan to be there every Sunday except the weekend of the Art Fair, Celebration Sunday, and picnic Sunday, and we’ll be expecting you.
Volunteers Wanted
If you’ve ever considered volunteering with the Environmental Ministry, here’s your chance! We desperately need people to take the coffee grounds to the compost bins or to sort and take out the recycling. Both happen on Sundays after second service, the composting after 12:30. It only takes a few minutes to do either of these things, and each person does only one of the two, once a month. If you’re willing to help with either of them, please call Judy Lord at 801-513-9796