Torch Articles
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.
Julie Miller, Director of Religious Education
Celebrating the Winter Holidays is a wonderful way for each of us to express our commitment to our Sixth Principle—promoting and affirming a goal of achieving peace, freedom and justice for all.
May we hold lovingly in our thoughts those who suffer tyranny, cruelty, injustice and poverty. May we as Unitarian Universalists recognize our solidarity with the stranger, the outcast, the homeless, abused, deprived so that that no human will ever be treated as “other.” Let our common humanity weave us into a cohesive fabric.
May we pursue a prophet’s vision of living in harmony, side by side, respecting differences, accepting diversity, with no one exploiting the weak, and each of us living without fear of the other.
May we struggle against institutional injustice, free those whom we can from oppression and contempt, despise none, hate none, honor every child and every creature of the earth.
May we all know peace in the New Year and may we nurture kindness and love everywhere.
December RE Events
December 9 - Multigenerational Winter Holiday Party, 2-4pm, Eliot Hall
December 17 - Annual Christmas Pageant, 11am Service. This year, it’ll be a “Pop-Up” Pageant, meaning...everyone can participate.
December 21 - Winter Solstice Celebration. Service 6-7pm, dinner follows. This is a fundraiser for our youth Service Trip in 2018.
December 24 - Multigenerational Service. No RE programs or childcare today.
Please remember to support families in need from our sister congregation St. Esteban. You can do this by providing new socks, gloves or hats, or by purchasing a gift card from Walmart, Smith’s Marketplace or similar retailer. Gifts/donations may be wrapped and brought to First Church by December 10. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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!
Diwali – Advent – Yule – Hanukkah. In the hurried bustle of the holiday season, there’s so much to do that it’s easy to forget the common thread that links these celebrations together. Popular religious culture may argue about “the reason for the season”, but our bodies tell a different story. We have an instinctive urge to increase the light around us, as the earth tilts away from the sun and the darkness gathers; and in doing so, we acknowledge that the most true reason for the season is the desire to confront our ancient fear of the dark.
And so we haul our decorations down from the attic or up from the basement; we drape strings of light over the banisters and mantelpieces; we light candles, the more the merrier. The lights we light are not floodlights; they twinkle, like stars, indicating that we do not mean to banish darkness – only hold it at bay. (Although, in one neighborhood of the Birmingham suburb in which I lived, a neighborhood populated with many Indian immigrants, sometimes there were so many decorations for Diwali that they rivaled floodlights for sheer volume of brightness!)
We are modern people, and we know what is causing the change of the season. We know that it is not the work of terrible and capricious gods, but simply the earth turning in its courses, as it always has, as it always will. We know that darkness and light are two parts of the whole, and that the sun will not go out.
Yet we face real darkness all the same. Sometimes we tremble at the dire state of the world in which we have to live every day, a world in which evil seems to reign unchecked and heartless greed rules our political sphere, in which Jesus’ name is invoked with self-righteous pomp, yet the principles for which he stood are trampled like pearls before swine. It is so easy to become angry, bitter, and jaded, and to despair that anything will change. Darkness may even creep into our own homes, workplaces, or worship spaces, if we allow despair to overtake us.
One of my favorite songs of the season (which can be found in our hymnal, #221) celebrates the spirit of Hanukkah with these words:
Light one candle for the strength that we need to never become our own foe… Light one candle for all we believe in, that anger won’t tear us apart. Don’t let the light go out!
Sometimes we light candles to gladden our own hearts… and then sometimes, we light them in the hopes that we may gladden the hearts of others, even if our own light seems very dim. And then someone else’s light may brighten our own way. Gifts of goodwill and generosity, gifts that are not expected but increase the light all the same, may be what keeps another person going this year.
This year, as we light the candles of celebration – no matter what holidays you celebrate in your own family – let us remember to light at least one light for the hope of another person. All is not lost, no matter how deep the darkness. There is always more light, more hope, more love somewhere
The story of Christmas offers something for everyone. It may provide the lynchpin to Christian sacred theology. Baby Jesus was of the right lineage as prophesied centuries before his birth. The child born in a manger grew up to warn of apocalyptic endings.
But the pageantry of Christmas ,as Kings and shepherds and angels and livestock head to the scene of Jesus’ birth, evoke endless wonder in the hearts of all who hear the story. Children perform a re-enactment of this amazing scene every year, and all churches participate regardless of creed, non-creed, left-leaning or right leaning. It’s a story nobody ever gets tired of hearing or performing. You never hear anyone say: “What, the Christmas Pageant again? We did it last year.”
For some, Christmas is about gift giving, as people look for equivalents to gold, frankincense, and myrrh to deliver unto their loved ones. Other like the opportunity to gather with friends and family to share their joy; or to fill houses of worship to sing the ancient songs; or to stop long enough to listen to what our hearts really treasure.
Although the meaning of Christmas can be interpreted in infinite ways, what it does for everyone is bring the world more sharply into focus. The first Christmas on that long ago silent night juxtaposed humility with opulence, radical hospitality with selfish lives, and the oppression of the day with the dreams of liberation.
We feel these same tensions acutely today in our present world ruled by Herod. Although equity between rich and poor may not have been achieved over time, we suffer nonetheless with an overtly malicious decree to further enhance opulence and disregard the poor altogether. Our leaders today opt to eliminate housing, medicine, and education for those who have tasted poverty their whole lives. Through spiteful forms of taxation and new laws that intentionally harm the poor, our world today has regressed to a level of heartlessness not known since the times of the original Christmas story. When tax breaks are sought to deduct private jet expenses, while school teachers lose their tax credit for purchasing supplies for their classrooms, some nefarious spirit has worked its way through the leadership of the land.
But Christmas brings a cruel world into focus. Christmas reminds us that norms imposed by our own incarnation of Herod need not be accepted. The hypocrisy of church people spouting Christian values while undermining all the compassion that Jesus taught can fuel a revolution among us. We are not as powerless as we think. We know in our hearts what is fair and what is just. We know that suffering cannot continue in the shadow of embarrassing wealth. We know that all people must be welcomed equally regardless of the color of their skin, the nature of their gods, or whom they choose to love.
We have allowed the glitter of too many bygone Christmases to blind us to the reality of a topsy-turvy world. But doesn’t this Christmas feel different? Isn’t this Christmas teaching us to be more circumspect about the devastating changes in our culture’s approach to the poor and marginalized? Aren’t we feeling more empowered this Christmas to transform society to become more inclusive, diverse, and respectful.
This may be the most difficult Christmas I can remember in a long time. But at the same time, my spirit also captures a certain Christmas message like never before. The angels on high are singing to us. The prophets are speaking our language. The world as it should and must be is received with new clarity. Love is more powerful than evil…if love can ever get organized. And it will. We’re all feeling it. We have been moved beyond our customary complacency. Our hearts have been thawed and we are fearful no longer.
Merry Christmas! TRG
I was born in Nampa, Idaho Nov 2nd 1937 and grew up in the small towns of the beautiful Snake River Valley of Idaho and Oregon. Both of my parents were in education and I have one older sister, Donna Lee. I did most of my schooling in Ontario, Oregon and graduated from high school there in 1955. My father, an elementary school principal, chose to leave that profession and become a fieldman for Amalgamated Sugar. He wanted to teach his son the law of Karma “We reap what we sow” and purchased a small farm outside of Ontario. Together, my father and I built the fences, built a barn, and developed a herd of milk cows. My father was very supportive of my involvement in music and sports during high school, but it was my responsibility every morning and evening to milk the cows. He gave me one of the cows and I bought a second cow and that milk check was the money I lived my life on. I bought my first car for $50 and saved the money for my first year of college through milking cows and working in the fields every summer. I will always be grateful for the lesson I learned with that responsibility. My parents were good people and gave me a great amount of freedom to make my own choices. I attended Oregon State in Corvallis for two years and then accepted a mission call to go to New Zealand, where I had an amazing growing experience. I then returned to school and graduated with a pharmacy degree in 1963. I also met my wife, Sharen (a “townie” from Corvallis) there and we married in 1962. We had six children, three who were developmentally disabled with a genetic condition “Fragile X”- which gave us a learning journey as we raised our family. Sharen worked as an addiction counselor after our children were raised. Later, we made the decision to attend BYU where I obtained my masters and doctorate in Counseling Psychology and worked in the counseling center, as well as teaching. I supported my family by working at a local pharmacy while attending school. We eventually settled in the oil industry and had wonderful experiences living and working in northern California and Houston as well as overseas- So America, Asia, Europe, UK and Africa. I continue to consult with American Express on site one day a week where I have an office in their Wellness Center. I was an active Mormon for many years and was the teacher of the “Priests” quorum, a group of teenage boys, when I met John Dehlin, who was one of the members of the quorum. I’m grateful for the teaching and leadership skills I learned in the church. Over the years, however, my exploration eventually took me away from Mormonism. About 12 years ago, after moving back to Utah, we visited the Unitarian Church, which my son and his family attended. I loved the quality of the music and came away from a service challenged, uplifted, and thinking/exploring rather than with Shame and Guilt. I joined the choir which has been one of the quality experiences of my life. I love music and have written songs, poems, and prose, often about life events. I participate with the Anti-Racism committee and help with the Refugee Resettlement program. I make an annual donation as well as each Sunday as we pass the plate. Sharen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a number of years ago and passed away in June of this year. I, along with two of my children who live close by, were able to give Sharen the love and care she needed in her last years. I was sitting next to her bed when a smile came on her lips and she took her last breath.
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!
Gratitude
We talk about it. There are lots of cliches about it. We focus on a major U.S. holiday—Thanksgiving. Many of us say “we’re grateful” but what does that really mean? Often we treat gratitude as contentment. As in, I’m grateful for my family. Or the years we’ve had together. Or my health. Good people. Good deeds.
In actuality, I’m learning that true gratitude involves action. To be grateful is a verb. So, to be grateful for my health, for example, requires action. Preventative medicine. Choice of diet. Daily exercise.
Let’s dissect a “day in the life” for a moment. List three or four people or things you are most grateful for in a typical day. How much time do you allocate to errands, housework, TV, electronic communication, childcare? How many of these acts and obligations are you actually grateful for!
I think gratitude comes down to how you choose to live your life. More to the point, it’s a sort of acknowledgement...taking time to remember all the gifts and good fortune we truly have.
And therein, perhaps, lies the true meaning of Thanksgiving. To tie the spirit of this holiday to First Church, know that you are welcome here. We are an open- minded and progressive community.
We promote social justice. We celebrate diversity. Our fellowship supports the spiritual, intellectual and social needs of our children. We encourage the exploration of religious experiences throughout our congregation—not only among our adults, but also through religious education for our children and youth.
As your Religous Education director, I view RE as a cooperative adventure. We express gratitude for the volunteers who provide childcare, for the volunteers who teach, and for all those who bring wisdom and experience to our families.
As we move into a somewhat hectic holiday season, reflect on the pursuits most dear to you.
In Service,
Julie Miller, Director RE
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RE Notes, News & Upcoming Events
- Sunday October 22 - RE children participated in the Anti-Racism/White Supremacy Teach-In
- Thursday October 26 - Our Halloween Party was a howling success. Great costumes, way too sweet treats and a fun sing-a-long at Friendship Manor. Kudos again to Junior Choir director David Owens, Amanda Esko, Lissa Lander and our dedicated parent volunteers.
- We participated in the Refugee Resettlement winter coat drive. Thanks to all the families who helped!
- November 5 - Sandwich Sunday. Children make 40 lunches for youth living at the Volunteers of America (VOA) Teen Shelter.
- November 5 - Daylight Savings time ends. Art curricula begins in Sunday School.
- November 6 - Family Fun Night in Eliot Hall. All families are welcome to join us, 6-7:30pm.
- November 26 - Service Project Sunday. Traditional RE classes are suspended.
- November 17, 18, 19 - Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training in Salt Lake City. Several UU congregations will participate.
Earlier this year, many of us watched in shock as Jeff Sessions, despite his long history of racism and hateful conservatism, was nominated to the office of the nation’s Attorney General. His confirmation hearing, however, gave us a moment of hope, as his fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke against his confirmation. She quoted the words of Coretta Scott King, who in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 wrote that Sessions was unqualified to serve in the Justice Department due to his abysmal record on civil rights.
As she spoke, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked a Senate rule against impugning the character of a colleague, and warned her to desist. The Senate voted along party lines to silence her testimony. But – as we all now know – she persisted:
“Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”
“Nevertheless, she persisted” became a rallying cry for feminists around the world: women who have been silenced by men in power, women who give voice to the injustices that affect them and keep them in second place, women who refuse to uphold the status quo.
Women who make noise, who persist despite the explanations and warnings, have forever been called “difficult”: “What a difficult woman…. Why does she have to be so difficult?” And not just women, for that matter: people of all genders who are marginalized by social groups are called “difficult” by those who benefit from the systems that marginalize those systems, especially when they cannot see their place in sustaining the oppressions.
We Unitarian Universalists are people who champion freedom, fairness, and liberation – and yet, we sometimes find ourselves in the company of “difficult” people. Yes, they can be found around us at work, at school, in society – but let’s look closer to home too. Right here where we worship, here in our church family, where we presume to share the same values and principles: do we have “difficult” people in our church?
When someone begins to get labeled as “difficult”, it’s important to keep in mind that difficult people have almost always had difficult lives. Every person you meet is carrying a burden that they don’t show to the world; do we dare to imagine that our beloved church may not be helping to carry the burden, or may actually be making the burden heavier? No institution is perfect, but the best institutions are those that have practices for checking out their “blind spots”, their unexamined prejudices and the ways in which they may be perpetuating injustice without even realizing it.
We can also adopt practices of pastoral care which help to lift these burdens. It is our duty as members of the church to adhere to our shared covenant of relationship to one another – engaging in and encouraging direct communication, and discouraging gossip and anonymous complaining. It is also our duty to prevent healthy boundaries from being violated, and harmful or uncovenantal behavior must never be excused as someone “just being difficult”. However, we must also listen to others with a mind to believe them, even if it sometimes means we ourselves are implicated, even if it means we ourselves have to change or make sacrifices.
Elizabeth Warren certainly isn’t the first persistent truth-teller in history to be told to sit down and be quiet: in ancient times, these truth-tellers were often called prophets. While we may no longer believe in prophets who receive direct messages from God, we still have prophets among us, in the form of truth-tellers who make us uncomfortable as they point out injustice. Let us rejoice and be grateful! There’s no better gift than honest feedback, even if it’s uncomfortable. It makes us better and stronger, and gives us the courage to be persistent in our own prophetic pursuit of justice