Celebration Sunday & Pledge Drive

Transcription

1 VOLUME 57, ISSUE 16 FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF SALT LAKE CITY MARCH 9, 2015 Celebration Sunday & Pledge Drive -submitted by Dylan Zwick Our church kicked off our ambitious and exciting pledge year with an amazing Celebration Sunday service. Our theme this year, "Spirit of Our Church", was felt throughout the service. Three very different and beautiful renditions of one of our favorite hymns, "Spirit of Life", were made all the more special by the presence of guest speaker Carolyn McDade, the hymn's composer. The pledge committee would like to thank our members for the 83 pledges we've received so far, totalling $174,400. If you haven't yet filled out your pledge card, please do so and mail it in, or you can now fill it out on our church website. The pledge committee would also like to extend a very grateful thank you to Jana Brody, Dennison Dolato, Greg and Marion Johnson, Judi Evans, Christine Ashworth, Judi Evans, and everybody else who contributed so much time and effort to make the great food we shared after the service. Bravo! Photos: Celebration Sunday Activities for Children and Youth; More photos on page 4

2 March 9, 2015 PAGE 2 Congregational Briefs Minister, minister@slcuu.org Director of Religious Education, dre@slcuu.org Director of Music, music@slcuu.org Church Administrator, admin@slcuu.org Board of Trustees Board President Next Publication Date Submission Deadline Open Minds Book Group The Open Minds Book Group meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the Haven room at the Church.. The book for March 24 is 1491, New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. The book for April 28th is Deep Down Dark, by Hector Tobar. All are welcome. UU Music Jam Unitarian sing-a-long and acoustic music jam will be Monday March 9 from 7pm to 9pm in The Sanctuary. Everyone is invited and all levels and abilities are welcomed. Bring 6 copies of songs with chords in large print to share or just show up and sing/play what others have brought. (The following jams are scheduled for April 13, May 11, and June 1.) If you have any questions please contact Bill Stay at or Lori Shields at Dinner and Dialogue Make new UU friends while enjoying good food and stimulating conversation. Sign up at the Welcome Table to HOST a dinner in your home. You set the date and the menu, and decide how many guests you can accommodate. Guests sign up to ATTEND and contribute by bringing a dish to share. What could be simpler? Questions, please get in touch with Jan Crane, or suppers@slcuu.org. UU Lunch Bunch A family-friendly group for anyone and everyone who would like to get together for lunch and chat with like-minded people. Meet at the Restaurant on Sundays at 1:00 p.m. For more information contact Sonia Carnell at (801) or lunchbunch@slcuu.org. March 8: Oasis Cafe (151 South 500 East) March 15: Even Stevens (414 East 200 South) March 22: Kathmandu II (212 South 700 East) March 29: Desert Edge Brewery (602 East 500 South) April 5: Silver Fork Lodge (at Brighton Ski Resort) Editor

3 March 9, 2015 PAGE 3 Reverendly Yours Unitarian Universalists have an odd relationship with the term spirituality. Probably due to d i f f e r e n t interpretations and definitions, some see it as representing all things irrationally orthodox, while others view it as liberating steps towards developing greater sensibilities. Older Humanists tend to eschew spirituality while younger seekers are willing to le it wash over them. And then, of course, there are infinite steps in between. Perhaps in its broadest terms, spirituality is an understanding of how life should be lived and an attempt to live that way. I hope this simple sweeping pronouncement moves us closer to realizing that spirituality is not confined to a limited interpretation, but essentially taps all of us regardless of where we might place ourselves on a religious spectrum. Part of our life s work is figuring out meaningful ways we want to live, and then the capper is making efforts towards the execution of such ways. Spirituality combines our ideas of what provides meaning with the need to commit to a discipline to follow through on those ideas. Spirituality then, at least to me, brings distant ideals within our grasp if we deliberately want to devote ourselves to realizing them. Spirituality has different orientations and experiences, as numerous as our unique individuality. For some, being immersed in nature allows for new perspectives on our lives to flow freely. I mention this as introduction to a course I will be teaching again this summer at the University of Utah s Environmental Humanities Center in Lakeview, Montana. The dates are August 4 th -9 th. Rev. Tom Goldsmith This will be my fourth year in a course called Spiritual Ecology, but it will be noticeably different than the others. Previously, the course was designated as a community course where adults were primary. We had perhaps two or three students join us because they loved the curse and the landscape of the Centennial Mountains. This summer, however, it will be a three-credit course with more than a dozen students and about six adults from the community (more or less) auditing the class. We have lots of alums in our congregation from previous years, who will gladly extol the virtues of the valley, the facility, the meals, the hikes, and even the course itself. Unfortunately we only have room for a few non-students. My co-facilitator again this year will be Maeera Shreiber, director of Religious Studies at the U. If you are interested in joining us please go to the web site: and view the area and cabins. The Center is adjacent to the Red Rocks Wildlife Refuge, establish in 1935 for the preservation of Trumpeter Swans. If this singularly beautiful environment, which is part of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, impresses you, please contact me for details. You can either me: Goldsmithrev@gmail.com or talk to me in church. The time away in that breathtaking setting might get you thinking more deeply about spirituality, not in a new-age sort of way, but by asking significant questions about your own life. TRG Among Ourselves First Unitarian Church embraces Patrick Zwick and his family with love and sympathy. There will be a memorial service for Pat's wife, Mary Lindblom on Sunday, March 15th at 4:00p.m. at the church. She will be honored with much music and lovely memories.

4 March 9, 2015 PAGE 4 Religious Education Mary Kroener-Ekstrand Dear All, In recent years, it has been our tradition to have a canned food drive benefitting the Crossroads Urban Center Food Pantry in the weeks leading up to Easter. Food insecurity is an important issue in our community, and all of us, including kids, can make a difference. Through this social justice project, our young people will have the opportunity to learn about the need in our community and how people of goodwill are working together to address these needs. Help our kids help others -- Please bring non-perishable food items to the Little Chapel anytime between now and Easter Sunday (April 5). Thank you for your support! In Service, Mary Religious Education News Bits Join Us for Fun, Family-Friendly Entertainment, Sat. March 21, 5:30pm Big S little s, What Begins with S? The Seusssational Spaghetti Supper..S, S, S! Please join us for a night of entertainment and fun with Dr. Seuss! Our high school youth are presenting a spaghetti dinner - including spaghetti, bread, salad, drinks and dessert (wine available for a small donation) for just $15 for adults and $10 for kids. March 21st, entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the dinner and free crafts. We will have a dance interpretation of McGrew's Zoo by the Learning Circle Dance Company. It promises to be a magical night! All proceeds go to the YRUU Service Trip fund. Tickets will be on sale in Eliot Hall March 8th and 15th, get yours early! Any questions? Contact Nancy Moos at reassist@slcuu.org. 1 st /2 nd Grade Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program Announcement All parents of registered 1 st /2 nd graders have been sent an invitation to preregister for our upcoming OWL sexuality education class. If you have a child in the age group and did not receive the invite, please contact Mary at dre@slcuu.org. The OWL program will begin with a mandatory orientation session on Sunday, March 22 from 12:30-3pm. At this time, parents will have an opportunity to learn more about the curriculum, meet the instructors, and address any questions or concerns. Formal registration and payment of the $25 class fee will occur at the orientation meeting. Scholarships are available upon request. Regular class meetings will be held on Sundays April 12, 19 and 26 and May 3 from 12:30-3:00pm. l

5 March 9, 2015 PAGE 5 Environmental Ministry News -submitted by Joan M. Gregory. Co-Coordinator, Environmental Ministry Commit2Respond and Climate Justice Commit2Respond is a coalition of Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith and conscience working for climate justice. Launched at the People s Climate March in NYC on September 21, 2014, Commit2Respond unites our many diverse efforts for climate justice. Commit2Respond s grounding in climate justice means recognizing the central role inequality plays in the current crisis. Marginalized communities low-income, people of color, Native, and/or nonindustrialized are often the first to experience the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Commit2Respond envisions a future where the most vulnerable are protected from these dire consequences. Commit2Respond is grounded in environmental justice rather than environmental ism and is specifically focused on the injustices related to climate change. Justice means recognizing that the peoples who contribute the least to climate change are the ones suffering the most because of it. Justice means understanding that oppressions are inextricably linked and that the values that have resulted in the degradation of human groups through slavery, colonization, genocide, and mass incarceration are the same values that are leading to the destruction of Earth. Justice means grounding our work in the needs and leadership of marginalized peoples who are impacted by and fighting climate change Native peoples, island peoples, poor and low-income peoples whose livelihood and lives depend on the land, and others. Justice means working in relationship and partnership, always seeking out communitybased solutions that challenge the status quo rather than individual actions that only uphold the power structures and values that are destroying our world. If you believe that a better world is possible and that we are called to help bring it into being, join Commit2Respond: We are individuals, families, groups, congregations, and organizations across North America and beyond. We are Unitarian Universalists, people of other faiths, and people of no faith. We are people of all ages, races, genders, abilities, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. Commit2Respond's leadership is provided by Unitarian Universalists from across our movement. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the Unitarian Universalist Association, UU Ministry for Earth, the UU Ministers Association, and the UU College of Social Justice are some of the groups in collaboration. As individuals, congregations, and organizations, we are committing to take action in each of three ways: 1. shift to a low carbon future; 2. advance the human rights of affected communities; and 3. grow the climate justice movement. Over the course of the next month, between March 22 (World Water Day) and April 22 (Earth Day), members of Commit2Respond will embark on a spiritual journey for climate justice. Each week Commit2Respond will focus on a weekly theme: Week 1 (March 22-28): Water: Reveling in connection with the natural world and its gifts World Water Day: justice-sunday Week 2 (March 29-April 4): Fire: Reckoning with the impacts and injustices of climate change, exploring where our energy comes from Week 3 (April 5-11): Air: Reconnecting with hope through relationship, exploring who is impacted by our energy sources Week 4 (April 12-18): Earth: Committing to long-term actions to shift energy, advance human rights, and grow the climate justice movement Environmental Ministry News continued on page 6

6 March 9, 2015 PAGE 6 First UU Helps Resettle Refugees -submitted by John Rasmusson The Refugee Resettlement Committee (RRC) operates on the Principle of Sufficient Reason. Coined by the 17 th Century German philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz, the Principle of Sufficient Reason stipulates that everything has a reason, nothing wants for a cause. Last year, the RRC furnished 64 apartments for refugee families arriving in Salt Lake City. The reason? A typically Unitarian response to an urgent humanitarian need. Last year, furniture donations to the RRC included 64 sofas, 64 kitchen tables and hundreds of stairs. The reason? Donors exercised considerate self-interest. This year, as refugee families continue to arrive, furniture donations have slowed. The reason? First Church congregants have replaced most of their worn furniture. The RRC welcomes referrals. Please call Joe DuBray (801) to give him a reason to visit your friends and neighbors. Environmental Ministry News (continued from page 5) Week 5 (April 19-22): Earth Day: Committing to a future of clean, renewable energy Earth Day: celebrate-earth-day Rather than simply taking on small actions for a month, Commit2Respond members are setting aside a month to delve into our spiritual grounding for this work, deepen our learning, and intentionally decide how we can commit to transform our lives and our world. Committed action that springs from principled and spiritual grounding gets us through setbacks and compels us from a place of possibility and creativity. It is a stance of commitment to justice and integrity of all life over the long haul. This theological or principled grounding calls us to evaluate our work and take next steps with more wisdom and impact. To find out more about Commit2Respond and Climate Justice Month weekly themes and actions, go to and join us at The Junior Singers performed at services on February 22, 2015

7 March 9, 2015 PAGE 7 March/April 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 8 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Zumba Fundraiser 1pm (pg. 5) 9 Board Meeting 5:30 pm UU Music Jam 7 pm (pg. 2) Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm :00 and 11:00 a.m. 16 Torch Submissions Due 10 am Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm Seuss-sational Spaghetti Supper 5:30 pm(pg. 4) 22 9:00 and 11:00 a.m Open Minds Book Group 7pm (pg.2) 25 Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm 26 Singing Circle 7 pm :00 and 11:00 a.m. 30 Torch Submissions Due 10 am 31 April 1 Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm March 8th 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Law Enforcement and Community Relations Sheriff Jim Winder joins Rev. Tom Goldsmith March 15th 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Does Everything Happen for a Reason? -Rev. Tom Goldsmith March 22nd 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Finding Oz -High School Group

8 Leo vitae diam est luctus, ornare massa mauris urna, vitae sodales et ut facilisis dignissim, imperdiet in diam, lorem ipsum quisque adipiscing. First Unitarian Church nurtures and challenges the spiritual and intellectual journey for all generations and actively engages in building a progressive and just world.