Report from the Field

Transcription

1 VOLUME 57, ISSUE 9 FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF SALT LAKE CITY NOVEMBER 24, 2014 Report from the Field City Planning in the 11 5th/6th Grade Religious Education Class -by Elizabeth Weight, who team teaches with Paula Baase and Mary Elizabeth Mitchell When we walk into our 5 th -6 th grade RE room, we see a quickly growing display of what the class is creating this year. Our curriculum You the Creator involves signing in creatively with all dots or inside a triangle, and, from chalice-lighting words through activities and discussions, the focus is creativity. Building a City was the topic on October 26, but so many ideas and questions developed along with a wall map, we continued for two additional class meetings. We started the lesson with continuums to rate ten products. On a scale of 1-10, each person noted the creativity level of a famous painting, the first atomic bomb, a new brand of cat food, as well as shoelaces that break in 30 days and shoelaces that never break. Sharing and comparing ideas took on debate aspects and it depends went on the board when one young person summarized how reasoning is key in such decisions and what is creative might also be harmful or seem wrong. (Teacher s margin note: This is not a 10- minute activity!) Next, each of us took turns explaining terms on cards we had chosen at the opening of class. Each term was an example of oxymoron, and we connected the language concept to destructive creativity that we had noticed in the earlier discussion. Then, it was time for more movement and starting on the main event, building a city. That day s activities finished with everyone drawing his or her own map of the landscape where the city would be located, including a rambling river, virgin forest, fertile valley, Mystery Mountains, alligator lake, and snaky swamp. When we met the next two weeks, t h e entire table top was covered with a large paper, and we spent most of the time combining ideas, coloring in the natural landscape, and developing the city. Developing here actually means debating, arguing how the location of one element impacts other elements, and who gets to lead in designing that part of the town. (Another margin note: Point out the class covenant about listening and taking turns speaking.) Structures like roads and an airport were added on the map. For buildings, we cut out and folded paper into three-dimensional forms to glue into place. Now, the map hangs on the wall as part of our display. We are still commenting and adding ideas. In all the interaction about a landscape and creating a city, ideas and discussion have gone to creativity outside us as well as how creativity is important not just in art but in almost any human enterprise. More Religious Education on page 4

2 November 24, 2014 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 next meeting of the Open Minds Book Group will be at 7:00 on November 25th in the Haven room at the church. The book is Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. All are welcome. Singing Circle: International Folksongs Due to the upcoming holiday conflicts with the 4th Thursday, we ll be postponing the Singing Circle until January 22nd. For more information, please contact: Stacey at voicecoachslc@gmail.com. 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 Carol Shaughnessy at (801) or lunchbunch@slcuu.org. November 23rd: Sage s Cafe (234 West 900 South) November 30th: Corner Bakery Cafe (610 Foothill Blvd.) further dates TBA Members of First Church Chancel Choir join the South Valley Choir to perform during morning worship at MDD Western Cluster gathering. Nov Editor Youth form a human chalice to open morning worship.

3 November 24, 2014 PAGE 3 Reverendly Yours It came as quite a surprise last week when the Front Page of the New York Times featured Joseph Smith. The news story told of Mormon leaders coming to terms with the truth about the church s prophet and founder, that he was not a loyal partner to his wife Emma, but in fact took as many as 40 wives, some already married and one who was 14 years old. LDS members were disturbed by this new venture into church transparency. All their lives they regarded Joseph Smith as a perfect prophet, and although Brigham Young practiced polygamy, church followers wanted to believe only good things about their founder. I feel for the LDS membership in a personal way. As a child I grew up believing Thomas Jefferson was a virtual Unitarian saint. Although Jefferson never stepped foot in a Unitarian church and declared himself Episcopalian, we wanted desperately to claim him as a Unitarian president. And why not? His espousal of religious freedom and conscience, his writing the Declaration of Independence in which he stated as a selfevident truth that all men were created equal, were about as Unitarian in spirit as one could get. But then in a move towards transparency I was shattered along with other Unitarians upon learning that he owned 175 slaves and acted unusually cruel towards them. The only slaves he emancipated were the children he fostered by his Black mistress Sally Hemings who remained a slave her whole life. I say let the Episcopalians keep Jefferson. Rev. Tom Goldsmith case in point is General William T. Sherman whom Southerners have been taught to hate for his reign of terror across the state of Georgia during the Civil War. Historical research now frames the General in a different light, citing much of his brutal reputation as fables and myths. The focus of his attack was restricted to military targets, not civilian as had been an article of faith in Southern beliefs. Good scholarship and historical research obliterates folklore. Which leads me to a bit of irony in George W Bush s new book (just in time for Christmas) called: 41: A Portrait of My father. He is just as interested in bolstering his own reputation as well as his father s, and writes that in 30 years from now the Bush 43 presidency will be assessed differently. In other words, he really wasn t as bad as we now think he was. He believes that history will exonerate his costly decision-making, which it sometimes does. So we ll have to wait and see how scholars will treat W over time. In comparison to Tea Party loyalists, he might end up faring quite well. It seems the truth hangs always somewhere in the middle, whether involving religious personalities, political figures, or military strategists. But that can be a shattering experience for those who cling to an extreme belief about someone that was woven into the fabric of their tradition. Transparency is not for sissies. The light of truth can dismay the loyal follower. Yes, sometimes it s hard to forgive our heroes for the errors of their ways. But it serves as a great humbling lesson: Wherever we find a mortal, we ll find a shadow side as well. TRG Church teachings, be they LDS or Unitarian, are bound to buckle under the weight of hypocrisy. Nobody is ever that saintly, and conversely, nobody is ever that bad either. A

4 November 24, 2014 PAGE 4 Religious Education Dear All, This issue of the Torch will be reaching you just as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Our elementary youth have already gotten into the spirit of the season by preparing a large number of greeting cards with personal messages to be delivered to Meals on Wheels recipients during Mary Kroener-Ekstrand Thanksgiving week. I hope that this simple act of sharing their creativity and kind wishes and words with others has helped our young people to remember that everyone can make a difference.in service, In Service, Mary RE Newsbits First Church Holiday Party and Caroling Saturday December 6th Come one, come all! This is a party for our whole church community to celebrate the winter Holidays. Join us for fun and fellowship. 1-3 PM Gifting Circle -- An experienced facilitator will lead participants in an exploration of what each person needs/wants and can offer in the way of work, skills or stuff. People can bring a few items to offer. All those who want continue meeting and gifting, will give their contact info to a new leader who will facilitate future meetings and collaborations. Children are welcome. Sponsored by the Environmental Ministry and Transition group. 3-5 PM Holiday Party - Crafts for all ages will include beeswax candle-making, cardmarking, Gingerbread houses, and other activities. We ll play dreidel and holiday bingo. And of course, there will snacks and Christmas caroling. There will be something for everyone, so we hope everyone will be here! ** Would you like to help make it all happen? Let Mary know if you can help with set up, clean up, pre-making some frosting or assembling Gingerbread houses, bringing appetizers or treats, staffing a craft or game, or something else that will make the event sparkle! Thanks! Save the Dates! I know that everyone (including me) hates holiday marketing before Thanksgiving, but do mark your calendars for these fun Winter traditions at First Unitarian Church: Holiday Party, Saturday, December 6 th, 3pm (Gifting Circle at 1pm) Winter Solstice Service and Supper, Tuesday, Dec 16 th, 6pm Holiday Pageant, Sunday, Dec 21 st, 9am These events will need lots of volunteer support. Please contact Mary at dre@slcuu.org if you would like to help create meaningful, noncommercial holiday activities for members and friends of our church. Family Fun Night Nov. 3, 2014

5 November 24, 2014 PAGE 5 November/December 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Open Minds Book Group (pg. 2) Happy Thanksgiving! December 1 Torch Submissions Due 10 am RE Holiday Party & Gifting Circle (pg. 4) Board Meeting 5:30 pm Lessons & Carols Torch Submissions Due 10 am Winter Solstice Celebration 6 pm Sunday, November 23rd Thanksgiving Service Comfort Food for a Comfort Myth -Rev. Tom Goldsmith 7:30 p.m. Tribute to Aretha Franklin Sunday, November 30th Next Week I Turn 75. Now What? -Rev. Harold Straughn 7:30 p.m. Tribute to The Band Sunday, December 7th Virtue and Vice -Rev. Tom Goldsmith 7:30 p.m. Tribute to Sam Cooke

6 Leo vitae diam est luctus, ornare massa mauris urna, vitae sodales et ut facilisis dignissim, imperdiet in diam, lorem ipsum quisque adipiscing. happens each Sunday at through December 21st. Doors open at 7 pm. Please join us! Nov. 23 Tribute to Aretha Franklin Nov. 30 Tribute to The Band Dec. 7 Tribute to Sam Cooke Dec. 14 Tribute to U2 Dec. 21 Christmas Kool 2014 Save the Dates! December 14 at 9 am & 11 am Lessons & Carols Service December 16 at 6 pm Winter Solstice Celebration December 21 9 am - Christmas Pageant - Christmas Kool December 24 5:30 pm & 7 pm Christmas Candlelight Services