Events
The camping trip is attended by approximately 80 to 140 people depending on campsite. It is a community building activity were attendees of both services and their families can take time to get to know each other away from the church. For many attendees it is a family church tradition.
The event covers 3 nights and 4 days on average. Family friendly activities take place every day and there is a huge pot luck that is often also attended by people who drive up just for the day (another 10 people or so). This summer we will be camping at Pine Valley North Group Site C located up Mirror Lake Highway. The site holds 140 people (number of vehicles 25). Cost is $30 per car.
Arrival Date: Fri Jul 21 2017 Check-in Time: 2:00 PM Departure Date: Mon Jul 24 2017 Check-out Time: 1:00 PM
Overview: Pine Valley North Wasatch Cache Group Campground is located on the beautiful Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah. The Uintas are known for their abundant recreational opportunities and scenic beauty.
Natural Features: The campground is situated among shady pines and aspens at an elevation of 7,400 feet. The dense stands of trees provide nice shade.
Recreation: The Lower Provo River is nearby, offering good trout fishing. Numerous hiking, biking and horseback riding trails crisscross this beautiful mountain area, including North Fork and Shingle Creek Trails. Off-road vehicle trails are in the vicinity.
Facilities: The campground contains three group sites with picnic and serving tables, grills, campfire circles and large paved parking areas. Vault toilets, and trash collection are provided. We are in Site C. Nearby Attractions: Mirror Lake Scenic Byway parallels the Lower Provo River as it snakes across a portion of the Uinta Mountains, leading to numerous high alpine lakes and streams, countless trails, breathtaking scenic viewpoints. Fishing, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and biking are popular activities. The High Uintas Wilderness can be accessed from several trails along the byway.
There is limited parking, so please sign up early by filling out the form and pay fee at by clicking here.
Pride Parade: Sunday June 4th 10am.
-submitted by Michele Page
Please plan to join us. Theme: Pride Elevated.
Please join us to walk in the Pride Parade this year, celebrating our wonderful Reverend Tom Goldsmith for 30 years of service at First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. Tom and Mary will be riding in a convertible and the congregation will be walking ahead of, and behind the car (please, not to the side, we need the crowd to be able to read the signage on the car!). We will have a banner introducing our church’s entry, as well as signage on the car thanking Tom for 30 years of commitment to the liberal community in SLC. Please plan to join us if at all possible. Wear your ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ t-shirts, or something very bright in color! We hope to have music playing that we can dance/move/sing to as we walk and wave. Look for the ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ banner and your fellow members. We will provide the exact location to meet in the Order of Service on Sunday, May 29th and Sunday, June 4th.
The annual end-of-year picnic is almost here. This event is fun for all ages, and we hope that you are planning to attend. If you would like to be part of the team that makes it all happen, please contact Joe Herringat or 801-440-5521. We need some extra hands to assist with set up, grill tending and other food service tasks, and of course, clean up.. We have reserved our usual spot - the Mt. Olympus Pavilion at Sugarhouse Park. PLEASE bring your OWN reusable, non-disposable dishes (plates/cups/bowls) and utensils so that we can limit the recycling and waste that we generate. A dish washing station will be provided for rinsing your dirty dishes. We will be providing beef burgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers, as well as drinks, condiments, and chips. Cost is $5 per person, $4 for children payable at the park (checks made out to First Unitarian Church or exact change if paying in cash would be much appreciated).
-submitted by Joan Gregory, Environmental Ministry
AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock
Friday, May 19, 2017, 7-9PM Eliot Hall
AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock, released on April 22, 2017, follows the dramatic rise of the historic #NODAPL native-led peaceful resistance at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, which captured the world’s attention as one of the biggest stories of 2016. Thousands of activists converged from around the country to stand in solidarity with the water protectors (activists) standing strong against the construction of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), being built to carry fracked oil from North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields through sovereign land and under the Missouri River, the water source for the Standing Rock reservation and 17 million people downstream.
A unique collaborative documentary created in three chapters, each helmed by a different filmmaker, the feature length film is directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker and activist Josh Fox (Gasland, How To Let Go Of The World And Learn To Love Everything Climate Can’t Change), Academy Award nominated filmmaker James Spione (Silenced, Incident in New Baghdad) and indigenous filmmaker and Digital Smoke Signals founder Myron Dewey.
Each of the three sections of the film tells the story of Standing Rock in the unique perspective and style of the filmmaker who created it. The immersive documentary features emotional first-person accounts as well as gripping verité footage of militarized local police and private security teams confronting water protectors and journalists with rubber bullets, mace, tear gas, water hoses, and weaponized dogs. But the film also takes us behind the front lines to reveal the intimate day-to-day life of the camp community, as indigenous and non-indigenous protectors gather for peaceful prayer and song, and engage in daily tasks like clearing snow, raising tipis, distributing clothing donations, or building sleeping barracks for the many veterans who arrived to join the water protectors.
Standing Rock has awakened the nation and has forever changed the way we will fight for clean water, our environment and the future of our planet. A discussion will follow the film.
[ photos from various recent environmental events, including Climate March and Bears Ears event can be see on our Facebook page ]
First Church will be screening a gripping documentary "Screenagers" about the dangers and affects of digital screens on our youth. Mark your calendar for May 25, 6 pm in Eliot Hall.
The camping trip is attended by approximately 80 to 140 people depending on campsite. It is a community building activity were attendees of both services and their families can take time to get to know each other away from the church. For many attendees it is a family church tradition.
The event covers 3 nights and 4 days on average. Family friendly activities take place every day and there is a huge pot luck that is often also attended by people who drive up just for the day (another 10 people or so). This summer we will be camping at Pine Valley North Group Site C located up Mirror Lake Highway. The site holds 140 people (number of vehicles 25). Cost is $30 per car.
Arrival Date: Fri Jul 21 2017 Check-in Time: 2:00 PM Departure Date: Mon Jul 24 2017 Check-out Time: 1:00 PM
Overview: Pine Valley North Wasatch Cache Group Campground is located on the beautiful Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah. The Uintas are known for their abundant recreational opportunities and scenic beauty.
Natural Features: The campground is situated among shady pines and aspens at an elevation of 7,400 feet. The dense stands of trees provide nice shade.
Recreation: The Lower Provo River is nearby, offering good trout fishing. Numerous hiking, biking and horseback riding trails crisscross this beautiful mountain area, including North Fork and Shingle Creek Trails. Off-road vehicle trails are in the vicinity.
Facilities: The campground contains three group sites with picnic and serving tables, grills, campfire circles and large paved parking areas. Vault toilets, and trash collection are provided. We are in Site C. Nearby Attractions: Mirror Lake Scenic Byway parallels the Lower Provo River as it snakes across a portion of the Uinta Mountains, leading to numerous high alpine lakes and streams, countless trails, breathtaking scenic viewpoints. Fishing, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and biking are popular activities. The High Uintas Wilderness can be accessed from several trails along the byway.
There is limited parking, so please sign up early by filling out the form and pay fee at by clicking here.
Have we got a film for you. If you are gay, lesbian, Moslem, atheist, minority of any kind; if you have bee afraid to “come out” to your parents, if you have left the denomination of your family, if you have lived in a city where you didn’t fit in; we have a film for you. This is the story of 3 gay Palestinians who move to Tel Aviv to explore their sexual identity. “Oriented” will be shown Thursday, June 1, 7:00 pm, Eliot Hall. Sponsored by Tanner Center for Human Rights, Unitarian Social Justice Committee and Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land. Free. Panel discussion following 80 minute film. As Unitarians we try to build and more just and inclusive world. Film not suitable for children. Adult language, adult themes.
Attention Committee Chairs! It’s that time of year again. Please send your committee reports to Jenni at by Monday, May 1st to be included in the Annual Report for the 2016-2017 church year.
Communication with those on the other side of the divide On Thursday, May 4th from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. in Eliot Hall, Dr. Wazir Jefferson will join Rev. Tom Goldsmith in facilitating a discussion on communicating with people on the other side of the divide. Our Social Justice Council has made learning to communicate with the conservative right and Trump supporters a top priority. This promises to be a lively discussion. No registration necessary. Just come join us.
Highway Cleanup: May 6 - Looking for a quick and easy way to help the environment, volunteer and connect with other UU’s at First Church? Join the First Unitarian Highway Cleanup Crew on Saturday, May 6. Carpool meets in the church parking (Northeast of the Church) lot at 9:00 a.m. and at the Utah Department of Transportation Station (Immediately North of the I-15 at the East Canyon Exit) at 9:30 a.m. For more information please contact Todd Seymour at or 801.783.7837.
Scottish Dancing and Lunch Plan to stay after 2nd service on April 30 for a light lunch followed by an afternoon of Scottish (and some English and Welsh) country dancing taught by Martha Veranth. Martha has been teaching dances at the Solstice party since 2009 and loves to get everyone of all ages up and dancing. The music and Martha’s instruction will have your feet flying in no time. Lunch will begin at 1:00, dancing by 2:00. The cost for lunch including Scottish shortbread and expert dance instruction is $12/person, $45/family.
Church Picnic June 11th - First Church Needs Your Help! This year’s picnic is Sunday, June 11, and we have several volunteer opportunities. Help is needed for a supplies and food run (Friday, June 9); hauling tables, chairs, food, etc. to Sugar House Park (Sunday morning), and set-up at the site; grilling hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs, mixing (soft) drinks, and assistance with cleanup. Religious education has offered to plan activities for our youth. Volunteers to coordinate other youth or adult activities will be warmly welcomed. Contact Joe Herring at , or 801-440-5521.
Refugee Resettlement Committee Sweep the dust off your porch, wipe the frost off your windows and critically scan inside your house for vibrant living and dining furniture, table lamps, wall art, etc. Spot what you can do without, and can share with families of tired, bright faces new to the Salt Lake Valley arriving in need our help. Seize the item and call Joe DuBray (904-527-9773) or email () and someone from the RRC will pick it up, promptly, to welcome and brighten the Spring of a refugee family.
Social Justice film Have we got a film for you. If you are gay, lesbian, Moslem, atheist, minority of any kind; if you have bee afraid to “come out” to your parents, if you have left the denomination of your family, if you have lived in a city where you didn’t fit in; we have a film for you. This is the story of 3 gay Palestinians who move to Tel Aviv to explore their sexual identity. “Oriented” will be shown Thursday, June 1, 7:00 pm, Eliot Hall. Sponsored by Tanner Center for Human Rights, Unitarian Social Justice Committee and Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land. Free. Panel discussion following 80 minute film. As Unitarians we try to build and more just and inclusive world.
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 pm. For more information contact Sonia Carnell at (801) 262-1151 or .
- April 30: Red Moose Coffee Company (1693 South 900 East)
- May 7: Market Street Grill (54 West Market St.)
- May 14: Provisions (3364 South 2300 East)
- May 21st: Congregational Meeting - no lunch bunch today
- May 28th: Flatbread Naepolitian Pizzeria (2121 S. McClelland, Ste. E)
Dinner and Dialogue Due to the amazing and generous support of so many of you, our Dinner and Dialogue events have been going very well. It seems that we are getting to know each other better! Please feel free to host a dinner (or lunch or brunch if you wish) on a date and time of your choosing in your home, or sign up to attend one. We have newcomers and old-timers alike participating, so be sure to look over the white binder at the Congregational Life Table in Eliot Hall to see what might interest you. You can contact Darlene Thayne at suppers @slcuu.org or 801-455-6553 if you need any assistance on this. Let's get acquainted!
Mindfulness Group Every Sunday, meditation is offered as a time to pause, practice calming our thoughts and setting an intention to be mindful in our daily life. Guidance for developing meditation practice is shared along with suggested websites and reading. The community supports our intention to experience the benefits of being mindfully aware so that we may cultivate and live with calm, peace and ease. All are welcome. Sundays Following the end of the first service, in the Parlor.
Communication with those on the other side of the divide: On Thursday, May 4th from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. in Eliot Hall, Dr. Wazir Jefferson will join Rev. Tom Goldsmith in facilitating a discussion on communicating with people on the other side of the divide. Our Social Justice Council has made learning to communicate with the conservative right and Trump supporters a top priority. This promises to be a lively discussion. No registration necessary. Just come join us.
Church Picnic June 11th - First Church Needs Your Help! This year’s picnic is Sunday, June 11, and we have several volunteer opportunities. Help is needed for a supplies and food run (Friday, June 9); hauling tables, chairs, food, etc. to Sugar House Park (Sunday morning), and set-up at the site; grilling hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs, mixing (soft) drinks, and assistance with cleanup. Religious education has offered to plan activities for our youth. Volunteers to coordinate other youth or adult activities will be warmly welcomed. Contact Joe Herring at , or 801-440-5521.