First United Methodist Church of Salt Lake City, UT

06/14/2026

Worship 14 June 2026
“Freedom, Hope, and Becoming Rooted in New Ground”, Sean Whaley

06/07/2026

05/24/2026

Sermon:
"Our Spirit"
Rev. Kelsie Parrish

05/21/2026

Help make our Church Yard Sale a success!

First United Methodist Church Salt Lake City is now accepting donations of gently used, clean items for our upcoming yard sale.

📍 Drop-off location: Fellowship Hall
📅 Yard Sale: Saturday, June 20 • 9 AM–3 PM
Rain or shine

05/17/2026

Sermon: "Bearing Witness," Rev. Kristin Stoneking, Bishop of the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church

05/16/2026

Today starts our celebration weekend! Be sure to join us TONIGHT at 7:30pm for a evening of music at our 120th Anniversary Celebration: Wesleyan Heritage Organ Recital with performances from our three very talented organists!

Our celebration of faith and community continues tomorrow afternoon. At 2:00pm, the Utah Religious Architecture Photograph Collection will share slideshow presentation in Fellowship Hall. Then at 4:00pm, we are hosting a special 120th Anniversary Celebration: Re-Dedication Service with Bishop Stoneking offering a sermon and a blessing on our building.

*Please note: we will not have our regular 11:15am worship service on Sunday, May 17th.*

Free parking will be available tonight and tomorrow at the lot behind the white building north of the church—follow the signs and volunteers in vests to the lot.

05/03/2026

We are so excited to welcome Laura Shearer, Executive Director of Project Salud y Paz, as our guest speaker at church tomorrow morning! Join us on Sunday, May 3rd, at 11:15am to celebrate their 25 years of work and service in Guatemalan communities. Following the church service, we will gather for a fundraising luncheon to learn more about Salud y Paz and how you can support a great organization that First UMC of SLC has been working with since 2005.

01/11/2026

A Love Affair with Salud y Paz

The rumpled group in the photo is our family – my wife Ginny, our daughters, Dori and Sarah, and me, Larry. We had just completed a rural medical and dental service trip during Thanksgiving with a team from Utah’s Great Salt Lake valley.

My faded T-shirt dates to 2005 when Ginny and I made our first trip. My job in the natural gas industry had taken us to Venezuela during 1999 to 2004 where we fell in love with Latin America. We were heartbroken to leave but on arriving in Salt Lake City learned that our Methodist Conference was organizing a rural medical dental team to support the Salud y Paz clinic in Guatemala the following year. We happily signed up and thus began a 20+ year love affair with Salud y Paz and the people of Guatemala. Since then, we have joined or led more than a dozen such trips.

“Twinkling of an Eye” Moments

When Jesus said, “Heal the sick”, he likely meant more than send a check (although checks are much needed), but rather go, touch and heal. As we do so, we are also touched and healed in our hearts. We have the “Twinkling of an Eye” moments that bring us back.

Give and Volunteer as a Family

We make giving decisions as a family and typically give where we also volunteer. This year everything aligned and we were all available to come on this service trip. It was a perfect moment where we all volunteered where we were also giving.

Salud y Paz Seeks Justice

Our Bible tells us to seek justice. We can be overwhelmed by the injustice of the world, but fortunately God is responsible for the outcome, not us. Our part is to be obedient, to serve and give. Salud y Paz helps bring justice to Mayan communities providing medical and dental care and early childhood education. We experience God’s Kingdom as we join that effort. That is why we support Salud y Paz.

Ginny and Larry Hjalmarson, Salt Lake City
Larry is President-elect of the Salud y Paz Board

12/25/2025

“Silent night, Holy Night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace”

12/04/2025

It was a joy and an honor to be part of this special team and serve alongside Salud Y Paz. Please checkout their life changing work and join us for church this Sunday to hear more reflections from the Guatemala team.