Utah Interfaith Community Concert Draws Hundreds to Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

Nearly 1,000 people gathered for an evening of Christmas celebrations and performances in West Valley City, Utah, on Monday, December 19.

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“I loved it,” expressed Mandi Beauchaine, who attended with her family. “This is our second year coming. And it’s so fun to get everybody together and just see the different types of singing and dancing.”

Hundreds of volunteers and performers from several denominations in West Valley City shared the Christmas story. The “Community Christmas Celebration of Joy” was a multilingual event that included various Latin American congregations, choral groups and Polynesian dancers representing Tonga, Samoa and the Marshall Islands. Narrators shared the message of the birth of Jesus Christ in English and Spanish.

“Tonight is miraculous, like the birth of Jesus Christ,” said Pastor Oscar Parra. “The city came together, churches are united, the community is united, and together we have accomplished this experience. It was made possible through unity.”

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The concert is in its second year and was organized by My Hometown, a local initiative that improves neighborhoods through faith and government partnerships. West Valley City Mayor Karen Lang was in attendance.

After the concert, attendees took photos with Santa Claus and children received books, treat bags and cookies.

“Faith is the heart of the community,” said Elder Evan A. Schmutz of the Utah Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ. “When we bring together people of faith and different faith traditions and the walls come down that could separate them, then you just have people that believe in God, that believe in Christ, and they’re willing to act to lift and help other people in His name. And that’s what we saw tonight.”

The local churches and organizations supporting the event are the Mount Calvary Family Worship Center, Iglesia Ruach de Dios, Pure River Worship Center, Life Church Utah, Trinity United Methodist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and West Valley City government and Police Department.

About My Hometown

My Hometown is a volunteer-led effort that strengthens and revitalizes communities through interfaith initiatives that work directly with local city governments, businesses and other organizations. My Hometown is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“My Hometown is a group of volunteers from all different religions — a multifaith group — that has decided we love this city, we want to revitalize it,” said Mark Durham, who oversees the My Hometown initiative as Utah director of Community Support Services. “When we first started three or four years ago, we would only get a few people to come. But now, on a good day, we will have 500 to 600 volunteers, 100 neighbors coming out helping each other, knowing each other, and it’s just changing the community.”

The project launched in West Valley City, Utah, in 2019 and has since been adopted in three other Utah cities: Ogden, Provo and Salt Lake City.

My Hometown projects include cleanup efforts to improve homes and neighborhoods and a host of educational and job opportunity offerings for local families, via community resource centers housed inside Latter-day Saint meetinghouses. Resource centers host youth programs, offer tutoring and literacy workshops and classes in self-reliance, entrepreneurship and finance.