Pamela Baxter

Simple and direct introduction to the symbol of the flaming chalice in UU congregations.

"On Grandpa's Beach in Maine: A Little Story About A Big Rock by Pamela Baxter is a children’s picture book about grandchildren exploring the Maine coast, focusing on a large, tidal-covered rock. It explores changing tides, seaside life, and family adventures." From the author's website.

"Listening to Nature's Voice: Reflections on the World Around Us by Pamela Baxter is a collection of 30 short essays that explore personal experiences with nature, drawing life lessons from everyday elements like spiders and seeds. Published in early 2025, the book uses nature writing to encourage readers to find their own revelations and connect with the natural world, with accompanying questions to prompt self-reflection." From the author's website.

"[The author] Pamela Baxter is the director of religious education at the Unitarian Fellowship of West Chester, in West Chester, Pennsylvania." "[The illustrator] Terry Stafford, a former director of religious education, has written and illustrated several children's books. . ." Source: The book's back cover. "Before it became the symbol of Unitarian Universalism, the flaming chalice was the symbol of the Unitarian Service Committee (USC). When it started in 1940, this group's most important show more mission was to rescue Jews from Europe.
"The brand new USC needed a symbol it could use, something like that used by the Red Cross. They wanted a symbol of hope that said, 'We will help you. You can trust us.' The Jewish people who needed assistance came from many different countries and spoke many different languages. The symbol had to be something easy to recognize. . .The American Unitarian minister Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha set up a USC office in Lisbon, Portugal, where another minster name Reverend Charles Joy, joined them. There, they met an artist named Hans Deutsch, who had fled from his home in Austria. . .Deutsch designed a chalice with a flame. To many people, the chalice with the flame represented bravery, compassion, and hope--and a way to safety. It is still the emblem for the USC, which is now the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The group continues to bring help and hope to people around the world. . .
"In 1961 the Unitarian and the Universalist churches decided to join together. Eventually, they decided that they needed a symbol, too. . .
"The Unitarian Universalist Association officially adopted the flaming chalice as its symbol in 1976, and lighting a chalice started to become a part of many Unitarian Universalist services. Long before that, children in Unitarian Universalist classroomsa were already lighting chalices as part of certain curricula and programs. Lighting a chalice in adult services may have spread from something that started with the children." Source: Pages 23-25 of the book. show less