'Messiah' moves from school to church — for now

Leaders of the interfaith performance of Handel's "Messiah," held in a school and backed by Holladay, have been battling red tape after a Washington, D.C., group complained about a conflict of church and state.

The event, which brought together people from different faiths to sing a popular Christian oratorio known for its "Hallelujah" chorus, has been at Olympus High School in Granite School District the past two years.

"Messiah," created in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, is the story of Jesus' life and is frequently performed for Easter and Christmas concerts.

In 2007, Holladay gave $500 from its arts council fund to underwrite the insurance for that year's performance. The city also hangs a large banner across 2300 East at 4520 South to announce the event, according to city manager Randy Fitts.

Granite District and Holladay each received a complaint letter in February and September from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The group is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation "as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans."

The Holladay City Council voted last winter to stop supporting the "Messiah" group, Fitts said.

"It's unconstitutional to use public funds to support religious activities," said Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counselor for Americans United.

This year, the "Messiah" banner will hang at an LDS Church near Olympus High.

The concert will now be in the Salt Lake Holladay Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 4600 S. Holladay Blvd., without fees or restrictions. The event is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, and is free to the public.

"We are pleased to hear they are having the event at a church this year," Luchenitser told the Deseret News. "That should resolve our concerns."

The event has been jointly organized for the past 17 years by the Holladay United Church of Christ and the LDS Church's Salt Lake Holladay Stake.

"It's such a wonderful thing, bringing people together from different faiths. And Handel's `Messiah' is one of the most incredible musical accomplishments," said Erin Gilmore, pastor of the Holladay United Church of Christ.

Americans United alleges Granite District was letting the religious group use the school building for free yet charging other entities.

District spokesman Ben Horsley said that is "simply not true." The "Messiah" group was charged a $500 fee to cover building personnel, as well as being required to provide insurance, he said.