Sunday, February 28
Radical Empathy: The 63106 Project
In the 63106 Project, journalists and photographers collaborate with families to share stories of struggle and heroism in hopes of connecting people across "zip codes" in our region. They currently focus particularly on the effects of the pandemic. Our guests will also join us during coffee hour to engage us further.
Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson was founded by Richard Weiss, a St. Louis freelance journalist and editor as a way to carry forward the Ferguson Report. Stories from BFBF have been featured in the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis American, and St. Louis Public Radio, among others.
|
|
Our service video will be available at 10:00 am at eliotchapel.org and will remain there all week. You can also find it directly on Eliot Chapel's YouTube channel. |
|
Sharing the Offering
We have a longstanding tradition at Eliot Chapel of sharing our Sunday offering with an organization in our community.In February, we will share the offering with Home Sweet Home, an organization that provides donated furniture and household items to clients transitioning out of homelessness. Home Sweet Home believes that establishing a first home stocked with the necessities for everyday life provides a sense of ownership and a source of stability at this crucial time.
Home Sweet Home serves clients who are referred by partner non-profits throughout the St. Louis region, including the Veterans Administration, St. Patrick Center, Women’s Safe House, Criminal Justice Ministry, and St. Louis Crisis Nursery, among others. These people come with desperate needs for different reasons and from a variety of backgrounds. Their services are needed most by children, survivors of domestic abuse, veterans, people who are homeless, and ex-offenders looking for a new start. Working with partners, Home Sweet Home picks up donations of new and gently used furniture and household items and delivers them to clients’ apartments or homes.
To learn more about what donations they accept and how to get involved, visit their website at www.homesweethomestl.org. You can also see Rev. Krista's interview with Executive Director Betsy Reznicek on our YouTube channel.
We will let you know each week how close we are to meeting our goal. You can give in one of three ways:
-
Online: Click here. Make sure “Shared Plate” is your chosen fund.
-
By Mail: Please write “Home Sweet Home” in the memo line of your check and mail it to Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122.
-
By Text: Text "Eliot $(enter the amount) SharedPlate" to 73256. A link in the reply text will take you to our secure database webpage where you can complete your transaction. Please note, "SharedPlate" must be entered as one word to reach that preferred option.
|
|
We have received thus far $886 towards our February shared plate goal of $1000, with 50% given to Home Sweet Home and 50% dedicated to supporting Eliot Chapel's many life-giving ministries. |
|
Religious Education
Religious Education for Children (Kindergarten-6th grade): Sunday, February 28 @ 9:15 via Zoom
Eliot children and families are invited to gather at 9:15 am via Zoom for connection and community. This week’s session is co-hosted by Christie Lee, Noel Burke, Heather Flick, and adult lay leaders and it kicks off a four-week series of experiences which explore the “4 C’s of Unitarian Universalist Commitment.” This week’s exploration is “Conscience” and includes a meditation led by Noel. Zoom links will be distributed to registered families by email on Friday, February 26.
Junior High Group (7th & 8th grade): Sunday, February 28 @ 11:00 via Zoom
Youth in 7th & 8th grade (or the homeschool equivalent) are invited to gather for community, connection, and FUN. This week’s activity is a Bake-a-long, led by Ellen Duncan. A Zoom link will be sent to registered Eliot youth on Friday, February 26.
Senior High Youth Group: Sunday, February 28 @ 10:45 via Zoom
Eliot youth in 9th-12th grade (or the homeschool equivalent) are invited to gather for community, connection, and FUN. The room will open at 10:45 am and activities begin at 11:00, hosted by Scott Stewart and youth group lay leaders. This week’s activity explores Youth Spirituality: Moments of Wonder. A Zoom link will be sent to registered Eliot youth on Friday, February 26.
|
|
Zoom Coffee Hour
At 11:30 am, you are invited to “walk down the hall” and come to our Zoom Coffee Hour! We’ll take about 10 minutes or so to gather and let people settle in. We'll say a few words of welcome and then create break-out rooms – random groupings of 5 or 6 people. Everyone will likely make a new friend at Eliot from this exercise! You’ll have the chance to introduce yourself and then share your answers to a few questions, like “How has this week been for you?” and “What feelings has it brought up for you?” Each person has about 5 minutes to speak; you are welcome to pass if you like. In half an hour, everyone will return to the big group and we’ll say our goodbyes for the week. Please watch your email for "Eliot on Zoom" which will include a link to join the Zoom coffee hour. If you're not on our mailing list, sign up here.
Sunday at a Glance
RE for Children – 9:15 am via Zoom
Online Church Service – 10:00 am on Eliot Chapel website
Junior High Group – 11:00 am via Zoom
Senior High Youth Group – 11:00 am via Zoom
Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom
Young Adult Group – 12:30 pm on Discord
|
|
Tuesday, March 2
Women's Alliance – 9:30 am via Zoom
Vigil for Hope & Healing – 5:00 pm online
Thursday, March 4
Lunch with the Minister – 12:30 pm via Zoom
Contact your group leader if you need login information for your meeting.
|
|
Reminder: Getting Involved with Groups
Many groups at Eliot are meeting despite the distance between us all. Check with your group leader or get involved with a new group! Find contact information in our Getting Involved booklet.
Group leaders, have you set up an area for your group in Realm? You have a secure place to chat and share documents and photos. Contact Christie Lee to set up your group. |
|
Please Remember
Please remember Sheryl Foster, her husband Alan Gadkari, and their daughter Lauren Gadkari as they mourn the passing of Alan's mother last week. Sheryl has been recovering from an injury to her hand while Alan suffered a broken ankle the day following his mother's funeral.
|
|
Richard Weiss, co-founder of Before Ferguson Beyond Ferguson and executive editor and storyteller for Project 63106, recorded a preview of this week's service for Eliot Chapel.
|
|
BOARD BITS
Project Renew
The Board continues its preparations for Eliot's Project Renew, which will span much of 2021. Project Renew will include moderated discussions with groups of Eliot members and friends, in order to gather information about our collective aspirations for our community. The ultimate goal of all of this is to develop a new set of measurable goals (Ends) for Eliot.
This process works best when there are a lot of people participating, and we'd love for you to be included. Please be on the lookout for opportunities to take part.
|
|
Make a Joyful Noise in Celebration!
So many things to celebrate!
-
Alex Garcia has left sanctuary! On February 24, an agreement between Alex and ICE allowed him to leave and work without fear of removal.
- On February 22, US Rep. Cori Bush announced her introduction of a private bill that would make Alex’s freedom permanent and provide him a path to US citizenship.
-
Eliot Chapel joined 60 other faith-based organizations as parties to an amici curiae brief in support of the ACLU’s request for the US Supreme Court to find unconstitutional the right asserted by ICE to deport undocumented persons without any judicial process or right of review. The brief educates the Court on the history of sanctuary, the need for and use of it throughout the history of our country, and the spiritual imperative that calls these organizations to protect “the stranger.”
Excited? Contact immigration@eliotchapel.org to receive regular updates to such developments and join the Immigration Justice Team on the fourth Tuesday of each month to learn about and participate in this year’s projects!
|
|
The 2021-2022 Stewardship Campaign Is On!
Sunday, March 14 – Stewardship Sunday
Save the date as we'll launch this year's stewardship campaign with special music, creative expressions from Eliot members, and Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray as our guest speaker with an inspiring message from the UUA.
Saturday, April 10 – CARnival Celebration
Put this culminating event on your calendar! Our cars will be our home base at this family-friendly outdoor gathering where we'll celebrate the stewardship campaign and turn in remaining pledge cards. We'll enjoy reconnecting with music and entertainment (following CDC's COVID-19 guidelines, of course)!
|
|
Artful Abundance Contest
At Eliot Chapel, we appreciate and celebrate the abundance that Eliot provides us in so many ways. As part of this year's Stewardship Campaign, we are asking the Eliot Chapel community to submit visual art, performing art, poems/short writings, or videos that depict the abundance that we receive from all that Eliot offers.
Submissions can be artwork (paintings, sculptures, textiles, drawings, etc. digitally scanned or photographed), poetry, a short written fiction or nonfiction piece, an audio recording, or videos no more than 2 minutes in length.
The top 3 winners, as determined by the Stewardship committee, will be announced at CARnival on April 10, 2021 and awarded an Eliot Chapel themed gift basket.
Start thinking about your submission! Enter the contest through this form by March 18.
If you do NOT have a Gmail account, OR you have trouble with the form, OR you have questions, please email your submission and/or questions to artcontest@eliotchapel.org.
|
|
Reminder: Consider Leadership
Looking for a way to be of service and help shape Eliot’s future?
Year after year, during good times and bad, Eliot has remained strong and, to this day, continues to make a positive difference in our lives and in the lives of others throughout St. Louis. This does not “just happen.” It is through the careful and thoughtful contributions of our members and leaders that we are able to work toward an ever more just world. To keep this up, we need leaders. The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee is asking you to consider how you might share your skills and knowledge. Alternatively, you may know of someone whom you believe would be a willing and capable candidate to be considered as a prospect for future leadership positions in the Eliot community.
Eliot Chapel Nominating and Leadership Development Committee
David Rowan
Todd Stark
Trina Priese
Gail Rock
Cayla Suter
|
|
Reminder: 2020 Contribution Statements
2020 Contribution Statements were emailed via Realm the week of February 1, 2021 to those contributors whose gifts meet the IRS requirements:
- Have given single contributions of $250 or more
- Have given non-cash gifts
- Have given items of value in excess of $75
The 2020 Contribution Statement reflects pledge payments and other contributions Eliot Chapel received between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Eliot Chapel's Fiscal Year does not follow a calendar year. Its Fiscal Year is from July to June. Only the pledge payments and contributions Eliot Chapel received between January 1 and December 31, 2020 will be reflected on your 2020 Contribution Statement. If you wish to receive a Pledge Statement to date, or a Contribution Statement if you do not meet the IRS requirements, please contact frontoffice@eliotchapel.org or admin@eliotchapel.org and request a Pledge Statement be USPS-mailed or personally emailed to you.
You should have received a link that opened a .pdf file for you to print. If you do not have an email address on file, then a paper tax statement was mailed to you. If you do not receive a 2020 Tax Statement:
-
Log in to your Realm Account. Starting on February 1 and ending on April 15, 2021, a Print Tax Statement button is available for you to print a paper version of your 2020 Tax Statement.
-
If you do not have a Realm Account, please go to onrealm.org and set up an account using the email address the church has on file for you. Select "Forgot Password" to create a new password. This should provide you with a log-in to your Realm profile.
-
If all else fails, contact frontoffice@eliotchapel.org and request that a paper statement be USPS-mailed or emailed personally to you.
|
|
COVID Support Team
Our COVID team is here for you. If you are quarantining and need support having groceries and prescriptions picked up, please email pastoralcare@eliotchapel.org with your contact information.
|
|
Reminder: Staying Up to Date
In an email letter to members and friends, Rev. Barbara outlined "How We Do Church Now" as Eliot Chapel suspended face-to-face meetings. As a guiding document, it was always open to changes as we found out what worked and what didn't in our response to this extraordinary situation. You can find this document on our website now. We will keep it updated as things change. We'll also try to let you know here of any changes. Changes to RE information were made this week.
All staff are working from home. The building and grounds are closed for general use. A staff person is checking on the building and grounds periodically throughout the week for any facilities or maintenance issues. If you need assistance or have any questions, please email the appropriate staff person.
|
|
A New Experiment in Worship
Hello Eliot Family,
Rev. Barbara, Rev. Krista, and I have embarked on a new way of planning and creating our virtual worship services, and after our first few meetings I'm very excited for the possibilities this new process holds!
We are involving a small group of Eliot members and friends each month in a structured brainstorming session based on the month's theme. The discussion that is born of this session will help to inform and inspire the topics for each individual Sunday. Each minister will be able to draw inspiration from these conversations as they curate each service, thereby incorporating more creative input from the congregation as a whole.
You will be able to see the first fruits of this process beginning in March as we focus on the theme of commitment. This new way of planning, combined with the once a month 'live' zoom services, will offer even more ways for us to connect as a community. I'll say AMEN to that!
Sarah Price
|
|
Women's Alliance
Eliot Chapel’s Women’s Alliance will meet on Tuesday, March 2 via Zoom. The meeting starts at 9:30 am with informal conversation and a brief business meeting, after which Ann Petlin will lead a book discussion on Beloved by Toni Morrison. All Eliot women are welcome. Contact womensalliance@eliotchapel.org for information.
|
|
Vigil for Hope & Healing
Tuesday, March 2
5:00 pm via Zoom
The Black Lives Matter vigil has gone digital! Our Black Lives Matter in-person vigil has been suspended for the duration of the stay-at-home order in St. Louis County. This doesn’t mean that we are going to stop witnessing for Black lives!
Join us for our weekly online vigil Tuesdays at 5:00 pm. We will meet on Zoom and livestream our vigil onto Facebook.
How to prepare for our online vigil:
- Write “Black Lives Matter” in dark lettering on a small piece of paper, no bigger than a standard letter envelope.
- Check your background to be sure nothing is visible that you don’t want broadcast in public!
- Connect to the vigil using the Zoom link provided in the weekly Eliot On Zoom email that comes Sunday morning. Make sure you are muted.
- Sit silently with your BLM sign for the duration of the vigil.
- Help expand our witness! During the vigil, go to the Eliot Unitarian Chapel facebook page and share the vigil to your facebook page, twitter feed, or any social media platform you use so that it can be shared further!
|
|
Lunch with the Minister
Revs. Barbara and Krista invite you to a weekly Lunch with the Minister every Thursday at 12:30 pm. Bring your lunch or just bring yourself! Depending on the size of the group, we will hang out together in the main room or go into breakout groups. The link to join this Zoom meeting will be in the weekly "Eliot on Zoom" email. Check it out and get together!
|
|
The Transcendentalists as Religious Activists
Sundays, March 7, 14, 21 & 28
7:00 – 8:30 pm on Zoom
(Registration link is HERE)
Presented by Rev. John Buehrens
Co-Sponsored by First Unitarian Church of Dallas & Eliot Unitarian Chapel
Pre-class Panel Discussion on Transcendentalism
Thursday, March 4 at 7:00 pm on Zoom
(access Zoom link HERE, webinar ID: 869 0675 6365)
Featuring Rev. John Buehrens, Rev. Daniel Kanter, & Rev. Aaron White
Many of us meet our spiritual forebears, the Transcendentalists, as writers. We read Emerson on “Self-Reliance” and Thoreau’s Walden and think of them as disaffiliates, individualists. Yet the Transcendentalists were religious reformers: Unitarians, activists for both individual freedom and for social equality. They set powerful, influential examples we can still learn from today.
In Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender and Social Justice (Beacon Press, 2020), Rev. John Buehrens shows how relevant even the now forgotten figures among the Transcendentalists are to present struggles.
This four-session course will meet on Sunday evenings via Zoom, 7 to 8:30 pm CST. Class dates are March 7, 14, 21, & 28. Participation is open to the general public, with prior registration and a suggested $20 donation. The format will involve up to 45 minutes of presentation by Dr. Buehrens, then 45 minutes of moderated Q & A. The four sessions will be:
- Definitions & Disciplines: Reflection, Conversation, & Friendships Transcending Differences
- Women’s Rights in America: The Female Transcendentalists and Their Later Erasure
- The Transcendentalists and Race: Distinctions and Differences, Then and Now
- Transcendentalist Sources of American Environmentalism and Interfaith Cooperation
Purchasing and reading the book in advance of the course is encouraged, but not required. You can access the book on the UUA bookstore site HERE or purchase from Beacon Press HERE.
The course leader, Rev. Dr. John Buehrens, served as President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, 1993-2001. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Divinity School, he had previously served as Co-Minister of All Souls, NYC, with Dr. Forrest Church; as Senior Minister of First Unitarian Church of Dallas (1981-87), and at the Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, TN, where he was ordained in 1973.
In receiving the first of several honorary doctorates, John was cited as “the evangelical rabbi of liberal religion, with his stained glass voice and a twinkle in the eye. . . he has led us, ministers and laypeople alike, to understand more deeply and embrace more fully the heritage we share.”
Please join him in this deep investigation into how our forebears transcended themselves and helped to bring about a more just and sustainable form of liberal democracy.
|
|
Inquirer Series
Mondays, March 8, 15, & 22
7:00 – 8:00 pm via Zoom
If you are new to Eliot Chapel, new to Unitarian Universalism, or wanting to deepen your understanding of Unitarian Universalism, this is the class for you. This 3-part series, held Mondays beginning March 8, includes sessions on Unitarian Universalist history and theology, UU religious education and spiritual development, how we worship, take care of each other and serve our community, and what it means to be a member of this congregation. All sessions will be held on Zoom. Sign up here or on Realm now!
|
|
Sunday, March 7 – 10:00 am
Our Commitment Legacies – Rev. Krista Taves
All of us grew up watching those who raised us, seeing and being shaped by those things they considered to have ultimate value. How do these commitment legacies continue to shape us even as we make new choices?
This will be a live Zoom service, streamed to YouTube and shared on our website.
|
|
|
|
ourEliot promotes and enables healthy communications as promised to one another through the Congregational Covenant. If you have a compliment, suggestion, or concern that is important to communicate to a responsible party, please email ourEliot@eliotchapel.org. |
|
Connect with Eliot Chapel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
