Masks are required at the service for anyone over two years of age. Masks should cover both nose and mouth. We will announce any cancellations for inclement weather on our website and social media. In that event, worship will be recorded in the sanctuary and a video will be available by 11:00 am.

We have reservations available this week. Reservations for the week's services open after 3:00 pm on Monday. A separate email with reservation links goes out through our email list. Reservations will be made through SignUpGenius:

If all pods are reserved, you may call (314.821.0911) or email the front office to be put on a waiting list.

We will be recording one of our services on Sunday. When it is available, you will find it at eliotchapel.org where it will remain all week. You can also find it directly on our YouTube channel.

In December we will be sharing our Sunday collections with Room at the Inn. Sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence, Room at the Inn provides emergency shelter and a stabilizing support system to women and families in need in St. Louis County, using a collaborative, interfaith effort of congregations and organizations throughout the St. Louis region. Eliot Chapel has supported Room at the Inn for almost 30 years. Learn more at roomstl.org.

Here’s how you can give:

The winter Religious Education program for children begins this Sunday, December 5. Note the following activities are available at the 9:00 service only.

REMINDER: We do not have any activities or childcare available during the 11:00 service at this time. The 11:00 service is for fully-vaccinated individuals aged 12+.

Youth Group activities for youth in grades 8-12 begin at 10:30. Youth are encouraged to arrive at 10:15 and gather in the youth room. This week’s activities include setting up the Gift-Giving Tree and a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Activities should conclude by 12:15.

Zoom Coffee Hour takes place from 12:00 pm to 1:00 on Sunday. 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 Worship – 9:00 am in the Sanctuary

Children's Religious Education – 9:15 am in Adams Hall

Youth Group – 10:30 am in the youth room

Sunday Worship – 11:00 am in the Sanctuary

Coffee Hour – 12:00 pm via Zoom

Young Adult Group – 12:30 pm on Discord

Women's Alliance – 9:30 am via Zoom

Vigil for Hope & Healing – 5:00 pm in front of Eliot

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 keep Ann Marie Hutson in your thoughts. She will be undergoing a hip replacement on Monday, December 8, at Missouri Baptist Hospital, and returning home on Tuesday, December 9.

Please remember Elmer McNulty, a longtime member of Eliot Chapel. He was a cook for Room At The Inn. After a long battle with Parkinson's disease, he died peacefully on November 20, 2021. His obituary can be found here.

Youth In Action STL is once again sponsoring gift outreach to local children and youth in need of gifts this holiday season. There are many ways to participate in this holiday outreach.

Here’s how the Gift Giving Tree works in 2021.

If you wish to provide a gift card, these can be dropped off in the LOCKED BLACK DROPBOX by the glass doors near Adams Hall through Sunday, December 12. Target and Walmart are good options for gift cards. Please place it in an envelope and note the envelope for “Gift Tree.”

If you wish to make a monetary donation, you have three options, all available through Sunday, December 12:

Eliot Chapel’s Social Justice Ministry grounds our work in the second Unitarian Universalist principle – to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in all our relations. Here’s what we’re up to!

1) Immigration Justice:

2) Racial Justice:

3) Environmental Justice: Driven by the 7th UU Principle, this team continues our work to inspire and equip the congregation to work effectively for environmental justice. We are currently working on creating sacred space at Eliot Chapel, to demonstrate environmentally sound landscaping techniques.

4) Voting Rights and Voter Engagement: UU the Vote is a national non-partisan initiative that advocates for voting rights and voter engagement. Our UU the Vote organizers are making plans for how Eliot Chapel will support free and fair elections in 2022.

5) Congregational All-Reads: Several times a year, a justice-focused book is chosen and a gathering is held to discuss what we learned.

6) The Giving Tree: Organized by the Youth Group, a Christmas tree is placed in Founders Hall during December to benefit local children and youth in need of gifts for the holiday season. See article above.

7) Shared Plate: Every week we share half our offering with an organization in the community that reflects our values of justice, equity, and compassion for all.

If any of these social justice ministries call to you, please let us know at socialjustice@eliotchapel.org or leave a voicemail at the Front Office (314.821.0911).

When an Eliot member reaches out to Rev. Krista and she identifies a need for meal support for that family, she calls on the Care Team Meal Train for assistance. We then set up a Meal Train that fits the needs of the situation and Eliot friends help Eliot friends get through their challenging time by providing some meals.

When a friend is in need, everyone asks "What can I do to help?" The answer is always to provide support through a meal. When many friends provide support through a meal, Meal Train keeps everyone organized.

The volunteers on this team have the option of participating, or not, when the call goes out. If they are available and willing to provide a meal, they sign up for one of the needed dates and they get a reminder a week before and the day before their meal is needed. The day of delivery, they drop off a prepared meal to the house of the Eliot member who needs it.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, please contact mealtrain@eliotchapel.org and Mary Quinn or Mary Meihaus will add you to the Meal Train list of volunteers. Thank you for considering this beautiful way to lend stewardship to other Eliot members. Our team has been providing helpful meal assistance for many years. In just the past 5 years, 15 families have been recipients of this kind gesture, and the team has provided over 70 meals!

For your safety, we ask that you refrain from visiting Bergfried during the upcoming deer hunting season. The main hunting window is Friday, December 3 through Sunday, December 12. We do expect hunters on the property during this interval. Outside those dates, we recommend wearing bright color (blaze orange recommended) from now to the end of December as an extra precaution.

Have you ever wanted to visit Alaska? If so, WhaleCoast Alaska 2022 is for you! Four Alaska UU congregations invite you to experience our unique environmental and spiritual tour program next summer. See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs, with friendly homestays and awe-inspiring tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bears, caribou, whales, bald eagles, sea lions, etc. Visit Denali National Park. Experience Native Alaskan culture. WhaleCoast Alaska is an inspirational way to visit our beautiful state. Complete info at: www.WhaleCoastAK.org. Proof of Covid-19 vaccinations required. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t want to miss!

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. 

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.

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.

Women’s Alliance will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30 am. We’ll have conversation and a brief business meeting, then discuss the book, Perestroika in Paris: A Novel by Jane Smiley. Trish Williams will lead the discussion. Please feel free to join us, whether or not you’ve read the book. For more information, contact womensalliance@eliotchapel.org.

And coming up next: Women’s Alliance's last meeting of the year will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, December 21, at 9:30 am. Yes, it’s our famously festive "Christmas luncheon,” done virtual-style.

All are welcome; wearing a mask is required as is maintaining the 6-foot social distancing guideline. Please remember that the building is not open so there are no available restrooms. 

Unexpected connections bring joy – between unlikely people, in unlikely times. Our Universalist heroes taught us how.