Shawshank Redemption: “Revisiting Redemption”

Rev. Sean Parker-Dennison and Allison Cole Duren-Sutherland, Rogue Valley UU Fellowship, Ashland, OR

What have we learned since 1994 when The Shawshank Redemption was released? How does what we've learned about the history of incarceration, the experience of pandemic, the shifts and conflicts in our nation, the persistence of white supremacy, and all that we have learned about ourselves change our experience of the film's message that "hope is a dangerous thing?"

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.

In July, Eliot Chapel will share its bounty with the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank. The Diaper Bank exists to help strengthen low-income families in the St. Louis region by ensuring access to an adequate supply of diapers and by raising awareness about the causes and consequences of diaper need in our community.

Bottoms up! 

Here’s how you can give:

UU Resources for at-home exploration: Families are encouraged to explore the online Religious Education Resources on the church website, found here, for at-home UU exploration. Resources include a Social Justice Summer Reading List for children, UU coloring pages, YouTube videos, parent resources, and more.

For more information about activities for children and youth, please contact Scott Stewart at scott@eliotchapel.org or Christie Lee at christie@eliotchapel.org.

At 11:30 am 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.

Summer Sunday Walking Series – 8:00 am at Castlewood State Park

Environmental Justice Team – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Vigil for Hope & Healing – 6:00 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 Anne Marie Grassman and her daughter Alycia Cissell in your hearts as Anne Marie begins chemotherapy for Stage IV colon/liver cancer on July 14.

From the enthusiastic response we received to our survey about reopening and vaccination, we know that you are eager to hear more. If you're on our communications list, you received an email this week that included the values statement that guides recommendations on reopening as well as the current plan. Our anticipated opening date is Sunday, September 12! This goal to open on our traditional date, the first Sunday after Labor Day, is dependent on a number of things. You can read all the details in the email.

If you sign up for Eliot communications, you’ll receive two emails regularly: This Week at Eliot (TWAE) and Eliot on Zoom (EOZ). We use Constant Contact for email marketing. They employ multiple layers of security to protect your data and have strong anti-spam policies. You will always find an unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email that comes to you from Eliot Chapel through Constant Contact. Do note that if you unsubscribe, it may take a few extra steps to resubscribe in the future. (If you’d like to take a break from emails for a vacation or something, email us about arranging a temporary hold.) 

Besides these regulars, you may also receive an occasional email with important news. We don’t want to clutter your inboxes so we try to limit what we send each week. Sometimes email messages are clipped by some email apps. Be sure to click through to read the whole message. And add frontoffice@eliotchapel.org to your contact list in your email program so you don’t miss anything.

If the following directions confuse you, please contact the Front Office at frontoffice@eliotchapel.org or admin@eliotchapel.org and we will help you delete your 2020-2021 pledge payment and/or set up a new online giving pledge payment for 2021-2022.

If you have not yet submitted your pledge card for 2021-2022, please use this link to the Online Pledge Card.  

Even if you are a Sustaining Member or Sustaining Friend, the Front Office still needs a "physical" pledge card so a pledge can be entered into Eliot's database by which to track your pledge contributions. You can fill out the Online Pledge Card, or simply email frontoffice@eliotchapel.org or admin@eliotchapel.org and state the amount you wish to pledge for the Fiscal/Pledge Year of 2021-2022.

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. No changes 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.

July 11 - Castlewood State Park, 1401 Kiefer Creek Rd, Ballwin. Register here.

July 18 - Queeny Park, 550 Weidman Rd, Manchester. Register here.

July 25 - Tower Grove Park, 4257 Northeast Drive, St. Louis. Register here.

The Environmental Justice Team will meet on Monday, July 12 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Please contact us at environmentjustice@eliotchapel.org or look for a link in the Eliot on Zoom email to join us!

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. 

Tootsie: "Makeover and Transformation”

Rev. Linda Barnes and Sarah Dan Jones, Starr King UU Fellowship, Plymouth, NH