In our ongoing celebration of creativity, we explore the critical role of mothers and mothering in our world. Whatever our relationship with parent figures or our own experiences with parenting, there is a universal call to lift up the ways that we all participate in this renewing act of creativity!

Large-print orders of service and hearing assistance devices are available from the greeters on Sunday. We livestream our service; find it at eliotchapel.org. After the stream, a recording will be available there all week. You can also find it directly on our YouTube channel.

If you're worshipping with us on livestream, you can always find a digital order of service, including lyrics to the hymns, on our website. Also, check out This Week's Music from our music director Adam Kosberg. You'll get insight into the music selections for this week's service and find the lyrics to the anthem.

At Eliot Chapel, we follow CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19. When St. Louis County is at a Yellow or Medium Level, we will:

Read the letter about the review of our policy and the change in measures in response to a change in levels. You may access the policy document on Eliot Chapel's website for more of the details. 

Every Sunday, Eliot Chapel shares half of the offertory with an organization in the community whose work reflects our shared values. This is one way that we care for our community and our neighbors. We are so pleased to be sharing our May Sunday collections with the Immigrant Home English Learning Program. IHELP empowers foreign-born adults by providing individualized, in-home, English language education and tools for effective navigation in our community. Formerly Immigrant & Refugee Women's Program, IHELP has served over 1,300 students in the last 25 years with the goal of creating a diverse and inclusive community where all immigrants are empowered through language.

Let us be good neighbors. Let us be a generous people. You can give in one of three ways:

The 2022-23 Religious Education and Youth Program continues this Sunday, May 14 during the service. May 14 is the final Sunday of Religious Education (RE) classes in the 2022-23 church year.

Specific plans for each age group are shared with registered families via email each week. To learn more about the 2022-23 RE program, please contact Scott Stewart at scott@eliotchapel.org.

Coffee Hour is an important tradition of fellowship at Eliot Chapel taking place in Adams Hall immediately after the worship service on Sunday. It's a time to catch up with fellow members and friends and to greet newcomers. Please join us!

We keep this tradition of hospitality alive by taking turns hosting. This is a simple task (instructions are available in a binder in the kitchen) and a great way to serve and connect. Please check the SignUpGenius for Coffee Hour Volunteers to sign up to host Coffee Hour on a Sunday morning after the service. If there is no host by 3:00 pm on Thursday afternoon, there will be no coffee served on Sunday though we will still gather for social time. Please be respectful of Sunday staff as they have other responsibilities.

Zoom Coffee Hour takes place at 12:30 pm on Sunday. You are invited to "walk down the hall" and come to our Zoom Coffee Hour! We'll take a few minutes to say hello and let people settle in, then we'll say a few words of welcome and briefly review the service that day. We typically really enjoy the wisdom story and discuss how that story reflects on the theme of the sermon. Then we'll create breakout rooms of 5-6 people for conversation and sharing. We love making new friends and the small groups are great for that! In approximately 45 minutes, everyone will return to the big group and we'll say our goodbyes for the week. We usually end shortly after 1:30 pm, but those who wish to can stay a few minutes longer. Please watch your email for "Eliot on Zoom" on Sunday morning which will include a link to join the Zoom Coffee Hour. If you're not on our mailing list, sign up here. We look forward to seeing you!

Sunday Worship – 10:00 am in the Sanctuary

Religious Education – 10:15 am (after Time for All Ages) in RE wing

Coffee Hour – 11:00 am in Adams Hall

Saunders/McVoy Covenant Group – 11:30 am in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Young Adult Group – 11:45 am in the Triplett Room

Online Coffee Hour – 12:30 pm via Zoom

A Course in Miracles – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Women’s Alliance – 9:30 am in Adams Hall

Vigil for Hope & Healing – 5:00 pm on the front lawn

EUC Board Meeting – 6:30 pm in Adams Hall

Earth-Based Covenant Group – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Solecki/Boettcher Covenant Group – 7:00 pm in Adams Hall

Wellspring – 9:30 am in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Covenant Group Facilitators Meeting – 7:00 pm in Adams Hall

Stein Covenant Group – 7:00 pm in Room 006

Transitions Support Group – 7:00 pm in the DuBois Library

Friday Freethinkers – 10:00 am in Room 001

Women’s Weekend – all day offsite

Planning a meeting or event? Start with our Room & Event Request Form! 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 hold Alycia Cissell and Sorcha in your thoughts. Anne Marie Grassman passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Sunday morning, May 7, 2023. Her memorial will be held at First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City.

Eliot Chapel's annual meeting of members will be held at noon on Sunday, May 21. Join the Board of Trustees at 11:30 for sandwiches, chips, and drinks in Adams Hall before the start of the meeting. Childcare will be available until 2:00 pm.

The agenda for the annual meeting will include a budget discussion and approval of new members to the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee.

The board will offer the ability to watch the meeting via Zoom, but there will be no ability to vote unless in attendance at Eliot or by proxy. Download a proxy card from our website.

Get all the details here.

For those who missed the budget presentation to the congregation on Thursday evening, Board Treasurer Susan Bell will be staying after the service on Sunday, May 14 to answer any questions regarding the budget.

Kirk Care and Greentree Community Church are partnering with all our area churches to provide an extra delivery of food and personal care items to our neighbors in need. While hunger never takes a vacation, this time of year can be a greater struggle for families with children since they do not have school breakfasts and lunches upon which to rely. Kirkwood School District has identified some families with food insecurity and all Kirkwood churches have been asked to identify neighbors who might benefit. This food giveaway will include about 30 non-perishable food items, a bag of personal care items along with fresh food from Prairie Farms and Tony Tomato. The families will be scheduled to pick up their food at Greentree Community Church on the morning of June 10.

We at Eliot Chapel can help! Please consider buying and bringing canned chicken and saltine crackers to Eliot for inclusion in our boxes. Food will be collected until June 1, and you can put it into the basket outside of the parking lot entrance. We expect to need 150 of each as we will also support Kirkwood House, Rose Hill House, and Concordia House, the three HUD apartments for seniors with limited incomes located in Kirkwood.

Are you considering joining Eliot Chapel as a member? The membership book will be available to sign after the service on Sunday, May 21. Please contact Rev. Krista no later than May 14 if you would like to learn more. She can be reached at ktaves@eliotchapel.org or by leaving a message at 314-821-0911, ext. 104. In the meantime, check out these resources on our website to support you in your consideration.

Eliot Chapel’s administrative offices, including the front office and communications, will be closed the week of Memorial Day. We will reopen Monday, June 5. Anything for the June 2 This Week at Eliot or the June 4 order of service should be sent to news@eliotchapel.org by Wednesday, May 24. Any events happening that week or the following one should be shared with the front office as soon as possible for inclusion in the calendar.

The Eliot Social Justice in Action Steering Committee welcomes nominations before June 30 for Shared Plate for the 2023-2024 church year. Shared Plate is Eliot’s program to divide Sunday offering and designated online gifts with community organizations that align with our mission. Additional criteria for nominees can be found on the nomination form here.

Once a year, the Unitarian Universalist Association, our national body, holds its General Assembly. This year, GA is in Pittsburgh, PA. GA is like a big family reunion with so much celebration! There is amazing worship, more workshops than you can imagine, and our annual business meeting. As a democratic denomination, every congregation sends delegates to represent us at the business meeting. If you would like to be a delegate for General Assembly, let us know! Contact Camille at DFO@eliotchapel.org.

Join this heartwarming event celebrating LGBTQ+ community, featuring music, poetry, and more. Gabe Montesanti, local author, drag performer, and STLPR Story Collider host, will emcee this open mic evening on Friday, June 2, at 7:00 pm at First Unitarian, 5007 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108. Sign up to share a reading, song, or any other expression that celebrates the joy of human love in all its forms. First come, first served, sign up online or in person that day. You may also feel free to just bring yourself! Coffee, tea, and desserts will be for sale in the Dodson Room and performances will be in the Sanctuary. Sales support the Metro STL UU booth at Tower Grove Pride. This is an all-ages event. Performers are asked to keep content PG-13. Check out the Facebook event here.

The Eliot Ride Team provides rides to church and to medical appointments for Eliot members and friends who cannot drive themselves. If you need a ride, email ineedaride@eliotchapel.org with your name, your address, where you need to go, and the date and time needed. We will be in touch to make arrangements. 

The Eliot Meal Train provides meals to Eliot members and friends who need some love and care. For example, we will provide meals for those who have recently lost a loved one or are recovering from medical care. If you would like to request meals or offer to provide meals, please email mealtrain@eliotchapel.org with your contact information and someone will be in touch with you.

At Eliot Chapel, we care for our earth and our building! One way you can express this is by joining the Eliot Recycling Team! This committee is responsible for taking the recycling from Eliot to the Kirkwood Recycling Depository at 350 S. Taylor Avenue each week. Sign up for a week that works for you and plan to grab the recycling after service to drop it off. Thanks for being part of the team!

Friends of Music continues its season of free concerts at 7:30 pm on Sunday, May 14 with a program featuring the Arianna String Quartet and guest pianist Mieko Hironaka Bergt. It's a real treat to have these accomplished musicians coming to play for free. Their sound paired with the wonderful acoustics of our historic Sanctuary will be exquisite! The concert will also be livestreamed; find it on Eliot's YouTube channel.

Please join Women’s Alliance for our hybrid meeting this Tuesday, May 16 in Adams Hall and on Zoom. Member Phyllis McLaren will give a visual presentation entitled, “My History as an Artist and How I Came to Make Political Art.” For more information, contact womensalliance@eliotchapel.org.

You are invited to join the Earth-Based Spirituality Covenant Group on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 on Zoom as we celebrate the holiday of Beltane. This May holiday celebrates the peak of Spring and the coming of Summer. It is a celebration of the return of the fertility of the land that had lain dormant all winter. Beltane includes bonfires, maypoles, dancing, and rituals. Although we won't be dancing around a maypole or bonfire, we will still honor the holiday symbolically as we welcome the coming of Summer. If you would like to join us, please contact Lynn Murphy via frontoffice@eliotchapel.org and she will send you the information and link.

The Transitions Support Group is for anyone who is experiencing a significant life transition, such as death of a loved one, transitioning relationships, children leaving home, having children, getting married, transitioning gender, changes in career/employment to name a few. This is a place to share your story and give and receive support for the journey we are on. The meetings are facilitated by Rev. Krista Taves. There is a short reading with focusing questions sent out a few days before the meeting, which is on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month, 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the DuBois Library. Please email ktaves@eliotchapel.org if you want to learn more or receive the reminder emails. The next meeting is Thursday, May 18.

Our family campout is held annually on Memorial Day Weekend (this year May 26-29) and brings together all Eliot members and friends. You are welcome to come out for any part of the weekend whether you plan to camp or not. There is plenty of hiking, relaxing, and connection to enjoy! The weekend includes these main events (all optional):

Most choose to camp in tents or trailers; spaces in the cottage (with running water and electricity) are available by reservation with priority given to those with medical needs or physical limitations. Eight beds are also available in the rustic bunkhouses. To sign up for the weekend, to reserve a cottage or bunkhouse space, or for any information contact bergfriedinfo@eliotchapel.org.

Spring also promises great weather for individuals and families to visit and enjoy nature on their own. The Bergfried cottage, with air conditioning, electricity, and running water, is available for rental ($35/night). To reserve the cottage, or whenever you are planning a trip on your own, contact bergfriedreservations@eliotchapel.org.

The final scheduled community conversation around missional identity asks us to gather for conversation, fine-tune and explore our missional priorities, and discern together how best to engage in conversations with your current staff, your peers, and your future minister. This meeting will further synthesize, energize, and raise the questions and plans to move you forward in this new and powerful chapter. Let us converse after the service on Sunday, June 4, 2023, in the Sanctuary.

Join the Eliot Chapel Nominating Committee to thank outgoing and incoming members of the Eliot Chapel Board of Trustees and learn a bit about how things get done at Eliot (i.e., governance). The happy hour discussion will be interlaced with plenty of wine, non-alcoholic drinks, cheese, and crackers. All are welcome, but please RSVP so that we can ensure sufficient supplies.

Bring a flower, bring many flowers! We will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of this treasured Unitarian Universalist ritual AND recognizing our new members.