In our annual service, we will honor our beloved dead and claim the power of memory. We will honor those we have lost by naming them during the service. If you are attending in person, you will receive a paper autumn leaf on which you can write the names of those you wish to honor. The congregation will be invited to come forward, speak the names of loved one/s, and hang the leaf on our memory tree.  

If you are attending online and wish to participate, please send the names of those you wish to honor to ktaves@eliotchapel.org and a leaf will be prepared with the names, which will be read during the service. Please email all names by noon on Saturday, November 6.

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. OR you may come to Eliot and sit elsewhere on the lot (social distancing, of course). You may not have great visibility but you will be able to hear the service and be present in the experience. If you do this, you still need to check in with a greeter for contact tracing purposes.

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 November, we will be sharing our Sunday collections with SouthSide Early Childhood Center, an organization that Eliot Chapel has long supported.

SouthSide can serve up to 140 children each day. We all know the value of early childhood education. SouthSide is doing an outstanding job of providing it for children who really need it. Their work gives children coming from difficult situations a great chance for success. Learn more at www.southside-ecc.org.

Here’s how you can give:

Worship Services: Children in 7th grade and younger are invited and encouraged to attend the outdoor worship service at Eliot Chapel with their family and participate in Social Hour in the Meadow following the service. Supervised play on the nursery school playground is available for preschool-aged children during the 9:00 am service.   

Religious Education (RE): Children in Kindergarten and older, and their families, are encouraged to gather in the Meadow at Eliot from 10:00-10:30 for “RE with the Ministers–Part 1.” This will include 15-20 minutes with Rev. Barbara, who will share about “memories and remembrance,” followed by Joys and Concerns, led by Ms. Heather. Children are also encouraged to share with Barbara their drawings and reflections from the worship activity bags distributed at the 9:00 am service.   

Youth activities for youth in grades 8-12 continue on Sunday, November 7 in Fillmore Park, located at 340 S. Fillmore Avenue, 63122 (about 5 minutes from Eliot). Arrival begins at 10:30, activities will start at 10:45, and should wrap up around 12:00.

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.

Children's Religious Education – 10:00 am on the Meadow

Youth Group – 10: 30 am off-site

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 remember Yvonne and Carl Serbell and their family. They celebrate the birth of their grandchild Seamus Yonder Serbell. They mourn the death of his twin, Killian Hendrix Serbell, who was stillborn.

The Board welcomes you to attend and observe a board meeting. The next two meetings are November 9 at 6:30 pm and December 14 at 6:30 pm on Zoom. If interested, please email Board President Steve Harvey at eliotboard@eliotchapel.org.

As the holiday season approaches, now is the perfect time to join iGive in support of Eliot Chapel. Did you know your online purchases can equal donations to Eliot? And now is the perfect time to join because each person who signs up before Nov. 15 and makes a purchase by Dec. 1 earns a bonus $5 donation in addition to anything your purchase earns.

And it's easy to join! Just scan the QR code here with your smart phone or click through to the iGive website.

Shop at 2300+ stores you already know and benefit Eliot Chapel!

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. The file recently received multiple updates to reflect all the changes in our fall worship.

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.

The New York Times hails Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste as an ‘instant American classic’ about our abiding sin. The American Prospect says, “Wilkerson’s work is the missing puzzle piece of our country’s history.” NPR calls it a masterwork of writing, a profound achievement of scholarship and research that stands also as a triumph of both visceral storytelling and cogent analysis.

On Sunday, November 7, vaccinated adults are invited to meet at the fire pit in Kirkwood Park from 1:00 to 3:00 pm for a discussion of the seminal book, Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents. Discussion leaders are Yvonne Serbell and Karen Gender. Weather is forecast to be sunny and in the low-mid 60s. Bring a chair and any food or drink you’d like. Face masks must be worn. Click to register on SignUpGenius. Directions to the fire pit will be e-mailed to those who sign up.

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. 

Critical Race Teachings – Rev. Barbara H. Gadon

In recent times, we are seeing breakthrough scholarship in American history and systemic racism. We are also seeing an organized movement on the part of parents and legislators to block this information in our schools. Come to learn more about this phenomenon and how we as people of faith can respond.