The worship theme for May is
Thresholds.
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Sunday, May 3 – 10:00 am
"Title" – Rev. Barbara H. Gadon
Text.
Join us
on our website for a virtual service. The video should be available at 10:00 am at
eliotchapel.org and will remain there all week. It will also be on the
Eliot Chapel Facebook page which allows you to comment and interact. We welcome your participation there.
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Sharing the Offering
Our
May
Shared Plate recipient,
Project Backpack STL,
has been serving at risk children in St. Louis since 1999. They provide area groups (police departments, social service agencies, domestic violence shelters, etc.) with backpacks filled with age and gender appropriate necessities and comfort items. The backpacks are delivered to the children at the scene when they’re needed. The backpacks make a huge difference for children who are removed from their homes, usually with nothing but the clothes on their backs, in cases of domestic violence, abuse, neglect, homelessness, natural disaster, and other similar situations. Project Backpack STL is run entirely by volunteers in donated warehouse space.
Text
ELIOT SHAREDPLATE $3 [or higher] to 73256 to give to the shared plate recipient using your text messaging. Please indicate "Project Backpack STL" in the memo to ensure appropriate allocation. Checking the box next to "Contribute an extra $X.XX to help offset processing fees" helps pay for the fees Eliot pays to offer this text service. Standard text message rates do apply.
You can also donate from the
Giving page on Eliot's website or send a check to the front office.
Religious Education
We are hosting Zoom meetings for Religious Education. For this week, they are as follows:
Religious Education for Children & Families: May 3 @ 9:15 am via Zoom
Eliot children and families (PreK-6th Grade) are invited to gather at 9:15 via Zoom for connection and community. Parents & families are encouraged to join their children. Co-hosted by Christie Lee, Tim Bubb, and Heather Flick. Zoom links will be distributed by email on Friday, May 1. This week’s theme is “Humor & Laughter”.
Junior High Youth Meetup (7th & 8th Grade): May 3 @ 10:00 am via Zoom
Youth in 7th & 8th grade are invited to gather at 10:00 via Zoom for connection, check-in, and community building. Hosted by members of the Junior High leadership team. A Zoom link will be sent to registered 7th and 8th grade families on Friday, May 1.
Senior High Youth Group: May 3 @ 10:45 am via Zoom
Eliot youth group members (grades 9-12) are invited to gather for community, connection, support, and conversation. The “room” will open at 10:45 and activities begin at 11:00. Hosted by Scott Stewart. A Zoom link will be sent to Eliot youth on Friday, May 1.
Zoom Coffee Hour
At 11:30 am, you are invited to “walk down the hall” so to speak and come to our Zoom Coffee Hour! We’ll take about 10 minutes or so to gather and let people settle in. Rev. Barbara will 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. Remember: this is an experiment! We promise at least some technical glitches and awkward moments, but also laughter and maybe a few tears. Just like church. Please watch your email for a link to join the Zoom coffee hour. If you're not on our mailing list,
sign up here.
Sunday at a Glance
RE Check-in & Family Gathering – 9:15 am via Zoom
Virtual Church Service – 10:00 am on Eliot Chapel website
Jr. High Group – 10:00 am via Zoom
Sr. High Youth Group – 10:30 am via Zoom
Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom
LeLaurin Covenant Group – 1:00 pm via Zoom
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Tuesday, May 5
Women's Alliance – 9:30 am via Zoom
Social Justice Steering Committee – 7:00 pm via Zoom
Wednesday, May 6
Eliot Connects: Brené Brown Book Study – 7:00 pm via Zoom
Eliot Connects: Meditation – 7:00 pm via Zoom
Contact your group leader if you need login information for your meeting.
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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.
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Eliot’s Annual Meeting to be held virtually on May 17
Eliot Chapel’s Annual Meeting will be held virtually this year via Zoom. Zoom offers video and teleconferencing options. If you have a computer or a smartphone and have not yet downloaded Zoom to your device, you are encouraged to do so prior to the meeting date. Instructions can be found
here
. If you do not have a computer or smartphone, you can join the audio portion of the meeting using any telephone.
The Annual Meeting will take place Sunday, May 17 at 12:15 pm. A link to the meeting as well as dial-in instructions will be sent by email to Eliot members and friends on May 13, utilizing the
This Week at Eliot Chapel
mailing list. Please plan to join the meeting 15 minutes in advance so that we can admit everyone to the meeting, establish a quorum, and start the meeting in a timely fashion. If you know of Eliot Members and friends who may wish to attend the Annual Meeting but may not have access to this message, please help to get this information to them.
Proxy voting will be offered for the first time this year. Instructions on Proxy Voting can be found
here
.
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Now Accepting Nominations for
2020-2021 Shared Plate Recipients
Congregants may submit nominations for potential shared plate recipients for the upcoming church year. Ongoing commitments mean that only limited slots are available. The deadline to submit a nomination is June 30. Submit through the online form
here.
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Flower Communion
Sunday, May 17
Eliot Chapel will celebrate flower communion on Sunday, May 17. To participate, please send a photo of your flower or you with your flower to
news@eliotchapel.org by Tuesday, May 12.
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Eliot Connects Series Information
Attending the Sunday service may not be enough of a connection for you during these stressful times. Are you looking for more support from your church family? Do you miss feeling connected to your Eliot Folks? The Adult Education: Spirit in Practice Team has developed a new series that offers time to engage with others and connect with our church community through spiritual development.
Eliot Connects – You’ve Got A Friend with Mary Meihaus
May 21 and June 18
11 am to 12 pm
This drop-In session will promote the premise of Carol King’s song, “You’ve Got A Friend.” She has chosen a centering topic each week that will purpose our discussion and help us get through these troubled times. Together, we will come out of the other end of this better for the journey. Drop in and join Eliot friends for an uplifting discussion.
Sign up to receive the group log-in information.
Eliot Connects Gratitude Sessions with Carole Glauser
May 12 and June 9
11 am to 12 pm
The more you look, the more you can find things to be grateful for. Carole Glauser will facilitate a drop-in session, practicing gratitude as a means of coping with the stress and anxiety of uncertainty. Neuroscience research reveals that practicing gratitude literally rewires your brain to be happier and calms the nervous system, as well as contributes to many other physical and mental health benefits. We will use poetry and other inspired readings as the jumping off point for practicing gratitude and sharing, discussing, and connecting during this precarious time.
Sign up to receive the group log-in information.
Eliot Connects Compassion Session with Ted Lau
May 25 and June 22
7 to 8 pm
Imagining compassion leads to acting compassionately. In this time of social distancing and sheltering in place we may feel thwarted in our ability to act compassionately or for causes we champion. But this is an opportunity to start or renew compassion practices. We’ll practice Tonglen or other meditation to relieve suffering in ourselves and others, and share how compassion has appeared in our lives recently. Ted Lau will facilitate with participation from Social Justice in Action leaders.
Sign up to receive the group log-in information.
Eliot Connects Meditation Practice with Jeanne Kloeckner
May 6 and June 3
7 to 8 pm
This drop-in session will promote creating and holding space for the quiet stillness within as a form of self-care during our ‘safer-at-home’ time. We will share a centering topic each week that will purpose our meditation practice and our discussion.
Sign up to receive the group log-in information.
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Grief Group
The Grief Education and Support Program is open to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one or is dealing with anticipatory grief. If you are in need of grief support, please contact
griefgroup@eliotchapel.org.
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Are You Ready to Help Kency?
Join the Immigration Team May 7 at 7:00 pm!
Kency has arrived! Thanks to the generosity of two friends of Eliot, Kency Gonzalez Navarrete, our sponsored asylum seeker, spent a few weeks in temporary quarters and now resides in the Tower Grove area. She is eager to meet all her sponsors, whom she refers to as her “angels.” And we know that YOU are eager to help Kency. This past month has been a whirlwind of activity, but we’ve only started. We need to be sensitive to the anxiety anyone who has been displaced, incarcerated, and quarantined would feel. We welcome your suggestions and volunteer energy. Help Kency by attending the immigration justice team meeting via Zoom on Thursday, May 7 at 7:00 pm. RSVP to
immigration@eliotchapel.org
to obtain information on how to join the meeting. We will update you on Kency’s journey, answer your questions, and hear about the challenges of the process to date and what lies ahead. We also will welcome some special guests, including Reverend Barbara, so you should come!
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St. Louis Pridefest
The Pride Committee announced that St. Louis Pridefest has been rescheduled to August 15 and 16. Traditionally, Eliot Chapel marches with the other UU churches in the area so mark your calendar!
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UUTheVote: Write Here, Write Now
Congress: Expand Voting Access During Covid-19
Congress must address COVID-19's impact on the 2020 elections by passing a relief package that requires states to provide no-excuse absentee voting and expanded early voting. As we all fight to contain COVID-19, our democracy must be fully functioning – that means safeguarding our right to vote. No one must be forced to choose between their health and participating in our democracy.
Subject: Expand voting access in COVID-19 relief bill
As your constituent, I demand that you pass a COVID-19 relief package that includes a mandated 14-day minimum early vote period, no-excuse mail-in absentee voting, and at least $4 billion in federal funds
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the amount required to make early voting and vote by mail accessible nationwide
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so that no one has to choose between their health and their right to vote.
After witnessing the horrors of Wisconsin's primary, it's clear how politicians in many parts of the country are refusing to make accommodations to protect people while they exercise their right to vote. There's only one way to see this: an attempt to keep people from voting.
While Congress provided $400 million for voting improvements last month, that is only a tiny down payment on the amount that it needs to provide for the remaining primaries and general election. Congress must act now so that every eligible voter has safe access to the ballot. The well-being of all and the future of our democracy depends on it.
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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. The changes this week were updates on RE Zoom meetings and information about how we meet in groups. Read all about it in the linked document.
As a reminder, Rev. Barbara has requested that all staff work from home. The building is closed. A staff person will check 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.
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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.
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Connect with Eliot Chapel
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