July 25, 2021
Adventures in Misunderstanding:
Lessons from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy and the worship staff at the Fox Valley UU Fellowship in Appleton, WI
This classic Tim Burton stop-motion animation movie tells the story of Halloween Town and one resident's desire for something more in life. But ultimately he discovers he needs to be true to himself and his community! Join us for an exploration of the themes of this family-friendly story of holidays, culture, communication, self-exploration, and striving for more.
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Our service video will be available at 10:00 am Sunday morning at eliotchapel.org and will remain there all week. You can also find it directly on our YouTube channel.
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Sharing the Offering
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.
There are NO public benefit programs (food stamps, WIC program) that allow for the purchase of diapers. The Diaper Bank distributed 3,285,354 Diapers in 2020, serving 65,707 children. Volunteers are welcome to help count, wrap and distribute diapers at the diaper bank year-round.
Bottoms up!
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Here’s how you can give:
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Online: Click here. Make sure “Shared Plate” is your chosen fund.
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By Mail: Please write “Diaper Bank” in the memo line of your check and mail it to Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122.
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By Text: Text "Eliot SharedPlate $(enter the amount)" to 73256. A link in the reply text will take you to our secure database webpage where you can complete your transaction. Please note, "SharedPlate" must be entered as one word to reach that preferred option.
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Religious Education
Online Religious Education (RE) and youth group gatherings have concluded for 2020-21. Information about the 2021-22 program will be shared over the upcoming months as plans are made and details fall into place.
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.
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Zoom Coffee Hour
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.
Sunday at a Glance
Summer Sunday Walking Series – 8:00 am at Tower Grove Park
Online Church Service – 10:00 am on Eliot Chapel website
Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom
Young Adult Group – 12:30 pm on Discord
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Tuesday, July 27
Vigil for Hope & Healing – 6:00 pm in front of Eliot
Immigration Justice Team – 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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BOARD BITS
New Eliot Chapel Board Meets
The Board of Directors met for our first meeting of the new church year on July 13. The content covered in this meeting included:
- Approving 4 policy monitoring reports.
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Kalen Ponche was elected as secretary of the board.
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Steve Swift was designated as ombudsman, which we have nicknamed "ombudsbuddy."
- There was a discussion of the congregational survey and the upcoming board retreat in August.
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The Board will be taking the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI). Learn more about the IDI here: Intercultural Development Inventory | IDI, LLC
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Finally, we reviewed the Treasurer's Report with our new treasurer, Sarah Fleming.
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Introducing our UU Vaccine Volunteer Initiative
Dear friends,
As the Delta variant begins to spread in our region, we know that vaccinations are our path to a restored community, to saving lives, and to caring for each other.
Here is the call to all of you to consider joining our UU Vaccine Volunteer Initiative. Our congregation is committed to the health and well-being of our community and we are building a team of volunteers to assist the St. Louis City and County Health Departments, both of whom are holding multiple vaccination clinics daily in neighborhoods around our region. We also need a small group of volunteers to coordinate scheduling, signups, and communications for our clinic volunteers.
Volunteers for clinics happening in the county first need to register with St. Louis County using this short, easy registration form. We urge you to do this NOW. When you have registered please let us know ASAP by emailing UUVVI@eliotchapel.org. You will begin receiving communications about the clinics we are participating in and how to sign up.
Eliot will be volunteering through Missouri Faith Voices which is working in partnership with the county and city to host clinics in hotspot zip codes in the county and in the city. We will be announcing the dates as MFV schedules their clinics.
Volunteers will be assisting with traffic flow, in the post-vaccination waiting room, and in other non-medical capacities. All volunteers must be vaccinated. If you are vaccinated and are immune compromised, we encourage you to consider joining our coordinating team.
We are also hopeful that there will be a clinic at the Meacham Park Back to School Rally on Saturday, August 14 and again three weeks later for second shots. This is not finalized but we will let you know if and when arrangements have been made and what volunteer needs there are.
Please take this opportunity to be of service to our community, fulfill our mission, and share the love that arises from our free religion.
The Ministers, Board of Trustees, and Reopening Team have shared their joy that so many of our members and friends, including youth, have been vaccinated. But we have not yet shared how moved we are that so many of us are willing to volunteer their time and talent to assist in vaccinating our larger community.
Let us continue to side with love.
Yours in faith and love,
Rev. Krista Taves
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Eliot Supports the Meacham Park Back to School Rally
Every August the Meacham Park Neighborhood Association holds a Back to School Rally for their children. Let’s help this year’s event be a resounding success! There are two ways to support the Rally:
1. Donate School Supplies. These are the supplies needed:
- new spiral notebooks
- glue sticks
- crayons
- scissors
- rulers
- erasers
- watercolor markers (both fat and thin)
- pens
- pencils
- backpacks
Donations can be placed in the large box located at the outside entrance to Adams Hall by Monday, August 9. Parents, this is a great opportunity to help your children experience service. Ask them to choose items to donate while shopping for their own school supplies.
2. Volunteer at Eliot Chapel’s Carnival-Style Booth at the Rally on August 14. There will be a cornhole toss, bead-stringing, play dough, balloon fun, and more. Masking and social distancing will be observed at our booth, in addition to the COVID protocol set out by the Meacham Park Neighborhood Association. To volunteer, email socialjustice@eliotchapel.org and Janet Solecki, our representative on the Meacham Park Neighborhood Association, will be in touch with you.
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Eliot Celebrates Staff Anniversaries
Please join us in celebrating these recent staff anniversaries:
- Camille Novak, Director of Finance and Operations, celebrates her fourth anniversary at Eliot Chapel on July 24.
- Rev. Barbara H. Gadon celebrates her eighth anniversary as lead minister on July 26.
Thank you! We appreciate all you do to enrich our Eliot community!
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An Opportunity from First U in St. Louis
To support our commitment to offering high quality in-person and virtual services simultaneously, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis is seeking an A/V Technician to help us utilize and integrate audio & visual technology. Throughout the pandemic we have worshipped live on Zoom, incorporating new visual imagery such as static slides, pre-recorded music videos, in addition to live music performances. We wish to continue incorporating these visual and video elements into our service when we return to in-person worship. We are new to livestreaming and projection in our sanctuary and we will have new A/V equipment to learn and grow with. We hope to hire a Technician who will help us learn how to use this new equipment and integrate it smoothly into our services. Please visit our website for a full job description and information on how to apply.
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REMINDER: NEW FISCAL/PLEDGE YEAR BEGAN JULY 1, 2021
Your Online Pledge Payments Need Your Attention
July 1, 2021 was the first day of the new Eliot Chapel Fiscal/Pledge Year of 2021-2022.
We realize Eliot Chapel's fiscal and pledge year are confusing. Everyone thinks of "year" as the calendar year of January to December. However, a corporation like Eliot Chapel (EUC was incorporated in 1959), follows a different calendar year for its fiscal year. Eliot Chapel's fiscal calendar year is July 1 to June 30. This means that the pledge card members and friends were asked to fill out and return to Eliot Chapel back in March became effective July 1, 2021.
Because we have just ended one fiscal/pledge year and started a new one, there are several things pledgers who pay via online giving need to do now that we are in a new fiscal/pledge year.
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 still need/want to fulfill your 2020-2021 pledge, you can continue to do so. Leave your current Online Pledge for 2020-2021 as it is.
- If you have fulfilled your 2020-2021 Pledge, or have a balance on your 2020-2021 Pledge and do not wish to fulfill it but want to start fulfilling your 2021-2022 Pledge you need to do the following:
- Delete the 2020-2021 Online Giving Pledge.
- Create a NEW Online Giving Pledge payment and select 2021-2022 Fiscal Year as the Fund.
- Follow the rest of the Online Giving directions, selecting your choice of payment options (bank withdrawal, credit card, etc.), and your date of withdrawal.
- You're all set for your future donations to be applied to the Current Fiscal/Pledge Year of 2021-2022.
- If you still need/want to fulfill your 2020-2021 Pledge AND start fulfilling your 2021-2022 Pledge at the same time, please do the following:
- Leave your 2020-2021 Online Giving Pledge payment as it is. We will notify you when you have fulfilled your pledge.
- Create a NEW Online Giving Pledge payment and select 2021-2022 Fiscal Year as the Fund.
- Follow the rest of the Online Giving directions, selecting your choice of payment options (bank withdrawal, credit card, etc.), and your date of withdrawal.
- Your bank or credit card will withdraw twice – once for the 2020-2021 Fiscal/Pledge and once for the 2021-2022 Fiscal/Pledge.
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.
Thank you for your support of Eliot Chapel!
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COVID Support Team
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.
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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. 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.
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Summer Sunday Walking Series with Rev. Krista Taves
July 25 at Tower Grove Park
8:00 – 9:30am
Enjoy cool mornings, good exercise, and great company! We're visiting Tower Grove Sunday morning, meeting at 8:00 am for coffee and conversation and then heading off for our walk at 8:30 am, finishing by 9:30 am just in time for our online Sunday Service and Coffee Hour! See the registration link at the end of the article.
Please remember:
- Bring your own beverages and lawn chair.
- Families are welcome!
- Each park has a playground and bathrooms near the meeting area.
- The walks range from 1–3.5 miles, with turnaround points built into the longer walks to allow for different abilities and ages. The shorter routes are paved.
- You will need to register for each walk separately. Attendance is capped at 25 for each walk.
- When you register you will receive a trail map showing the routes and the arrival location. Please print the map and bring it with you.
COVID PROTOCOLS
- All participants must sign a waiver and our COVID covenant for each walk.
- There are no shared items between households. Bring your own beverages, drinking containers, and lawn chairs.
- Please refrain from hugging or shaking hands.
- If you are showing COVID symptoms please do not attend. If you have registered, please cancel your registration to allow room for someone else.
- Individuals and pods must maintain six feet of distance from each other and wear a mask when that is not possible.
- Bring your own hand sanitizer.
July 25 - Tower Grove Park, 4257 Northeast Drive, St. Louis. Register here.
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Vigil for Hope & Healing
Tuesday, July 27
6:00 – 7:00 pm in front of Eliot Chapel
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.
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Exciting Things are Happening in Immigration Justice!
Your Eliot Immigration Justice team is always ready to welcome new team members. We are a creative team with a sense of purpose and mission. Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 27 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. You are welcome to check it out and observe the meeting to see if this could be a place for you. We do legislative advocacy, direct service with immigrant communities, educational and spiritual Eliot-based events like webinars and “TED” type talks, and help host delicious meals with Welcome Neighbor St Louis. We have an exciting opportunity to commit to hands-on support for and interaction with a recently arrived guest in our city. What’s in it for you? Joyous belonging and the spiritual growth that comes from helping to make a difference for our immigrant allies. Y’all come, ya hear? To attend, check your “Eliot on Zoom” email this Sunday, or email immigration@eliotchapel.org. See you there!
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August 1, 2021
Into the Wild: “A Place Apart”
Rev. Zackrie Vinczen of Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church on Bainbridge Island, Washington
Our woundedness can cause us to take solace in isolation and create a place apart. In the movie (and book) Into the Wild this sort of separation is exactly what the protagonist Chris McCandless sets out to find – a world removed from pain and people. Join us as we consider the implications that flow from creating such a place apart and the deeper pain such isolation can cause.
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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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