Our service video will 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.

In August, we're sharing our offering with Kirkwood Area Every Child Promise (KAEChP).

The Promise: Every child and family are prepared for success as they enter kindergarten. What does that mean? Families must be connected to the basic resources necessary to have stability and hope. Children must have access to the life and learning experiences that give context and meaning to new knowledge. To facilitate that, KAEChP offers:

Learn more about KAEChP.

Text ELIOT SHAREDPLATE $X [$3 is the minimum for online giving] to 73256 to give to the shared plate recipient using your text messaging. Please indicate "KAEChP" 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.

Eliot children and families (1st-6th Grade) are invited to gather at 9:15 via Zoom for connection and community. Parents & families are encouraged to join their children. This week's meetup is co-hosted by Christie Lee, Noel Burke, and Heather Flick. Zoom links will be distributed by email to registered families.  

If you have any questions, please email Scott at eliotchapelre@gmail.com.

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. 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. 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.

Children's Summer Meetup – 9:15 am via Zoom

Online Church Service – 10:00 am on Eliot Chapel website

Youth Meetup and Re-Connection Sunday – 10:45 am via Zoom

Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom

Please remember Dick and Mary Pat Wessel. Dick, a founder of Eliot Chapel, passed peacefully on Sunday August 23 at Delmar Gardens on the Green with Mary Pat by his side.

Please remember Kathy Brunts and her family on the passing of Kathy’s mother Marge Sallwasser.   

Vigil for Hope & Healing – 5:00 pm outside Eliot

Social Justice Steering Committee – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Wednesday, September 2

Thursday, September 3

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.

Rev. Barbara spills a little tea about what's going on with ingathering this year and how you can participate in the service! Send your photo or video to news@eliotchapel.org by September 7.

Kency is going to work! Last Saturday, ICE informed Kency that she will be authorized to become employed in the near term. (The official document for prospective employers to use comes separately.) Great news, but Kency wants to be proficient in English before she job-hunts. Would you like to spend time getting to know Kency by video call or socially distanced visits in person? NO SPANISH PROFICIENCY NECESSARY! And Kency still longs for a home of her own. Do you, or someone you know, have a garage apartment, nanny’s quarters, studio, or small apartment she could use? We can pay a modest rent on a month-to-month basis. Kency would prefer to live in the Tower Grove area, but anywhere within biking distance of grocery and other shopping, preferably close to a park, would be an excellent location. Send information to immigration@eliotchapel.org.

Did you know that writing letters to reluctant voters is a proven method to boost voter turnout? Letter writing is a great activity for families in the COVID era, an opportunity to discuss democracy. Eliot members and friends have already written more than 400 letters to voters in swing states. At present we intend to mail these in late October but are keeping an eye on the situation with the USPS. Contact Steve Mennerick at UUTheVote@eliotchapel.org if you would like a list of 20 voter names and addresses. 

Have you requested your Zoom room meeting? If you have a group that plans to use Eliot Chapel’s Zoom room, please contact Christie Lee at frontoffice@eliotchapel.org ASAP to reserve your space and time. 

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. Changes this week include the current RE gatherings.

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.

Women's Alliance will meet on Tuesday, September 1 at 9:30 am via Zoom to discuss Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. Beth Rossow will lead the discussion. Women’s Alliance meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 9:30 to 11:30 am. All Eliot women are welcome to become involved. Email them at wa@eliotchapel.org.

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 bathrooms. Black Lives Matter signs will be for sale for your use at the vigils and to display in your yard. In case of a thunderstorm, the vigil will be cancelled. Please join us!

As of July 3, St. Louis County is under a mask order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Eliot Chapel has required masks and social distancing at our Tuesday night vigil since the event returned on June 2. Eliot Chapel closed its building in March and has worked hard at creating alternate ways to be the church in this time. The vigil is a special case that is vital to our mission and cannot be accomplished in other ways. We welcome the mask requirement as the science points to its effectiveness. (Photo courtesy of Ava Smith, Eliot Youth Group member)

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 that will provide a foundational base for our meditation practice and our discussion. Sign up to receive the group login information.

The Eliot Chapel Grief Group is held every two weeks and is facilitated by Rev. Krista Taves. This support group is open to all members and friends. Please email ktaves@eliotchapel.org to receive the Zoom invitation.  

Gloria spent a year learning about the inner workings of St. Louis County electoral procedures and has written a book about her experiences (Election Insiders: Behind the Scenes with the People who Make Your Vote Count is available on Amazon). She will have a conversation with Eliot members and friends on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:15 pm. Reading the book first is not necessary to join the conversation. Zoom information will be sent to those who sign up by the morning of September 15. A large turnout may necessitate a 2nd session. This event is part of Eliot's UU the Vote effort, leading up to the November election. Sign up today!