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

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. 

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:

Children and youth in kindergarten and older should attend the intergenerational Flower Communion worship service with their family.

Preschool-aged children may go to their group at 10:00. The nursery is open beginning at 9:30 for Eliot’s youngest UUs who need freedom of movement.

Regularly scheduled Religious Education (RE) activities for children and youth in 2022-23 have concluded for the year. For more information about future programs and schedules, 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.

We have two slots open for Sunday, May 28!

Zoom Coffee Hour usually takes place at 12:30 pm on Sunday but we will not be having it this week due to the Annual Congregational Meeting taking place at noon. Please join us in later weeks! Watch your email for "Eliot on Zoom" on Sunday mornings 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

Coffee Hour – 11:00 am in Adams Hall

Annual Congregational Meeting – 12:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Attitudinal Healing – 10:00 am in Room 006

A Course in Miracles – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Women’s Alliance Spring Luncheon – 11:30 am in Adams Hall

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

Wellspring – 6:30 pm in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Immigration Justice Team – 7:00 pm in Adams Hall and via Zoom

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

Friday Freethinkers – 10:00 am in Room 001

Bergfried Memorial Day Congregational Campout – all day at Bergfried

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.

Beloved member and consummate artist Marcy Saphian passed away on Friday, May 12, 2023. Her memorial will be held at Eliot on Sunday, June 11, at 2:00 pm.

The 2023 Eliot Unitarian Chapel Annual Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, May 21, 2023, at noon in the Sanctuary. Join the Board of Trustees at 11:30 for sandwiches, chips, and drinks in Adams Hall before the start of the meeting. We'll enjoy lunch outdoors, weather permitting. 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 Nominating Committee is pleased to share that Bob Becker, Rebecca Taylor, and Susan Bell are nominated to join the Eliot Chapel Board of Trustees, and Anne Marie Hutson and Toni Saunders are nominees to serve on the Nominating Committee.

All members and friends are invited to attend, and all members can vote. The board will offer the ability to watch the meeting via livestream, but there will be no ability to vote unless in attendance at Eliot or by proxy. You will be able to watch, but won't be able to talk or ask questions. The link will be in an invitation to our mailing list and in our Eliot on Zoom email on Sunday.

Eliot Chapel has been invited to host kids games at the Meacham Park Homecoming on Saturday, June 3 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Please sign up on the bulletin board to help. Shifts run from 12:30 to 2:00 pm and 2:00 to 3:30 pm. You’ll have lots of fun! Thank you!

Could your family live on less than $500 a week? That's all the law requires for full time employment in Missouri! If you think our families deserve better, you should sign the petition to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The initiative also would require at least five days of paid sick leave each year. Look for SJA Steering Committee members after the church service on Sunday to sign your approval of this ballot initiative for the August election!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Women’s Alliance will celebrate the season with its annual Spring Luncheon on Tuesday, May 23. On the program: the opening of a time capsule that Women’s Alliance members assembled 25 years ago. The contents will be revealed to all in attendance.

With summer right around the corner, we think of lazy beach days, espresso in some Italian café, and reading "light" fiction. Many of our neighbors, however, are worrying about the effect of the Biden administration's new rules on asylum seeking. If you can spend an hour putting together an immigration action plan for Eliot Chapel, come to our hybrid team meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:00 pm in Adams Hall or via Zoom. We will discuss 2022/2023 activities, new laws and regulations, progress of our sponsored asylum seekers, and the impact of these on our work and our community. Y'all come!

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.

Join us for our worship service where we will explore the important role that creativity plays in spirituality. We will delve into how creativity can be a powerful tool for connecting with the divine and enriching our spiritual lives. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, this service offers something for everyone. Come ready to engage your imagination and tap into the creative spirit within us all. We look forward to seeing you there.