Labor Day celebrates the rights of working people. Members and friends of Eliot will share about their relationship with paid labor, what it means to them, and the kind of people they’ve become through their working lives.

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. 

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

In 1886, 15 courageous Unitarian women took a stand for the most impoverished children in St. Louis. These women founded a "day nursery" with a mission "to prevent pauperism by assisting breadwinners with young children on their hands, to earn an honest living." South Side Day Nursery, as it was known then, welcomed children of every race, ethnicity, and income level.

Over the decades SouthSide has grown, and its mission has expanded. Today the mission is to nurture, educate and inspire children and families in a diverse and inclusive environment, promoting healthy development and a strong foundation for success. Their vision is that children develop a lifelong love of learning, flourish within a supportive family environment and contribute positively to their communities. 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.

Let us be good neighbors. Let us be a generous people. You can give in one of three ways:

Children in kindergarten and older should attend the 10:00 worship service with their family. Activity bags with crayons and UU coloring pages are available at each sanctuary entrance.

The nursery & preschool activity space is OPEN during the service for our youngest UUs who need freedom of movement (nursery & preschool-aged children aged 5 and younger). The nursery and preschool room will remain open during summer services through September 3. Tim Bubb, LaTosha Crayton, and Anna Beck are the staff members on duty.

For more information about activities for children and youth, please contact Scott Stewart at scott@eliotchapel.org.

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 you need help using SignUpGenius, please contact Rebecca Schuder at hospitality@eliotchapel.org and she will help you get signed up.

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. Thank you to all the volunteers who keep this tradition alive!

Coffee, Conversation, and Connections on Zoom! We've changed our name, but we're still there on Zoom at 12:30 pm every Sunday. You are invited to join us online for conversation after the service! We'll take a few minutes to say hello and let people settle in, then we'll go around the room to check in and welcome newcomers. Look for "Eliot on Zoom" in your email on Sunday morning; it will include a link to join us for Coffee, Conversation, and Connections. If you're not on our mailing list, sign up here. We look forward to seeing you!

In This Week at Eliot

Kwentus Covenant Group – 10:00 am in the DuBois Library

A Course in Miracles – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Women’s Alliance – 9:45 am in Adams Hall

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

SJA Steering Committee – 7:00 pm in Adams Hall

Transitions Support Group – 7:00 pm in the DuBois Library

Friday Freethinkers – 10:00 am in Room 001

Cleanup for Ingathering – 9:30 am on the grounds

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 Debby Lovell to set up your group.

We'll all be together again next weekend – let’s clean up the grounds for this special day! It’s been a long, hot, dry summer followed by a few wet weeks, and the weeds have gone crazy! Bushes need pruning, trees need trimming, the planters need new plants, the paths in the Memorial Garden need to be re-plotted and the stepping stones replaced – the Eliot Garden Crew can’t do all this alone. We need your help, and there are jobs, large and small, for everyone! We'll begin at 9:30 am on Saturday morning, but feel free to come later. Bring gloves and your own tools – clippers, loppers, insect repellant, closed-toe shoes, and water! Can’t come on Saturday? Morning or evening shifts are also available on Thursday, September 7, but email us at at socialjustice@eliotchapel.org to let us know what shift you want. Let's spruce up Eliot for our homecoming!

Wondering about the intersection of immigration and environmental justice? The Letter is a dynamic film about today’s ecological crisis and its impact on immigration and species extinction. Please join the Social Justice in Action team to view the film at Eliot Chapel on Tuesday, September 12 in Adams Hall.

Eager to delight another Eliot community member by sharing a favorite read and simultaneously discover a new page-turning treasure for yourself? Participate in the upcoming book swap!

How it will work:

Would you like to join the Eliot Flower team? You can choose to sign up for one Sunday or join the rotating list of volunteers who bring flowers each Sunday. The flowers can be real or artificial. You can arrange them or bring in an arrangement from a florist. We only ask that you have them in the chapel before the service begins on Sunday. If you are interested, please send an email to hospitality@eliotchapel.org or talk to Rebecca Schuder.

How do Afghan vegetarian dumplings, Moroccan tagine chicken, and macaroons sound to you? Delicious, for sure! On Saturday, September 30 at 6:00 pm, Eliot's Immigration Justice Team invites you to a Welcome Neighbor STL Supper Club to enjoy this delicious meal and support immigrant and refugee families in St. Louis. Enjoy the food, great conversations, and catching up with friends – old and new. 90% of the proceeds go directly to the chefs to advance their journey to greater independence in their lives here in the USA. From cultural exchange to just plain fun, look forward to a great evening. See the full menu and reserve your place at the table or a takeout meal here: welcomeneighborstl.org/events/afghan-and-moroccan-dinner-at-eliot-unitarian-chapel. Sign up fast – these dinners typically sell out quickly!

Eliot Chapel is once again participating in the Hands on Kirkwood one-day community service blitz. HOK collaborates with local churches, organizations, and individuals to assist with projects related to household and community needs.  

Volunteers are needed to help with yard work, donation storing, gutter cleaning, bag pickup, car check, Father Dickson Cemetery clean-up, and trash and yard waste hauling. The event will be held on Saturday, October 7 between 9 am and 1 pm and will begin at Kirkwood Baptist Church. If you are interested in participating, go to HOK | Hands On Kirkwood (www.handsonkirkwood.org) to register and indicate which activities you would like to participate in. Please indicate that you are part of Eliot Chapel, and additionally, email socialjustice@eliotchapel.org so we know who will be volunteering. We'll have a table in Adams Hall on Sundays after the service to answer your questions, or you can email Janet Solecki or Liz Sale at HOK@eliotchapel.org. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our Social Justice in Action Steering Committee is planning several forums in the upcoming year. We would like your input to help us determine when the best times will be to hold these forums and what topics interest you the most. Please go here to take the survey. If you have any questions, please email Liz Sale at SJAsurvey@eliotchapel.org. We greatly appreciate your assistance!

We will have a booth at Kirkwood's Greentree Festival to promote Eliot Chapel’s vision and mission, activities and offerings, and liberal faith community. We need volunteers to sign up to help on the planning team, with set up and take down, and to work shifts at the booth throughout the three-day festival from Friday, September 15 to Sunday, September 17. We want people and families to know we UUs do church a bit differently – in a good way – and they should come find out how! Please contact Ann Marie Hutson or Carole Glauser at greentree@eliotchapel.org if you want in on the fun.

This four-part series offers those considering Unitarian Universalism as a spiritual path the opportunity to experience UUism through a small group experience. You will learn about our faith tradition, explore your own spiritual journey, and connect with others who are also seeking a spiritual home or faith. Amy Stark and Gail Rock will facilitate the series. Longtime members and friends seeking a small group experience are also welcome.

Session 1: Your Journey – Sharing Our Stories and Spiritual Roadmaps

Session 2: The Unitarian Universalist Journey and the Journey of our Congregation

Session 3: Our Journey Together – The Three Paths of Unitarian Universalism Part 1

Session 4: The Three Paths, Part 2 and Finding Your Journey Group

What are our developmental tasks in our later years? How do we allow our own mortality to become our teacher and deepen our spiritual life? This course will explore our experiences of older age and help us do the work needed to become an Elder. In letting go of past life roles and embracing the wisdom of old age, we can then embrace the messages we receive at this time of our lives, be fully present in the now, and continue along the twilight of our spiritual journey. We’ll use the book The Inner Work of Age: Shifting From Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig, Ph.D., as our guide. The course will run for 13 sessions (covering one chapter per session). Meetings will be held on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month beginning October 5, 2023 and concluding April 4, 2024 from 10:30 am to noon, at Eliot Chapel. Your facilitator will be Suzanne LeLaurin.

Class is full but get on the wait list by emailing role2soul@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!

Providing receptions after a Celebration of Life is another way we care for each other at Eliot Chapel. The Reception Team sets up, serves, and cleans up after these receptions. If you can be available once in a while to help, please email receptions@eliotchapel.org. Your efforts will be appreciated!

Please join Women’s Alliance for our next meeting Tuesday, September 5. We’ll gather in Adams Hall at our new time of 9:45 am for conversation. A brief business meeting begins at 10:15 before discussing this month’s book, Matrix by Laura Groff. The discussion will be led by Beth Rossow. Our new ending time is 11:45. You are welcome to join us, whether or not you’ve read the book. For more information, contact womensalliance@eliotchapel.org.

The Transitions Support Group is for anyone who is experiencing a significant life transition, such as death of a loved one, transitioning relationships, children leaving home, having children, getting married, transitioning gender, changes in career/employment to name a few. This is a place to share your story and give and receive support for the journey we are on. The meetings are facilitated by Carl Serbell and Lou Salvin. Meetings are on the first and third Thursdays of the month, 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the DuBois Library. Please email transitions@eliotchapel.org if you want to learn more or receive the reminder emails. The next meeting is Thursday, September 7. 

This is Ingathering Sunday, when we celebrate each other and the spiritual home that we love and nurture. We’ll be exploring what makes a place home. We will gather outside on the front steps directly after the service for an all-congregation picture, followed by a finger food potluck after the service.

Women and girls of Eliot, please join us for Women's Weekend at Bergfried. The cottage, bunkhouses, and land are ours to enjoy for the weekend. You are welcome to come out for any part of the weekend, whether you plan to camp or not. The days will be wide open for hiking, camping, relaxation, and connection. 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 bergfriedwomen@eliotchapel.org.

Mark your calendars now for our annual fall campout, open to all members and friends. You are welcome to come out for any part of the weekend whether you plan to camp or not. The days will be wide open for hiking, camping, relaxation, and connection. The weekend includes these optional events:

Most attendees 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 more rustic bunkhouses. To sign up for the weekend, to reserve a cottage or bunkhouse space, or for other information contact bergfriedinfo@eliotchapel.org.

Get on your costumes, decorate your vehicle, fill the trunk with goodies, and head over to First Unitarian Church of St. Louis for our first ever ALL Congregation TrUUnk or Treat! See you on Saturday, October 21 from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at 5007 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis MO 63108.

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.