Sunday, July 5 – 10:00 am
"Emancipation for All" – Rev. Susan Maginn
On Sunday, guest minister Rev. Susan Maginn will lead worship as we look at the spiritual suffering we all endure when we live in a system where some of us are more free than others.
About our guest speaker: Long before Rev. Susan Maginn was a Navy chaplain, she was on staff at Eliot while attending Eden and ordained here in 2006. She is stationed in San Diego with her two teenaged children. Charlie was dedicated at Eliot and Grace still has her Eliot Chapel Nursery School bag.
The 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.
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Sharing the Offering
In
July,
we're sharing our offering with the
St. Louis Area Diaper Bank.
The St. Louis Area 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.
Learn more here.
Text
ELIOT SHAREDPLATE $3 [or higher] to
73256 to give to the shared plate recipient using your text messaging. Please indicate "STL Diaper Bank" 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
The virtual Children’s Summer Meetup and virtual Summer Youth Group will not meet during the month of July.
More information about when virtual Religious Education meetups and youth activities will resume will be available in August. Please contact
Scott Stewart
or
Christie Lee
if you have any questions, or for more information about how to get involved.
RE Resources for At-Home & Family Exploration: During the summer, children and families are encouraged to check out the
RE Resources
page on the Eliot website, for UU activities to explore at home with their family. We’ve added several NEW UU resources for children and families, including:
- A packet of seven UU coloring pages, one for each principle
- A link where you meet UU friends Bear & Butterfly for stories and art
- Ideas for creating your own chalice at home
- Additional parent resources with insight into how Unitarian Universalism can support families during social distancing
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. 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.
Sunday at a Glance
Online Church Service – 10:00 am on Eliot Chapel website
Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom
LeLaurin Covenant Group – 1:00 pm via Zoom
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Please Remember
Please remember the family of
Nancy Rubin
as they mourn her sudden passing on Saturday, June 27.
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Tuesday, July 7
Women's Alliance – 9:30 pm via Zoom
Vigil for Hope & Healing – 5:00 pm outside Eliot Chapel
Avant Covenant Group – 7:00 pm via Zoom
SJA Steering Committee – 7:00 pm via Zoom
Wednesday, July 8
Eliot Connects: Healing – 3:30 pm via Zoom
Larson Covenant Group – 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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Anti Racism Training Available
Our friends at First Unitarian Church of St. Louis share news of this workshop series and invite Eliot Chapel members and friends to take part:
Toward Justice ARREST Project
Anti Racism Religious Education & Solidarity Training
Every Thursday, beginning July 16 at 7:00 pm
A 6-month film and discussion project created by First Unitarian Church members Cory Lovell and Cathy Rauch
This weekly film and discussion series will focus on the history of Black & Queer Liberation and the role of Unitarian Universalists in radical change & justice making. The series will help participants to engage in transformative community activism and foster a culture of solidarity and accountability based on a common historical foundation.
Participants in this comprehensive class will explore history through the thoughts and experiences of the people who themselves moved our nation. Videos will be viewed independently (a few group screenings for hard to obtain films will be offered) and discussion will occur on Thursday evenings. Participants who complete 90% of sessions will receive special recognition and a print of the class flyer.
Click Here for the Complete Syllabus.
There is no charge to participate. Those who are able are asked to make a donation to help with bringing in special guest facilitators. Please sign up
HERE
to register and receive the Zoom link. Questions? Contact Lynn Hunt at
lhunt@firstuustlouis.org.
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UU the Vote
Thanks to all who participated in virtual phone banking for UU the Vote at GA last week. The effort exceeded its goal of 100,000 phone calls to Texas voters to get out the vote for their important July primary. Let us know if you were part of this effort at
socialjustice@eliotchapel.org.
Wow! Eliot members and friends have stepped up to write words of encouragement to 220 voters in Wisconsin and Ohio in the first week of an effort to get out the November vote. If you haven't written letters yet but would like to, or if you've already written 20 letters and want more, or if you have 3 friends that can write letters, please contact Steve at
socialjustice@eliotchapel.org
to get names, addresses, and instructions. Let's keep up the momentum and
UU the Vote
!
Medicaid Expansion on Aug 4 Ballot – Amendment 2
Did you know?
- Medicaid Expansion was placed on the August 4 ballot because Missourians collected signatures from nearly 350,000 voters – more than twice the number required. Missourians will get to decide this issue for ourselves by voting Yes on Amendment 2.
- It helps keep rural hospitals open (10 closed since 2014) and delivers healthcare to Missourians who earn less than $18,000 a year, including thousands of veterans and their families.
- It enables working women to get preventative care to detect and treat breast and cervical cancers early, saving thousands of lives.
- It helps our economy by protecting thousands of frontline healthcare jobs across Missouri at a time when we need them most.
- It brings more than a billion of our tax dollars home from Washington, D.C. every year. If this measure doesn’t pass, our tax dollars will continue to be sent to places like California and New York instead.
- It will help about 230,000 hardworking Missourians who have jobs that don’t come with health insurance.
You can help
: request a basic fact sheet by emailing your Social Justice Steering committee at
socialjustice@eliotchapel.org.
Use this to talk to everyone you know in Missouri to be sure they understand how this will help Missouri which is one of 13 states that haven’t passed Medicaid Expansion. Get a commitment to vote “Yes on 2” (Amendment 2). Watch for an email and updates on the Eliot UUers Facebook group. Phone banking is coming soon – watch for details.
Eliot Chapel
R.A.V.E.
s about Voting
This week, our information focuses on the August 4 election.
R
egister – There’s still time before the July 8 deadline. Register to vote
here
.
A
bsentee
/mail-in ballot – Details
here
.
CORRECTION TO 6/26 TWAE:
July 22 at 5 pm is the deadline for REQUESTS for absentee and mail-in ballots to be received by your local
election authority. Request a form
here
.
Mail info can be found
here
.
V
ote!
E
lect! – Elect candidates who align with the UUA seven principles and UU values.
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Eliot Connects Series Information
Shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown began, Eliot’s Adult Education: Spirit in Practice Team developed a series of Zoom offerings to provide opportunities to engage with others in our church community with a focus on spiritual practices. These Zoom gatherings will continue during the summer.
The first two sessions require registration and space is limited. Sign up early!
Eliot Connects: Bren
é
Brown Book Discussion with Toni Saunders
Wednesday evenings: July 15 & 29, August 12 & 26, September 9 & 23, and October 7
7-8:30
Bren
é
Brown, social scientist and author of
Braving The Wilderness,
has sparked a conversation that brings meaning to our lives – experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. Brown argues that we are experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection and introduces four practices of true belonging. Join us as we go deep in our conversation as we discuss this amazing book. We have 2 openings.
Register here.
Eliot Connects: Healing Sessions with Peter Wilson
Second and fourth Wednesdays:
July 8 & 22, August 12 & 26, and September 9 & 23
3:30-4:45 pm
The Eliot Connects: Healing sessions will use Rev. Richard Rohr’s
The Universal Christ
as a text. You are asked to bring your whole self to these sessions and actively participate. This will enable us to go deep in learning with and from each other.
Register here.
The following sessions are open on a drop-in basis. Attend the dates you are able. Please sign up so you can receive the details for connecting.
Eliot Connects: Meditation Practice with Jeanne Kloeckner
1st Wednesday: August 5 and September 2
7 to 8:30 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 provide a foundational base for our meditation practice and our discussion.
Sign up
to receive the group login information.
Eliot Connects: Gratitude Sessions with Carole Glauser
2nd Tuesday: July 14, August 11, and September 8
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 connecting and coping with stress and anxiety around times 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, sharing, discussing, and connecting during this unpredictable time.
Sign up
to receive the group login information.
Eliot Connects: You’ve Got A Friend with Mary Meihaus
3rd Thursday: July 16, August 20, and September 17
11 am to 12 pm
This drop-in session will promote the premise of Carole King’s song, “You’ve Got A Friend.” Mary 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 login information.
Eliot Connects: Compassion Session with Ted Lau
4th Monday: July 27 and August 24
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. This zoom meeting is an opportunity to start or renew compassion practices. We’ll practice the Tonglen and 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 login 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. The changes this week were updates on RE Zoom meetings. Read all about it in the linked document above.
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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Women’s Alliance
The Eliot Chapel Women’s Alliance
currently meets via Zoom on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, starting at 9:30 am and ending by 11:30. The first Tuesday of the month is a book discussion. They're reading “The Lying Game” by Ruth Ware for
Tuesday, July 7.
For information, contact
wa@eliotchapel.org.
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Vigil for Hope & Healing
Tuesday, July 7
5:00 pm outside Eliot
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!
(
Photo courtesy of Ava Smith, Eliot Youth Group member
)
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Eliot Connects: Healing Sessions with Peter Wilson
Wednesday,
July 8
3:30-4:45 pm via Zoom
The Eliot Connects: Healing sessions will use Rev. Richard Rohr’s
The Universal Christ as a text. You are asked to bring your whole self to these sessions and actively participate. This will enable us to go deep in learning with and from each other. Registration is required for this Eliot Connects event and space is limited. Healing Sessions are part of an ongoing series.
Register here.
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Summer All Reads
Eliot Chapel has two books on deck for discussion this summer.
Chinese Brothers, American Sons: An Historical Novel by Ed Shew
SJA is sponsoring a Zoom conversation with author Ed Shew on
Monday, July 13 from 7:00-8:30 pm.
Sign up here.
The e-book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the print edition is available on Amazon or at local bookstores. Contact the author (see the directory or email
allread@eliotchapel.org
)
to purchase a copy with an added insert on how the book came to be plus an update that touches on the “Chinese Virus.”
Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy
by
David Daley
Order your copy from a favorite local bookstore or online, then join in a book discussion with Eliot friends in late July and August. Choose from two dates:
- Peter Wilson and Barbara Harris will start the first Zoom discussion on Thursday, July 16 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
- Peter Wilson and Ann Ruger will host a Zoom discussion on Thursday, July 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
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Sunday, July 19 – 10:00 am
"Dancing While Broken" – Rev. Krista Taves
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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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