St. Louis activist Amy Hunter once described the work of racial justice as helping people fall in love with one another, to become family. When someone is part of our family, she said, we cannot rest until they are whole. We have glimpses of this feeling from time to time, but it can feel like waiting for lightning to strike. How do we practice falling in love? And why does it matter so much? 

Our service video will be available at 10:00 am at eliotchapel.org and will remain there all week. You can also find it directly on Eliot Chapel's YouTube channel.

In September, we’re sharing our offering with Kirk Care. Kirk Care is a non-profit organization formed to help the needy living within the boundaries of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. A hometown ministry, Kirk Care collects funds and food donations from area churches, businesses, civic organizations, and individuals and distributes these resources to families in need. They provide food deliveries (maintained at their local pantry), assistance with utility bills, funding for school supplies to be given out by Kirkwood R-7 school counselors, and Christmas food and gift box distribution to client families. Learn more about Kirk Care at kirkcare.org.

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 "Kirk Care" 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.

For more information about how to get involved in upcoming activities for children and youth, or to find out about the program, please contact Christie Lee at christie@eliotchapel.org or Scott Stewart at scott@eliotchapel.org.

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.

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

Junior High Group – 11:00 am via Zoom

Coffee Hour – 11:30 am via Zoom

PCA Team – 1:00 pm via Zoom

On Saturday, September 26, Eliot Chapel will host a memorial service for Jeanne Olson's son, Christopher Rowland, on our YouTube channel. The video, found here, will premiere at 10:00 am and be available thereafter.

On the following Saturday, October 3, Eliot Chapel will share a memorial service for longtime member Rudi Heider on our YouTube channel. The video will be available at 10:00 am. See This Week at Eliot next week for the link.

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

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.

Through the month of September, please purchase diapers (any size, any quantity) and drop them off at Eliot Chapel. If you prefer to make a financial donation to the Diaper Bank, mail a check to Eliot (100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122) or drop it off in the mailbox at the Adams Hall entrance. Make checks out to Eliot (we'll combine) or to YouthBridge Community Foundation (we'll forward). Please put STL Diaper Bank in the memo line.

Thanks to everyone who bought diapers, wrote checks, and continued Eliot's support of families living in poverty.

A loud shoutout of thanks goes out to Peter Wilson and Terry Jones who stepped up to help with watering the emerging lawn at 222 W. Argonne. If you'd like to get involved with the bucket brigade (just kidding – we have a hose), contact Camille.

On Sunday, October 25, Rev. Barbara will lead a service of remembrance. When we've done this in the past, you have been able to take part by sharing a photo or memento of a loved one who has died. In these times, we still would like to offer the chance to participate in this service. Please send a photo of your loved one to the service video with their name and their relationship to you to news@eliotchapel.org by October 15.

Hands On Kirkwood (HOK), the annual mission blitz of our local community, has become a fall fixture on our calendar as teams of Eliot volunteers serve neighbors-in-need. This 14th annual event is set for Saturday, October 3 but will look a little different this year due to Covid-19. While many projects are postponed until next year, others remain and can be done outdoors while socially distanced, by individuals and family households wearing masks. In addition, you need not be a Kirkwood resident to participate.

Go to www.HandsOnKirkwood.org to view and sign up for volunteer and donation opportunities. There is a required question, “Are you volunteering as part of a church?” Eliot Chapel is listed in the drop-down list. When you choose this, the Eliot organizers, Claire Robertson and Janet Solecki, will know who’s part of the Eliot group. The web site has a list of all the opportunities.

Gather the Spirit - Harvesting the Power of our Faith in 2020 was an invigorating virtual gathering with UU the Vote across the U.S. that took place this week. During the event, it was reported that collectively, as of September 23, 2020, volunteers have connected with 1,370,052 voters across our nation. Won’t you get involved with Eliot Chapel organizers to help raise this to 2 million voters in the next 39 days? Your Social Justice in Action Committee has created a number of ways to get involved as we count down days to the November 3 election. We’ve created a “living events list” that will be regularly updated. Check this out and get involved as we are Rolling Toward November.

Are you ready to vote? We're less than 40 days away from Election Day! Voting questions can be addressed to the Board of Elections in your area:

And don't forget, Eliot has a notary public on staff: if you need your absentee ballot notarized, contact Christie in the front office.

Many members at Eliot Chapel worked to get Clean Missouri passed November 2018 with 63% support from the voters; however, our legislators have it back on the ballot in November 2020. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Get informed about how they are attempting to make gerrymandering even worse in Missouri with tricky ballot language. Read it here then spread the word: No on Dirty Missouri – Amendment 3.

MCU hosted a No on 3 kickoff meeting which you can watch here. Then get involved: please email Claudia Jean Potts at UUTheVote@eliotchapel.org.  

Yard signs for wider visibility are available at the League of Women Voters, 8706 Manchester Rd., Suite 104, 63144. Phone: 314.961.6869. You can pick up your sign(s) there for a small donation to Clean Missouri.

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.

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)

Join UU the Vote in a very special edition of the Wisconsin Wednesday Phonebank on Wednesday, September 30 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. We’ll be joined by special guest Debra Gary, Voter Registration Outreach Manager with Wisconsin Voices, a group we’ve joined to fight voter suppression, reach voters, and build power in Wisconsin this fall. We’ll also have some surprises! Let’s offer a strong showing from Eliot Chapel in this battleground state! Register here: https://www.uuthevote.org/norasbirthdaybash/

The Eliot Chapel Grief Group is held every two weeks and is facilitated by Rev. Krista Taves. The next meeting will be Thursday, October 1 at 3:00 pm. This support group is open to all members and friends. Please email ktaves@eliotchapel.org to receive the Zoom invitation. 

Please register here. 

Approaching The Broken Heart of America and Healing Through History

Based on The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States by Walter Johnson.

Please register here. 

Halloween SPOOKTACULAR Trail of Fun

Take part in this fun drive-through for ghosts and goblins of all ages! Have questions or want to be involved? Contact Christie Lee at Christie@eliotchapel.org or 314-821-0911.

The Book of Psalms is a container where humans have placed their most exuberant praise and fiercest anger for millenia. What makes this series of poems special? What do they have to offer Unitarian Universalists of all theologies (and no theology) today?