Join us for a Christmas Eve service in Eliot Chapel's Sanctuary. The 10:00 am service will feature the Eliot Chapel Chalice Chimes while our 5:00 pm service features the Eliot Chapel Choir. Both services will include candlelight and singing and both services will be livestreamed! 

Children are welcome and encouraged to attend Christmas Eve services in the Sanctuary. The nursery will be open during the 10:00 am service for our youngest UUs who need freedom of movement. Families with young children are also welcome to view both services in Adams Hall where services will be livestreamed on the large screen television and children can move and play freely.

• Large-print orders of service and hearing assistance devices are available from the greeters on Sunday.
• Should you or your child need more freedom of movement, you can view the service on monitors in Adams Hall. 
• 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. 

The Offering

Our offerings on Christmas Eve go to the Minister's Discretionary Fund to assist our minister in responding to requests for emergency aid over the coming year. 

If you would like to donate to the fund, you may do so online by clicking to access our online giving form and choosing "Minister's Discretionary Fund" from the drop-down menu. You may also mail a check to the office (Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122); please indicate "Minister's Discretionary Fund" in the memo line of your check. Or text "Eliot $(amount)" to 73256 and you will receive a link to our secure database webpage where you can complete your transaction.

Religious Education & Youth Group

Children are welcome and encouraged to attend Christmas Eve services in the sanctuary at 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. The nursery will be open during the 10:00 service for our youngest UUs who need freedom of movement.  

Families with young children are also welcome to view both the 10:00 and 5:00 services in Adams Hall, where services will be livestreamed on the large screen television, and children can move and play freely.

Religious Education (RE) classes and youth activities resume on Sunday, January 7.  To learn more about this year’s RE program, please contact Scott Stewart at scott@eliotchapel.org.

Coffee Hour

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!

As we transition from one to two services, we really need to increase the number of coffee volunteers. We need at least one (two makes the chore easier) for each service. This is a simple task (instructions are available in a binder in the kitchen) and a great way to serve and connect. You can complete the set-up portion of coffee hour and still attend church. You can leave a little early from the service to be in the kitchen when the service is over. The service is broadcast on the large tv in Adams Hall, so you can even see the end of the service. There are many open slots in the new year. Perhaps a covenant group might consider volunteering for a Sunday – this would be a great service project for you. 

Check the SignUpGenius for coffee hour volunteers and 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.

Coffee, Conversation, and Connections

Find Coffee, Conversation, and Connections 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!

Sunday at a Glance

Christmas Eve Service – 10:00 am in the Sanctuary

Coffee Hour – 11:00 am in Adams Hall

Young Adult Group – 11:45 am in the Triplett Room

Coffee, Conversation, and Connections – 12:30 pm via Zoom

Christmas Eve Service – 5:00 pm in the Sanctuary

In This Week at Eliot

This Week's Events & Meetings

Church News

Helping Each Other

The Week Ahead

Next Week's Service

ourEliot

Monday, December 25 

The church offices are closed today for Christmas.

Tuesday, December 26 

Vigil for Hope & Healing – 4:00 pm on the front lawn

Wednesday, December 27 

Welcome Team – 7:00 pm in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Friday, December 29  

Friday Freethinkers – 10:00 am in Room 001

The church offices are closed this week for a holiday break.

As we have new staff in the front office scheduling your events and meetings, it is more important than ever to make contact to get on the calendar and then to check your entry for accuracy!

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.

Pastoral Care for the Holidays

Rev. Dee Evans, Eliot’s Affiliate Minister, is on call for pastoral care emergencies while Rev. Krista is away on holiday from December 26 to December 30. You may contact them through pastoralcare@eliotchapel.org.

Church Offices Closed

The church offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year's Day. They will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, at 10:00 am.

Healing, Holding, and Letting Go

This year, the ministers from First Unitarian St. Louis, the Metro East Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and Eliot Chapel are offering classes that are available to members of all the St. Louis UU Congregations. You are welcome to register for this Zoom class offered by Rev. Claudia Hall, minister of Metro East UU.  

Healing, Holding, and Letting Go: Dealing with Your Religious Past

Mondays, January 15, 22, and 29 

6:00-7:30 pm on Zoom

In this class we will look at your religious past and offer tools for you to sort through the following:

1. what things you were taught by prior religions that you value and that still have meaning for you;
2. what things have harmed you that you need to heal from;
3. what things have held you back from your spiritual potential that you can let go.

We will address the binary (good/bad) thinking that causes so much harm and look at ways we can safely salvage what is good from our religious past without succumbing to any theology that is harmful or hateful in the process.

Contact Pastor Claudia of Metro East Unitarian Universalist Congregation at dr.claudia.hall@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

We Care for Each Other

The Pastoral Care Team is comprised of supportive, caring individuals who will actively listen and spend time with you as you share issues that are causing you concern, pain, or anxiety. The people on the team have been UUA trained and are under the supervision of Rev. Krista. If you have a pastoral care need, please email pastoralcare@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!

Welcome to the Eliot Chapel Volunteer Village!

What village? The village it takes to raise a church! We all want our beloved church to thrive and grow. To do so, we need many villagers who will share the work. Maybe you prefer the geese analogy suggested at the worship service on Ingathering Sunday: “Sharing leadership, taking care of the fallen, and honking from behind.” Regardless, it is imperative that everyone steps up to bring Eliot Chapel forward and there are so many ways to participate. Sign up here to be part of it; then grab a gold volunteer sticker for your name tag if you already volunteer or if you sign up now!

Join us for

Vigil for Hope & Healing

Tuesday, December 26

at 4:00 pm in front of Eliot Chapel.

SAVE THE DATE

Bergfried Winter Warmup

Celebrate Bergfried and winter a bit closer to home this month! The Bergfried Team sponsors our annual Winter Warm-Up Potluck Dinner on Saturday, January 20 in Adams Hall. Bring a favorite dish to share and enjoy some camaraderie. We’ll offer a fire circle featuring Eliot musicians (bring your instruments!) and a slideshow of recent Bergfried events. Nature crafts for all ages will be offered. Sign-up sheets are on the Eliot bulletin board or contact bergfriedinfo@eliotchapel.org. Please let us know if you are bringing a main dish, side or dessert. Doors open at 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:00.

SAVE THE DATE

The Men's Advance

The Men’s Advance, May 2-5, 2024, welcomes all Eliot members and friends who identify at the male end of the gender spectrum. Newcomers are especially encouraged to come out to enjoy hiking, camping, camaraderie, a Saturday night feast, and lots of super-secret men's stuff (which looks suspiciously like doing nothing). Ten dollars buys your ticket to the feast (kids 12 and under $5). All other meals are on your own. 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 mensadvance@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, full kitchen and bath, and running water, is available for rental ($35/night). Contact bergfriedreservations@eliotchapel.org whenever you are planning a trip on your own or to reserve the cottage.

Sunday, December 31 – 10:00 am

Seeds for the New Year – Welcome 2024

What seeds are you planting for the new year? How are you weaving your magic into your relationships with others? How can we center beauty and goodness and love in all that's ahead? These questions are at the heart of this worship service, an exciting collaboration between the UUA and Eliot Chapel. Join us in Adams Hall for videos from other UU congregations around the country, curated by Rev. Erika Hewitt, UUA Minister of Worship Arts, as well as live hymns and more with the Eliot community. Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, our new UUA President, will deliver the message. We’ll save a seat for you!