Sunday, February 4 – 9:45 & 11:15 am

“Our Justice Journeys”

Rev. Krista Taves, Matthew Husky, Ro Kelly, and Yvonne Serbell  

Everyone has a justice journey, meaning that we all have markers in our lives when we became aware of injustice, began to ask questions about injustice, an injustice changed something inside us, and we did something about it. Three members of our congregation will share their justice journeys.

• 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 services; find the video 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. 

Sharing the Offering

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 very pleased that February’s recipient is MetropolitanCongregations United.

The mission of MCU is to harness the moral authority of St. Louis congregations to work for justice. MCU puts faith into action by developing leaders who move their congregations, organizations, and communities to change public policy for the common good.

Eliot Chapel has been a member congregation for many years. MCU helps us to fulfill our commitment to justice, equity, and compassion for all. Key issues for MCU are breaking the school to prison pipeline, police reform, justice reform, prison reform, access to health care, and voting rights, among many others. These are also issues that we are passionate about.

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

• Online: Click here. Make sure “Shared Plate” is your chosen fund.
• By Mail: Please write “MCU” in the memo line of your check and mail it to Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122. 
• By Text: Text "Eliot SharedPlate $(enter the amount)" to 73256. A link in the reply text will take you to our secure database webpage where you can complete your transaction. Please note, "SharedPlate" must be entered as one word to reach that preferred option.

Through your generous giving, Eliot Chapel collected $470.50 for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee last Sunday.

In December, Eliot Chapel collected $1783 for Room at the Inn through the Shared Plate program.

Thank you for your generosity.

Religious Education & Youth Group

The 2023-2024 Religious Education and Youth Program continues this Sunday, February 4.

Religious Education (RE) for children and youth in 7th grade and younger is held during the 9:45 service. Children and youth aged four and older should attend the first 15 minutes of the worship service with their family. The nursery opens at 9:30 for children aged three and younger and those who need freedom of movement. RE classes will begin at 10:00.

The nursery will remain open during the 11:15 service for children aged five and younger who need freedom of movement.

Youth Group activities for youth in grades 8-12 will be held during the 11:15 service from January 7-March 10. Youth should attend the first 15 minutes of the worship service before gathering as a group at 11:30.

Specific plans for each age group are shared with registered families via email each week. To learn more about this year’s Religious Education 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 1:00 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

Worship Service – 9:45 am in the Sanctuary

Coffee Hour – 10:45 am in Adams Hall

Worship Service – 11:15 am in the Sanctuary

Starting Point – 11:15 am in Room 006

Coffee Hour – 12:15 pm in Adams Hall

Women’s Weekend Planning – 12:45 pm in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Coffee, Conversation, and Connections – 1:00 pm via Zoom

In This Week at Eliot

This Week's Events & Meetings

Please Remember

Church News

Helping Each Other

The Week Ahead

Down the Road

Next Week's Service

ourEliot

Monday, February 5 

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

Tuesday, February 6 

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

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

SJA Steering Committee – 7:00 pm in Adams Hall

Wednesday, February 7 

Wellspring – 7:00 pm via Zoom

Thursday, February 8 

Humanist Covenant Group – 7:00 pm in the Susan Frederick-Gray Room

Friday, February 9

Friday Freethinkers – 10:00 am in Room 001

Planning a meeting or event? Start with our new Meeting Space Reservation 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.

Please Remember

The Celebration of Life for Charles Fremont led by Rev. Krista Taves will take place on Saturday, February 10 at 2:00 pm at the John Burroughs School in Ladue followed by an exhibition of Charles' artwork in the school's Bonsack Gallery. Charles was a long time member of Eliot Chapel who recently returned after a period of absence. We are blessed to have reconnected with him in the last months of his life. His obituary is here. His work will be on display through March 26.

The memorial service will be in the Dining Room down the hall from the Bonsack Gallery. Enter through the main entrance doors at 755 S. Price Road, just north of Clayton Rd. Don't use the Clayton Rd. entrance — it's the athletic field entrance. There is plenty of parking space near the main building and there’s a level entrance from the parking lot at the far right end of the main building for accessibility.

Conversations with Rev. Krista

When the Search Committee announced the recommendation of Rev. Krista Taves as our new settled Lead Minister, we told you what the next step would be: many opportunities for you to meet with Rev. Krista for questions and conversation before the vote to extend a call at the congregational meeting on March 3. 

You can now find the full schedule of meetings and events on our website. Please plan to attend at least one! Some events require an RSVP. You can sign up on SignUpGenius. Contact the Search Committee at searchteam@eliotchapel.org if you have questions or trouble signing up.

This week, join us for Questions and Conversation with Rev. Krista on Sunday, February 4 at 12:30 in Room 001. There will be coffee & refreshments – you are invited! Or join us on Zoom on Monday, February 5 at 8:00 pm when Rev. Krista meets with RE parents for Questions and Conversation. Check "Eliot on Zoom" for the link to connect.

We look forward to seeing you at one of these events!

Special Ministerial Vote March 3

IMPORTANT: Check Your Membership Status

Stop by the bulletin board outside Adams Hall after service this week to check for your name on the membership rolls. Only members in good standing are able to vote on whether to call Rev. Krista Taves as our settled minister. Members in good standing have made a financial contribution of record in the past 12 months or received a waiver in case of financial hardship from the Lead Minister. 

The vote will be held at 12:45 pm on Sunday, March 3 in Eliot's Sanctuary. You can participate in the vote in person, by proxy, or by registering in advance to attend via Zoom. Details will be forthcoming about how to vote by proxy or online. 

If you would like to become a member, please reach out to Rev. Krista or the Welcome Team at welcome@eliotchapel.org before February 5 to begin the joining process. 

If you would like to reactivate your membership, please contact Brian Franklin, Director of Administration, to make arrangements at admin@eliotchapel.org before February 12. If you need to request a waiver, email Rev. Krista at ktaves@eliotchapel.org before February 12. 

Time to Sign Up for a Community Connections Event!

Now’s your chance to expand your Eliot connections by meeting someone new or just hanging out with old friends at a relaxed fun event. Check out the options and pick the one that works best for you. Many generous Eliot members have come up with a selection of events that should appeal to everyone. All events take place March 3 to April 12 and many are family friendly. You will receive an email invitation/confirmation from your host a week or two before the gathering. 

Send questions to communityconnections@eliotchapel.org.

Note: the actual pledge card aspect of the canvass is being handled differently this year, so these events are strictly social!

Eliot’s Got Talent

Tune your ukulele, brush up your Shakespeare, or get out those juggling balls — Eliot is having a Talent Show! We’re looking for performers of all ages and abilities who want to share their talent with the congregation during our show on Saturday, April 6. If you have an act you’d like to perform for us, we’d love to see it! (David Nalesnik will be available to accompany you on piano if you wish.)

This family friendly event will mark the culmination of our Stewardship Campaign and will include a celebratory meal beforehand. All Eliot members and friends are welcome. Come join us as we gather in Adams Hall from 5:00 to 6:00 pm to share a light dinner before proceeding to the Sanctuary for our talent extravaganza, which will run from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

Whether you are planning to perform or coming to eat and enjoy the show, please RSVP to talentshow@eliotchapel.org. Any questions regarding this special event may also be directed to talentshow@eliotchapel.org.

— Eliot FUN Team

SAVE THE DATE

The Right to Read

A film in the Racial Justice Series presented by Eliot Unitarian Chapel and Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice

Friday, February 16 at 7:00 pm in Adams Hall at Eliot Chapel

The Right to Read shares stories of an activist, a teacher and two American families

who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read. When a child doesn’t learn to read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and high school dropout increase. This powerful film tackles the fundamental social justice issue of why children aren’t learning to read once they get to school and what we can do about it.

Following the film there will be a discussion about the literacy landscape of St. Louis

and a Q & A with Lisa Greening. In 2020, Greening started the St. Louis Chapter of Turn the Page STL, the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading developed to improve third grade reading proficiency. In 2022, Turn the Page STL won the Pacesetter Community Award from the National Campaign for its collective impact work in the St. Louis community. For ten years, Greening was the executive director of Ready Readers, a St. Louis nonprofit dedicated to preparing preschool-age children from low-income communities to become readers. She has received several honors for her work in literacy including recognition by the State of Missouri for her dedication to improving the lives of Missouri children.

Sign Up Here!

Stand Up for Reproductive Rights

Eliot Chapel is joining Missourians for Constitutional Freedom to end Missouri’s cruel total abortion ban and take back our rights! The deadline to submit signatures is May 5. At least 171,592 valid signatures are needed, including at least 8% of voters in six of the eight congressional districts. In order to accomplish this task, we need your help to collect signatures. 

Sign up in Adams Hall after the service on Sunday, or email Social Justice in Action at socialjustice@eliotchapel.org to volunteer with us! 

This is about who makes personal decisions for you and your family – you or the government. We should trust patients and their doctors to decide what's right for their unique situation, not politicians. 

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!

Starting Point

An Introduction to

the Unitarian Universalist Journey

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. Longtime members and friends seeking a small group experience are also welcome. Amy Stark will facilitate the series which will take place during second service in Room 001 on Sundays in February from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm. Childcare will be available. 

Sunday, February 4 

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

Sunday, February 11 

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

Sunday, February 18 

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

Sunday, February 25 

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

St. Louis Area UU Classes Offered This Spring

So You Think You Can Preach! 

Offered by Rev. Krista Taves

Monday, April 1, 8, 29, & May 6 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Eliot and online

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to stand at the pulpit offering a message, this is your chance. You will learn basic worship theory, sermon writing strategies, and how to craft a thematically unified worship service. You will end the series with a service ready to offer your congregation! You must attend all 4 sessions. Class Limit of 14. Register here.

Create Your Own Theology

Offered by Rev. Claudia Hall, Minister of the Metro East Unitarian Universalist Congregation | Monday, March 18 and 25 | 6-7:30 pm | on Zoom

Using material from "A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-first Century" by Revs. John Buehrens and Rebecca Parker, this class will help you walk through what you believe, why you believe it, and how all the parts of your beliefs come together to create a system of values and meaning for your life. 

Email Rev. Claudia at dr.claudia.hall@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Love @ The Center

Offered by Rev. Kim Mason, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis

Wednesday, February 7 & 21, March 6 & 20 | 6:30-8:00 pm | online and in-person

Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bylaws, Principles and Purposes, is the foundation for all the work of our UUA and its member congregations and covenanted communities. Most remember Article II as our 7 Principles and 6 Sources, which articulate our denominational agreements and name our spiritual and religious foundations. UUA Bylaws require that we revise Article II on a regular schedule. The 2023 proposed revision of Article II is a radical re-visioning that invites us into dialogue with one another about the values of our shared faith community.

We are in a one-year discernment period, after which delegates to General Assembly 2024 will vote to accept or reject the proposed Article II revision. Want to learn more? Interested in being a 2024 GA delegate? Wrestling with how this will shape the future of our faith communities? Join Rev. Kim for a four-session small group exploration of the proposed Article II.

This four-session program engages you in the Purposes, Values and Covenant, Inspiration, Inclusion and Freedom of belief of the proposed Article II which will be voted on at General Assembly 2024. Sessions are 90 minutes every other Wednesday, February 7 and 21, March 6 and 20, online AND in-person, 6:30 to 8:00 pm. This is a covenant-based program that requires participants attend all four sessions. The Zoom link for the sessions will be emailed the week before Session 1. 

Register online.

Women's Alliance

Please join us this Tuesday, February 6 for our monthly book discussion. There will be a brief business meeting before the book discussion begins. Coffee and refreshments will be offered at 9:45 am with the presentation starting at 10:15. Sue Blandford will lead a discussion of The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. See you then!

Join us for

Vigil for Hope & Healing

Tuesday, February 6

at 4:00 pm in front of Eliot Chapel.

Meet a Heroine. Meet a Powerful Financier.

Meet an Undocumented Immigrant.

Many books tell moving stories of the horrors of entering the United States without documentation, and we grow in love and understanding when we read them. But that’s only half of the story. To fully empathize with our newly arrived neighbors, we need to see their lives after arrival, wearing the unseen badge of “undocumented.”

The Eliot Immigration Justice Team invites you to join us in an All Read of My (Underground) American Dream: My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive by J­ulissa Arce. This brave memoir reveals the physical, financial, and emotional costs of Arce’s stunning secret, which she kept from even her closest friends, while climbing to the most glittering version of the American Dream. She was an honors student, vice president of Goldman-Sachs with a six-figure salary – and undocumented. Join us to discuss the book on Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 pm or Sunday, March 11 at 1:00 pm in Room 006. Sign up this Sunday in Adams Hall during Coffee Hour or email immigration@eliotchapel.org using the subject line “All Read 2024.”

SAVE THE DATE

Live Life in Color

The Eliot Chapel Trivia Night Team has announced plans for another evening of great fun and trivia on Saturday, April 27 at the Crestwood Community Center. Doors will open at 6:15 pm, and trivia starts at 7:00 pm. The theme will be "Live Life in Color." Stay turned for more details!

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, February 11 – 9:45 & 11:15 am

“Getting Proximate” – Rev. Krista Taves  

Brian Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, says that if we want to be part of the solution, we have to get in close to those who are suffering the most. We have to “get proximate."