April 2011 Page 1 100 South Taylor Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122-4310 (314) 821-0911 www.eliotchapel.org Office Hours Monday - Friday 8:00 to 4:00 Sunday 9:00 to 1:00 Come Make the Difference at C C e e l l e e b b r r a a t t i i o o n n S S u u n n d d a a y y April 17 Food, Fun, Fellowship & a Fantastic Speaker Leading the service is Eliot’s own Reverend Susan Fre- derick-Gray, a life-long UU and the current pastor at the UU Congregation of Phoenix. She grew up at Eliot Chapel, where she was an active participant in the Eliot youth group. Rev. Frederick-Gray is a national leader in the Standing on the Side of Love campaign and in the struggle for human rights in Arizona. Susan says: “I love Unitarian Universalism. It is the faith I grew up in. It nurtured my growth, informed my values and taught me of the transforming power of love. Our free faith welcomes all people, strives to create a beloved community within our church walls and beyond, and believes in the goodness of creation and the human heart. We carry a powerful and much needed message in the world.” Don’t miss her return to Eliot’s pulpit on Celebration Sunday, April 17. Additionally, together we will consider the question: What does Eliot Chapel mean to you? Today Eliot Chapel is . . . A place where we gather to foster free religious thought, nurture spiritual growth and act for social justice. Going forward . . . How will we care for Eliot Chapel so that it thrives, fulfilling its trans- forming role for each of us and our community? What can we do here that will make the difference, for our children, and our world? Generous support gives us more options, more resources to support impor- tant programs and goals, maybe even the opportunity to dream big . What’s your dream for Eliot Chapel? Please come prepared to make your pledge for the 2011-2012 church year. Please give generously to Make the Difference! We can make the difference if each one of us pledges 5% of our income to the mission of our congrega- tion and our faith. This is what Eliot Chapel asks of you this spring. Our Mission Eliot Chapel, a Unitarian Universalist community, gathers to foster free religious thought, nurture spiritual growth, and act for social justice. Board of Trustees: Brent Vaughn, Chair Mike Antoine, Chair-elect William Lemon, Secretary David Cox, Treasurer Dave Day Bill Erdman Marc Fried Pat Gray Steve Lawrence Mary Meihaus
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April 2011
Page 1
100 South Taylor Ave.
Kirkwood, MO
63122-4310
(314) 821-0911
www.eliotchapel.org
Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8:00 to 4:00
Sunday 9:00 to 1:00
Come Make the Difference at
CCeelleebbrraattiioonn SSuunnddaayy
April 17 Food, Fun, Fellowship & a Fantastic Speaker
Leading the service is Eliot’s own Reverend Susan Fre-derick-Gray, a life-long UU and the current pastor at the UU Congregation of Phoenix. She grew up at Eliot Chapel, where she was an active participant in the Eliot youth group. Rev. Frederick-Gray is a national leader in the Standing on the Side of Love campaign and in the struggle for human rights in Arizona.
Susan says: “I love Unitarian Universalism. It is the faith I grew up in. It nurtured my growth, informed
my values and taught me of the transforming power of love. Our free faith welcomes all people, strives to create a beloved community within our church walls and beyond, and believes in the goodness of creation and the human heart. We carry a powerful and much needed message in the world.”
Don’t miss her return to Eliot’s pulpit on Celebration Sunday, April 17.
Additionally, together we will consider the question: What does Eliot Chapel mean to you?
Today Eliot Chapel is . . . A place where we gather to foster free religious thought, nurture spiritual growth and act for social justice.
Going forward . . . How will we care for Eliot Chapel so that it thrives, fulfilling its trans-
forming role for each of us and our community?
What can we do here that will make the difference, for our children, and our world?
Generous support gives us more options, more resources to support impor-
tant programs and goals, maybe even the opportunity to dream big.
What’s your dream for Eliot Chapel? Please come prepared to make your pledge for the 2011-2012 church year. Please give generously to Make the Difference! We can make the difference if each one of us pledges 5% of our income to the mission of our congrega-tion and our faith. This is what Eliot Chapel asks of you this spring.
Our Mission
Eliot Chapel,
a Unitarian Universalist
community,
gathers to foster
free religious thought,
nurture spiritual growth,
and act for social justice.
Board of Trustees:
Brent Vaughn, Chair
Mike Antoine, Chair-elect
William Lemon, Secretary
David Cox, Treasurer
Dave Day
Bill Erdman
Marc Fried
Pat Gray
Steve Lawrence
Mary Meihaus
Page 2
RE Group Springs into Action News from the Religious Education Team
As we enter the final months of the current program
year, we are excited about the many upcoming op-
portunities for spiritual growth, social action, and
community building that still await Eliot’s children
and youth this year. We are also working hard to lay
the foundation for continued success next year.
We’ll soon begin our annual spring teacher recruit-
ment campaign for the upcoming year. With a be-
ginning-of-year enrollment projected to be above
200 children and youth, we’ll be seeking approx-
imately 60 adults to serve as volunteer teachers.
Look for more information about these opportunities
in the days and weeks to come.
Our youth have a busy month in front of them. We
are pleased to have 14 senior high youth attending
the Spring Youth Conference in Palatine, IL April 1-
3 as representatives from Eliot Chapel. A big thank
you to Mary Hoehne, Dave Day, and Joan
McCready for serving as volunteer advisors during
the conference. Later in the month, the 6th
grade
youth and Junior High youth have an opportunity to
participate in a local gathering of area UU Junior
High youth at First Unitarian Church, April 8-9.
This event includes an overnight stay, a visit to City
Museum, and a morning of community service at a
local agency, as well as games, worship, and lots of
fun.
These are wonderful opportunities for Eliot youth to
network with other UU youth and adults and engage
in spiritual growth and social action outside the walls
of Eliot.
Taking a Hike Our junior and senior high youth also have a unique
faith-in-action opportunity with other Kirkwood area
youth on April 15-16. The Homeless & Hunger in
Kirkwood Experience (HIKE) is a multi-church
event designed to educate youth about the needs and
struggles of people who live in poverty, as well as
the responsibility to advocate for social justice. The
HIKE provides an opportunity for youth to raise
Board Announces Ministerial Search Committee
Your Board is charged by the bylaws with the responsibility for appointing a Ministerial Search Committee to nominate the next settled minister for Eliot Chapel. Taking this responsibility very seriously, your trustees telephoned every member of the con-gregation to ask for suggestions, and spent many hours of con-sideration and consultation as we endeavored to compose a search team with a balance of positive attributes. Board mem-bers then conducted interviews with the finalists. We think you will agree that the seven we have chosen represent the best of Eliot Chapel, and are deserving of great confidence and support as they seek to nominate a candidate for your consideration. Jan Erdman: Jan brings a mind for incisive questions, discern-ment, skill and compassion for the good of the many. She has served Eliot in many leadership roles, and can always be counted on to bring people together in joyous ways. Ted Lau: Ted brings to the Search Committee a deep commit-ment to spirituality and many years of experience with our con-gregation and others. Among his contributions are compassio-nate leadership as a Pastoral Care Associate, coordinator of covenant groups, and as a worship leader and liturgist for, among others, the winter solstice service. Kevin Mitchell: Kevin brings his enthusiasm as a teacher and leader in the Religious Education program. He and his family have been members for over eight years. Jordi Prats: Jordi brings his experience as an RE teacher and member of the Strategic Planning Task Force, as well as his gratitude in sharing his four years at Eliot Chapel with wife Joanne and daughter Emma. Trina Priese: Trina brings experiences of Eliot dating back to her youth, and a breadth of leadership activity. She brings her love of the choir and RE as well as her realization that she is proud to belong and contribute to our free religious tradition. Amy Stark: Amy and her husband Todd were married at Eliot 15 years ago. She brings to the search her perspective from a sojourn in a UU congregation in New York, as well as her expe-rience as Social Action Team leader, and Pastoral Care Asso-ciate serving as counselor to the senior high youth group. Julie Triplett: Julie brings the wisdom of a founding member of Eliot Chapel as well as experience with other ministerial searches. Part of her wisdom leads her to believe that Eliot Chapel should be a place for everyone and, so promises to bring all of our hearts with her to the task.
April 2011 Page 3
community awareness, meet new people, and work
together to make an impact in the world around
them, with a particular focus on the social issues of
homelessness and hunger. The participating
churches are Kirkwood Baptist Church, First Presby-
terian Church, Kirkwood United Methodist Church,
and Eliot Chapel. A special thank you to Social Ac-
tion Team leader Nancy Spargo for her organization
efforts and support for this opportunity for our youth.
Please take a proactive role in the preservation of our
environment. Recycle your rechargeable batteries
and cell phones here at Eliot:
Rechargeable batteries each weighing less than 11 lbs
Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
Nickel Metal Hyride (Ni-MH)
Lithium Ion (Ni-Zn)
Small Sealed Lead Acid (SSLA/Pb)
Cell Phones (and their batteries): any size, make,
model or age.
Look for the call2recycle box located in Adams Hall
near the kitchen. Bag it…Seal it…Drop it. Thanks to
Carolyn Burke for organizing this project.
General Assembly 2011 in Charlotte will mark the 50th anniversary of the merger of the American Unitarian Asso-ciation and the Universalist Church of America. Share your voice with other Unita-rians from across the country at this important event. For more information, go to http://www.uua.org/events/175404.shtml
The St. Louis Gateway Chapter of Better Mar-
riages Couples Communication Skills Workshop takes place on Saturday, April 30, 8:30 am to 4:30
pm, at First Congregational Church (UCC) in Web-
ster Groves. The workshop will be facilitated by
Eliot members Ann Broyles and Barry Rinderk-
necht and Linda and Steve Techner. Cost per
couple is $80 and the registration deadline is April
20. For more information and a registration form, see
the bulletin board and the table by the Coke ma-
chine, visit www.bettermarriages.org or contact Ann
Eliot Chapel will create conditions that enable us:
1. To make a prayer of our lives in service to others. That our collective voice for the disenfranchised and the afflicted becomes a beacon to our community. That united and inspired, we act for social jus-tice in our lives and the lives of others near and far. That our actions comfort the afflicted, give hope to the oppressed, transform the privileged, and sustain the community. That we become the social and cultural change we wish to see.
2. To make a joyful song of our lives as we welcome the visitor into our church family and em-
brace one another in joy and friendship. That we greet each person with sincerity and demonstrate the spiritual history of hospitality: openness, care, inclusivity, and support. That we come together with open hearts, respecting our different backgrounds and recognizing that we need not think alike to love alike. That we recognize the humanity of everyone who enters this Beloved Community, and that we demonstrate our love of all people. That we warmly reach out and share our best selves with one another in mutual reverence. That everyone be both welcome guest and honorable host.
3. To grow souls of beauty, compassion, and wholeness. To commit minds and hearts to a life-long
search for truth. That we use all means at our disposal to create a safe, nurturing, and challenging learning environment. That we explore our Unitarian Universalist identity and take what we learn and become into the wide world. That we connect with the awe and wonder of the universe and act for good in right relationship with ourselves, others, and the natural world. That we create a culture of im-agination and possibility that enables our perceptions to see and hear what is there about us always.
4. To embrace the world and be the mirror in which others see the possibilities of their best
selves. That we engage deliberately in our community—our geographic, ecumenical, and social com-munity—to serve Common Purpose. That by our engagement, civil society and civil discourse are sus-tained. That we work to banish isolation and fear, and that we promote dignity and self-respect. That we do nothing less than perfect the art of living together.
Eliot Chapel’s actions will be guided by the following values:
That we are a part of a larger whole—that this interconnectedness and interdependence is a sacred relationship with our world and our common humanity and deserving of our reverence
That care and compassion and support are sacred duties
That uplifting our community is soul work
That we respect others and their beliefs
That we are open and accepting to new attitudes and experiences
That we are genuinely welcoming, hospitable, and inclusive
That we celebrate diversity in its many manifestations
These Possibilities and Values may be expressed together in the Vision that we dedicate ourselves:
To make whole the spirit and by every act: To welcome the stranger To comfort the afflicted To teach the ignorant To support the family To uplift the community To give voice to the forgotten To heal the broken To serve with compassion, and Revere the awe and wonder of this world.
Page 12
100 South Taylor Avenue Kirkwood, MO 63122-4310
SUNDAY, APRIL 3 – 9:30 & 11:00 A.M.
"The Afterlife: When Does it Begin?" – The Reverend Dr. David Keyes
“Different Just Like Me” – Family Worship with Reverend Dr. Susan Videen in Adams Hall at 9:35 and 11:05 am
SUNDAY, APRIL 10 – 9:30 & 11:00 A.M.
“Wisdom from Webster Groves? The Gospel According to Jonathan Franzen”
– The Reverend Dr. David Keyes
SUNDAY, APRIL 17 – 9:30 & 11:00 A.M.
Celebration Sunday – Worship & Party for the Whole Church Community
Rev. Keyes welcomes The Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray home to Eliot Chapel.
Come share a meal, music and play after the services.
SUNDAY, APRIL 24 – 9:30 & 11:00 A.M.
Easter Sunday – The Reverend Dr. David Keyes preaching on ―Paradise Found‖