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Inside This Issue

Want to Join A Covenant Group?
-- Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Program Minister

Covenant Groups are small groups of Eliot members and friends who meet together monthly with a facilitator for spiritual support and community building. The topics of each meeting vary, but the assumption is that each person will talk about how the topic is personally meaningful to them, rather than having an intellectual discussion. The groups also are encouraged to engage in service projects as a group, in order to move their spiritual growth outward into the world.

We have twelve Covenant Groups running. I've heard many people say what wonderful experiences these groups have been. They help people get to know one another on a deeper level, they give people a place to connect, and they expand all our understanding of our diverse religious journeys.

Our groups are not completely full right now. While we don't have many spaces open, we do have a few. If you're interested in Thursday evenings, Friday afternoons (1:00 - 3:00 p.m., women's group), or Sunday afternoons, we can fit you in now. If you think you'll be interested in a group next fall, I'd love to have your name so I know how many new groups we should consider forming.

You can see more information at Covenant Groups . If you'd like to join a group now, or are interested in a group next fall, please let me know at (314) 821-0911 or .

Surveys and Marches: Now is the Time
-- Susan Maginn, Intern Minister

The Welcoming Congregation committee has tabulated our survey results. They are posted on the bulletin board in the hall. We offer our sincere thanks to all who completed this survey for your honesty and enthusiasm. Welcoming Congregation committee encourages your presence at our meetings, which are held on the second Thursday of every month in the Bergfried Room.

We hosted a presentation in February entitled "Same Sex Unions: Legal Status in Missouri." From the passionate people in the audience (Eliot folks and people from the larger community), a taskforce was created and has been meeting every Thursday since the February presentation. This new group, Straight People for Gay Marriage, will run ads in neighborhood papers and will march in local parades speaking out against the proposed constitutional amendment, which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman. You are welcome to attend our weekly meetings. We plan to meet at a variety of Kirkwood and Webster congregations. Please contact Susan Maginn ( or (314) 821-0911) to find out the location of our next meeting.

We are proud that a few people from Eliot Chapel have joined the many UUs across the country who are now on the frontlines of the gay rights movement. Very few religious people are speaking out in support of gay rights. If UUs don't speak out, you can count on a discriminating voice to fill the void. Please contact me or just come to either the Welcoming Congregation committee or the Straight People for Gay Marriage taskforce to find out how you can make a difference.

2004-05 Pledge Campaign
-- Gary Gray, Pledge Campaign Chair

As you read this, our Pledge Campaign will be well underway. Although Pledge Sunday was Mar. 21, this newsletter went to press before that and only preliminary results are available. We are off to a good start. The Board of Trustees was asked to make their pledges early. Their average pledge is $1,650. This represents an increase of 17% over pledges from the same people last year.

Many of us made our pledges on Sun., Mar. 21, or will make them on Sun., Mar. 28. People who are not able to make their pledges on one of these days will be contacted either in person or by phone. Please be generous when your canvasser contacts you

Remember, the goal for the pledge campaign is $445,000, a stretch for us as a congregation. This campaign will be successful if each of us makes a pledge based on our capability and how much we value Eliot Chapel.

Stewardship
-- Steven Bain for the Board of Trustees

Stewardship - each member's promises and actions to care for our congregation - is another new focus of the Board of Trustees this year. In my own thinking about stewardship, I've realized that the longer I attend and realize what Eliot Chapel has done for me, the more I want to figure out what I can do for this congregation in return.

What are we the caretakers of? What are we trying to preserve? Why are we doing it?

Clearly we are all stewards of our facilities - our poor crumbling beautiful old building. We need to care for our other assets - the money we have invested, our property at Bergfried. But there are other things we've got - things we'd still have if the chapel falls down and the money evaporates. We have our community and our religion. And because those things exist only where we exist, we must be stewards of our religion and our community.

The front line in our stewardship of our religion is our RE program. We preserve for our youth the values that brought us here, so that they can have for their sustenance some of the treasures we have stored up for them - and that others have stored up for us.

The RE program illustrates that we are stewards so that we can share what we have. I got good news when I first came to Eliot - it's a great place! People here think! People here are kind! People here have values and con-cerns similar to mine. I mattered for all kinds of reasons I'd forgotten during my heats of the rat race.

I am moved to tell others this good news. I think we have the duty to tell people in the community, people who don't know us yet, that we are here, and who we are. And I think we have the duty to share our resources with those less fortunate in our community, whether they choose to join us or not.

It is pledge time. When your canvasser contacts you, give what is asked of you, or a little more, if you can. To be competent stewards, we must do what we can for Eliot, because important things happen here. Important things happen to us here, and to people that we love.

Proposed Expenditure from the Preservation Fund

Per the recommendation of the Building & Grounds Committee, the Board of Trustees proposes to use approximately $40,000 from the Preservation Fund to replace the roof and exterior siding on the office wing, including the Visitors' Corner side of Adams Hall. The roof has completely deteriorated, causing leaks in the walls and into the building. The exterior siding is almost 30 years old and has deteriorated badly.

The proposed expenditure has been increased above the bid price of $36,248 to allow for contingencies such as replacement of roofing plywood, which cannot be known until the old roof is removed. The bid package and drawings are posted on the bulletin board outside Adams Hall.

The project is expected to be completed within eight weeks from start.

As with any proposed use of Preservation Fund monies, congregational comment is invited over the next 30 days. The next Board of Trustees meeting is April 20. Questions and comments may also be emailed to or you may speak with any Board member.

Book Fair Kudos
-- Library Committee and Women's Alliance -- Irmgard Voss, Library Committee Chair; Marge Nardie, Co-chair

Our appreciation to the Eliot Chapel staff for your support; a special thanks to all of you who donated books, and to the following people who made it all possible:

Read Behind the Scenes of the 2004 Book Fair.

New "U" - Your Questions Answered

New "U" sessions introduce Unitarian Universalism and the meaning of Eliot Chapel for you. Ministers, laity, and class share throughts and information; your questions create an important part of the experience. New "U" is particularly interesting and helpful to those who may seek more involvement and membership in Eliot Chapel.

To accomodate those for whom the usual Sunday evening classes were not convenient, the next class will be held on three Wednesdays, Apr. 21, 28, and May 5, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.in Adams Hall. Light snacks will be served; child care will be provided if requested by Apr. 7. Sign up in Visitors' Corner or call the chapel at (314) 821-0911.

Our Sympathy

To Sandra Rhodes on the death of her mother, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday in May.

Help Us Welcome the Homeless
-- Bill Clarke

Room at the Inn is in desperate need of "host" volunteers. At this time we have no hosts signed up for Apr. 8 or 29, none in May and none in June. Please check your calendars and contact Tim Nicholson, Host Coordinator, to volunteer. Interacting with our guests as a host is a fulfilling experience, but it only requires ensuring that their stay is pleasant and comforting to them. Cook volunteers are also needed Apr. 8 and in for May and June, except May 6. We also need launderers for Apr. 29, May 20, and Jun. 10. Please sign up on the bulletin board.

Finally, Room at the Inn could use a few newer highchairs with safety straps for our littlest guests. If you have one available to recycle to Room at the Inn, please contact me and I will make arrangements to give it a new home.

Pampering Your Inner Goddess

One opening is available for the "Pampering Your Inner Goddess" evening offered at the Eliot Auction by the Third Sunday Covenant Group, otherwise known as "The Coven." Seven women have already signed up. The event is on Sat., Apr. 3, from 4:45 p.m. to about 9:00 p.m. It will be held in a home in Olivette and is just for women. If you're interested, please contact Beth Rossow to get more information. The cost is $35 and the money goes to Eliot Chapel.

Seder Dinner
-- Chef Larry Ross

Please join us at the Seder Dinner on Sun., Apr. 4 at 5:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:00 p.m.) and celebrate the Exodus from slavery to the Promised Land. We have a limited number of spaces available. Please sign up on the bulletin board. Remember: the food you bring must conform to the ritual dinner: i.e., no pork products, no seafood, no bread products including cookie dough. If you need an idea, here is a fast recipe:

Instructions: Mix together potatoes and onion, drain off liquid. Add egg yolks, salt, ½ cup of melted butter, and matzo cake meal and mix well. Melt remaining butter into baking dish. Pour potato mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish while folding in beaten egg whites. Bake in pre-heated oven 375 degrees approx. one hour or until browned. (You many need to start kugel at 400 degrees then turn oven down to 350 or 375 degrees.) Makes about 12 servings.

If you need other recipes, please request by e-mail.

Mystery Dinner - Meet The Candidates!

Much Hoopla, campaign manager for the Totally Open to Everyone Grand Alliance, a.k.a. The T.O.E.G.A. Party, has brought all the presidential candidates together for a FUN-raising dinner on Sat., Apr.10. Be sure to reserve your spot - the sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Price is $23 per person for food, beverage, mystery, and mayhem. Checks made payable to Eliot Mystery Dinner are sent to Lydia Hopkins (or pick up a self-addressed envelope by the sign up sheet.) Will Arnie Wartzon Finger amend the constitution and become President America? Will Valerie Sodham Clingon or Elizabetsy Dull be the first female in the White House? Come and find out as Mully and Scoulder, detective duo, examine the facts. After all, the truth is out there!

Mother's Day Child Dedications

It is our tradition to celebrate Child Dedications at our Mother's Day service on May 9. These services consist of a statement of dedication of parents and congregation to the child, naming, and offering blessings to the child. If you have a baby you wish to have dedicated during the service, please be in touch with Rev. Bonnie Vegiard at (314) 821-0911 or .

SLAUUC To Sponsor Teach-In/Service Project On Lead

On Sat., Apr. 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p. m., the St. Louis Area Unitarian Universalist Council will sponsor a teach-in and service project at Unitarian-founded South Side Day Nursery, 2930 Iowa, in South St. Louis, on the subject of "Getting the Lead Out - The Terrible Toll of Lead Poisoning and What Can Be Done About It."

Sign up (lunch provided by SLAUUC), and indicate if you wish to carpool from Eliot, at the table in Adams Hall on Sundays through Apr.11, or contact Claire Robertson.

Women's Weekend

Women's Weekend 2004 will be held Apr. 23, 24 and 25 at the Kiwanis Camp Wyman in Eureka, MO.

Registrations are due on April 4; pick up an application in Visitors' Corner. If you have questions, please contact Tamara Johnston.

Women's Alliance

The Women's Alliance meets on the first, third, and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 9:30 to 11:45 a.m.

Tues., Apr. 6 - Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. Leader - Jackie Buchmiller.

Outreach 2004
-- Lori Whiting, Outreach Committee Chair

Each year, Eliot Chapel donates money from its general operating fund to various charitable organizations. A committee to determine the recipients is being formed. The next step is for you, the members and friends of Eliot Chapel, to submit applications to the Outreach Committee on behalf of a charitable organizations that you believe would benefit from such a donation.

The Outreach Committee generally favors charitable organizations with which Eliot members are involved. We tend to donate to smaller organizations for which our contributions will be significant - previous grants have ranged from $100 to $400.

Obtain an application in Visitors' Corner, or print a copy from the Outreach page on the Eliot website. Please put your completed application in the Outreach Committee mailbox in the copy room; due date is Apr. 18. For more information, contact me.

Thank you for your continued support and participation in outreach to the community at large. For more information on the Outreach Committee and to review last year's recipients, click on Outreach.

Leadership Chat on Governance

The Board has been wrestling with some changes in the way Governance at Eliot Chapel works. While many folks here will not have much interest in Governance, we know there are those of you out there who do want to be kept informed. We plan to share our thoughts and decisions with Eliot's leadership via a weekly email memo. We'll send this memo to committee chairs and Program Council members, but everyone is invited to sign up to receive these memos. We'll also print them for anyone interested in receiving a print version. Sign up for the Leadership Chat at with "Leadership" in the subject line.

Hearing Assistance Now Available!

Eliot Chapel recently purchased a "personal PA" sound system for use in the sanctuary by people who would like to hear the services better. The devices resemble transistor radios with earphones. Reception is best if the user does not sit directly under a light (which causes static.) If someone has his/her own earphone, it can be plugged into the "personal PA".

We have four of these devices. If you want to use one during the service, see an usher in the foyer before the service.

UUA General Assembly & Social Action
-- Helen McIntosh, Social Action Committee

This year at the UUA General Assembly, delegates will be voting on a statement of conscience on Civil Liberties. Next year the topic will be Criminal Justice and Prison Reform. These are the topics that have most recently been adopted at GA for a 2-year study/action process. With input from participating congregations, the Statements of Conscience are developed and modified for presentation at General Assembly.

A significant portion of the business at the General Assembly involves selecting social justice issues for study and/or support. In addition to developing Statements of Conscience, the GA will decide on Actions of Immediate Witness. These are timely topics that can be adopted without the 2-year study/action process. The UUA web site (http://www.uua.org/csw) gives more information. If you plan to go to the UUA-GA, you will find it helpful to read through these issues in advance.

The Washington and United Nations Offices use statements adopted by the UUA General Assembly for lobbying. If you would like to know of action alerts from the Washington office, go to the web site http://www.uua.org/uuawo/new/. You can sign up for email notices if you are interested. Activities of the UUA United Nations Office can be found at http://www.uu-uno.org/home.html. Supporting the action of these offices is one way to work for social justice.

Religious Education News
-- Joan Casey, RE Director, , and the RE Committee

Easter, Apr. 11, is right around the corner and we have a great morning planned for our children. Please note that there will be three shorter services on Easter morning: at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 a.m. We hope to avoid the overcrowding that happened last year at the 10:45 a.m. service. During all three services, the nursery will be open as usual. Preschool aged children will meet in Room 107 for Easter fun, including an Easter egg hunt. Children and youth will attend the intergenerational service in the sanctuary with their families, although children K - 5 will leave the service for their own activities.

We need canned foods for the services. Please drop off your donations in Joan Casey's office no later than Apr. 4. You'll find out why on Easter.

On another note, the RE Department is getting ready for Teacher Recruitment. If you have a grade or semester you'd like to teach, be sure to let me know before Apr. 11, when open recruitment starts. Look for more information about next year in the April issue of REjuvenation!, the RE newsletter, or in the next Eliot Chapel newsletter.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Coming up:

Mar. 28	Prelude by Karen Gottschalk. Choirs: 9:15 a.m.- Locus Iste by Bruckner, 10:45 a.m. - Keepers of a Light by Tom Benjamin.
Apr. 4	Choirs: 9:15 a.m. - Erev Shel Shoshanim by Klebanow, 10:45 a.m.- Al Hanissim by Frimer.

Youth Choirs at Eliot?

I always attribute our wonderful music program at Eliot Chapel to the many talented volunteers who step forward to share their musical talents. But I'm becoming increasingly aware of missing a big piece in our musical puzzle. There's a segment of our population who don't willingly step forward to volunteer because they don't know how, or even that they can. That is our youth.

Many adults fondly speak of their experiences singing in children's choirs. If we do not provide this kind of opportunity for our children, I believe we are failing them. We owe them the chance to join their voices together, using good musical skills, to learn meaningful songs, and participate in worship.

We have hundreds of children in our R.E. program - enough for a substantial children's choir. Some wonderful volunteers have led our past efforts, but we've never taken children's music seriously.

Look on the music bulletin board at church. There is a poster for General Assembly with a picture of the GA choir. The children in the blue shirts are from UU churches all over the country. They submitted audition tapes and attended a week-long music camp to prepare to sing at GA. Nationally known music educator, Emily Ellsworth from Chicago, led them. This was a tremendous experience for everyone. Our children deserve a chance to participate in this. In 2006, when GA is in St. Louis, we will be called upon to handle details of the music camp. Will we have any children singing?

What I'm asking for is a show of interest in having a legitimate children's choir at Eliot Chapel. It would take a commitment of bringing the children to rehearsal and encouraging them. The best situation is a monetary commitment toward a director and accompanist, but if we don't have that, it is possible to make it happen with volunteers. It will take an enthusiastic musician to lead them.

We have an opportunity to hear the children's and youth choirs of All Soul's UU church from Tulsa. They are coming here to sing the weekend of May 1. These choirs have even toured to Transylvania! Watch for more on that. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts on this topic, please talk to me or anyone on the Music Committee, chaired by Mary Taylor.

Eliot Nursery School's Summer Play Program

Registration begins Mar. 1 for the Eliot Nursery School's Summer Play Program. There will be three two-week sessions: from Jun. 15 -24, from Jun. 29 - Jul. 8, and from Jul. 13 - Jul. 22. All sessions are on Tue., Wed., and Thu. mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and are open to 3 - 5 year olds (who must be toilet trained.) Contact Sally Schoenecker at (314) 821-0982 for additional information.

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