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Inside This Issue

Good News and Bad News
- Rev. Dr. Daniel Ó Connell, Lead Minister

One of the things ministers don't like to hear is that they missed some personal news - good or bad. A church is many things, but one important component is helping out members and friends in times of need.

In the olden days it was easy. People would call the church secretary or minister and tell of how a loved one was going to the hospital to have a baby or get an operation. Not too long ago, a church secretary or minister could simply telephone a hospital and ask if there were any Unitarian patients, and if so, make a visit.

There would be time to react, to adjust. Now when people do go to the hospital, it is often with much shorter notice and for much shorter stays. Privacy laws prevent some types of information from being publicly available. Sometimes, by the time the ministers find out someone is in a hospital, the person has already left and is at home.

With a larger church like Eliot, we have to be creative in making sure we can attend to spiritual needs, and sometimes those needs are greatest in the midst of big news - good news or bad news.

One of the things we would like to do is to set up a form (which will be available on the web site, visitors corner, and in the office) where you can let us know if you or a loved one might appreciate some pastoral care.

Hopefully, this will enhance communications among us to make for a more caring community. In the meantime, if you or a spouse have broken a leg, want visitors or definitely don't want them, let us know, so we can be more in touch with each other.

Intern(al) Musings
- Jennifer DeBusk, Intern Minister

Remember the honey-loving Pooh bear character from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh series? Well, this humble teddy bear just hit big time stardom; on Tue., Apr. 11, Pooh was awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

This news struck me on two levels. First, I felt proud to be associated with this famous character - after all, my nickname is "Tigger", another character from Winnie the Pooh. I believe that my best friend gave me that nickname half in exasperation of my boundless energy and half in endearing friendship.

Second, I was reminded of a book by Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh. Hoff likened Pooh's effortlessly calm, still, reflective qualities to Taoist philosophy. The Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power) is the sacred text of this tradition. One passage in particular captures the essence of this Eastern philosophy.

There is a being, wonderful, perfect;
It existed before heaven and earth.
How quiet it is!
It stands alone and it does not change.
It moves around and around,
but does not on this account suffer.
All life comes from it.
It wraps everything with its love as in a garment,
And yet it claims no honor, for it does not demand to be Lord.
I do not know its name, and so I call it Tao, the Way,
and I rejoice in its power.

The great thing about world religions is that we can draw wisdom from many different sources. Perhaps you are like Pooh who embodies grounded calmness. Or maybe you're more like Tigger whose boundless energy might find nourishment once in a while with stillness and meditation. However you approach life, may you feel centered in a philosophy that sustains your spirit

Welcome!
- Julie Triplett, March 5, 2006

Each Sunday, a member of the Eliot Community delivers the Sunday Morning Welcome, sharing a personal story about how he or she came to be at Eliot Chapel.

You see before you a gray-haired woman whose adventure began a long time ago. So it seemed only appropriate that my story should be told in the form of a fairy tale. So, here it is…

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a land to the north, called Iowa, a young woman left her rural home to enter a magic land called "College." In that magic land, many wonderful things occurred to change her life. One of them came about as a result of meeting a young man named Warren Allen Smith. Now this was a long before Smitty became a leader in the American Humanist Association, but even then he was an activist. One of his projects was the founding of a group call the Humanists' Club.

It was in attending these meetings that the young woman first encountered information about the Unitarian and Universalist religions. (This was so long ago that the two had not yet merged.) The young woman thought to herself, "Someday I will find one of those churches and become a part of it."

Every fairy tale needs to have a handsome prince, and there is one in this tale, as well. The young woman met him in the magic land. They were married and lived happily ever after.

But there is more to this story. A few years passed and she and her husband moved to Kirkwood. One day, the young woman saw a sign indicating that Eliot Unitarian Fellowship was located up the hill. Sure enough, she found it. It wasn't really a church, just two houses which served as a temporary home for a small group of Unitarians. But before long, the Fellowship had 50 people who were willing to commit to making the group a church.

In the years that have followed, she has contributed much of her time, energy, and funds to Unitarianism. She served as Religious Education Director, a founder of the Nursery School, and on committees too numerous to mention. When events took her family to Illinois, she continued as an active Unitarian at the Green Street church in Urbana, chairing the Board and serving as Canvass Chair.

Some years ago, she and her husband returned to the St. Louis area, where they happily resumed participation in the Eliot family. Eliot is an important part of her life, but to her Unitarian/Universalism is more than Eliot Chapel. She is grateful to be a part of a larger denomination. The blessing of this is that wherever she might go, she can find like-minded people with whom to share a dream of what religion should be. And this June, thousands of those UUs will be coming here, to St. Louis, to share with her and with all of you.

Now, isn't this a fairy tale come true?

Welcome, New Members
- Claire Robertson, Membership Chair

We welcome to membership in Eliot Chapel Mary Jo Mueller, Ginny and Don Luetje, and Lisa Allen, all of whom signed the Membership Book on Apr. 2, and will be eligible to vote at the May 21 Annual Meeting. We're so happy to have you as members and look forward to your full participation in the Eliot Chapel community.

Constructive Engagement Seeks New Members
- David Roundy for the Constructive Engagement Committee

The Constructive Engagement Committee has been in existence for a couple of years at Eliot. They have taken on three primary roles:

• Engaging with members of the congregation on issues that have become, or could become, controversial/confrontational
• Educating the congregation on effective, "safe" communication on potentially controversial matters
• Facilitating Town Hall Meetings of the chapel

Room At The Inn
- Joan and Bill Clarke

Spring is here and with all the yard work, we might wonder if we really do want to live in a house. Maybe an apartment would be a good idea. While we have choices about where we live, many people are grateful to just have a roof over their heads. With your help, Room At The Inn provides that safe place to sleep. Please look at your calendar and see how you can help. We especially need hosts to spend the night. This is an easy job because you have dinner prepared for you and you can go to bed early. By 7:00 a.m. the next morning you can feel good about how you have helped others.

Sign up sheets are on the bulletin board in the hallway.

Tell Your Story
Practice Your Elocution

There are four services for which we need volunteers to do the readings and deliver the welcome.

April 30 - Reader (Both services)
May 21 - Reader (Both services)
May 28 - Welcome & Reader (Memorial Day weekend - one service at 10:00 a.m.)
June 4 - Reader (Both services)

If you can help, please contact Lynn Murphy, or sign up on the bulletin board.

Tiny Threads

Eliot member and nature photographer, Rick Walters, will present a slide show with commentary, "Seeing the Tiny Threads in the Web of Life", on Sun, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Rick's slides will show nature's tiny treasures that most of us walk by and never see. Bring the whole family to see photos of exotic-appearing backyard insects, spiders, mushrooms, and flowers and get ready to explore nature with a whole new level of seeing! Rick's photos have appeared in National Geographic, Audubon, Ranger Rick, and dozens of textbooks.

Coffee and Conversations:
Bereavement

Loss and grief can catch us at unexpected times, even years later. If you have continuing experience of grief, or questions about grief and grief counseling, join Rev. Michael Hennon for this "Coffee and Conversations" on Apr. 30 at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. (This discussion was originally scheduled for Apr. 16.) Michael is a Bereavement Coordinator for Trinity Hospice and a member of Eliot.

Eliot Bible Study

We will meet Mon., May 1 (first Monday of each month) at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. The theme for this month is Christian Apocalypses. Please read Mark, chap. 13 and the Book of Revelation. All are welcome! Contact Rev. Bonnie Vegiard if you have questions, .

Newcomers' Dinner Italiano

Buon Giorno! Are you new to Eliot Chapel, or do you feel new no matter how long you've been here? If so, please join new members, New U alums and new friends of Eliot Chapel on Sunday evening, May 7, for a semi-potluck Italian Dinner sponsored by the Membership Committee from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., in Adams Hall. The lasagna (meaty and vegetarian) will be savory, with cheese pizza for the bambinos; the side dish you bring can have an Italian flair if you wish; and the conversation will be as warm as sun-drenched Italia! Come with "familia" or "o, solo!"

Childcare is provided by reservation (due Apr. 30). If we inadvertently miss you with an invitation, or you'd like to attend, please phone Claire Robertson, Membership Chair, or eamil .

Women's Alliance

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

Tues., Apr. 25 - tours of Pulitzer and Contemporary museums of art at 10:30 a.m. Lunch following. For information contact Fran Ritzinger.

Tues., May 2 - Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness by Richard M. Cohen. Leaders - Judy Garland and Jacqui Buchmiller.

Tues., May 9 - an "extra" meeting to continue the discussion of "History of American Women." Plan to share your memory of a favorite person or incident.

Thanks to all of the kind souls who helped out with our Easter activities or donated cans for the can hunt. We donated over 200 cans to the food pantry, thanks to everyone's generosity!

On Easter, we began handing out Summer Camp registration forms. Summer Camp is from August 7 - 11 and the theme is Stories Buddha Told. We're planning a lot of fun activities and hope you'll be able to join us. Please get your registration forms in as soon as possible so that we can start planning. If you're interested in helping out this year, please contact me.

Finally, as you know by now, we're recruiting for next year's teachers in the children's RE program. We really need our parents and non-parents alike to pitch in and lend a hand. While the 9:15 hour is filling up nicely (although we still need 18 teachers!), the 10:45 hour is terribly understaffed. We only have 1/3 of the teachers we need. Please don't hesitate any longer about signing up. I know that everyone is proud of our Religious Education program, but we can't exist without the support of our church family. I'm looking forward to working with you next year!

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Coming up:
Apr. 23 - Karen Gottschalk will sing the preludes and interludes. Both choirs will sing Greeting the Four Directions by Tim Keene.
Apr. 30 - preludes and postludes by Holly Mead and friends. The 9:15 Choir will sing For the Beauty of the Earth by John Rutter. The 10:45 Choir will sing Paper Reeds by the Brook by Randall Thompson.

Missing Something?

Please check the lost and found for any jackets, scarves, hats, or other items that you may be missing. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of May. The lost and found is located in Adams Hall near the double doors that lead into the hall to the sanctuary.

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