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Inside This Issue

A Gift to Eliot
- Mary Quinn, Chair - Board of Trustees

A special thank you goes out to those who generously gave a gift to Eliot during the holiday season.

The following donors enriched Eliot's coffers by $7,500 and at the same time were blessed by the experience of giving. A reminder to all that the spirit and practice of generosity is not limited to a particular season but can be experienced at any time. Perhaps a gift from the heart for Valentine's Day? Or in gratitude for having heat and light?

Marilyn Barker, Clint and Sue Blandford, Chris and Angie Bowland, Barbara Bleisch, Bob Coulter, Jan and Bill Erdman, Carol and Bob Hoff, Matt and Tracey Koch, Steve Lawrence and Carol Moreland, Jim Lyon and Flo Reaves, William Miller, Don Oliver, Revs. Daniel O'Connell and Bonnie Vegiard, Ann Petlin and Dee Hodge, Mary Quinn, Irmgard Voss, Elisa Voss and Steve Lewis, Dave Snetsinger and Barbara Redmond, Julie and George Triplett, and Jeanne Wilke.

Making the World a Better Place
- Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Program Minister

Are you interested in Social Action at Eliot? Come celebrate with us, and join our Social Action initiatives. On Sun., Feb. 4, all of our active Social Action groups will be in Adams Hall with information and opportunities for you to get involved. We invite you to browse the tables, ask questions, and find a good fit for your enthusiasm. Come find out about:

· Green Sanctuary program (environmental activism)
· Partner Church Committee (supporting a parish in Romania)
· Room at the Inn (housing the homeless in St. Louis)
· Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
· Habitat for Humanity
· Kirkcare (local food pantry and meals to homebound)
· Eliot's Social Action Committee

Eliot Connections
- Susan Maginn, Membership Coordinator

Research in congregational life has shown that one indicator of a person being completely integrated into a congregation is if s/he can identify having 7 close friendships from within the congregation.

It is not easy to make friends, and close friendships are particularly precious. When I look back in my life, I see that my friendships have been formed by a common experience: someone who grew up in the same neighborhood, someone I went to school with, a roommate. At Eliot, we can meet people any time we walk in the door. But to develop friendships we'll probably need to go a bit deeper than coffee hour.

There are many programs at Eliot that bring people together - classes, covenant groups, circle suppers, and social gatherings of many kinds. I hope that you will continue to look for the opportunities at Eliot that spark curiosity within you. When you show up and look around the room, there might just be a close friendship waiting.

Welcome!
Ellen Cowell, January 7, 2007

Each Sunday, a member of the Eliot community delivers the Sunday Morning Welcome. They share a personal story about how they came to be at Eliot Chapel.

I've been attending Eliot Chapel with my family for perhaps 3 or so years. Kevin and I were married at the First Unitarian Church in Alton about 12 years ago. We have two boys, ages 6 and 8. We have found Eliot a very welcoming place to learn as adults and to help our children have a religious upbringing. So, not very long after we all were attending, we made a choice to become pledging members. I have really enjoyed teaching Sunday school and meeting new people of all ages here at Eliot. Gradually we have participated in more of the available activities like camping at Bergfried, Chili and Games, Family Potlucks, and the UU Marital Enrichment program. Our two boys have really, really loved their religious education classes during the school year and the summer. Our family has had many meaningful experiences here at Eliot and plans to continue that pattern. For those of you considering Eliot Chapel, we welcome you with open minds and hearts.

Congratulations ...

to Tracey Howe-Koch for becoming the UUSC Regional Coordinator for Central Midwest District - Lower Illinois and Upper Missouri

Our Sympathy

To Marcia McIntyre on death of her brother.

To Brent and Rena Vaughn on the death of Rena's father.

To Loretta and Tony Ponzar on the death of Loretta's father.

Book Sorting

The Library Committee and Women's Alliance will have book sorting in Rooms 002 and 003 on the following Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Feb. 03, Feb. 10, and Feb. 24.

Book Donors
- Irmgard Voss, Library Committee

The Library Committee and Women's Alliance appreciate all donations made so far and further welcome all your "get rid of" books for some one else's use and enjoyment. Your tax-deductible donations help raise money for Eliot Chapel. Please drop off books at the Eliot Library at your earliest convenience. It takes a lot of time to sort, pack up and price the books. Thank you.

Book Fair Set-up
- Irmgard Voss, Library Committee

The following are dates and times for set-up in Adams Hall:

Wed., Mar. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. table set-up.
Wed., Mar. 7 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. bringing books from the storage room to tables in Adams Hall.
Thu. Mar. 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. book set-up in Adams Hall.

We need helpers from the congregation. A sign-up sheet will be passed around on Feb. 11, and Feb. 18, at the beginning of both services. Please, mark these days on your calendar, iPod, or Apple iPhone (ha,ha).

How Now, Dow?

As a reminder, Eliot Chapel is able to receive gifts of stock in payment of pledges or as other donations. With the market doing better, and many corporations again declaring capital gains, you might be in a position where a donation of appreciated securities would be financially advantageous to you. As a general rule, if securities are donated to a not-for-profit organization, the gain since acquisition is not taxable to the donor.

Please consult your financial advisor for specific advice, and if you would like to pay your pledge or make an additional donation (a belated Xmas gift, perhaps?), please call JoAnn in the office for stock transfer instructions.

Spring Con is just around the Corner

Eliot Chapel is hosting the Spring District UU Youth Conference Mar. 2nd through 4th!!

The Con is planned and run by the Senior High Youth at Eliot Chapel. Our group, no matter how big it may seem, is in need of volunteers; and YOU can help.

We need assistance ranging from chaperoning, helping out in the kitchen, leading a workshop, to lending large coolers for beverages and percussive instruments for a drum circle. In addition, we are seeking Home Hospitality for adult advisors from out of town.

If you have a special skill or field of knowledge that you think would interest UU Youth, please consider holding a workshop during the Con.

We will be making personal care packages to donate to the Room at the Inn program as a social action project and are collecting toothbrushes and personal sized toothpaste, shampoo, soap, conditioner, and deodorant. Please place them in the box outside the Senior High room. Thank you for your assistance and never-ending support for our Senior High Program. Anything you could do would help to make the Con a success.

Please contact Misha Davydov at if you can help in any way.

Bergfried Fields and Forest
- Jim Lyon, Bergfried Committee

Many thanks to: Jim and Jacob Hershey, Mark and Michael Nissen, Jeff Pack, Dale Smith, and Rich Vaughn who helped with regeneration thinning at Bergfried since last June. This is an ongoing effort to prevent some of Bergfried's highest quality timberland from becoming a sugar maple monoculture.

Volunteers are needed for the meadow burns that will take place between now and mid-March. The object of the burning is too enhance wildlife habitat and reduce woody plants. We would like to add some younger people to the burn crew, so if you are between 18 and 50 please contact me at for more information. Training will be provided on the day of the burn. - Jim Lyon

The Terrific Two "C"s
- Beth Rossow

Help to raise funds for Eliot Chapel while enjoying terrific coffee and chocolate. Stop by the Fair Trade Coffee/Chocolate table after either service to stock up on regular or decaf, beans or ground, all in Eliot's special label. We also have several types of specialty coffees: French Roast, Espresso Liscio, and Brazilian Poco Fundo. A special order coffee brochure is available at our table; special orders are delivered 1-2 weeks after you place your order. The specialty coffee of the month for February is Nicaraguan Segovia, a "dark coffee with sweet chocolate and woody tones". When you order this coffee in February, the price is $10 per bag.

All organic Fair Trade chocolate is also available in several varieties: very dark chocolate, dark chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate, dark chocolate with cocoa nibs, mint chocolate, and chocolate espresso bean. The chocolate bars make wonderful Valentine presents as well as after church snacks.

We thank our regular customers for their support.

Gift Cards for Eliot are back!

On January 29th there will be a table after each service to accept your gift card orders for Eliot.

The order form can be downloaded from the Eliot web site at http://www.eliotchapel.org/scrip.htm or picked up from the table on the 29th. The Eliot form is an amended list of all of the possibilities. If you don't find what you are looking for, take a look at the complete list of available merchants at http://www.glscrip.com/report/productlistreport.aspx (pdf file) or see http://www.glscrip.com/ for more information. If you would like to order something not on our order form, write it in at the bottom of the form.

You may want to start placing a monthly order for the purchases you make on a regular basis, such as gas or your morning coffee from Starbucks or St. Louis Bread Co. (Panera). Also, don't forget that you can use gift cards for major purchases: appliances from Sears, Home Depot, or Lowes; or electronics from Circuit City or Best Buy. You can also order from American Airlines, Marriott, Hyatt, and Comfort Inns (sorry, no Motel 6). While you're relaxing on vacation or enjoying your new large screen projection TV, you could have the added satisfaction of knowing that your purchase helped Eliot, too!

For more information, contact Barb Bleisch or Matt Koch .

Thanks for your participation!

UUSC - Drumbeat for Darfur
- Matt Koch

Drumbeat for Darfur is the name of this year's campaign to end genocide in Sudan. The three objectives for the campaign are:

1. Protect civilians - especially women - from the ongoing violence.
2. Promote a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
3. Hold perpetrators of the genocide accountable for crimes against humanity.

The UUSC has teamed with Save Darfur to stop the genocide in the Sudan. Most recently [it] has sent Gov. Bill Richardson from New Mexico to Darfur. A 60-day cease fire has been negotiated while they work for a lasting peace. Here is how you can start helping:

• Write a letter to the editor, your Congressperson, the President or the UN Secretary General demanding that they act now to stop the Genocide.
• Learn about what is going on and how we got to this position.
• Donate to the cause, so others have the resources to end this genocide.

All of this can be done from either the UUSC or Save Darfur websites (www.uusc.org or www.savedarfur.org). I will put information from the UUSC in Visitors' Corner.

Announcing Adult E&E

Two upcoming Adult E & E programs, both in the sanctuary at 7:00 p.m.:

Jan. 28 - "The Secret Bible." Rabbi Joe Rosenbloom will be sharing his thesis that the Bible was originally a secular history with God added after the fact. Come for what is sure to be a provocative discussion and book signing.

Feb. 11 - "Verklaerte Nacht." Configurations, a chamber music group, will be performing this work and providing interpretation of the German poem it is based on: a conversation between a man and a woman about the "illegitimate" child the woman is carrying.

Eliot Bible Study

On Mon., Feb. 5, Rev. Bonnie Vegiard and Eliot Chapel will welcome Rabbi John Franken to lead our monthly Bible Study. Rabbi Franken will talk about the book of Deuteronomy and modern Jewish perspectives on the laws of the Torah. Please read Deuteronomy, and if you are ambitious, also Leviticus, for the discussion that night. All are welcome to join this open, free-thinking Bible Study group. Meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall.

A Flush beats a Straight

The poker group is looking for new players to join us Thu., Feb. 8. The group may have to go on hiatus; the active membership has declined. Come to Children's Chapel on the second Thu. at 7:00 p.m. for a couple of hours of friendly wagering.

Crucial Conversations
- Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Program Minister

Have you ever been in a conflicted conversation where you could not seem to make your point or understand the other person? Most of us don't have to go back any further than, oh, say, yesterday to remember such a conversation. Conflict is simply a recurrent part of our lives.

There are many conflict management books or DVDs out there. They teach important skills. But skills aren't learned by reading about them. They are learned by practice.

The Constructive Engagement Team invites you to come practice these skills on Sat., Feb. 10, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. We use the book Crucial Conversations and engage in exercises aimed at practicing these skills. We think that better understanding of oneself and others in conflict significantly improves your own sense of peace and confidence. Good communication skills help home life and church life flow more smoothly. We offered this seminar two years ago to a full room of 20 people, who were impressed and excited about the new skills.

Please sign up for this day-long seminar. We ask you to read the book in advance. Rev. Vegiard will have 10 copies available for $12.50.

Partner Church Trivia Night
- Sue Blandford

The Partner Church Trivia FUNdraiser is coming Sat., Feb.10. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with trivia starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets will go on sale for $15 per person after both services on Jan. 21. You can organize a table of 8 people or just buy a single ticket and we will seat you with other singles or doubles. Get your covenant group or a group of friends to buy a table together. The emphasis is on FUN. This year we will offer babysitting for a nominal fee if you let us know by Jan. 28 that you will need a sitter.

This is a FUNdraiser for our partner church, St. Martin, in Transylvania, Romania. Popcorn, brownies, soda and coffee will be provided, but you may bring your own food or drink of choice.

UU Book of the Month

Our Feb. meeting will take place on Tue., Feb. 13, 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. The book for this month is Out of the Flames by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. This book is a narrative history of the religious, political, and scientific revolutions of the 16th century that influenced the life of Michael Servetus, an anti-Trinitarian reformer. The book is available from www.uua.org/bookstore (Rev. Bonnie has already sold out of the pre-ordered copies.) All are welcome to join this book discussion group focusing on theology and history written by and about Unitarians and Universalists.

Eliot Hiking Group Update

Welcome! If you would like to be added to the list for hiking group updates, you can contact Laura Mullen at .

Details of each monthly hike will be sent by email about one week prior to the hike.

Here are the basics:
· Let Laura know if you are planning on attending
· Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Eliot Parking Lot to carpool
· Leave around 9:15
· Bring $5 for the drivers of the carpools for drives over 1 hour
· Kids are welcome!!
· Bring your lunch and drinks

Upcoming events:
Feb. 24 - Rockwoods State Park, a 30 minute drive.
Mar. 24 - Hawn State Park near Saint Genevieve (Hwy 55). a 75 minute drive.
Apr. 21 - Little Grand Canyon in Illinois, a 2 hour drive.
May Bike Ride TBD

We have a plethora of fun events coming up in the near future with something of interest for everyone who enjoys the outdoors.

Book Fair 2007

Plan to attend:

Fri., Mar. 9 from 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Sun. Mar. 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

(Admission charge Friday only.)

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.

Tue., Feb. 6 - Zorro by Isabel Allende. Leader - Carol McKirgan.

Religious Education (RE) News
- Joan Casey, RE Director,

For our younger children, we're offering our annual spiritual retreat for 3 to 6 year olds on Sat., Feb. 3 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Registration forms are available online and outside Joan Casey's office. They are due back by Jan. 28. The Family Support and Outreach Committee is planning a rejuvenating retreat that celebrates our Dynamic Dads and the men in our lives. Moms and dads are all welcome to share this special morning with their young children.

Also on Sat., Feb. 3, we'll have our kids coffeehouse at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. It's not too late to sign up to perform. Sign-up sheets are on the RE bulletin board by Adams Hall and outside of the Senior High room. If you've got a buffo act - we'd love to have you participate. It promises to be a fun evening for everyone. GATE partners (our 6th grade students and their adult partners), who will gather in Adams Hall at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy their annual spaghetti dinner, will help run the evening.

And finally, our spring semester family potluck is on Sat., Feb. 17 at 5:00 p.m. Potlucks are a great way to get to know other RE families in a relaxed situation. Everyone should bring a main dish and a side dish (e.g., salad, veggies, fruit, or bread). Be sure to bring more than enough to feed your family, so that we have enough to share. We'll provide cupcakes for a cupcake walk so everyone will win a dessert. There will be curriculum and other spring semester information to pick up. And members of the various RE Council committees (Children's Chapel, Curriculum, Family Support and Outreach, Special Events, and Teacher Support) will be on hand to answer your questions.

We had an informative Spring Teacher Orientation on a cold Monday night, with nearly all of our incoming teachers attending. I want to thank our Teacher Support team (chair Susan Pritchett, Lisa Beck, Julie Jordan, Carol Moreland, Teresa Reeves, and Cat Wood) for their work putting together the evening. Many thanks to our dedicated Fall Teachers: at 9:30 - Lori Allen, Mike Antoine, Lea Ann Baker, Paul Bauer, Juliette Crone-Willis, Wendy Cutshaw, Susan Duncan, Amy Endrizal, Jamie Fitzgerald, Kim Fitzgerald, Tracey Howe-Koch, Cordell Jeffries, Christi Lemery, William Lemon, Adrienne Linden, Holly McKinney, Jeff McKinney, Eva Merrell, Marlene Mestres, Jeff Morris, Jane Pack, Natalie Rekittke, Sandra Rhodes, Ellen Smith, Sarah Stuhlsatz-Krouper, Rich Vaughn, Susan Vent, Dianne Wagner, Rich Wagner, Karol Walters, and Chris Young-Pour.

At 11:00 - Hilary Babcock, Stacy Bereza-Bowen, Dotty Brenner, Beth Campbell-Blethroad, Trish Champion, Bob Coulter, Ellen Cowell, Denise DeGhelder, Sarah Engle, Betsy Fallstrom, Cindy Haynes, Jennifer Henderson, Mary Hill, Holly Ingraham, Terry Smith Keller, Doris Kutz-Compton, Julie Leemann, Leslie Loving, Dave Maguire, Margo McIlroy, Helen McIntosh, Lynn Murphy, Douglas Riggs, Sandy Riggs, Katy Rock, Leslie Scherrer, Rachel Spann, Judy Stucki, Martin Taveras, Mike Teepe, Shelly Teepe, Brent Vaughn, Lisa Ward, Harold Waxman, LK Wilhelms, and Cat Wood. Thanks to everyone for supporting our RE program.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Coming up:
Jan. 28 - Children's Chalice choir will sing for the chalice lighting. Preludes by Kathie Price and Rich Heuermann. At 9:30 choir sings Love is a Light and at 11:00, Woyaya.
Feb. 4 - Music Sunday will be led by Dr. Leon Burke III. The recent 100th birthday of Albert Einstein has inspired Leon to explore the connections between music and science, and spirit and body. Eliot's combined choirs will sing excerpts from Robert Howard's Doctor Einstein Speaks and Mozart's Laudate Dominum with soprano soloist Karen Gottschalk and special musicians.

On Sun., Jan. 28, at 1:00 p.m., the famed St. Louis string quartet, Quartet Seraphin, will present a musical and dramatic program entitled "Beethoven Unplugged". This humorous and enlightening portrait will plug audiences into the magic of his music and the empire of his mind. Fun for both children and adults. The concert will conclude by 2:15 p.m. and is brought to you by Friends of Music.

2006 Tax Statements

During January, we are sending statements of charitable contributions (tax statements) to everyone who contributed (in total) $250 or more to Eliot Chapel during the 2006 calendar year (Jan. - Dec.). For most people who pledge, this will include payments made for two different fiscal years (July 2005 - June 2006 and July 2006 - June 2007, the current fiscal year). As a reminder, not all checks written to Eliot are tax-deductible, the most obvious example being checks for grocery scrip.

If you made less than $250 in charitable contributions during 2006, your check(s) will be your receipt(s) for tax purposes.

Help Wanted

Emerson UU Chapel seeks a creative, resourceful, fun-loving Part-time Youth Director for Senior Youth Group. Applications can be sent to: Youth Director Search Committee, Emerson UU Chapel, 73 Strecker Rd., Ellisville MO 63011.

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