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Inside This Issue

What is Spirituality?
- Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Program Minister

This semester I have the opportunity to audit a course at Eden Theological Seminary. I enjoy these opportunities to re-engage in conversation around the work of ministry and community, and to recognize what we do here is unique. While we are about making friends, learning new things, and making the world a better place, there are other places where we could do these things. Coming to a religious community does all these things with an added dimension. Many people call that dimension "spirituality."

The course I'm auditing this semester is about spirituality. I thought I'd share some of the conversation with you. Here's a definition of "spirituality" offered in the class, and modified by me. I invite you to mull it over, and if you wish, further the conversation with your own ideas.

"Spirituality is the work of an inner longing and outer potential in our lives calling us to our capacity as human beings to recognize and participate in this potential in ways that redeem harm and promote creativity in all of creation."

Your thoughts?

The Date and Time of Your Death?
- Jim Gender, Stewardship Co-Chair

I have a sealed envelope labeled, "The time and date of your death." I use it as a provocative discussion starter to push students towards the confrontation of self. Responses to this exercise usually break down into three groups.

One group, oddly enough, focuses on what the actual content of the envelope might be. "How can my teacher prognosticate on my fate? What powers must he possess?" These are the literalists; they cannot see beyond the problem and think about the implications of the answer.

The second group invariably seeks to avoid the inevitable. Let's call them the illusionists. Their picture of life never really includes THEM interacting in the rest of reality. They seek some way to escape fate, trying to avoid destiny as if it is a slow-footed ogre. They believe if they are quick-witted and clever they will escape death altogether. Death is something that happens to the weak or people who zigged instead of zagged.

Third, and often in the minority, are the people who see beyond the problem itself. They stop. They think, "What would I do? What do I do NOW? How would this new information affect ME and my Life?" This is the group I call the thinkers. They do not need the information in the envelope revealed to them in order to consider what they would do if they were privy to the future. Instead they wonder, "What AM I DOING NOW? Does this moment make sense?"

Would YOU change the course of your life if you knew the moment of your death?

Your pledge to Eliot extends well beyond what you will receive. Are you willing to give to an organization that invests in community beyond where you would go? Will you support people whom you have never met, noble causes of which you are unaware?

Part of your annual pledge serves to keep the lights on, heat the building, pay our staff, stuff to keep our congregation…shall we say, "comfortable." What good shall we do this year? Save a woman and child from homelessness? Feed a man? Support a village? I cannot open that envelope for you. I can only trust that our congregation will do what we can, in this moment, with all the strength and energy we can give. Thank you for your generous donation to Eliot this year.

Mar. 4, 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. - Canvass Sunday (pledge cards will not be distributed)

Mar. 4 - 18 - Canvass Parties and Pledging

Mar. 18 - 25 - Canvass "Clean-Up" - All pledge cards to be collected

Finders, Keepers
- Susan Maginn, Membership Coordinator

It amazes me to hear how people find Eliot Chapel. It is no simple task; we don't advertise. It seems most new people hear about Eliot through a friend.

However, I've heard a few people say that came to Eliot after they took Beliefnet.com's quiz called Belief-O-Matic. This is a quiz that asks a series of theological questions and then calculates your religious persuasion.

I recently spoke with a man who took the quiz and he was shocked that he scored 100% Unitarian Universalist. He had never heard of Unitarian Universalism before. He quickly surfed around until he found Eliot's website and is now considering membership. He has lived only three miles away from Eliot for years!

When I heard his story, I was delighted that he found his spiritual home after all these years. But I am also saddened by this story, to think that there are so many people out there who are "spiritually homeless." There are so many who are nervous about how to answer their children's questions about God. There are so many people who wonder if their own questions and their own need for healing will ever be welcome in a worshipping community.

After hearing this story that started with Beliefnet and ended at Eliot, I was flooded with questions of my own. Why did this person live three miles from Eliot and not know about us? Are we doing enough to reach out and let people know who we are? If we did reach out more, and this caused more people to come to Eliot, are we ready for this kind of growth?

These are good questions that come to us because we are a vibrant congregation. Our vibrancy is to be celebrated. And, in my opinion, it is to be shared.

Thank You

Thanks to Bill Clarke for making a new poster to advertise Fair Trade coffee and chocolate. Bill took the original poster created by Michael Getty a few years ago, and updated it. Please look for the new poster in Adams Hall and come over to the Fair Trade table to stock up on coffee and chocolate.

Books for the Fair
- Irmgard Voss, Library Committee

Thanks to all who have already donated books. Your tax-deductible donations help raise money for Eliot Chapel.

We will have book sorting in Rooms 002 and 003 on Sat., Feb. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The last day to drop off books for the fair is Mar. 1 at 10:00 a.m.

Room at the Inn
- Joan and Bill Clarke

With this cold and snowy weather, we are fortunate to have a warm, dry place to live. The estimated 1,000 homeless people in St. Louis County are not so lucky. Three times a month Eliot Chapel provides a hot meal and a warm, safe place for the night for 10 homeless people, usually women and children. We are helping a small percentage of those in need, but to those we help, it is a great gift. Thank you for your participation in Room At The Inn.

Shopping Mathematics 201

To review the last lesson, if your household spends $900 a month on groceries, using Schnucks E-scrip or actual scrip, Eliot will earn:

Schnucks tiered income, $18
Schnucks using two E-scrip cards $12
Dierberg's 5% or $45
Shop & Save was $45 (now $54)
Whole Foods 5% or $45

Is that a trick question? No - Shop & Save has upped the ante: if we buy a larger quantity of scrip (which we will) Eliot will earn 6% on purchases and Shop & Save is now offering regular scrip cards, which will hold a balance (like Dierberg's and Whole Food's cards).

So, let's see.
Schnucks: locally owned, lots of stores, income to Eliot: not so much.
Dierberg's: locally owned, great selection, all stores set up the same way: good income to Eliot.
Whole Foods: if you can afford to do all your shopping there, please talk to us at canvass time.
Shop & Save - not what you may remember from their older stores: (Webster and Kirkwood residents especially should consider giving their new and newish stores (Watson near Sappington, Manchester East of Kirkwood Road) a try - they even have an "isotonics" aisle.) And bagging your own can be kind of Zen.

There really may be a shopping hint here.

UUSC - Fast for Darfur

In many Mormon churches there are days set aside when families fast, then donate the money they would have spent on food, to the church.

With this in mind Eliot's UUSC committee is announcing Mar. 18 to be "Fast for Darfur day".

We want to both raise awareness of the condition of the Sudanese refugees and raise money for the UUSC Darfur Relief Fund.

We ask that on Mar. 18 the congregation of Eliot fast, or just refrain from eating out; then donate the money you would have spent for those meals.

On Mar. 11 and 18 there will be a table in Adams hall to sign up and donate.

The Genocide in Sudan continues. With this small sacrifice you can make a difference. Thank you

Creating Family Rituals with and for Children

We Unitarian Universalists don't have handed down to us the carefully prescribed traditions of many other faiths, so we have to figure out on our own and with each other how to practice our beliefs by incorporating them into our daily, weekly, and holiday family traditions. The routines and rituals of our family life provide meaning and security, teach our values, help children cope with the stress and strain of normal daily transitions and larger events, and provide rich memories. Join other parents for an hour-long workshop on Feb. 25 in Room 001 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., organized by the Family Support and Outreach Committee. The program will be a moderated discussion (with a possibility for a longer series held at a later date) based upon the work of Meg Cox, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, New Jersey. She is the author of The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Everyday (Running Press, 2003).

UU Book of the Month

The Book of the Month group, canceled on Feb. 13, is re-scheduled for Feb. 27. We will discuss Out of the Flames. The book for the March 13 meeting is also available from Rev. Bonnie. It is Reason and Reverence an exploration of contemporary religious humanism by William Murray, for $16.00. The book discussion group meets in Adams hall at 7:00 p.m., usually the second Tuesday of each month.

Bible Study

Join us as we continue our exploration of the Hebrew Bible, this time turning to one of the Major Prophets. Scholars believe that Jeremiah may have written the book of Deuteronomy, which we explored in January and February. For the Mar. 5 Bible Study we will read the book of Jeremiah, a book most likely written in exile after the Babylonians destroyed the country. All are welcome to join us at 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 5, in Adams Hall.

Book Fair 2007

In Adams Hall

Fri., Mar. 9 from 2:00 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 2:00 p.m.

(*Admission charge Friday only, $3/person or $5/family.)

Singles' Lunch

Eliot Singles group will meet for lunch at 12:30 p.m. the 2nd Sunday of every month (next, Mar. 10) at Culpepper's Restaurant in Kirkwood. Anyone interested in finding out more about Eliot Singles is welcome to join us. You can meet with us in Visitor's Corner in Adams Hall after the 2nd service or at the restaurant. Contact Cara Sanning if you have any questions.

Sausage Getaway - Mark A. Nissen

This year's version of the FUN committee Committee's Road Trip is Wurstfest in Hermann. The Hermann Chamber of Commerce sponsors this event, held Mar. 24th and 25th this year. Join Hermann's "Best of the Wurst Fest" with an overnight stay, perhaps at Eliot's Bergfried campground. Saturday offers sausage sampling and a Showboat theatre performance. Sunday provides Firehouse Sausage Breakfast and Wiener Dog Championship. Event tickets are required but an overnight campout and activities at Bergfried are FREE. The FUN committee will have field games and hiking. Camp there overnight and enjoy an evening campfire before the bugs and heat of summer arrive. There is an inclement weather shelter available.

More information about Hermann and the Wurstfest can be found at www.hermannmo.com and details about Bergfried can be obtained at the Bergfried page.

We also need volunteers for this event at Bergfried and others coming up. Please join the FUN Committee if you can lead games, care for children, or float on a raft. It's never complicated and it's always FUN.

So, Sit, and have a Nice Matzo

This year's Seder Dinner is Apr. 1. The dinner commemorates the events leading up to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. for the 5:30 p.m. event in Adams Hall. For those wishing to help with set-up at 4:00 p.m., please contact Larry Ross at . Sign up sheets will be placed on the bulletin board. Everyone will be asked to bring a salad, a main course, or desert for eight people. Since this is a restrictive dietary event (no shell fish, pig products, or leavened baked goods), recipes will be available. Please request one in your e-mail. The Seder Committee looks forward to seeing you.

Women's Weekend
Save the Date - Apr. 28 & 29

This year, there is a new location and a new schedule. The Pallotine Renewal Center in Florissant (off North Lindbergh) features a chapel-in-the round, swimming pool, and security. The new schedule will have three workshops instead of two, "Tea Time", and a Coffee House.

Volunteers are needed for hospitality, Sunday services, and a few other tasks. Contact Carolyn Burke for more information or to volunteer. Keep your eye on the WW web page for updates. Registration begins on Mar. 4.

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. 27 - Ileen Murray of the St Louis Genealogical Society, speaker. Coordinator - Mary Lu Durbin

Tue., Mar. 6 - His Excellency George Washington by Joseph Ellis. Leader - Mary Widmer

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

Please read the article on "Creating Family Rituals With and For Children, a one-hour workshop on Feb. 25th found on page 3 of this newsletter. This will be a wonderful opportunity for you to share your family traditions and learn from others.

Spring teachers, don't forget that Teacher Planning Coffees are Mar. 4 in Room 001 from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. for 9:30 a.m. teachers and from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. for 11:00 a.m. teachers. Members of the Teacher Support Committee will be on hand to answer questions or help team members problem solve. Childcare will be provided in Room 002. These coffees are an excellent way for all of the team members to get together and discuss the rest of the year, have a donut or coffee, and work through any issues that may have arisen.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Coming up:
Feb. 25 preludes will be sung by Karen Gottschalk. The 9:30 a.m. choir will sing What a Wonderful World and the 11:00 a.m. choir will sing Lacrymosa by Mozart.
Mar. 4 preludes and postludes will be played by the Kim Portnoy Jazz Trio. The Chalice Choir will sing and the adult choirs will combine to sing the anthem.

On Mar. 4 the Friends of Music will sponsor a concert featuring a variety of chamber works for winds, including the Mozart Quartet for flute and strings, K.285a, performed on period instruments; Beethoven's Trio Op. 87 for two oboes and English horn; Schumann's Fantasy Pieces for clarinet and piano, Op. 73; and Gordon Jacob's Trio for two oboes and English horn. The concert is at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, free.

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