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Inside This Issue

Planning for Next Fall
- Rev. Bonnie Vegiard , Program Minister

While this time of year is often focused on putting plans for fall into place, this spring is little more plan-oriented than usual for me. I will be taking three months sabbatical leave in the fall. Most Eliot folks know that Daniel took two months of sabbatical leave in Jan. and Feb. this year. He completed a men's spirituality curriculum and did some creative work with writing drama.

My sabbatical time will be used to begin a Doctor of Ministry program in theology at Eden Theological School. I will be "out of the office" from Sept. 10 - Dec. 10 in order to take the first semester of my program full-time. Then I will continue the program one class at a time until I finish, which I think will take about three years.

The plans I have to put in place in order to be away for three months include Children's Religious Education activities such as leading Children's Chapel and Family Worship, Adult Religious Education such as Bible Study and book discussion, Caring Committee work, and Covenant Group oversight. We have lots of Eliot people involved in these areas of the church ministry, and I believe we can develop a good plan to proceed. We will also have an intern, as well as our Community Ministers who are often available to help out.

Daniel and I believe that taking fairly short sabbaticals, two or three months at a time, is less disruptive for the church and give us a chance to pursue projects that keep our energy up for ministry. We accrue a month of sabbatical per year of ministry, and we have completed five years! We are careful to plan our times of absence around the needs of the church. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

New Committee Forming
- Mary Quinn, Chair - Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees believes that Eliot Chapel will be facing significant building related issues in the next one to five years that will need funding via a capital campaign. Our last Capital Campaign ended in 2005 and we have approximately $180,000 remaining in the Preservation Fund. We know that the Sanctuary will require much more than is available for repairs and environmental improvements. Another area of concern is the old RE wing which will need serious attention, and there may be other areas that we're not yet aware of.

As a prelude to any definitive action related to a building plan or capital campaign plan, the Board is convening a Building and Capital Advisory Committee. The responsibility of this committee is to:

1. Define the scope of work that a building committee should consider.
2. Define the amount of capital the congregation could be expected to raise.
3. Based on the above, balance the scope of the building needs against possible available funds and recommend to the Board objectives for both a Building Committee and a Capital Campaign Committee.

The Committee will be formed before the annual meeting on May 20 and is expected to have a preliminary report to the Board by the fall. We are drawing on members who have expertise in the building side and the financial side to assure that we are looking at all variables before a decision is made to move forward. Look for more information next fall.

Mother's Day Child Dedications

Eliot Chapel celebrates Mother's Day, May 13, with our traditional Flower Communion Service and child dedications. If your family would like to participate in the child dedications on that day, please contact Rev. Bonnie Vegiard. All children who have yet to be dedicated and their families are welcome to participate. This service is a ceremony which welcomes the child into the family and the congregation, acknowledges the child's name, and offers blessings to them. Please call (314) 821-0911 or email .

And - everyone - don't forget to bring a flower.

Revised Bergfried Policy

At the 2006 Annual Meeting, the congregation voted to table Resolution 2 that had been put forward for a vote, and to create a task force to examine the need for the resolution. The resolution's intent was to clarify roles and responsibilities regarding restricted funds of the Chapel, including the Bergfried Corpus. The Asset Management Task Force consisted of Corinne Esneault (chair), Steve Lawrence and Rich Vaughn. A summary of the Task Force Report was in the March 10, 2007 newsletter; there is a copy of their report in the library and it will soon be on the website [is available online].

One of the key recommendations and action steps was to revise the 1998 Bergfried Policy Statement to clarify language and on-going roles and responsibilities related to the Bergfried Corpus. This responsibility was given to an ad hoc committee consisting of Corinne, Gene Hutchins (chair of the Bergfried Committee), Kate McGrath, Rich Vaughn, Ann Petlin and Steve Lawrence. The new and much-improved Bergfried Policy Statement was presented to the Board of Trustees at the April meeting. The final policy (text following) was agreed upon by the Board and the ad hoc committee and is to be voted on by the congregation at the Annual Meeting on May 20.

History: The property known as "Bergfried" is 670 acres of forested hills and meadows near the confluence of the Gasconade and Missouri Rivers and is nine miles west of Hermann, Missouri. The land was donated to Eliot Chapel by two sisters, Doris Shreve and Julia Lingenfelder, in 1964 as a rural retreat for the congregation. Bergfried was accepted by the members of Eliot Chapel with the understanding that its maintenance would be self-supporting and not a drain on the church. This beautiful land has been enjoyed by congregational members and friends for decades for a variety of activities including spiritual retreat, recreation, education and worship services. A Bergfried Corpus of $100,000 was established by the congregation in 1998 with revenues generated from property, timber, and rock sales. The purpose of this restricted fund is to provide a means for maintenance and improvement of the Bergfried property.

Financial Operating Policy: Bergfried will be maintained, protected and improved in accordance with Bergfried's growth plan and Eliot Chapel's Strategic Plan. Bergfried's finances will be accounted for independent of Eliot Chapel's general operations and in a manner consistent with other Eliot Chapel restricted funds.

Financial support for Bergfried's operations will come from income generated by the Bergfried Corpus. Bergfried also generates other income from timber sales, rock sales, and access fees. Disposition of this income will be determined by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Bergfried Committee.

The Bergfried Corpus may be utilized for extraordinary expenses at either Bergfried or Eliot Chapel, on a case-by-case basis, with approval of the Board and advance communication with the Bergfried Committee. The congregation will be informed of such action 30 days prior to a vote by the Board. If such action reduces the corpus below its approved level, it will be replenished at the earliest time possible by investment growth, exceptional income at Bergfried, or a repayment from Eliot Chapel General Funds.

The Bergfried Committee will submit an annual operating budget request and capital improvement budget developed in conjunction with administrative personnel and will include projected revenues, expenses and net income. Additionally the Bergfried Corpus will be reviewed annually, as part of the budget planning process, to determine if the corpus should be maintained, increased, or decreased. This review will be conducted, at a minimum, by the Eliot Chapel Treasurer, Bergfried Committee, and Bergfried Board liaison. Adjustments to the corpus level will require congregational notification 30 days prior to a vote by the Board.

During the first quarter of each fiscal year, when there is an excess balance in the Bergfried Corpus, its disposition will be determined by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Bergfried Committee.

Town Hall Meeting Reviewed
April 24, 2007
- Rev. Dr. Daniel Ó Connell , Lead Minister

Although an 'official' transcript of what was discussed at the Town Hall Meeting is forthcoming, I thought I'd share some thoughts here.

Advance Notice of the Town Hall Meeting's Purpose?
Several people said that there was no advance notice of the meeting's content or purpose. The reality is that newsletter articles were published on April 7 and on April 21. Additionally, there was almost a full page article in the March 10 newsletter about the Asset Management Task Force (AMTF).

Fairly regularly, individuals will complain that they haven't been informed about something when the information was printed in their newsletter, in their order of service, on the web site, and occasionally announced from the pulpit. To some degree, communication is a two way street. It won't do us much good to put it in the newsletter if people won't read it.

The AMTF [Asset Management Task Force] looked at our 1998 Bergfried policy, and how restricted funds are designated. You can read more about their recommendations in the newsletter and on the web site [summary and complete report]. Basically, it says the 1998 Bergfried policy statement is pretty good, but it doesn't reflect actual practice. So the principles will be the same, but the language will be updated. Also, that there should be a board representative to the Bergfried Committee, and that incoming board members should visit the Bergfried property, among other things.

Transparency & Accountability in Financial Matters.
Some folks said they wanted Chapel financial information in an easier to understand format than the monthly balance sheets we currently post on the Trustee section of the bulletin board between the sanctuary and Adams hall.

I noted that I too was frustrated with our system and that the board and I had engaged a consulting firm (KEB) to document our administrative procedures, and that we had some process issues involved.

Meanwhile, I am asking the congregation's treasurer and our business administrator get together and see if they can come up with something more in keeping with what will be useful to people.

Building and Capital Advisory Committee.
Board president Mary Quinn noted that a task force was being organized to look at our building usage and repair. She also noted that although we have over $100,000 in the Preservation Fund to patch up the sanctuary, it is likely we will need another capital campaign (the last one ended several years ago) to replenish the funds.

Opportunity for Input.
A long time member was concerned that the attendance did not seem to be high at the town hall meeting, that there should be more frequent meetings, and that younger people should attend.

My sense is that we could schedule more town hall meetings, but I don't know about the attendance. I agree more regular congregational input can be a good thing. Perhaps we could do electronic surveys, or somehow give folks more opportunities to be consulted in ways they would actually take advantage of.

Something to remember is that often times, people won't attend a congregational or town hall meeting when they think things are going well: why bother? They may be more likely to attend when they have a beef or are unhappy about something. When that's the case, it can skew the tenor of a meeting.

To be continued in the next issue.

Thank You, Work party

Thanks to the following work party volunteers:
Chris Allen, Kurt Bauer, Kevin Brownfield, Justin Carney, Brian Casey, Bob Coulter, David Cox, Keith Decker, Tom Gayer, Paul Gronier, Georgie Herz, Jerry Higginbotham, Julie Jordan, Curt Kristofitz, Dave Miller, Aaron Nauman, Don Oliver, Eric Olson, Larry Reutter, Dave Schlarman, Brent Vaughn, and anyone else who didn't sign in.

Help Make Bergfried Better

There's big doin's at Bergfried this spring! Do you, or one of your neighbors, have a wooden swing set that's no longer being used? Contact Kelly Birmes; he will pick it up, and install it out at our forest retreat.

We need a crew of people who can commit to a work party on May 19, and we need to know who you are, so we can plan how many jobs we will be able to tackle and how much food to buy. We need to finish up work on the Cottage, which until now has been done by members of the Committee. Please say you'll come! We'd love to make some new friends!

For more information, contact Gene Hutchins or Kate Magrath.

Green Sanctuary Program

Great news! Our Board of Trustees has voted to support Eliot Chapel becoming recognized nationally as a "Green Sanctuary."

A Green Sanctuary is a UU congregation that lives out its commitment to the Earth by creating a sustainable life style for its members - both as individuals and as a faith community. Sustainable living is not about our material comfort (though these choices are an important part of our overall life style); it is about choosing to live in a way that nurtures life, builds relationships, and rejects material consumption as the sole determinant of happiness.

What are the program's goals?

• To build awareness of environmental issues among UUs.
• To generate commitment for personal lifestyle changes.
• To motivate UUs to action on environmental issues.
• To build a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness.
• To build awareness of and rectify environmental injustices.

What will we be doing?
To become recognized as a Green Sanctuary, we need to complete a total of twelve activities in four program areas:

• Worship and Celebration
• Religious Education
• Environmental Justice
• Sustainable Living

Look for activities to start this summer and fall. In the mean time, if you have ideas to share, please contact Bob Coulter at .

Summer Service Sign-Ups

In the good old-fashioned Unitarian Universalist tradition of summer break, we will begin our summer service schedule on Jun. 17 with one service at 10:00 a.m., led by laypersons. We gather to listen to each other's stories and wisdom. Volunteers or groups are invited to step forward with ideas they would like to share with the whole congregation. It's an opportunity to tell of our own spiritual journeys, revelations, experiences, or to choose a topic to explore. Accompanists are available, if requested, but volunteer musicians are also encouraged to step forward. Guidelines are available. Please direct questions to Jane Larson . Sign-up sheets will be posted in the hallway to Adams Hall.

Bible Study

Join us Mon., May 7 at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall for Bible Study. This month we will be looking at an early Christian text which is not included in the Bible, but ordered the earliest worship services in the Christian tradition. The Didache is available on-line at www.earlychristianwritings.com. There are also introductory and commentary material on that site. Rev. Bonnie has printed copies of selections of this material for people who do not have computer access. Eliot Bible study is an open exploration of the texts of the Bible and early Jewish and Christian traditions, examined from a historical and text-critical perspective. All are welcome.

UU Book of the Month

The Book group meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month to discuss a book about Unitarian Universalist history, theology, and practice. On Tue., May 8, we will discuss Blessing the World: What Can Save Us Now by Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker, edited by Robert Hardies.

Be a Builder for Habitat for Humanity
- Lisa Allen

Habitat for Humanity provides homes for families that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford one through low cost loans and sweat equity. Volunteers donate materials and help build. That's where you come in! There are still 5 or 6 openings available for Eliot's build day, Sat. May 19. If this is something you've always wanted to try, now's the time! You don't need any experience, just a sense of humor and some time to spare. Lunch is provided. Let's be a part of something great for the community. If you are interested please contact me. I will provide all the information, including waivers, which you need. Thank you to everyone who has signed up and returned their waivers already. It's going to be a great day!

"New Wine in an Old Bottle"

The last Adult E & E event of the year, "New Wine in an Old Bottle", is a performance of Brahms "Trio Op. 8 for Violin, Cello, and Piano" performed by Lorraine Glass-Harris, violin; Catherine Lehr, cello; and Jeffrey Kurtzman, piano.

The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. on Sun., May 20 in the Sanctuary. All are invited.

Annual Meeting

This year's Annual Meeting is on May 20. Watch for details.

Bergfried Memorial Day Weekend

We will be renting two porta-potties for the Bergfried Memorial Day Weekend Family Camp-Out, May 25 - 28. This is to reward everyone who has put up with the Cistern Chapel all these years, as well as an enticement to you who have not yet sampled the joys of nature by the Gasconade. Please join us, even if you don't like to sleep outdoors: Come for the day, cook your meal over an open fire, take a hike (the nice kind), enjoy the camaraderie around the campfire at night, then go back to civilization, if you can tear yourself away. For more information, contact Gene Hutchins or Kate Magrath.

Bridge

This month's game is the last Saturday of the month, May 26th, at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. Couples and singles welcome. Please contact Sue Webster for reservations. Come and enjoy a relaxing evening of bridge.

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., May 15 - Prairie talk at Eliot by Dot Brenner. Tape Ch. 9 "Prairie."

Tue., May 22 - Spring Luncheon. All attendees must have made a reservation and payment of $12.00 per person by May 10. Contact Carol Hoff.

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

Summer is rapidly approaching. It's time to register for Summer RE if you plan to come to summer services, even occasionally. Forms are now available. We'll have three classes: Nursery; Preschool, for potty-trained children 3 years old through entering Kindergarten in the fall; and Multiage, for children entering 1st grade and older. Our preschoolers will use the literature-based curriculum called "Story Time," while our older kids will explore the deeper messages of Dr. Seuss.

We're also excited about our Summer Camp program, which is from 9:00 a.m. to noon, Aug. 6 through 10. Our children are going to hear Bible stories their whole lives, and we think it's really important for them to hear these stories from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. Summer Camp allows us time to look at the "Stories the Hebrew Prophets Told" more deeply than we can during Sunday RE. We hope that your child(ren) entering Kindergarten through 5th grade will be able to participate. Registration forms are available outside of Joan's office.

Finally, we're still looking for teachers for the 2007-2008 church year. Sometimes I think we should change the name "teacher" to something more descriptive of what we do in RE classes on Sunday mornings. It should be something less school-like; school conjures up images of MAP scores, final exams, and serious business. While we are serious about our children learning and talking about weighty spiritual and ethical concerns, we are also a joyful place. You can find out by signing up to teach next year.

You CAN make a difference in a child's life, and you can do it here at Eliot! Hope you'll consider joining us.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Coming up:
May 6 - Pamela Triplett will sing the prelude and interlude, the 9:30 choir will sing Shenandoah, and the 11:00 choir will sing Holy Spirit by Shelly Jackson-Denham.
May 13 - Children's Chalice Choir will sing The Garden Song by David Mallett. The combined adult choirs will sing Come to my Garden from "A Secret Garden."

What Year Is It?

We are now at the time of year when some people are paying this year's pledge and others are starting to pay next year's pledge. Eliot's current fiscal year (2006-2007) runs from July to June. On July 1, 2007 we begin the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

In order that we may apply pledge payments correctly, please indicate in the memo line of your check whether your payment should be applied to the (current) 06-07 year or the (next) 07-08 year. Or, if the fiscal year is too confusing or you have more important things to remember, please simply note in the memo line the month(s) covered by your pledge payment, and we'll figure it out. Thanks.

Committee Expenses

As we get ready to end the fiscal year, please ensure that any requests for reimbursement are submitted for any outstanding expense. As a reminder, check request forms are in the black boxes on Joy's or JoAnn's door. Receipts must be attached and the request must be signed by an authorized signer (usually the chair of the committee for which the expense was incurred.)

Newsletter Deadlines

The end of the church year is approaching. Don't forget that during the summer we publish two newsletters. If you have summer events you want to publicize, make sure to get the articles in by the deadline.

Deadline / For Issue Dated
Noon on May 9 for May 19 - Jun. 1
Noon on May 23 for Jun. 2 - Jun. 15
Noon on Jun. 6 for Jun. 16 - Jul. 27
Noon on Jul. 18 for Jul. 28 -Aug. 31

Committee Reservations

If your committee or group will continue to meet throughout the summer, please ensure that the office is aware of this. Otherwise, we assume meetings are suspended.

It's not too early to complete room requests to make reservations for next year's meetings and events. Please check with your chair, facilitator, or leader about next year's meetings and events. Please reserve space even if you "always" have had meetings or events at a particular time. We will accept reservations from outside groups beginning July 1. Make sure you're able to reserve the time and space you want…do it now!

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