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Inside This Issue

It's General Assembly Time
- Jan Chamberlin

The annual General Assembly of UUs will be held Jun. 20 - 24 in Portland Oregon. Our own Dr. Leon Burke III will be conducting the GA choir in a concert on Sunday afternoon. Eliot Chapel is entitled to 11 delegates to vote on issues in the plenary sessions. If you are planning on making the trip and would like to be an official Eliot delegate, please talk to Rev. Daniel O'Connell or me. So far, we have Pat and Gary Gray, Jane Larson, Lynn Murphy, Judy Highfill, Barbara Bleisch, and me. We also will need someone to "carry the banner" in the opening ceremony parade. Proceedings will probably be available on streaming video. For more information go to the UUA website www.uua.org/ga.

Eliot Chapel Board of Trustees 2007 - 2008

Elected in May 2007 for a * one year term, ** two year term, or *** three year term.

Board Secretary will be appointed from among the Board members in June.

Eliot's Web Site

Many thanks to Dotty Storer for three years of wonderful volunteer work as Eliot's web master. Dotty has retired from this position as of May 31, which means
1. Those of you who have sent web updates to Dotty personally now must send them to
2. We will not be making major changes to the site as we transition to a new format and new web master. Please bear with us.

Kits for Kids

The Social Action Committee is having a "Kits for Kids" drive all through the summer to support Circle of Concern, a food pantry and assistance program in nearby Valley Park. Please consider adding a few of the following items to your weekly shopping list, or make it a family service project to gather a "Kit" each month:

• peanut butter and jelly
• boxed cereal
• Spaghetti-os and canned pastas
• macaroni and cheese
• applesauce and fruit cups
• 100% fruit juice in plastic jugs or juice boxes
• other kid-friendly foods
• coloring books, activity books, and fun educational workbooks
• crayons or markers

Welcome!
- Jan Erdman, May 20, 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.

WMy husband and I have been coming to Eliot Chapel since 1999...newcomers by many standards!

I'm a Jewish girl from Chicago and Bill is a Lutheran guy born and raised on a farm, so finding a spiritual home was no easy matter. Our kids were too old for RE when we half-heartedly began our search, and we were, I'll admit, reluctant to give up our Sundays.

However, we took the plunge and started coming to Eliot. I remember that our first visit turned out to be Canvas Sunday! Undeterred, we continued attending and have found a pretty good fit for our needs.

Bill has musical talents and so the choir is a joy for him. We both attend Covenant Groups (separate ones, of course!) and I have just completed my three year term on Eliot's Board of Trustees.

Eliot's greatest gift to me has been the opportunity for new friendships with bright, caring, generous, and energetic people. New friends at this stage of life are a dividend that I treasure.

Bill and I choose to give our time and money to the Chapel because we think that it is our job as members. But, what is inside the door at Eliot is worth every penny.

Congratulations

To Janet and Ben Gleason and big sisters Maia and Addie on the birth of Zoe Aneta Gleason.

In Memoriam

John Lewis

Trivia Night Profits Well Spent

The following is a thank you letter from Sandor Varga, the minister of our Partner Church in Transylvania, Romania. The Romanian government recently returned a building that had belonged to St. Martin Church. It was empty and the church members wanted to try to make it into a guest house for people visiting the village. You helped make that happen!

Dear Friends at Eliot Chapel,

We are grateful for your support of $2,000 toward the rebuilding of the guesthouse. I already have started talking to the plumber about the details of the job

We are borrowing $500 from the loan fund to pay for materials. We are adding $200 from our own budget to pay for additional materials and we have three professional builders who will donate their time to complete the refurbishing. We hope to gain a 10-12 bed guest house in the end. We are already organizing volunteers to clean up the yard, and to clean out the well. The Woman's Alliance volunteered to supply the curtains; we may even have a few pieces of small furniture for the rooms (although we could use a night table and a dresser). Once it is done it will look phenomenal.

It goes without saying that visitors from Eliot Chapel will always receive priority in getting hosted in the guest house. We hope to see you here very soon and very frequently.

On behalf of the congregation of Nyaradszentmarton we want to thank you for your financial support of this project

God bless you all.

Meditation Dates

The Meditation Group will meet at 7:00 p.m. in Children's Chapel on: Jun. 19, Jul. 24, Aug. 7, and Sep. 11.

Go Canoeing
- Lori Allen

Canoe the upper Meramec with the FUN Committee Sun. Jun. 24. We'll leave from Adventure Outdoors, which offers camping for Saturday night, at around 10:30 a.m. Adventure Outdoors is 86 miles (1.5 hours) from Eliot. Their shuttle will put us in around highway 8 and we float back to the campgrounds, passing Meramec Springs, and having lunch along the way. Come on Saturday for camping or early Sunday for canoeing. We'll be off the river around 4 p.m. for the trip home. Call (800) 324-2674 to reserve a campsite. Contact Lori Allen at so we know you're coming. Bring sun block, swim wear, creek shoes, glasses strap, beverages, and a gravel bar picnic.

Singletarians

The quarterly planning meeting is on Jun. 24 at 1:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. All adult singles are welcome to help plan our next social events. Bring your own lunch or snack. Soda and tea will be provided.

Men's Advance Planning Meeting

Men interested in planning for the 2008 Men's Advance camping trip to Bergfried will meet on Thu., Jun. 28, 7:00 p.m. at the home of Scott Marshall. RSVP to Scott.

Bridge

Please note: there is a change in the date for the June game - from Sat., Jun. 23 to Sat., Jun. 30 at 7:00 p.m. in Adams Hall. Couples and singles welcome. Please contact Sue Webster for reservations.

Circle Suppers

The final Circle Suppers for this year will be held on Jun. 30th and Jul. 7th. Come meet new friends and share a pot-luck dinner in a private home. Contact Doris Yohe.

Softball Game

The annual Eliot Softball game is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 11:00 a.m.

UU Book of the Month

Next fall we plan to continue the book discussion group, but we will re-read three of the most popular books for the first three months. Current group members will facilitate the discussions for Oct., Nov., and Dec. during Rev. Bonnie's sabbatical leave. Mark your calendars for discussing Heretic's Faith on Tue., Oct. 8, Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism on Tue., Nov. 13, and Out of the Flames on Tue., Dec. 11. Books may be ordered online from www.uua.org/bookstore.

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., Jun. 19 - St. Louis City Library Tour. Coordinator - Janie Fowler.
Tue., Jun. 26 - Tour of Dottie Brenner's prairie garden. Meet at Eliot 9:30 a.m. and bring a sandwich.
Tue., Jul. 3 - Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Leader - Sue Stivers
Tue., Jul. 17 - Discussion of proposed book list. Sue Webster and Peggy Lashley

Eliot Nursery School

There are some spaces available for the 2007 - 2008 school year. Please call Anne Marie Schweiss at (314) 821-0982 for more information.

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

I can't help but look back over our church year as I write the last article of the year. We have so many happy memories to cache away - looking out at the laughing faces of our Secret Pals (next year we'll call you Pumpkin Pals) during Christian Misner's magic show; the fall potluck when so many folks came and the weather allowed us to all go outside and play; watching the kids collect cans and eggs during our Easter service; working hard with the GATE partners at the St. Louis Area Food Bank by loading boxes of food for hungry families; saying our goodbyes at our Milestones Service on Jun. 10; and so many more activities.

I want to thank all of our amazing volunteers who made these memories possible, from our teachers to our committee members who plan, work, and create this wonderful community for our children and families here at Eliot Chapel.

But all good things must come to an end, and so let's say goodbye to the 2006-2007 church year. Now it's time to register your children for Summer Religious Education classes if you plan to attend any of the summer services. We also hope to see a lot of our friends entering Kindergarten through 5th grade at Summer Camp (Aug. 6-10). We'll accept registration through Jun. 30. Registration forms for both camp and RE are available outside of 's office. For those of you taking the summer off, we look forward to seeing you all again in the fall.

Blessings for a safe and happy summer.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Summer Prelude Music

Jun. 17 Jim Gender and friends
Jun. 24 Liz Sale plays flute
Jul. 1 Kate Magrath
Jul. 8 Ronni Kahn
Jul 15 Kate Magrath
Jul. 22 Philip Rock

Scrip News

We've switched from $25 gift cards to $50 gift cards for Shop & Save. Unlike the former paper certificates, these cards carry a balance. If you're a Shop & Save shopper, or think you might like to be one, stop by the scrip table Jul. 15 and try some - the friendly volunteers would welcome your feedback, too. (Your thoughts on making the same change for Whole Foods, too.)

Summer Office Hours Extended

This summer, the office will not close early on Friday. Office hours will remain the same throughout the year.

Newsletter Change Begins in August

Beginning with the Sep. 1 issue, we will begin a trial of a once-a-month newsletter. The deadline will be noon the 20th of every month; the mailing date will be the last Wed. of the month. If the 20th falls on a weekend, the deadline will be noon on the following Monday. We hope this will eliminate much of the confusion about when articles need to be submitted to give readers adequate notice of events and opportunities. Each issue will cover the entire current month and the first part of the following month.

Pledges

Eliot's fiscal year ends on Jun. 30. To assist those who may be unsure of where they stand toward completing their pledges, we mail the 4th quarter statement early in June, rather than at the end of the month. If you have questions about your statement, please contact the office. Thanks to all who are completing their pledge payments prior to year-end.

As a reminder: please be sure to note the month(s) you are paying on the memo line of your pledge checks. Especially at this time of year, some people are finishing up and others are starting next year.

Reverends' Summer Calendar

Rev. Dr. Daniel Ó Connell will be out of the office, on vacation and study leave, from Sun., Jul.1 through Wed., Aug. 15. He will be back in the office and on a regular schedule Thu., Aug. 16, 2007.

Rev. Bonnie Vegiard will be on vacation from Sun., Jul. 1 through Tue., Jul. 31. She will be back in the office on Aug. 1, 2007. She will be "out of the office" on sabbatical from Sep. 10 through Dec. 10.

Scrip Summer Sales

Scrip will be sold the third Sunday of the summer months (Jul. 15 and Aug. 19). Regular sales will resume on Sep. 10 when Eliot goes back to the regular schedule.

Where are You?

We will be preparing a new Member/Friend directory this summer. Please make sure that the office has your current address and phone number by Jul. 1. Information change slips are available in Visitors' Corner, or email changes to .

Who Are You?

In addition to preparing a new member/friend directory this summer, we will be updating the Program Guide.

If you are a committee chair, please make sure that the office knows you will be chair for the coming year. Also, please take a minute to look over the description of your committee that appears in the guide and send any changes to Nancy at .

Copies of the Program Guide are available in Visitors' Corner.

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.)

Weekly Emails

Weekly emails are suspended over the summer and resume after Labor Day. If you find you are not currently receiving them, and you think you should be, please be sure that the office has your current email address.

If you want to receive the weekly announcement updates next fall, please send a request via email to .

Summer Services

Summer services begin on Jun. 17, Father's Day, with one service at 10:00 a.m.

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