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Inside This Issue

Newsletter Change Begins in August

Beginning with 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.

Scrip Update

Schnucks' switch to E-scrip was bad news for Eliot's income. Last year (2005-06) when we earned 5% on Schnucks gift cards, Eliot earned $9,050 from Schnucks scrip. This past year, earning about 1% on the E-scrip cards, Eliot earned only $3,800 from Schnucks.

If you're shopping at Schnucks, please remember to ask the checker to swipe your E-scrip card. If it's not a hardship to shop elsewhere, keep in mind that Eliot earns 5% on Dierberg's and Whole Foods scrip, and 6% on Shop & Save cards. (Shop & Save is now in $50 cards that hold a balance.)

Scrip will next be sold after the Aug. 19 service, and back to regular sales Sep. 9.

Last Call

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

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 .

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

Our Sympathies

To Gene and Nancy Hutchins and family on the death of Nancy's father.

To Gail Rock and her family on the death of her father.

To Nancy Williger and her family on the death of her mother.

To the friends and family of Mari Carroll, a former Intern of Eliot Chapel.

Be Part of School Outreach

During the month of August, the Social Action Committee is collecting school supplies for needy children at MRH (Maplewood-Richmond Heights) Elementary. Our school supply drive will kick off our outreach efforts at MRH, where about 50% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. For grade-specific supply lists, please see the "apple tree" in Adams Hall. (All items must be returned by Sun., Aug. 26.)

Are you recently retired, a part-timer, or an empty-nester? Make a difference in a child's life by volunteering to be a Lunchtime Pal at MRH Elementary. Eat together, read, and spend some quality time over lunch. Commitment can range from one visit per week to one visit per month during the '07-'08 school year.

For more information about our school supply drive or how you can become a Lunchtime Pal, please see Alicia Boelhauf, Amy Stark, or Karen Gender. Or email .

Room at the Inn

Homelessness does not take a vacation in the summer and Room At The Inn has been operating at full capacity for the last month. Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped keep our "Eliot Inn" open through the summer. Sign up sheets are on the bulletin board in the hallway to Adams Hall. September needs volunteers in all categories - hosts, cooks and launderers. Aug. 30th still needs two hosts and one launderer. Any questions, please contact Bill or Joan Clark.

Fair Trade Coffee & Chocolate
- Beth Rossow

We hope to resume the sale of Fair Trade coffee on Sun., Aug. 12. We'll also be taking orders then for the specialty coffees. Alas, we'll have to wait until the weather cools off in early October for chocolate. All bags of the Eliot Blend coffee are $10 and the specialty coffees are $11.

Book Fair Donations

The Library Committee will accept book donations beginning in Sep. for the Book Fair. They can only accept books in good condition - please, no mildewed or gnawed books; no books with torn covers or marked pages; no magazines, encyclopedias, or outdated computer, travel, or text books.

Help in the Library

The Library Committee is seeking new members for specific jobs, like keeping up with overdue book returns; helping in the children's library on Sundays; or sorting and packing up books on Sundays. Training is cheerfully provided.

Kits for Kids a Success!

On behalf of children and families served by Circle of Concern, the Social Action Committee thanks everyone who donated (to date) 44 bags of food and activities for kids! If you've been away all summer, and haven't had a chance to participate, Sun., Aug. 5th will be the last day to drop off donations in the box marked "Kits for Kids" in Adams Hall.

Bridge
- Sue Webster

There will be NO bridge game in either July or August. Thanks.

Singletarians

All adult singles are welcome to participate in our upcoming social events.
- Jul. 28 - Theater--Agatha Christy's "The Hollow." Contact Laurie Griesedieck.
- Aug. 4 - BBQ and Pool Party. Contact Cara Sanning.

The Rainbow Connection Is Coming

A new covenant group for GLBT people is starting at Eliot. We will have a meeting at Eliot on Sun., Aug. 26 from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. We are calling our covenant group The Rainbow Connection. Anyone interested in participating can contact Lynn Murphy at .

Annual Picnic and Softball Game

The annual Eliot Picnic is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 11:00 a.m. in Kirkwood Park, Picnic Sites 3 and 4. Softball follows at Field #2.

UU Book of the Month

Next fall 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. Vegiard'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 usually meets on the first, third, and fourth Tuesdays of the month from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. in Adams Hall.

Tue., July 31 - Things Are Really Crazy Right Now, Inda Schaenen. Leader, Mary Taylor (replaces August discussion)
Tue., Aug. 21 - Visit to "Made by Me". Coordinator, Barb Crowley. Meet at Eliot 9:45 a.m.

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

We're having fun in RE over the summer! Older kids (entering 1st grade and up in the fall) are exploring the wisdom of Dr. Seuss during summer services, while our preschoolers are looking at a variety of stories in their classes. The nursery is also open for our littlest ones. So there's no excuse to not attend a summer service or two - take a look at the summer schedule and maybe we'll see you there.

We'll see the rest of you in the fall, and hope you have a safe and happy summer.

Music Notes
-- Jan Chamberlin, Music Director,

Thank you to the musicians who have volunteered to provide music this summer! Coming up: Sun. Jul. 29 and Aug. 5, Kathie Price and Rich Heuermann will provide the music. On Aug. 12, Sarah Reutter will sing gospel style songs. For the Aug. 19 service, Ric Vice and Steve Schenkel will play jazz. Pamela Triplett will sing on Aug. 26, and on Sep. 2, Margie Maclin and the Music Committee present "Songs of Peace".

The Eliot Music Committee meets once a month. They also provide a channel of communication between the congregation and the music staff. Members need not be musicians, but must have an interest in maintaining a healthy music program serving the whole congregation. The new co-chairs are Linda Cummings and Lori Kesler. New members are welcome! The next meeting is Sat., Aug. 18th, at 10:00 a.m. at Jan Chamberlin's home. Just let us know to expect you!

Can you play an instrument or sing, but no one at Eliot Chapel knows about it? Don't hide your light under a bushel - let it shine! We have many options for playing and singing! Musical expression is a fulfilling way to participate at Eliot. Please let me know how you can be included!

Would you like to participate in choir or music at Eliot, but something is holding you back? What would it take? We want to hear from you. How about childcare during choir rehearsals? Or an auditioned choir? Or a band? Or a tour to Transylvania? Or a public concert for a good cause? Or an orchestra performance? Do you have suggestions for repertoire? What inspires you? Singers and instrumentalists are always needed and appreciated at Eliot. All voices are welcome in our adult choirs, but we have a special need for tenors and basses. Here's our current list of possibilities:
§ Chamber Choir (room for teenagers!)
§ Chorale (only meets on Sundays!)
§ Handbells (kids from 10- 90)
§ Chalice Singers (children who can read)
§ Family Services (accompanists needed)
§ Inner Voices (Women's a cappella - by audition)
§ Preludes (what's your specialty?)
§ Techies on the sound board
§ Coffee House /talent show
§ Choir for my graduate concert (Nov. date TBA)

Want Your Newsletter Sooner?

If you would be interested in receiving the Eliot Chapel newsletter by email as a PDF attachment, rather than via mail, please email with "PDF" in the subject line.

If you're concerned that your paper copy of the newsletter is getting to you late, please know that local post offices are allowed to postpone processing of bulk mail. We take the newsletter to the post office on the Wed. before month end. What happens to it after that is, unfortunately, beyond our control.

igive.com

Here's an easy way raise funds for Eliot Chapel. Register Eliot Unitarian Chapel as your "cause" at the web site http://www.igive.com, and then begin all your on-line shopping from the igive.com site. Each and every time you shop at the igive.com mall stores, if you start from the igive.com web page, Eliot will earn a percentage of the sale, at no cost to you!

Merchants include Dell Computer, Barnes & Noble, Godiva Chocolates, Lands' End, Macy's, PetsMart and Petco, Sears, Thrifty Car Rental, Travelocity - hundreds more, selling almost anything you could imagine.

If you are already registered with igive.com and are supporting another cause, consider changing to Eliot - even temporarily. If you have never registered with igive.com and do so now. If you have questions about igive.com, please feel free to ask JoAnn or Nancy in the office. Thank you and happy shopping!

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.

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