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A Note from Rev. Bonnie

You may not be aware of all that is going on in Religious Education, and all the resources out there. We have a terrific program with somewhere between 250 and 300 children involved. As you read the registration form, you may have taken note of the groups that help to support our children, teachers, and families. Here's a bit more about each:

The "Worship" group works on the format and themes of Children's Chapel. Chapel services happen about 3 times a month, and are intended to give children a sense of what worship is about at a level that will engage them. Other worship opportunities for children include the time in the service the first Sunday of each month, the Family Worship services (about 4 times a year), and Intergenerational Services (about 5 times year, when children attend the entire service with the adults). Contact: Debbie Fechter.

The "Family Ministry" group is thinking about how to offer resources to families to support them in general and also in their religious journeys as a family. We are thinking about ways to help parents feel confident to share religious conversations with children, and how to help families make strong connections at Eliot. Contact: Tracey Howe-Koch,

A "Teacher Support" group is having gatherings to help teachers brainstorm the best ways to present RE materials. Sometimes there are puzzling dilemmas about behavior or engaging the children that come up. This team brings in experienced teachers to help solve problems, and to help make teaching a rewarding experience. Our program relies on over 100 teachers a year. Supporting their significant work is vital to our children and families. Contact: Lisa Beck

The "Curriculum" group will be looking at the curriculum we offer and the programs offered by other congregations. We are aware of some exciting alternative models for teaching RE, and want to explore whether we think these models will be helpful to implement at Eliot. This group needs to be big on vision and planning! Contact: Rev. Bonnie Vegiard,

The "Special Events" team works on parties. They organize the Secret Pals Halloween Party, the Christmas Crafts, and other fun times. Mostly what is needed here is volunteers for the events themselves. Contact: Mary Unangst, (314) 821-6539.

If you are interested in learning more about Religious Education, and want to find out more before joining one of these groups, here's a webpage on the UUA home page that has lots of information: http://www.uua.org/re/ If you get excited about any of the ideas there, bring them to the relevant committee, or let Joan Casey or Rev. Bonnie Vegiard know of your interest.

Wishing you good family time for Thanksgiving,
Rev. Bonnie Vegiard

November RE Calendar

Thanksgiving Bread Service

There will be 3 Bread Services on November 23; at 9:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., & 1:00 p.m. The nursery will be open as usual at the 9:15 & 11:00 a.m. services, with a second childcare area for children who are Intermediate & Prekindergarten ages in Room 107. At 1:00 p.m., only the nursery will be open for children under 5. All other ages attend the service.

The RE Department will pass out Thanksgiving Essay forms on November 2 for children in grades 2 - 6th. It's a time honored tradition here at Eliot to have two children at each service read their essays during the Bread Service. Children should write an essay of about one to two paragraphs in length on what they're thankful for (not just a list, but reasons why). Essays should be submitted no later than November 9. If your family doesn't get a form, submissions may be made on any piece of paper. Just drop them off in Joan Casey's office or mail them to her attention. Please include the service time your family plans to attend.

Christmas Pageant Changes

This year's pageant will be during both services on Sunday, December 14. The Holiday Party will be on Saturday, December 13, during rehearsals. At the Family Worship on November 9, we will pass out more detailed information about these changes along with the permission forms. Children who would like to participate (PreK & up) will need to return the permission forms by November 30.

Note to Parents

Teachers (K-5) who are in the class room during Children's Chapel or the children's time in the service, are not there to provide childcare. This is a time set aside to prepare for class. Children are expected to attend Children's Chapel. If they choose not to attend, parents are expected to care for them until chapel is over.

Note to Teachers

Please be sure to take attendance each morning & add any children whose parents forgot to sign them in. Be sure that parents sign out their children before leaving at the end of class. Also, for teachers of children 1st grade & younger, don't forget to check family photos until you know the family. Thank you!

If a lesson calls for burning anything, even just a scrap of paper, please do so outside. Our smoke detectors are very sensitve! Today might be a good time to look over the evacuation plan posted by each classroom door.

Note to Everyone

It's time again to look for teachers for the Spring Semester. Teaching is a vital part of providing service to our church community. As a cooperative undertaking, we must have our parents contribute to the program. If you haven't taught lately, even if your children are older, we need your help! The Spring Semester is January 25 to June 13. With the team approach, teachers are n the classroom only about 2/3 of these weeks.

For more information about teaching, or to sign up to teach, please contact Joan Casey (see box).

Come on 10:45ers - we need you!!

Looking for:

Do you know American Sign Language? We are looking for someone to teach "Spirit of Life" to our children. If you can help, contact Reverend Bonnie.

Thank You's

**The people who came to have lunch & clean up Fillmore Park on September 13: Rich Vaughn, the Day/Larson family, the Fechter family, the Kipp family the Antoine family, the Anderson-Procter family, the Bleisch/Davydov/ Klein family & the Burke family.

**And a big hurrah to our GATE class, who with their partners raised $885 to help alleviate world hunger, & on their own earned $127.87 with a bake sale for the United Way!

Play Group Plans

The play group will meet in the nursery on November 7 & November 21 (1st & 3rd Fridays) from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. This is a group for Eliot parents of young children to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. We hope to see you there!

Raising a UU Child

Our next meeting is November 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Tracey Howe-Koch's house. For directions, call Tracey (314-835-9275). The topic will be our children & the culture of violence we are raising them in. We hope to see you there!

Lost & Found

Our Lost & Found box is already overflowing with sweaters, raincoats, jackets, & so on. The box is located across from the soda machine. Please take a few minutes to look through it. Items left after November 30 will be given to charity.

Did You Know...

...that on November 9 during Family Worship we will once again pass out Guest at Your Table boxes? Families are asked to keep the box on the dinner table and to make contributing to it a part of their daily routine. Boxes should be returned at the December 21 Children's Chapel.

This year's focus is on women, children, & oppressed people living in regions of conflict. Your family's daily contribution will go a long way to help others, and it can be a powerful message to your child. We hope you'll all participate.

For More News...

To learn about new children & families at Eliot, and which of our kids celebrate birthdays in October, or to play the 10:45 teacher word search puzzle, be sure to pick up a copy of REjuvenation! when you next visit Eliot.

This newsletter is a product of the Eliot Chapel Religious Education Department. Please direct any articles, comments, or questions to Joan Casey (Religious Education Director) at 314-821-0911 or at . An article must be submitted no later than the 20th of each month to ensure it appearing in the next issue.

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