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A Note from Bonnie
Social Action and our Kids

One of the learning experiences we hope to facilitate at Eliot Chapel is an understanding of social justice. We hope our kids come to understand something about "right relationships" among people, as well as between people and the earth. In our new "Pillars" approach to Religious Education, our lessons in the second half of the spring semester will focus on Social Justice. We'll be using curricula such as "Worth and Dignity" and "In Our Hands: Peace and Social Justice" to facilitate this conversation with the kids. We still need teachers for next year, so sign up for second semester if you're interested in teaching the Social Justice pillar.

There are several ways to approach Social Justice. One is education that we do in the RE classes. Another important aspect is direct experience. This is more difficult for Eliot to organize. How can we take an entire class to an experience that will be meaningful to them? Sunday morning doesn't give us enough time, and organizing something outside of Sunday morning gets to be very difficult for families, who are already too busy.

Yet, children who grow up with a sense of commitment to helping others usually feel this way because the adults in their lives have demonstrated a similar commitment. They've seen others take the time to reach out and help others. An important part of your child's social justice understanding has to do with what adults he or she sees doing social justice. The best place to start, as always, is at home.

Yet, we'd like to figure out a way that we can do more here at Eliot. We'd like the kids to experience our community this way, and build community among themselves in ways other than RE. We know we're squarely facing the difficulty of time commitments for families. We know you want to do social justice, but it gets squeezed out with other priorities.

Can you help us think of successful projects that would appeal to families? We'd be happy for your suggestions, and of course, a commitment to help. Be thinking about what works for your family, and what worked for you when you were young. Please share your ideas! Contact Joan Casey at or Rev. Bonnie at or either at 314-821-0911.

Faithfully,
Rev. Bonnie Vegiard

May RE Calendar

Sign Up Starts April 11

I hope Bonnie's article about our new Pillars approach to religious education has whet your interest in teaching next year - either for the first time or for the fifth time or dare I say fifteenth time?

Guiding our children's religious & spiritual growth is an ongoing, living process. We are very proud of the Religious Education program here at Eliot, but we need you to make it happen. From Easter on April 11 to May 23, we'll have RE Committee members in Adams Hall ready to sign you up for one of our classes. Or feel free to call me at Eliot Chapel (314-821-0911) to sign up or to ask any questions. We will have semesters with teams of three again. I'm looking forward to hearing from everyone! Joan Casey

Note to Parents

Please note our unattended children policy: All children must be supervised by an adult while at Eliot Chapel when RE classes are in session. Children must be supervised at all times in one of the following manners:

• Participate in a Religious Education class
• Under the direct supervision of their parents
• Under the direct supervision of an adult selected by their parent

Children are not allowed to wander the halls or play on the playground without being supervised in one of the previously mentioned ways. This policy was instituted for the safety of our children and to minimize unnecessary disruptions to our RE program.

Meet the RE Committee

Lisa Beck
My husband Chris and I keep busy with our two daughters. You can find me every morning except Thursdays at the Kirkwood YMCA teaching preschool gymnastics or taking a class. I was an elementary school teacher for many years and plan on gradually returning by substituting part time this fall. Curiosity brought us to Eliot just over 3 years ago when searching for a liberal church supporting diversity. With Eliot we found that and much more. The RE program is outstanding. We love summer camp, family services, the holiday parties, summer service program, and many other great Eliot programs. I'm very excited about the "Pillars" model being developed to reorganize our current curriculum and make it easier for families to follow what's being taught. I was honored when asked to serve on the RE committee this year and for the next two. These changes make serving on the RE committee a lot of fun.

David Kipp
Despite being born under Eisenhower skies and raised thereafter in the seething cauldron of political unrest that, for many, virtually defined Unitarianism, Dave Kipp managed to become a respectable, middle aged, married, balding father of three boys. He bears hardly any trace of his checkered career, an arc that began in Lawrence, Kansas and landed him in Fairborn OH, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Boston, Fort Worth and Kirkwood MO, where he currently resides with his family. Along this path, Dave married significantly upward, and now shares his life with Andrea and his 3 sons. They can be found on any given Sunday after the 9:15 service, often at the donut table.

Given this background, it is perhaps not surprising that Dave finds Eliot Chapel something of a personal oasis. He truly enjoys his boys participation in RE, as well as his own, and Andrea and Dave are regular faculty members of the teaching professorate.

More surprising to some is that Dave is both a lifelong Unitarian and a lifelong conservative Republican, living testament to the Big Tent underpinnings of both institutions. That he feels welcome at Eliot despite his handicap is a joyful blessing.

Julie Procter
Hi, My name is Julie Procter. A little over 8 years ago, my family started attending Eliot Chapel. Prior to our involvement in Eliot, my partner Rudy and I had been members of First Unitarian Church in St. Louis. After moving our family of two boys, a daughter, and two Shih Tzu puppies, to Kirkwood, we were excited to discover a welcoming church family in our local community! Our first few years were spent in the Nursery area with our young boys. Currently, Rudy is teaching in the Intermediate classroom and I am excited about my recent involvement on the RE committee. Since our sons are in 2nd and 4th grades, we have several years of future involvement in the RE program. Our daughter joins us on holidays and for activities as her busy schedule allows.

After growing up in churches and homes that didn't encourage critical thinking, respect for other religions or differences, or social awareness, we feel very lucky to have found Eliot Chapel-where diversity of thought is welcomed and spiritual growth is fostered through education and service.

Summer RE

Please be sure to get your Summer RE registrations in as soon as possible if you intend to be coming to summer services with your children. Yellow registration forms have been mailed already, or may be picked up in Joan's office or in visitor's corner.

Children entering kindergarten in the fall & older will attend a multiage class in Children's Chapel using the theme of World Travelers. Younger children will meet in the nursery.

Summer RE will run concurrently with the one adult service at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday, except for 3 intergenerational services (Father's Day, Independence Day, & Labor Day weekend). Summer services begin on June 20, Father's Day.

Don't forget to get your Summer Camp registration forms in as soon as possible, but no later than June 30!

Raising a UU Child

The next meeting is Sunday, 5/23, at Hilary Babcock's house (call 314-918-0623 for directions). The topic will be Incorporating UU rituals at home - finding table graces, bedtime prayers & chalice images for your family. The topic was postponed from April. We hope to see you there!

Did You Know...

..that the GATE partners helped out with a community project at South Side Day Nursery? They participated in creating artwork with neighborhood families that reflected our homes, neighborhoods, & community. What they created was displayed at the Fort Gondo Art Gallery on Cherokee.

For More News...

To find out who went to South Side Day Nursery, or which of our kids celebrate birthdays in May, or to find out about our new families, 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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