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A Note from Reverend Bonnie

Summer Plans

Astonishingly enough, it's time to make summer plans. I'm sure all the Eliot families are way ahead of me, and have figured it all out already! No? Well, here's some UU options to think about.

We will offer Religious Education every Sunday this summer through August. Our curriculum for children entering 1st and up will be Heroes and Heroines. We will have the nursery open and an older preschool room (through children entering Kindergarten in the fall). Our summer religious education has grown each year for the past three years, and we are looking forward to an active summer again. Look for more information about Summer RE next month in REjuvenation!

But for the more vacation-oriented, there are other options. How about spending a week in cabins or camping with other UU families, taking workshops and having the kids spend time with other UU kids? If this sounds interesting to you, there are options all over the country. Most of our UU regional districts run a week of summer fun. You can investigate Ferry Beach in Maine, the Mountain in North Carolina, camp Unistar in Minnesota, or stay in our own district and attend Lake Geneva Summer Assembly in Wisconsin. Information on all these camps is available at http://www.uucamps.org/. But here's a little more about the closest summer camp:

Lake Geneva Summer Assembly will be July 2-6 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The campus offers many varieties of cabins to stay in, and there are nearby hotels. The theme speaker this year is the Rev. Tony Larsen, who has been the minister in Racine Wisconsin for over 25 years. Tony loves music and singing, relaxing and getting to know people. His topic will be "Everyday Ethics."

There are other workshops on a variety of topics, and programs for all ages of children. See their brochure at: http://www.lgsauu.org/.

It looks like this will be their last year at their present location. I was disappointed as I'm hoping to find something my family will enjoy and want to return to every year. But they have a group actively looking for another location, so the fun can continue! I think this is a great way to confirm our children's connection to free and open thinking and religious exploration. I hope all our families think about how to bring Unitarian Universalism into their lives this summer.

And then look for the Eliot Summer Camp, Aug. 7-11 at Eliot Chapel!

Faithfully,
Rev. Bonnie

April RE Calendar

Wanted: Open Minds and Loving Hearts

Teaching Religious Education classes at Eliot Chapel does not require an advanced degree in theology. It does not require that you give up all of your spare time. It doesn't even mean that you must miss every church service from now until the end of the semester, since you work in teams. What it does require is that you come with an open mind and a loving heart. In return, you'll get the pleasure of knowing that you are making a difference in many a young person's life and that you are helping your faith community.

The Curriculum Committee is busy right now working on the material you'll be using next year (Unitarian Universalist Identity and Jewish and Christian Heritage the first semester and World Religions and Social Justice the second semester). The Teacher Support Committee provides teacher orientation before you start and support while you teach. Because teachers work in three person teams, you'll have the opportunity to teach while still attending adult services 1/3 of the time, plus you can request audiotapes of the services you do miss. Teacher Recruitment begins on March 26, so please stop by the table in Adams Hall to sign up. We've got a lot of wonderful children just waiting to meet you.

Summer Camp 2006: Stories Buddha Told

Mark your calendars for the 10th Eliot Chapel Summer Camp from August 7 to 11 for children entering Kindergarten through 5th grade. We will tell stories, make crafts, enjoy treats, play games and more as we learn about Buddha this year. It promises to be lots of fun, so look for registration forms beginning on Easter and get them in as soon as possible.

We already have some dedicated volunteers who love helping with camp each year. However, we need lots of people to make it a success. Please speak to if you'd like to help. We need adults and youth to lend a hand.

Canned Foods Needed

We need canned foods for the Easter services. Please drop off your donations in Joan Casey's office no later than April 9.

Easter

Note that there will be three Intergenerational Easter services on April. The nursery will be open as usual and childcare for preschoolers will be available in room 107 during all 3 services.

GATE Informational Meeting

Fifth graders and their parents will want to make a point of attending the GATE Informational Meeting on Sunday, April 30 from 10:15 - 10:45 in room 001 (the GATE classroom). The GATE program will be an important part of your 6th grader's faith development. Parents will meet with Carol Moreland, the GATE Coordinator. If you have a 5th grade student, you won't want to miss this meeting!

Family Worship

Join intern Jennifer DeBusk as she leads our last Family Worship of the year on April 2 in Adams Hall. It will run concurrently with the adult services. Families with children Pre-K through 5th grade are encouraged to attend together. If that is not possible, teachers will be available in room 105 on the upper level (for kids Pre-K - 1st grade) and in room 005 on the lower level (for kids 2nd - 5th grade). Children who are dropped off will attend Family Worship with these teachers and should be picked up back in the classrooms after the service.

Committed Couples' Collaborative Communications For the Chronically Time-Crunched

Between deadlines at work and soccer games and music lessons and doctor appointments, it's a wonder that couples ever get a chance to wave together, let alone have meaningful conversations. The Family Support and Outreach Committee and ACME are excited to offer an introduction to communication strategies for committed couples on Sunday, April 2nd at 7:00 pm. We hope that you can make time to join Bruce and Trish Williams at Eliot Chapel for this important workshop. See you there!

CHAPERONES ARE NEEDED!
For the UU Children's Choir during GA week

Chaperones will have their room and board provided as they live with the 70-80 singers in St. Louis University dormitories. There is a special need for adults who know their way around St. Louis. Field trips will be taken for fun. The only GA event they will attend will be closing ceremony on Sunday evening. Please consider serving in this important function and caring for these UU children, as we would want our children cared for out of town. For job description and to apply, please contact Harry Mangle at .

Thinking About Homeschooling?

There is a national Yahoo parenting support group for UU's who are homeschooling or even just interested in alternatives to traditional schooling. You can join the group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuhomeschoolers. There is also a website http://www.uuhomeschool.org that includes some articles that are worth reading!

Families with young children (eight and under) who are considering homeschooling, or are already homeschooling, can join a St. Louis area homeschooling playgroup at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stl_young_homeschoolers. This inclusive group meets weekly in nice weather and provides a good opportunity to meet and play with other homeschooling families.

Missing Something?

The lost and found box by the soda machine is overflowing. Please check to see if anything of yours is there. We'll donate to charity anything left in it by April 30. Thanks!

Playgroup Fun

If you've got a little one, we would love for you to join us in the nursery at 9:30 am on Friday, April 14 for play (the kids) and conversation (the adults). We meet the second Friday of each month. We love to have new babies visit us too! We look forward to meeting some new families.

Have a Milestone in your life to share? Have a Milestone in your life to share? Know of an Eliot student living his or her faith? Please contact Joan Casey so that we can share your family's news in REjuvenation!, our children's RE newsletter, and on our RE bulletin board leading into Adams Hall. For More News... To learn more about new families, kid news and April birthdays please pick up an issue of REjuvenation! the next time you're at Eliot. Religious Education Department Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Programs Minister Joan Casey, Religious Education Director Susan Maginn, Youth Director 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. Back To Top