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Boyd Jones - December 19, 2004

In a gradual process that has evolved since 1980, my wife, Barbara, and I have watched our own and many others' "becomings" as deeply involved and committed members of the Eliot family, as both adherents to and proponents of the principles and philosophy we have found immutable and vital to our happiness within this community.

I think of our time within these walls as a pilgrimage, a journey that has let us learn as much about ourselves as about others, a journey of discovery that is never ending. And I am grateful for the awareness I have developed, awareness of the planet around me and my place in it, awareness that I owe in no small part to the steeping in friendship and community, in liberal and stimulating thought, in humanity and tolerance, in social, intellectual and emotional challenge, that I have experienced here.

If someone had asked me in, say, 1983, to consider being on the Board of Trustees, where I serve today as Chair Elect, I probably would have said "I don't think so." Over the years, I have come to take great joy in becoming one who does not just go to a few social events, nibbling around the edges of the Eliot community involvement, but one who plunges in, who commits energy and resources in the hope that I might contribute to Eliot Chapel a fraction of what it contributes to me.

Yes, I have evolved, for the Darwinians among us. And part of my evolution has been a greater appreciation for the concept of stewardship. For true stewardship requires us to step up as called upon to protect, to nurture, and to secure for the future that which we treasure. And I am prepared to step up, to honor my pledge of time, talent, and significant financial support accordingly.

As a good steward, I worry about my charge. I worry that we currently operate at a deficit financially, that I could see a diminishing of the richness of the precious Eliot tapestry. Eliot diminished in any way? Not on my watch! Eliot and its wonderful community - all of you, have been there both literally and figuratively for me over the years, and I will likewise be there for you, and for Eliot. See, when it comes down to it, I'm selfish. Eliot is mine, and I WILL take care of what is mine.

Judy Highfill - November 14, 2004

I've been a member and financial supporter of Eliot Chapel since 1994.

My pilgrimage to becoming a Unitarian Universalist began in my adolescence, when, as a young liberal Protestant (UCC) confirmation student, I was already thinking like a UU, questioning the creeds and dogma, and asking myself: "Wouldn't God want everyone to go to heaven and not just Christians?" and "Doesn't every human being possess a divine spirit that makes us each an equally unique 'child of God'"?

Ten years ago, finding myself newly single and living in Kirkwood, serendipity brought me to Eliot's door. From that first Sunday, when I heard the "scripture reading," which, to my surprise and delight, went beyond reading from only the Bible, and included my favorite line of Lao Tzu: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao," I knew I had found my inclusive spiritual and philosophical home.

Some of the things that have kept me coming back to Eliot over the past decade include: many small groups I've been a part of, the choirs (which I immediately joined), hosting Room at the Inn, performing at the Coffee Houses, washing dishes at the Madrigal Dinners, camping at Bergfried, being part of Women's Weekend, and attending UU General Assemblies (which is what we UU's call our national conventions). The GA will be held in St. Louis in June of 2006, so I suggest all of you put it on your calendar now. Not only will it help you learn more about our Unitarian Universalist community, I guarantee that you will meet some of the most interesting and diverse people at GA--and here at Eliot Chapel--that you could ever possibly come to know.

Kim Fitzgerald - November 7, 2004

I've been giving time and money to Eliot Chapel for 13 years.

My husband, Bill and I, came to Eliot for the same reasons as you - in fact, for the same reasons MANY people seek a church. After college, marriage, and kids, we decided we needed a place to reinforce for both our children AND ourselves the beliefs we can come to know were true. Our beliefs were not necessarily those with which we were raised, but were very simple values we wanted modeled for our children and strengthened for ourselves - do unto others, love thy neighbor, do kind things, be a good person.

We STAY at Eliot to be part of a family, to be part of a community, to be connected to something good.

We STAY to volunteer, to participate, to make a difference - to stand with others of like minds.

We STAY for the exceptional role models within the church and to say goodbye to them when they pass; To be role models for new people and young families as they join us in this faith.

We stay for our children, so they can learn to be the people we want them to be.

We stay so our daughters may learn of world religions, so they may find the beauty and wonder in faiths, which are different from ours and in those that overlap our own. We stay so they may learn the skills and have the tools to confront intolerance, to embrace diversity and to care for those who are less fortunate. We stay so they may understand that no one religion has the market on morals and values - that the terms are meaningless unless we accept and care for each other. Only then can we live in a peaceful world.

We STAY to sing carols by candlelight on a snowy Christmas Eve, to share flowers on a beautiful spring day, and to listen to stories of hope and love at the bread service - a time which simultaneously highlights our differences and our sameness. We stay to stand side by side, to choke back tears as we sing America the Beautiful, to remind us of the things we do love about our country.

We STAY to comfort and be comforted, to fuel and be refueled; to support and be supported. We stay to be reminded that we are united in our hopes and our dreams for our world.

We STAY at Eliot because it is a beacon for us during our darkest times - an inspiration for us, signifying social justice, equality and tolerance, love and hope.

We STAY at Eliot because it is our home.

Elitta DeArmond - October 24, 2004

After looking and shopping around for a place of community, friends, and exploring faith from whatever view that I desired, Eliot Chapel answers alot of feelings and questions that I had been looking for.

Experiences abound at Eliot. Pick and choose what interest you!

Two years ago I worked in the kitchen at Eliot for the annual madrigal dinner, right here in the sanctuary and POOF, the following year, I was promoted to Queen Jane Seymore for the same annual event. Though the newspaper and friends teased about how such a difference came SO FAST, scullary maid to queen in just one year????

Seriously, becoming involved, meeting old and new friends through circle dinners, covenant groups, coffee hour, and many more choices to help you become a part of what you are here for.

I have found this late in life after being raised, Southern Baptist and converting to Catholicism. Then just being a HEATHEN on the lookout! Please do not think I am cutting down any of my past because I am not. The experiences of religion, be it negative or positive have helped me become strong in what I feel today.

I wish I had searched years ago and found this when I was busy raising my three best friends. They are grown now and are searching for answers themselves.

My devout Baptist mother once asked me about being a Unitarian. "Elitta, do you believe in God?" I answered her with, "Mom, I am not afraid to die." This seemed to satisfy her.

One has the conscience to look until the shoe fits, so to speak. I feel I have plenty of room at Eliot to wiggle my toes.

I feel as Albert Schweitzer said,"There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed."

Welcome to Eliot Chapel. I hope you find the congregatioon friendly and accepting. Whether you are here for only today or decide, or have decided to give Eliot Chapel a more permanent structure to your life, WELCOME, we are glad that you are here!

Michael Getty - October 10, 2004

When we arrived, we found Eliot to be a place deeply committed to supporting the difficult work of staking out a religious center in our lives in the face of a rising tide of intolerance in our country. We found in Eliot Chapel a refuge, a place of earnest spiritual work, and a community that strengthens our faith in the goodness of people around us.

For myself, I found in Eliot Chapel something I never expected and didn't even know I was looking for: a place where I can't run from my feelings, a place whose ministry cuts through the distractions and excuses I build up around the part of me that grieves for the injustices of the world and aches for a connection to something powerful and transcendent.

If you're a visitor or are returning to Eliot after being away, we hope you'll stay and chat and learn about the deep well of spiritual resources you will find here. And if you carry a blue mug, there's a good chance we'll chat you up and tell you all about them ourselves.

Nancy Rubin - October 3, 2004

As an adult Eliot Chapel appealed to me as a place to challenge myself to learn and grow spiritually, and where I could have a community to rely upon in difficult times, whether they arise for my family or for society in general. I appreciate and benefit from the many capable leaders, articulate speakers, and gifted musicians who call Eliot home. I look forward to getting to know folks throughout the year at some of my family’s favorite events including the Secret Pal party, chili & game night, youth coffee house, Women’s Weekend, and now a newly formed Covenant Group. Welcome to this vibrant community.

Bob Coulter - June 6, 2004

I'm a nine week veteran of Eliot. Like many here, I landed at Eliot after being part of other religious communities. I grew up Catholic in Massachusetts, was active in the church as a teen and through college. For a while, I thought I might even become a priest, but…filled with young adult doubts, I drifted into liberal Protestantism-United Church of Christ-while I was teaching in Georgia. Church softball is big there, and even though we were a bunch of liberals, being in the Bible belt we had our solemn home plate prayers with the other team, inviting Jesus to be close beside us as we played. It didn't help-neither one of us is very good in the field.

A brief tenure at an Episcopal school in Memphis led me to become a member while I was teaching there (Number 3 for those keeping score…), and then I was essentially un-churched for about 12 years as I went back to Massachusetts for a doctoral program and then moved to St. Louis for another teaching job in 96. I've since moved on to work for the Missouri Botanical Garden, but a former student of mine now plays in the Life Teen band at Immacolata's 5 o'clock mass, and about a year ago he invited me to watch him play. I enjoy listening to him and it got me back in a churchy sort of mode, but for a variety of reasons, it was one of those "right pew, wrong church" kind of feelings. I still watch him play when I can, but started looking for a spiritual home and committed myself to Unitarian Universalism in general and Eliot in particular because here I don't have to do much in the way of mental gymnastics to fit my beliefs to formal creeds, and because the quality of the preaching and the sense of community here runs rings around other experiences I've had.

So, by hanging out in the back pews Sunday afternoons at a Catholic church more often than not, but being a member of Eliot, I suppose I'm carving out my own unique identity within "the uncommon denomination." This cross-cultural boundary leads well into the question of how to explain UUism to others. How do you tell your friends that despite what they may have thought, you're actually a Unitarian? It doesn't always lend itself well to sound byte answers, and often leads people to pray for you. If you keep a sense of humor, though, the banter can be fun. Along those lines, I picked up a joke from my former student's (conservative Catholic) father: "Why are there no Unitarian soccer teams? Because they can't agree on where the goal is…" I have a response for that, but I'll save it for the coffee and Coke time.

Here at Eliot, I've been impressed with how well we understand the goal, and how despite our differences in beliefs we find ways to respect and support each other in finding our paths to that goal. Thank you to all for your kind welcome of a new member.

Sue Videen - May 16, 2004

I'm one of two community ministers at Eliot Chapel. Instead of working in the church, I work out in the community as your representative.

I have been a chaplain for eight years, primarily at St. Louis University Hospital, but also at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. I also officiate at weddings, preach now and then, do the occasional memorial service, teach Japanese, and bless animals! I like variety!

I've been a member of the chapel for 16 years. Actually, I started life as an Episcopalian, and ironically, it was a wedding that set me on the road to Unitarianism.

Unfortunately, it was my own wedding! I was so angry at the priest who performed my wedding that I vowed never, EVER again to set foot in a church.

I'm a stubborn sort, and I gave churches a wide berth for many years. But in my mid thirties I had to admit there was something missing in my life, that there were bigger issues than Japanese grammar that I needed urgently to figure out.

I tried going back to the Episcopal church, but it soon became clear to me that I was no more an Episcopalian in 1985 than I had been in 1965. WHAT TO DO??

Well, I knew there was a Unitarian church down the street. And I remembered that Sue Craig had been a Unitarian. Sue Craig was a very odd girl I knew in high school in Minnesota, and in my advanced maturity at 35, "odd" seemed a much more promising possibility than it had 20 years before.

So I went to the library and looked up Unitarianism in the Encyclopedia Britannica. There I first read about Michael Cervetus--the patron saint of Unitarians-who had been burned at the stake by the Protestants, and I decided to give it a try.

The reading on that first Sunday was "And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street!" Michael Cervetus and Dr. Seuss. I was a convert!

It's interesting to me that in just the time I've been here, four members have dropped what they had been doing in life and headed off to seminary! Two of us have been ordained already, and the other two will follow in good time.

I've grown up here, and I know I'm still growing. Eliot Chapel is just that kind of place.

Janet Gleason - May 9, 2004

I have been coming to Eliot Chapel since my husband Ben and I moved to Kirkwood 4 years ago.

I was asked to do this welcome on Mother's Day because I am a relatively new mom. My daughter Maia just turned one this past week. In reflecting on my experiences with Unitarian Universalism and in thinking about Mother's Day, I have learned a lot about being a Unitarian from my daughter. After all, she has been a Unitarian her whole life and I have not. So this is what Maia has taught me:

When Maia becomes just as excited about a dog as she is about a blade of grass or a flower, she is saying that one should live life with a wonder and awe about the world. There are too many amazing things to experience to only worship one thing or in one way.

When Maia waves to everyone in the grocery store or blows kisses to random strangers on the street, she is saying that everyone has worth and that one shouldn't discriminate based on the color of someone's skin, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation.

When Maia shakes her head "no" to almost everything that I say, I think she is saying that one should decide for oneself what the truth is.

And when Maia can still look at me lovingly and give great big slobbery kisses after I have done horrible things to her like washing her face, not letting her eat magazines, or not letting her play with plastic bags, I think she is saying that there is nothing better than love and that love can help us be in right relationship with one another.

In the past year, I have learned that everyone is born a Unitarian Universalist. For some of us, it takes us a while to find our UU "Inner Child", but it is in all of us.

Laura Williams - May 2, 2004

My name is Laura Williams and I found Eliot Chapel in the Yellow Pages. We hadn’t lived in this area very long and I needed something totally different than anything other church I had attended in the past. Boy, did I find it. It was March, near St. Patrick’s Day, several years ago and in the course of an hour I heard a reading from Malcolm X, another from an autobiography of Abe Lincoln, and to top it off the choir,joined with some musicians, sang Irish songs and some of the congregation broke into an Irish Jig in the aisles. All that before I heard Minister John Robinson speak. I have been coming back ever since.

Eliot Chapel has given me the ability to see outside myself, outside my family, outside my comfort zone. I can believe in the seven principles of UU’s . I have learned the power of this Unitarian religion and other world religions. Eliot has shown me the power of Religious Education, Enrichment and Community Outreach. Eliot has taught me the power of listening and learning from others.

Tracy Drissell - April 4, 2004

My husband and I started searching for a church when our first son was born in 1992. We started attending churches with faiths we were familiar with and began exploring other possiblities. On Sundays, we would pick a new church to try out by opening the phone book or the newspaper and just pointing to one, until we attended First Unitarian in the Central West End. We realized we were both comfortable in a Unitarian church because of the freedom to grow and change in our spiritual journeys.

We love Eliot Chapel because of it's outstanding Religious Education Program which allows our kids the same chance to learn, grow, change and develop their own spirituality and personal connections to the world.

I was asked to bring some artwork to display last week and searched around for something to bring. I brought some work that was created during college and right after graduation. I realized during the last 12 years, most of my creative work was not put onto canvas or watercolor paper or even sculpted into some tangible 3-d work. My creative work has been creating my life and my children. I considered bringing the kids and putting them next to the television screen which showcases the work of the previous phase of my life and sticking a sign on them that say "work in progress". For now though, I look forward to the future and as more and more time becomes available to me I feel excited to discover what new artistic possibilites will come and what else I will be able to create.

"Creativity belongs to the artist in each of us. To create means to relate. The root meaning of the word art is "to fit together" and we all do this every day. Not all of us are painters, but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating - whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, or a day." Sister Corita Kent

"What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as artwork or of art in progress? Imagine that you are a Masterpiece unfolding every second of every day, a work of art taking form with every breath." Thomas Crum

Elisa Voss - March 28, 2004

Eleven years ago, Steve and I joined Eliot Chapel viewing it as an enrichment opportunity for our family, and especially for our son. My personal commitment to Eliot Chapel and to Unitarian Universalism deepened as I saw how greatly our child benefited from his experiences in the Religious Education and Youth Programs. After a couple of years, I realized that a shift had occurred. I was no longer attending for our son’s benefit but for my own. Our son, now twenty, is finishing his second year at an out of state college and maintains close ties to his Eliot and UU friends. I am very happy that my husband continues to join me here, as does my mother, Irmgard, also. We share this special place where we were married twenty-three years ago, where we enjoy social activities and fellowship regularly. Yet, for all of our shared experiences here we each maintain our own inner journey.

I am fifty now and at a time in my life where I am open to new possibilities and some old possibilities waiting to be stirred up. While I graduated from university with a degree in Fine Art, I’ve spent my adult years as a business partner. My artist “self” has simmered on the back burner and has been dipped into for creative or artistic input time and again. For quite a few years now I have yearned to be an active, practicing artist with a capital “A” but have lost some courage along the way. Practical goals and decisions to be a family required front burner attention. Now that I am in a position to shift my focus I find it requires me to reassess where I am and where I want to be. This is not an unfamiliar kind of journey. Being an artist requires a lot of the same kind of attention that being a religious person does. I didn’t come to Eliot Chapel with a strong religious identity and perhaps that has made it easy for me to be open to a lot of different ideas. When I first came here I think I held out a small hope of finding something outside of myself that could enhance my wellbeing. Something I couldn’t get from my usual sources.

What I love about Unitarian Universalism is that not only am I encouraged to explore ideas for myself, I am free to create my own religious dogma within the context of our values and principles. Being here has helped me to pursue my quest to Answer my origins, my life, my death, and my legacy. Who am I? What is my purpose? Where will I go when I die? Staying connected to others feels vital to me, but I believe in the end we have only ourselves and we are very much alone, each of us. Exploring the big mysteries has enabled me to be comfortable with myself and not be afraid. Keep in mind; truly exciting things are always a bit scary. That’s how I feel now as I check in with my artist “self” and begin to stir the pot.

I think in order to be a serious artist one has to throw oneself into the project willing to be alone in it, unsure of the outcome but with the belief that the effort is possibly going to feel very good. Art is a way of seeing and it is a means of expressing what is in other ways inexpressible. The process of creating art is not unlike creating your own religious understanding. It is available to all of us with time and effort. It can be fun and easy and it can be challenging and complex. Seeking a higher understanding of ourselves in relation to all else provides us with a journey that may take us somewhere we can’t get to any other way.

Gary Gray - March 21, 2004

This is a special Sunday morning. It is special for at least three reasons. First, today is the first Sunday of spring and we will have more daylight than dark for the next six months and I think that is great. Second, we do have one special visitor this morning; at least she is very special to my wife Patricia and me. My daughter, the Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray is visiting today from Youngstown, Ohio. And third, this is Pledge Sunday when all of us here today will be able to make a pledge of our financial support to Eliot Chapel for the next church year. ...

My wife, Patricia, and I first came to Eliot Chapel something over twenty-five years ago. We were not attending any church regularly, but wanted our children to have a religious education that emphasized not a particular doctrine, but the religious messages of love, justice and reverence. The Eliot RE program did that. We also found that Sunday services were thought provoking, the music was wonderful, there were programs for social action and community service where we could choose to participate, we were accepted as we were and as we believed, and we were free to grow spiritually in the way that was right for us.

Eliot has always been there for our family. During their teenage years, both our daughters found support here from their peers and from many caring adults, which they didn't necessarily find at home. Eliot has been there in times of crisis. When our son was in intensive care, on life support with meningitis, and we did not know if he would live or die, our ministers were with us every day, as were many of you, bringing comfort and support, as well as food, to all our extended family. Who could ask for anything more than all of that?

Eliot is our church home. We love Eliot Chapel.

Lori Allen - February 29, 2004

I chose Leap Day to do the welcome because it symbolized to me of the leap of faith we took when we visited Eliot Chapel the first time. We had lived in St. Louis about a year and I must say it was, without question, the worst year of my life. We moved here for my husband’s job. We left Houston, our newly remodeled home, our friends and family and my career with our then six-month old daughter and landed in West County. We were completely alone and I, as a stay-at-home mom and the much more liberal of the two of us, became totally isolated. I was barely functioning as a person and we just existed as a family. Several people suggested finding a church, but given our experiences with religion, we rather thought that another negative in our lives was not what we needed. We had never heard of Universalist Unitarianism and generally avoided the whole “religion question” at all costs. We knew we did not believe as we had been raised, nor were our beliefs inline with most mainstream religions. No, church was definitely not for us. But, alas, one can never avoid the religion question entirely and so one day at work, my husband’s coworker brought up the subject. My husband politely explained why we didn’t attend church. Then, the coworker made a suggestion. He told my husband of the strange church where his father-in-law attended. He said his father-in-law left the Christian church for much the same reasons as my husband described. He further said that he had visited the church and the place was just odd, beyond description, really. For example, they sang stuff like Greatful Dead songs and “Yellow Submarine” – IN THE SERVICE. (Hint, Hint, Wink, Wink to Jan and Leon)

So, one day my husband drove me by this old church across from the farmer’s market and said a coworker suggested we try this place. My first response was “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?” But, I believe in serendipity and it was a 19th century building and next to the train tracks and since I love history and trains…. And then my husband told me what his co-worker said. You mean they actually sing Jerry Garcia songs in the service?? Morbid curiosity set in. I checked it out on the web. The website actually said they respected all beliefs – too weird.

So we agreed. We would try it. Once. Don’t sign any thing. Give no last names. Keep to ourselves. Sit in the back. We do not want a preacher to visit us. And thus we took the leap of faith: Serendipitously, we came on the first lay led service of the summer. The title of the presentation was “Things Fall Apart” by a church member with the unforgettable name of Khleber Van Zandt. Nothing could have described our lives of that past year more aptly. We walked out of those big red doors, down the steps and remarked that it was the first time we had ever came out of a church feeling better than when we went in. We have been coming ever since. Eventually, we signed our names – first and last, got involved in activities, became members, and most importantly to us, we became part of a community. We are no longer alone in West County. However, we still sit in the back. And we still feel better when we leave than when we come in.

Larry Ross - February 15, 2004

Our family came to Eliot not knowing what to expect. We really didn't appreciate Unitarian ideals, didn't have a Unitarian hidden in our family tree, didn't speak Unitarian, knew very little of other Unitarians, in short, were completely at a loss.

Our friends, the Altamirano's were members at Eliot and when we moved to Kirkwood, thought it might be a good place for us to start. That was 20 years ago. Being both from the East Coast (Connecticut and New York) we appreciated the migration of Unitarianism from the original 13, since we also were migrants. Strangers in a strange land.

I learned how to be a sensitive new age guy, taught religious education with Mark Rossow, hiked and camped at Bergfried with our family and their friends, spoke in tongues (ok, that's really not true), tried to speak Spanish, which is more likely, to my friend Luis Ortiz, learned how to cook camp chili from Charles Fremont, went bird watching with Scott Marshall, learned the art of singing from Tim Gardner and Steve Campbell, well let's say am continuing on that journey, played music with Sara Reutter, Ted Lau, Rich Huerman and Kathy Price to name just a few, put budgets together and then took them apart, lost a few chili contests, and had one line in the last Madrigal performance, "Master, we are guests in the King's Hall".

Just think of what I can do for the next 20 years. Think of what you can do at Eliot. There are committees to join, tables to man, songs to sing, people to meet, people to help, people to help you, folks to make you laugh, cry, be deep or be light, sacred or sacrilegious, sign-ups, library books to read, calendars to buy, camping, hiking or items to auction, and then there's always coffee. Let's not forget sermons to contemplate, spiritual homework, hymns to sing, wonderful music to listen to. I have to take a nap just thinking about all of this.

Stay awhile. It can be a life experience.

Kathy Brunts - February 8, 2004

Eliot Chapel is special to me because of its emphasis on children. If you have children, there are many ways they can become involved. If you don¹t have children, but love to work with children, like my former teaching partner, Lynn Murphy, there are many ways you can become involved. Or if you simply believe that the future depends on raising children to be good citizens of our world community, you will appreciate what Eliot Chapel offers.

When I first met Janet Pillman to learn more about Eloit Chapel, I found out the RE program served more than 300 hundred children, with classes during both services. This would be a good fit for my girls, then in first and fourth grade.

Beginning that year, they have been exposed to a variety of ideas, subjects and teachers. Imagine my surprise when I was asked to teach the very next year. Who me? What did I know about teaching? I had only been a Unitarian for a few years myself! Well I did teach that year and every year until my daughters started Junior High. They each anounced, "If you teach my class I will not go to RE." So I did not teach, and they both continued to go to class. I learned a lot about Unitarianism and how children think. I have especially enjoyed getting to know my fellow teachers, whom I remain friends with.

My favorite curriculum is the GATE program in 6th grade. If you have not participated in this as an adult partner, I highly recommend it. You will have the opportunity to work one on one with the same sixth grader about once a month throughout the year. Some sessions are in the classroom, some are volunteerism, some are just fun. You don¹t need to have a child this age to be an adult mentor.

Besides religious education classes, we now have a Children¹s chapel on a regular basis. Today there is a family worship service concurrently in Adams Hall. Last week we had some of the children in the sanctuary for the first 15 minutes of the service. These are additional ways to include our children in our religious experience.

Now I have a high schooler. She loves the Sunday morning discussions. She loves the CON¹s even more. These are 36 hour long events where they try to cram as much social life, introspection, volunteerism and worship into one weekend as possible.

So as I said at the beginning, if you have children, or enjoy working with children or simply believe children are our future citizens, then be generous when you are asked to give your time and talents to help with RE. Eliot is a great place for children.

Dave Storer - February 1, 2004

My wife Dotty and I have been members here for a little over four years.

I was raised in a Congregational Church in Lawrence, Kansas. Even at a very young age, I felt uncomfortable with some of the teachings. Once I was old enough to stay by myself for a few hours on Sunday morning, I stopped going.

Then when I was fifteen, my parents and about 10 other couples founded the Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship. For a while they met in people's home on Sunday evening. I found that my best friend's parents were also founding members, so Jim and I started attending Sunday evenings. I found right away that what they were saying made a lot more sense to me.

Several years later I found out that my father had been raised in a Unitarian church in Pittburgh, Pennsylvania. My grandfather was one of the mainstays of that church.

My father was very interested in genealogy. After he died, my uncle took over the project and published most of what Dad had gathered, in three volumes. When I recieved my copy in the early 80's, I found that my father's maternal grandmother had attended a Unitarian church for a while.

I guess that makes me a fourth generation UU, but I had to discover it one generation at a time.

Ann Petlin - January 18, 2004

These greetings are a time when members and friends get to tell how we came to Eliot Chapel. My answer is a simple one. I found Eliot Chapel by looking in the Yellow Pages. That was seven years ago today. But there is more than that to my journey towards Unitarian Universalism.

My husband was raised in a devout Presbyterian home, and I was raised in a similar Catholic one. When we married in 1982, we asked my husband's former teacher who was also a Unitarian minister to perform our ceremony. After our wedding we occasionally attended church at either one of our parents' congregations when duty called us to be in a church. But we attended no church of our own.

Fast forward to May of 1996. My sister and her husband invited me to attend their Unitarian church in San Luis Obispo, California. It was Memorial Day weekend, and it was a lay-led service. Eight women, all who were veterans of the Viet Nam war presented the service. They had formed a writer's group to share their experiences. Most of these women had not spoken to anyone at all about Viet Nam until they formed their group. Each woman read two pieces that she had written about Viet Nam. My favorite piece was an ode the one woman wrote to her Army boots. That church awed me. It thought that these women's voices were important enough to have them conduct an entire service.

My husband and I moved to St. Louis later in 1996. Although moving can be a wrenching experience, it can also be an opportunity to re-invent oneself. One of my goals was to join a church so that I could have some friends who were not also co-workers. So in mid-January 1997, I found my way to Eliot Chapel. It was Human Justice Sunday, just like today. In the pulpit was a black woman who is a minister at a St. Louis Baptist church. Again this church impressed me when it gave the pulpit that day to a woman of a different faith. I also appreciated the welcome I received from the Eliot members who recognized right away that I was a visitor.

Eliot Chapel helped me find a new hometown here in the Midwest. When I went to Catholic church, Sunday mass was a duty, an obligation, something that I had to do to consider myself Catholic. Now each Sunday is an adventure that I look forward to all week. It is different every time. I have joined seekers like you who are exploring this free religious tradition. Eliot Chapel inspires me, empowers me, and has given me compassion and acceptance in a true community of friends.

Jane Larson - January 11, 2004

My name is Jane Larson. Yes, it¹s me again! The person who was scheduled to give the welcome this morning was suddenly stricken with the flu. So I¹ve reached into my hat and pulled out a story about my first brush with Unitarian Universalism.

Growing up in a small town in southern Illinois, I had not heard of Unitarianism, per se., although my parents raised me to think for myself and be a good person. I found out years later, that this actually is Unitarianism! Think for yourself and be a good person.

In 1976, I was in my third senior year at SIUE, and my husband, Dave, was in graduate school there. I was studying metaphysics at the time--not as one of my various declared majors, but for spiritual growth. I believed that metaphysics was about as close as I¹d ever get to a religion that would suit me.

Dave suggested that we attend a Unitarian church. I thought, Dave¹s a pretty liberal guy, and we see eye to eye on most things. A church that he was interested in would probably suit me as well as any. We searched the phone book and found that the closest Unitarian church was in Alton, Ill.

After several false starts, we were finally able to get up one Sunday morning in time to make the 30 min. trip to Alton. As we pulled up to the church, we noticed that there didn¹t seem to be anything going on! We had the right time. We got out of the car and made our way to the front door. And there a sign was posted: Service cancelled. Gone to hear Adlai Stevenson III !!!

I thought, what kind of goofy church cancels Sunday morning services?! But, Dave thought it was cool! They¹d gone to hear the liberal senator from Illinois, who was, in fact, a Unitarian himself! I turned this over in my mind and decided that I would think it was cool, too!

Within a few years, we moved to the city and began attending First Church when our oldest son was Sunday School age. About 5 years ago we moved to Kirkwood and landed here at Eliot. And we love it here, because we have found people just like us: people who think for themselves and are good people.

If there are any newcomers who are wondering what you might encounter here, you will find people who do not blindly follow somebody else¹s doctrine, nor blythly ignore it. We think, and we come to our own conclusions--or not! Many of us are on a continuing search for truth, and the beauty of UU is that we support each other in that search, wherever it may take us. Whether you are in the midst of your search, or just now contemplating one, you will find lots of kindred spirits here at Eliot Chapel. And we welcome you!

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