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Sunday Morning Welcome - Voices of Eliot

2007 - 2008

Kim Fitzgerald - April 6, 2008

My family and I have been giving our time, energy and money to Eliot for nearly 16 years. On most Sundays, someone volunteers to stand up in front of the congregation and share their thoughts about Eliot Chapel…perhaps how they got here or maybe why they stay. I won't promise anything profound. In fact, my only goal is to articulate one belief that perhaps some of you know and some of you will learn to know, and that is that Eliot Chapel is a great place to raise your kids.

Like a lot of things with parenting, my husband and I operated on one part research, one part instinct, and one part dumb luck. That's what we used to select our house, our neighborhood, our community, their schools and…our church. We were looking for a place where our kids could learn about spiritual growth, world religions and about social justice. Of course, we didn't know we were looking for that at the time - all we really knew was that we wanted our beliefs and values reinforced by someone or something other than just ourselves.

Anyway, our investment in Eliot and its religious education program paid off. Our daughters will soon be 17 and 19 and we are sending them off into the world as the people we had hoped they would be. We have to give credit to Eliot for helping shape them in to smart, articulate, tolerant young women who understand about people and faith and values.

When our oldest daughter was a freshman in high school, she was invited to attend a K-Life event with a Kirkwood high school friend. K-Life is a Christian teen organization that has a serious presence in this area. They call it other things in other communities, but the idea seems to be the same everywhere. So when her date picked her up, he said "What church do you attend?" and she said "Eliot Chapel" and he said "Oh, that place….have you ever BEEN to any other churches?" and she said "Yes - I've been to a Jewish synagogue, a Buddhist center, the Hindu Temple, the Ethical Society, an Islamic Mosque, an African American Baptist church in the city, and the Catholic Church down the street. How many churches have you been to?"

That's the kid we wanted to have. That's the kid we want you to have, too. That's the kid we will stay here and support through our own time, energy, and resources.

Our youngest daughter asked me one time if it was better to know a lot about one religion or to know a little about a lot. "Depends," I said, "on where you want to go. If you want to experience the world, it seems a safer bet to broaden your knowledge. You'll find more in common with people than you will find to disagree."

We hope you agree that Eliot is a great place to raise your kids. Thanks and welcome to Eliot Chapel.

Lori Kesler - March 2, 2008

Good morning. I'm Lori Kesler and as co-chair of Eliot Chapel's Music Committee, I want to welcome you to a very special service: Music Sunday. It was Rev. Daniel O'Connell's idea to have one service each year that is devoted entirely to music. It is a day to honor and celebrate the many people - both volunteer and professional - who work so hard to make this a place where music lives and thrives. My husband Bill and I have been Eliot members for more than 30 years, sometimes fairly actively, sometimes episodically. But Eliot has been here for us just about forever.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa, in a Methodist family. Our little country church figured large in the fabric of our lives and it was a good place. In high school I played the plinky old upright piano for the church services; folks loved to sing the old hymns of their traditional prairie religion. It was a good place, full of good people. And yet it was built on a foundation of dogma and doctrines that didn't make sense to me. The premise that only true believers qualified for the cosmic hug, that only they could deserve the warmth and blessings of divine grace - these assumptions bothered me.

During college summers in the early '60s, I worked at a camp in Wisconsin. Some of you know it, and some of you have been there: George Williams College Camp on Lake Geneva. Several hundred Unitarians descended upon our little camp each summer for a weeklong conference. That was my first exposure to Unitarian Universalism and from the very first encounter, its religious ethic made sense to me. The idea that the journey of religious exploration matters more than the destination; that love matters more than judgment; that the simplest places in nature - places like our own Bergfried - just may be the most sacred places on earth. These are values that have shaped my religious life ever since.

Through the years, I've become involved with various Eliot activities and programs including RE, Madrigal, Book Fair, and Room at the Inn. And then, of course, there is the music. I sing in Eliot's Chamber Choir, that's the first-service choir, and this year I share with Linda Cummings the privilege of co-chairing the Music Committee. Working with this committee has given me a deeper understanding of the awesome dedication and talent of our music staff and volunteers. Awesome! In fact, I'm surely not alone in feeling that Eliot's heart has always beat to the pulse of its music. And how can this not be a religious experience? It is nothing less than a ritual of sacred communion. So this morning, let's do it again: let the music lift our spirits, nourish our souls, and bind us together in a sharing of joy.

Julie Triplett - January 13, 2008

My husband, George, and I first began attending Eliot Unitarian Chapel when it was a fellowship, more than 50 years ago. We had just moved to Kirkwood and did not know anyone. We needed to find friendship and fellowship.

One day, I saw a sign that indicated that Eliot Unitarian Chapel was located a few blocks away. When I investigated, I found Eliot in two old houses owned by the Kirkwood School District. We began attending services and found the sermons much to our liking. We also found a community of people who welcomed us. People like Betty O'Brien, Mary Louise Martin, Joe and Louise Killebrew, Joe and Nikki Tanaka and many others said they needed us, and, I suppose that was true. But, I needed them as well. I needed the warmth of a community that accepted me without question. That is what a community is - a group of people who welcome the new while embracing the old. A group of people that gives of itself to provide an environment where individuals can grow and learn from one another. This community spirit is one of the aspects of Eliot that makes it so special.

This was the beginning of my formal association with Unitarian Universalism, which I continued in Urbana, Illinois, when we moved there.

When we moved back to the St. Louis area, how delighted I was to find Eliot the same welcoming place that it had been. How great it was that, while we were gone, our daughter, Pam, had settled in St. Louis and she and her husband, Ken Denson, were a part of Eliot; now, a third generation, Eric, has become a part of the church as well.

When we returned Eliot had changed - my, how it had grown from the fifty units that first formed the church. One thing that had not changed was the feeling of family and community. This feeling is so important to the success of a church. The church community must nurture and care for its members with love and friendship. In turn, each individual member has a responsibility to contribute time, talent, and financial resources to support and maintain that community. George and I have been supporting Unitarian Universalism for more than fifty years and have had its support all this time.

Larry Ross - December 2, 2007

Welcome to Eliot Unitarian Chapel. My name is Larry Ross. My family and I have been supporting this wonderful place for almost 25 years with our time, talent and treasure.

I think all of you would agree that Eliot is unique. It has a rare quality that brings together all faiths, cultures and lifestyles without discrimination.

This 150-year-old building houses a congregation that produces a greater force together than one can accomplish alone. In this meeting place, we can learn new ideas, revisit old ones, care for one another, revolt against or embrace a philosophy, and cultivate this uniqueness for the next generation.

Our children's education is paramount to carryout this tradition. We certainly have a great education program here, which will be the springboard for our children's lives in the years to come.

If you are a visitor or one who is not partaking in what Eliot has to offer, remember Ralph Waldo Emerson's words:
"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."

Brian Krippner - October 28, 2007

Good Morning. My name is Brian Krippner. I have been coming to Eliot Chapel for just under a year.

I grew up in the west end of the City of St. Louis; our house was equidistant between Grace Methodist Church on the west corner of the block and St. Roch Catholic Church on the east corner. I had the unique experience of being raised in the United Methodist tradition but also attended 4 years of Catholic grade school, complete with Catholicism classes. As with many, my exposure to Emerson and Thoreau in high school literature classes caused me to question, and ultimately reject both the Protestant and Catholic elements of my religious upbringing. I theorized that since spirituality seemed evasive for my first 15 years of life, I would take the next 15 years off. Those 15 years stretched to 25 years.

I don't know exactly what causes spiritual awakening, but I had one. Perhaps it was an approaching 40th birthday, the humility of work in middle management, the adoption of our 2nd daughter from China, or simply a patient Spirit that was waiting for "the student to be ready so that the master could appear." In my new found seeking, I wandered across the "Belief-o-Matic" quiz on the web-site Beliefnet.com. Based on this 20-question quiz, I scored 100% Unitarian Universalist. Perfect Score, I thought, but, what is Unitarian Universalism? It didn't take me long to find Eliot's website from there. After coming to services and the "NEW U" class, I knew very quickly that Unitarian Universalism, and specifically Eliot had become my spiritual home. In that short time, I have done my best to contribute time, talent and treasure to Eliot. I have attended a NUU MEN class and served on the finance committee. My oldest daughter, Lauren (who is 6) is also attending religious education classes this Fall. Most recently, I was asked to fill the remainder of Kevin Cowell's term as the Board Treasurer. Needless to say, I have learned a lot about Eliot in a short time, but I'm having fun learning more each day. You will hear more from me about Eliot's finances as the Chapel's year progresses.

There are many things to love about UU and about Eliot specifically. I see UU as the quintessential demonstration of [American] religious freedom. Freedom to include a virtual library of books in the definition of 'Scripture'; Freedom to incorporate the world's diverse religions into your own personal theology and Spiritual development; Freedom to give your children a religious education free of fear, discrimination and threats; Freedom to support the diverse Spiritual journeys of others, even if they are different from your own; Freedom to find your Spirit in nature, on a meditation cushion, in a stanza of poetry, in your dog's wagging tail, or in a rock-and-roll anthem (such as one of my favorites, "Soulshine" by the Allman Brothers).

Picture your beliefs as a circle you draw around yourself. UU adds a second circle to that picture, one that circles around and includes your own circle and says, 'You are welcome here in this house of religious Freedom, where you can let your Soul shine.'

Ellen Cowell - January 7, 2007

I've been attending Eliot Chapel with my family for perhaps 3 or so years. Kevin and I were married at the First Unitarian Church in Alton about 12 years. We have two boys, ages 6 and 8. We have found Eliot a very welcoming place to learn as adults and to help our children have a religious upbringing. So, not very long after we all were attending, we made a choice to become pledging members.

I have really enjoyed teaching Sunday School and meeting new people of all ages here at Eliot. Gradually we have participated in more of the available activities like camping at Bergfried, Chili and Games, Family Potlucks, and the UU Marital Enrichment program. Our two boys have really, really loved their religious education classes during the school year and the summer. Our family has had many meaningful experiences here at Eliot and plan to continue that pattern.

For those of you considering Eliot Chapel, we welcome you with open minds and hearts.