Volunteer Spotlight September 2026: Anne Meneely

Anne Meneely

Anne has been a member of Eliot Chapel for 27 years. In her search for a meaningful spiritual community for herself and her youngest daughter, she found what she was looking for in Eliot Chapel. Anne has realized that giving her time and talent has rewarded her with solid friendships as well as the warmth of being a contributing member of a vital, inspiring church community. The words of Anne’s Covenant Group, which she has led for the past 12 years, have created a beautiful tribute to her and exemplify how one person’s efforts to contribute to building community makes such a vital impact on others.


In Anne’s own words:

“I joined Eliot in 1997. After being a non-church goer for many years, I wanted to find a spiritual home that fit my belief system and also a place where my young daughter could join a religious education program that I felt comfortable with.


"In order to meet new people and to contribute to Eliot, I took up many volunteer opportunities over the years. These include teaching RE, volunteering for Madrigal, helping the Guest at the Table program, being a part of the Women’s Weekend planning committee, making dinner for Room at the Inn guests, helping with the Eliot Book Fair and co-chairing the Holiday Bazaar.

"I joined two covenant groups over the years then decided to start a group in 2014. It has been a rewarding experience, leading a diverse group of 9 people. Our discussions are varied and rich. We have become a support system for each other, not just while we meet but also in everyday life. I became a member of the Covenant Group Development Team over 5 years ago and help with bringing the covenant group facilitators together in order to share our common goals. We also promote covenant groups to the congregation at large, encouraging members to join a group.


"Volunteering for Eliot is a win/win situation. It allows you to meet new people,

while contributing to the various missions of the church. I like that there are endless ways to volunteer!"

Anne’s 9-member Spiritual Creativity Covenant Group nominated Anne for the Volunteer Spotlight. Here is what her group members have to say about Anne’s leadership and dedication:



  • Anne is an excellent leader. She is so creative and brings wonderful projects for us to make while tying a thought provoking topic to the project. She has led discussions about spirituality and creativity, family traditions, letting go of old ideas that no longer serve us, etc. No matter what creative skills we bring to the group, she encourages us in every way! It is fun and thought provoking.


  • She is a marvel of industry and creativity for us. Among Anne's prime attributes is her ability to keep a steady course. Anne always exudes delight in our creative activities. She has nifty ideas to keep us thinking and creating. Every month she shows up with a chosen theme to focus on, and she provides quoted passages from various poets and philosophers for us to discuss. We relate these readings to our own personal life issues, challenges and joys. We have used dried and pressed flowers. decorated river rocks. created collages, and painted little placards to showcase the one spiritual word that we want to focus on for the year. We made stained glass windows ornaments inspired by a beautiful poem. Throughout all of these serious and jolly activities, we have forged a sisterhood. I consider myself very, very lucky to be a part of this lively group!


  • Every single month she always has something different for us to do creatively and researches very thought provoking quotes for us to ponder. She is always so gracious and listens intently to what others have to add to the discussion.


  • Anne is very thoughtful in her planning of our topic and shares quotes of different authors that beg us to think with heart and mind. Her creative crafting brings us in a beautiful circle to tie the subject matter together with meaning.


  • We are extremely fortunate to have Anne as our group leader. Her dedication is amazing and she cares deeply about us as a group and as individuals. I’ve been in the group for 11 years and it has made a much appreciated impact on my life.


  • Anne started some meaningful routines for our covenant group. These thoughtful rituals make our covenant time together very comforting for me. There are 2 that stand out in my mind. We begin each meeting by reading our covenant statement together. When we check in, the lights go off in the room and we all take several deep breathes to center ourselves before we begin the check in. At the end of the check in, we sit in silence to contemplate what we heard and to send positive supportive thoughts to our "sisters." At one meeting, we wrote messages of love and support or drew pictures on 4” cloth squares. One member took the squares home and sewed them into a beautiful cloth that is present at every meeting.


  • I appreciate that Anne seeks feedback, practices deep listening, and takes the time to develop great activities.