2021 United Thank Offering Update
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021
Last Sunday’s UTO ingathering at St. Michael and All Angels collected $826.75. Lynn Headley reports that in 2021 United Thank Offering (UTO) awarded grants totaling an impressive $1,039,462.77 thanks to similar ingatherings at Episcopal parishes across the United States.
“I am amazed since churches were closed because of COVID,” notes Lynn, “I considered it for St. Michaels but couldn’t figure out how to do it!”
This year the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles was given funding for two grants.
Healing from Loss: $7,780
Healing from Loss, a project of St. Athanasius Church in Echo Park, supports church and community members in dealing with their COVID-related losses by:
- lending internet-capable devices to digitally deprived members (primarily Spanish-speaking) to enable their participation in online worship;
- offering and marketing online pastoral support to members and the broader community through virtual and hybrid workshops, prayer groups, and discussion groups.
Read more: https://diocesela.org/news/uto_grant_healing-from-loss/
St. Luke’s Long Beach: $10,000.00
Every Saturday 85 to 100 unhoused people come to St. Luke’s for showers, clothing, and food. This grant will help provide a secure, commercial-grade laundry facility for safe laundering and reusing of towels and clothes. Through Laundry Love, low wealth neighbors will have an affordable, safe, community-based laundry.
Read more: https://www.stlukeslb.org/renovation-project.html
53 grants were awarded including 13 Anglican Communion Awards and 3 Historical Grant Awards.
The Anglican Communion Awards stretched across the globe to include Brazil, The Philippines, Kenya, and two for the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The 2 of the 3 Historical Grant Awards included support for Episcopal Chaplaincy during COVID.
Episcopal Service Corps was awarded $66,000. This service supports 100 young adults every year ages 21 to 32 who volunteer for a year of rigorous service throughout The Episcopal Church.
Every year I find it amazing how far this money is stretched and how far-reaching our offerings are felt. UTO thanks you for your gracious past and present involvement in this worthwhile organization.
For more information about the 2021 UTO grant recipients, visit:
- First Cycle: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/publicaffairs/united-thank-offering-450000-awarded-for-first-cycle-of-episcopal-church-and-anglican-communion-mission-and-ministry-grants/
- Second Cycle: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/publicaffairs/united-thank-offering-479369-53-awarded-for-second-cycle-of-episcopal-church-anglican-communion-covid-19-grants/
About United Thank Offering:
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
Website: https://unitedthankoffering.com/
