UTO – United Thank Offering

From the UTO Finance and Archives Committee Many of our parish UTO leaders are working hard to encourage folks to donate online using the QR code on the boxes/envelopes, and we appreciate the effort. Giving online is incredibly easy and gives folks who don’t use cash a way to connect with UTO. If you let…

By Karin Elsen, UTO Board President and chair of the Formation and Development Committee UTO has had a great start to the year and is finding new ways to support spiritual growth. With seasonal resources and partnerships, we are dedicated to helping everyone in the church grow in gratitude. Here’s what’s coming up soon: Quarterly…

By the UTO Grant Committee The 2026 UTO Grants were approved by Executive Council! We are so excited about this group of grant recipients because they are working with a partner to bring about change in their communities. You can read the descriptions of the grant sites here. There are so many exciting projects on this…

Updates from the UTO Board We know it is early, but this year, Heather is working on customized kits highlighting past grants awarded in your diocese and designed to engage people in finding out about the history and status of those sites today. We will use this information to prepare for the upcoming 150th anniversary of…

By Heather Melton, (she/her) UTO Staff Officer I’ve started joking that my title should be UTO staff officer and chaos coordinator. On my to-do list for this week is “fix explosions; make bigger.” I was talking with a coworker about the popular “volcano day” craft project that will be included in our Vacation Bible School…

Cheyenne River Episcopal Mission Horse Camp From the Final Grant Report Tell us a bit about how your project unfolded. The indoor riding arena funded by the UTO has become a vital resource for the Lakota people of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and beyond, serving over 200 at-risk children and youth along with their families, adults…

Inclusion, Equality and Opportunity to Learn Together From the Final Grant Report Tell us a bit about how your project unfolded.The Inclusion, Equality and Opportunity to Learn Together project in this first year at the Transfiguration School provides education and psychological support to 85 vulnerable migrant boys and girls between the ages of 3 and…

From the Final Grant Report Tell us a bit about how your project unfolded.The Clergy Jail Visiting Project has brought 15 clergy into Erie County’s two jails in 2023-2024, with another visit scheduled for the end of October. These clergy from various backgrounds (Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Baptist, Jewish) have interviewed around…

By Sawsan Batato, Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem In a small village nestled between rolling hills called Burin, a 45-year-old woman named Fatima lived a simple life with her husband, Farid, and their five children—three girls and two boys. Farid was the sole breadwinner, and they had shared dreams and struggles as a family. But everything…

By the Rev. Rowan Larson, Incoming UTO Board Vice President for Grants One of my favorite grants since I joined the UTO Board in 2021 was the 2022 grant to the Episcopal Diocese of Montana to install low-flow toilets in 18 parishes across the state, most of them rural. It wasn’t the largest grant in…

By Mathy Milling-Downing, UTO Board Province III Representative Each month we like to share a story of where your thank offering has gone in recent years. This month, one of our Board members shares about her experience visiting Charlie’s Place. Founded in 1990 as a nondenominational, anti-hunger and homelessness ministry by the associate pastor of…