As December unfolds around us, one of our big changes is underway, which is revamping how we distribute materials. During the month of December, you will not be able to order materials. If you have an emergency and need UTO printed items, please email Heather Melton before Dec. 15, and she will send items on Dec. 18. In the January newsletter, we will announce the new system for ordering materials; however, we do know the following changes will be in effect beginning in 2024:
- We will have a webpage set up to help you place your order for materials. On that page, we’ll also have links to all of the materials (with the exception of Blue Boxes, envelopes, and giveaways) that you can print locally. Please note that orders will be shipped on or around the 20th of the month, which means you might need to plan ahead. Orders placed after the 20th will ship the next month. These will also be sent free of charge.
- You will have the option of ordering kits – either for your parish (and we’ll have a breakdown on sizes), for individuals or families, and one for diocesan convention displays. We will also have a kit of just Blue Boxes and envelopes.
- Our goal is to move to shipping materials only twice a year: in August (with materials for November) or January (with materials for Lent), based on your order form, which will be sent each year in June with choices of kit sizes and content. You can also choose to skip this year’s mailing. This kit will be sent to you free of charge.
- Starting UTO in your parish? No problem! Register your new UTO ministry using this link and we’ll send a kit of materials to get you started even if it isn’t August or January. Again, materials will be sent on the 20th of the month and for free.
- UTO will not bring an overabundance of printed materials to General Convention, so please do not plan on picking up items there and shipping them back. We will help people register their parishes and order materials at convention using the new order form.
- UTO will set up a separate process for receiving materials in Spanish. More on this will be released in the spring of 2024, including an order form for materials to be picked up at General Convention.
While we know change is hard, this change allows UTO to free up financial resources to create new and different materials to support your work of leading UTO. We also hope that sending you these resources for free will help congregations engage more fully in the work of gratitude. We hope to expand the resource center to send gratitude kits to families and members for free in October once we have the new process established.