The United Thank Offering was begun in 1889 by two far-sighted, mission-minded women, Julia Emery and Ida Soule, when the General Convention of The Episcopal Church looked to them to begin the Women’s Auxiliary as part of the Board of Missions.  They began the offering to show the connection between giving thanks and giving money, uniting praying and sharing.

UTO’s simple purpose has remained constant:  offerings are given in thankfulness for the everyday blessings of life, to provide blessings for others.  Individuals in each parish take part spiritually by offering prayers of thanksgiving and by actively dropping coins in the “Little Blue Box.”  These coins are gathered twice a year at each church and then united with others from all over the country.  This outward expression of thankfulness takes action around the world to places of urgent need.

In the Diocese of Alabama the 2005 Spring Ingathering totaled $8,520.91.    In 2005 UTO received 200 grant applications totaling $8,232,482.77 and was able to grant full or partial funding to 131 project or program requests from around the world, totaling $2,710,247.22.   Of this amount 53.8% went to US dioceses and 46.2% went to overseas dioceses and provinces.

The Diocese of Alabama has received two UTO partial grants for 2007! We're told that not many dioceses receive more than one grant, so we're particularly blessed. The two grants are:

• $6,400 to Jubilee Community Center, Inc. in Montgomery for Youth Program Expansion
  To enhance a youth enrichment program serving at risk inner city african-American children providing stipends for teachers in dance, music, and drama, and a certified secondary teacher.

• $7,500 to Safeplace, Inc., in Florence for P.E.A.C.E. Project (Prevention, Education and Counseling Extension)
  To update and expand the curricula for a school-based violence prevention program serving a six county area, adding units to educate 3rd graders about the topic of bullying and 11th graders on healthy relationships.

A 2006 UTO grant was given to St. Timothy's Episcopal Church Pre-School in Athens to hire a bi-lingual staff member and to provide Spanish language instruction for other staff to increase communications and build better working relationships between the staff and the Hispanic families whose children attend this pre-school. They were granted $8,500.00.  A 2005 UTO grant was awarded to the Renascence Re-Entry Program, Montgomery.  The grant of $15,000 is to pay the start-up salary for a program coordinator to launch re-entry services for men released from prison with no place to go.  The project already acquired housing and program space, and in July 2005, started serving up to sixteen ex-offenders.

Reminders for Parish UTO Coordinators:

• Send your name, address, and name of your parish to UTO Coordinator for her to have a record of all parish coordinators.

• UTO Ingatherings:

  • Arrange dates with your Rector for two UTO Ingathering Sundays:

    • Spring, before May 15 and

    • Fall, before November 15

  • Publicize the meaning of UTO long before these dates.

  • As soon after the Ingathering as possible, please mail check (no cash or personal checks) payable to Episcopal Church Women and marked UTO to:  ECW, Diocese of Alabama, 521 North 20^th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203-2611.  Send ingathering moneys and other donations on a regular basis.   Any other UTO donations received at any time should be sent on a regular basis; checks should not be held in your accounts.  Checks for UTO should not be sent to the UTO Coordinator.

  • Supplies for parish needs should be ordered from the national UTO office at Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10017, 1-800-903-5544 (Inquiries may be made between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm) or ordered online at www.episcopalparishservices.org or by e-mail at ebr@episcopalchurch.org.

  • A beautiful UTO Alms Basin, made of silver and gold gathered from women of the Diocese of Alabama many years ago is used at the Annual Fall Conference.  It may be borrowed by any parish for an Ingathering or for a parish ECW meeting by contacting Nita Moorhead at The Cathedral Church of the Advent.

• UTO Grant Applications:

  • Grant applications are usually available by October and may be obtained from The Rev. Rob Morpeth at Carpenter House.  Completed grant applications should be in the Diocesan office by December 31 for approval by Bishop Parsley.  Copies also need to be mailed to the Diocesan UTO Coordinator.  Please see criteria for UTO grants.

Contributions to the Memorial and Gift Trust Fund should be marked #852 and mailed to Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, UTO, Box 12095, Newark, NJ 07101.  These contributions are put into a trust to help the UTO Committee with administration and granting.  The Trust Fund pays for UTO materials that are free, especially the unlimited free Blue Boxes.  It also is used to supplement the Blue Box offerings in grants.  These are separate and apart from the UTO Ingathering donations.  All money received through ingatherings is granted. Only trust fund money is used for administration; there is always a need in that fund

For more information on UTO, contact our diocesan UTO Coordinator.

Diocesan UTO Coordinator:

Diocesan UTO Committee

UTO Prayer
I am bound by the vow

I made to you, Oh God;
I will present to you  thank-offerings.
Psalm 56:11 (BCP) 
 

UTO 2006 Fall Report

Article in May 2006 The Apostle about UTO and Mabel Shepherd's memories of her grandmother and mother participating in UTO

UTO 2006 Spring Report

UTO 2005 Annual Report

National UTO Website