NOTICE. GIVE. MAKE. BLESS.
Notice the good things that happen each day. Give thanks to God for your blessings. Make an offering for each blessing. Every penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and dollar offered in thanks through United Thank Offering is given to God’s mission in the world. UTO disperses every penny offered into grants. Every coin and bill transforms lives in the United States and around the world. Your blessings become blessings for others.
NOTICE.
Notice the good things that happen each day.
Notice all of the ways that God is blessing you each day. From moments of self-care to moments of interaction with people who are helping you, good things are happening all the time that we simply miss because we are rushing to the next thing. Today, we challenge you to notice all of the good things happening or simply start and end the day with a prayer of thankfulness.
From little things like a good parking spot on a busy day, sunshine for your family picnic, or a note from a friend on a tough day.
To the big things like recovery from serious illness, a new job or family member, or finishing a big project at work.
GIVE.
Give thanks to God for your blessings.
Now that you are pausing to notice the good things happening in your day, make it tangible. This way you can actively practice gratitude each day. Here are some ways we suggest to give thanks, but we encourage you to find acts that work best for you.
Write a letter. Feeling extra grateful for someone today? Write them a letter and let them know.
Go for a gratitude walk. Take a walk. Notice the beauty around you and within you. Give thanks for what you see and how you feel.
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for every day.
MAKE.
Make an offering for each blessing.
Whenever you pause to give thanks, make it tangible:
- Put a coin in a UTO Blue Box
- Write down your thanksgivings in a journal or place them in a Blue Box to “cash in” later
- Download an app that tracks your immediate thank offerings (utoblueboxapp.org)
Through the United Thank Offering, your private thank offering gets invested with collective purpose. Your thanks-givings yield a greater return when combined with the gratitude gifts of your Episcopal brethern.
Change given in gratitude for your children became a Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Kenya.
Change given in gratitude for your healthcare became a Pre-Natal and Birth Clinic in South Sudan.
Change given in gratitude for electricity in your home became a laundry service for the homeless in Michigan.
Change given in gratitude for the ability to work from home during the pandemic, became clinics and feeding ministries around the globe to support those suffering from COVID-19.
BLESS.
Your blessing becomes a blessing for others.
Once all of the thank offerings are collected, the UTO Board gives them away as grants. UTO grants often focus on urgent human needs – meaning your individual gratitude gift helps with racial reconciliation efforts, ending poverty, and much more.
The thank offerings that you put into your Blue Box combine with others to fund innovative mission and ministry in The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. UTO Grants can be used for startup funds for new ministries, or take a current ministry in a new and exciting direction.
The possibilities are endless for the ways in which UTO thank offerings will go on to bless communities working to love like Jesus through justice, advocacy, outreach, and presence. You can see a list of every grant awarded by UTO here, from an airplane to help the Bishop of Alaska visit the far-reaching areas of the diocese to creating a coffeeshop and playground where community members can gather and engage with The Episcopal Church.
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