"What’s up with the little Blue Boxes”
is exactly what I thought when I joined the Episcopal Church in 1991. My young sons found several at the back of the church and brought them home as containers for their Star Wars cards. I, however, began putting coins in my Blue Box each day and offering a prayer of thanks to God. I began to discover the blessings of the practice of gratitude. I learned that The United Thank Offering was not an obligation but rooted in the core of our faith to: Love God, Love neighbor and give thanks at all times. The United Thank Offering is one of the oldest outreach ministries of the Episcopal Church and all the coins I put in my Blue Box are gathered together with other Blue Boxes from around The Episcopal Church. Every penny is granted to ministries around the world. As I followed the United Thank Offering I read about how all those “pennies” made a real difference in the lives of people and I felt connected to every grant awarded and the people they served.
In the beginning
...
The first United Offering, now called the United Thank Offering, was gathered at the Women's Auxiliary (Episcopal Church Women) meeting during the General Convention of 1889. The offering was the brainchild of Ida Soule and Julia Chester Emery, who were deeply committed to the missionary work of the Episcopal Church; they recognized that thankful prayer and thankful giving are interlinked. When the women gathered their Thank Offerings their focus was on expanding the mission of the church. The grants supported training women in the church, supporting and sending women missionaries domestically and overseas and funding the building of schools, hospitals and church buildings all over the country, and the world. For more history check out the
UTO Historic Archive.
What happens to all those “pennies” today?
From the earliest collection every penny has been granted for mission. To date UTO has given 5,215 grants for a total of $134,112,463.46. UTO has given the Diocese of Western Massachusetts $358,872.37 in grants for projects in our diocese. For a complete list
click here.
The United Thank Offering is not a stewardship campaign or a fundraiser, but an opportunity to practice gratitude and develop the habit of giving daily thanks to God. As we recognize our own connection to God and His blessings in our life we learn to recognize the needs of others and joyfully give offerings. For over 125 years, UTO has been a community of thankful people who contribute to the work of the church fostering innovation and action to heal a broken world.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him
.”
2 Corinthians 2:14
(NRSV)
Think about this...
- There are about 2 million Episcopalians in the United States.
- If every Episcopalian put one thankful penny in their Blue Box each day, gratitude would grow and over 6 million dollars would be available for granting each year!
- If you already have Blue Boxes and at least one UTO enthusiast in your church, great. I am always available for information and ideas.
- If you do not have Blue Boxes I can get you a "starter kit." Then all it takes is one person to tell the UTO story...and don't overlook the children.
I am thankful for the opportunity to write about the United Thank Offering to ”expand the Circle of Thankful People” because I was “loved” into The Episcopal Church through the United Thank Offering. Get a UTO “Blue Box”… practice Prayer and Thanksgiving to God…use pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters, dollars….pass them along and watch the thank-offering multiply, while reaping the benefits, including health benefits, of being a more thankful person.
UTO every day…Expand the Circle of Thankful people!
In Gratitude,
Susan
************************************************************************************************************
United Thank Offering Prayer:
GRACIOUS GOD, source of all creation, all love, all true joy: accept, we pray, these outward signs of our profound and continuing thankfulness for all of life. Keep each of us ever thankful for all the blessings of joy and challenge that come our way. Bless those who will benefit from these gifts through the outreach of the United Thank Offering. This we ask through Him who is the greatest gift and blessing of all, Jesus Christ. Amen
