United Thank Offering Announces 2020 Grant Awards
Diocese of Lexington to receive 2020 UTO Grant
Lexington, Kentucky— July 1, 2020 — United Thank Offering announced the grant recipients for the 2020 granting year, and we are excited to share that the Diocese of Lexington will receive funding for a Community Evangelist for Trinity, Covington. The focus of the granting process this year was ‘Bless: Share faith, practice generosity and compassion, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ with hope and humility.
Calling A Community Evangelist for Trinity, Covington
Trinity has long had a presence in the Covington and Northern Kentucky community. In 2017, Trinity’s new core values affirmed this commitment. In addition, when Trinity’s renovated public-facing courtyard in 2018, it was with an eye to engage the community. The community evangelist will activate the courtyard in a physically distant way, but will also engage in evangelism, prayer, and faith sharing both digitally and through local connections. Inspiration for the evangelist came through Trinity’s participation in the “Invite*Welcome*Connect” evangelism program that the Diocese of Lexington sponsored and continues to promote.
"The UTO Board is very excited about the 2020 grant recipients. Each project provides opportunities for the church to share how their experience of faith has impacted them and invite their community to experience the love and hope of The Episcopal Church. These projects demonstrate how when our congregations work together with our communities; we are stronger together." Shared Joyce Landers, Grant Committee Convener for the UTO Board.
United Thank Offering Funding
Every penny given to the United Thank Offering is given away the following year to support innovative mission and ministry in the Episcopal Church. The UTO Board received almost $3.4 million dollars in requests in 2020. Through the gratitude and generosity of those who contributed through Blue Box donations, UTO awarded over $1.5 million in grants.
After awarding $30,600 to Young Adult and Seminarian grants, UTO utilized the remainder of the 2019 Ingathering to fund 26 projects, including three grants which the Board awarded in honor of the legacy and commitment of UTO to supporting missionaries (and utilizing the Emery Trust Fund), educating church leaders and raising up female leadership in the church.
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute the 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
For more information on UTO:
The Rev. Canon Heather Melton
Staff Officer, The United Thank Offering
917.771.3366
hmelton@episcopalchurch.org
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/united-thank-offering