By Heather Melton, UTO Staff Officer

When I was pregnant, I dutifully bought and filled out a baby book. One of the pages asked for a family tree for each parent. My husband easily filled his in, but there was a part of my family that I didn’t know much about, including how to spell their last name. I started digging into this part of my family history and was blessed to get help from a friend. It’s a bit of a story, but I learned that this part of my family fled their homeland, took a boat, and then a train to Ohio. Once there, the parents turned their two small children over to a Catholic orphanage. Census records show that the parents died shortly thereafter, and baptismal records show that the two girls were baptized and given American names. That last part I didn’t know. I remember being shown the ruins of the orphanage as a child and that my family member grew up there. I never thought much about how or why she was in the orphanage until that moment of filling out the baby book. 

A year later, as my own children approached age 1, the body of a child just a year older washed up on a beach. This child was a Syrian refugee. His family was fleeing a war and longing to find a safe place to live. The world was outraged at the plight of refugees and migrants. UTO sponsored a challenge grant to help Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), while EMM asked us why we support refugees. My answer was simpleL I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for my family immigrating to Ohio to find safety. I support refugees because I am descended from refugees. To be fair, all of my family members are from elsewhere, be it Ireland or Germany, but here has become home.

You may wonder why I’m sharing this story with you at Christmastime. For me, thinking about coming from far away and making a home is deeply tied to the holiday season. Beginning with Thanksgiving, when we give thanks for the blessings of the year passed, we also acknowledge that the land we live on was taken from others so we could live here. Then through Advent and Christmas, we hear the unfolding story of Mary and Joseph’s migration for the census, leading to their fleeing as refugees to Egypt. Jesus knew what it was like to come from far away, and his parents knew the fear and hope of the migrants and refugees who today are seeking safety for their families. I am blessed to see the gift of that hard decision because I benefit from it each day. At Christmas, I give thanks for the hope and courage of refugee and migrant families, from the Holy Family to my own families, and to those who live in my community and share their culture with us. I give thanks for the traditions that keep me connected to my roots in Ireland and Germany, which I pass along to my children.

This year, the UTO Board decided to support the work of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) in a new way. We didn’t hold our annual race due to General Convention, but instead, we committed to intentionally working together. There are some very exciting things coming through this partnership, including doing all our Lenten materials together (which you can read about here, in addition to ordering materials for your family or parish).  But perhaps the most meaningful one to me is to invite all UTO members to consider and give thanks for your family story, and the story of the birth of Jesus, with the hope and joy you find within it, and make a thank offering to support the work of EMM. You can rest assured that 100% of your donation to UTO (if marked for EMM) will go to EMM. These gifts are a sign of love and welcome, offered to a new generation seeking a different life for their children. These gifts can also be in gratitude for those who welcomed the Holy Family and kept them safe as they migrated from Nazareth to Bethlehem and then fled to Egypt. 

Maybe you grew up in one state and now live in another and you want to give thanks for that. Whatever gratitude you’re feeling this Christmas for your home, your family story, or the Christmas season, we hope you’ll share that with us by making a year-end thank offering to support EMM.