By UTO Formation and Development Committee

If you’re looking for some programming materials for your congregation or ways to increase gratitude at home this fall, look no further than UTO! Here is an overview of the materials and opportunities coming this fall.

Materials for October: Glimpses of Gratitude from Around the Globe
This year our free downloadable materials have moved to October and are reflections from grant recipients instead of gratitude prompts. We’ve heard from lots of you that you love hearing stories about the grant sites, so this is a way for us to share their stories with you. Many of them are just a few months into the projects. We’ll have a photo from each site on our social media each day, or you can see more photos on our fall blog. Sign up for text messages, download a daily calendar and companion journal, and check out the blog (beginning Oct. 1) at www.unitedthankoffering.com/fall.

Materials for Families for October: Gratitude Pumpkins
Here in the United States the pumpkin is definitely the symbol we think of when we think fall—from jack-o’-lanterns in October to pie in November. This fall, families are invited to try a new tradition of using pumpkins to help practice gratitude. Families have two options: The first is to make an origami pumpkin each week, and the second is to simply buy a pumpkin and write things you’re grateful for on it. We hope these tools will help bring fun and joy to your family. You can download the instructions, as well as a faith formation lessons to use at church, at www.unitedthankoffering.com/fall.

November Gratitude Materials
Don’t think we’ve forgotten about Thanksgiving! You can download all sorts of resources for Thanksgiving at www.unitedthankoffering.com/november. We highly recommend faith formation leaders take a look at our resources for talking about the history of the holiday. Our prayer resources include a land acknowledgement that you can use on Thanksgiving or throughout November to honor our Indigenous communities.