By: The UTO Board and Staff
Each November, we invite all Episcopalians to join us in focusing in on gratitude for 30 days, and this year is no different. The November Gratitude Challenge booklet, available now in English and Spanish for download here, can easily be used by individuals, small groups, or congregations. We do this every November because, for those of us in the United States, this is often a time when our thoughts turn toward gratitude, since Thanksgiving is at the end of the month. While the history behind the holiday continues to demand critical examination (read more here or here), the idea of taking time to stop and give thanks is very important. In past years, we’ve encouraged everyone to do something or notice something new every day, but given the current state of the pandemic, we thought it might be easier if we took each week to focus on a different area of our lives and relationships to give thanks for. Each week, we offer ideas for how you might do this as an individual or a small group (or even over Zoom) and how to share your experience of gratitude online, as well as a chance to journal. We hope at the end of the month, you’ll take a moment to look back, give thanks for the experience, and make a thank offering here. Be sure to tag us with your thoughts on social media.
If you are looking for more ideas on how to teach about Thanksgiving, here are some resources.
- Information on the Doctrine of Discovery and the Indigenous Ministries of The Episcopal Church
- An awesome Thanksgiving craft from UTO that transforms a Blue Box into a turkey, while encouraging children to reflect on those things for which they are thankful, which you can download here along with other gratitude formation resources
- A Story of Survival: The Wampanoag and the English, created by Oklahoma City Public Schools Native American Student Services
- Great coloring and activity sheets on gratitude, as well as color-your-own thank you cards from Illustrated Ministries:
“I Am Thankful” Coloring Pages
“I Will Give Thanks” Coloring Pages
Thankful Heart Coloring Pages
Thank You Cards