By Heather Melton, Staff Officer
November is the perfect time to focus on thankfulness and gratitude; paying attention to all the things we are thankful for is a great way to hold the space between Halloween and Christmas. Everything we offer can be downloaded and used immediately or later this month. You can find all of them here.
- Journal for Individuals (Also available daily on UTO’s Facebook and Instagram)
This year, the focus for our November journal is on using gratitude as a form of interruption. Often gratitude is seen as something to do in response to something else happening, from writing thank-you cards for gift received or in response to something good that just happened. But gratitude can also be a powerful tool to interrupt routines or moments of anxiety and be a reminder that good can be present in all those things, too. This November, we want to invite you to see gratitude as a powerful tool for disruption. Each day we’ll provide a prompt in the journal or on social media that will challenge you to embrace how practicing gratitude can interrupt us in really good and important ways. - Materials for Children and Families
Our children’s materials are set up for use within a Sunday School classroom or to be sent home with families to do together. Just a reminder, we do offer connections with formation materials from Indigenous communities to help teach children about the history of the holiday and a list of picture books we love for elementary-age kids. - Historical Roots of Thanksgiving
We know that for many, the history of Thanksgiving is fraught, and we’re really grateful to share with you some resources from Indigenous communities as well as historians to learn more about the 1621 feast and the complicated tale of Thanksgiving. - Liturgical Resources
Not only do we have a wonderful Thanksgiving service in our liturgy booklet that any congregation or group can use, we’ve also created a simplified version for families to use on Thanksgiving at home. You can print out copies for your gathering, or use it from your phone. - Support UTO on Giving Tuesday!
This Giving Tuesday, follow along on our social media accounts (@unitedthankoffering on Instagram and Facebook) to see why we do what we do and the difference that your offerings make. We’ll highlight grant sites from last year to showcase how every penny makes a difference and how your blessing becomes a blessing to others through UTO.