By UTO Executive Committee

The pandemic has changed a lot of things for The Episcopal Church; perhaps one of the biggest ways that it has changed is seen through the smaller scale of General Convention this summer in Louisville, Kentucky. For those of us at UTO, there is a loss: For the second time since 1889, there will not be an Ingathering Service at General Convention. We hope that it might return at the 2027 convention in Phoenix, Arizona. There is also much rejoicing; our presence at convention will be very intentional and deep in Kentucky. We’re looking forward to having our booth be a gathering and learning site about gratitude, with some really fantastic swag. 

We’ve got some friends visiting us in the booth (more about that in our May newsletter) whom we think you’ll love getting to meet and talk to in person if you’re there. Perhaps the biggest joy is helping with the children’s program. We’re so excited to see and help with “Waves of Gratitude” in action alongside amazing field trips, Godly Play stories, and much more in the Hyatt. Our Board will be present at the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) Triennial (come see us at our UTO table!), DOK (Daughters of the King) Triennial (come visit our table in the DOK exhibit hall!), and for hearings at General Convention. Due to the shortened schedule and the reality that a lot of our UTO leaders are either not coming to Kentucky or are coming but to one of the other events, we are limiting the number of events we are hosting and continuing our virtual training day. With that said, we do have two workshops we want to invite the general public at convention to join us for this year. There is no registration required for these workshops, so come as you are able to!

Grant Writing 101
Thursday, June 27, from 10-11 a.m.
Hyatt Conference Room (UTO Office – inside the front door, first room to the right)
Researching and writing grant applications is a daunting task, but once you learn some simple tips and tricks, you can easily navigate the world of nonprofit grant writing. Join us to talk about ways to find funding for your ministry ideas (including, but not limited to, funding from The Episcopal Church), and how to best present those ideas to funding agencies. As a bonus, we’ll also send you home with the UTO grant application for 2025.

What’s New With UTO?
Thursday, June 27, from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Hyatt Conference Room (UTO Office – inside the front door, first room to the right)
Bring your lunch and come hear about all the new things happening with UTO, from free formation resources to upcoming events the Board is planning for the 2024-2027 triennial. We also hope you’ll come with questions and ideas of ways we can better support your congregation in practicing gratitude. We’ll have some fun giveaways for those who join us.