Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Fall 2012 Issue | Page 8

Many Paths, One Joyful Journey
Pat Hardy
It was an honor and privilege being one of our diocese’s
four delegates attending the 47th Triennial Meeting of the
Episcopal Church Women and Convention, July 5-11, in
Indianapolis. Our other delegates were Cindy Helton, Dale
Brittle and Rosemary Zellner.

Shortened by three days and due to logistics of our
hotel and the Triennial Meeting, our schedule was grueling.
Maneuvering among 7,000 people and walking several miles
a day, our days were filled with prayer, worship, meetings,
workshops and visiting the Houses of Bishops & Deputies,
staying abreast of Episcopal history in the making. None
the less, this wonderful experience was an exciting time of
learning, serving and joyful fun.

The speakers, preachers and workshop leaders were
renewing and uplifting. In a sermon, Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori admonished all to look beyond

The ECW Virginia deputation included (from left to right)
Cindy Helton, Pat Hardy, Rosemary Zellner and Dale Brittle.

Triennial continued on page 21

United Thank Offering: The Other Side of a Study
Anne Gordon Curran
The United Thank Offering, the Episcopal Church ministry
which administers grants from funds gathered in thanksgiving
for God’s blessings, has recently undergone a change in
structure, put into effect at the 2012 General Convention
meeting. In October 2008, the Executive Council of the
Episcopal Church established a special committee to conduct
a study to look at the United Thank Offering and define and
document its legal relationship to the Church. This study
was initiated by a need to comply with IRS regulations which
address tax exempt status of any organization of the Episcopal
Church when their funds are held and invested there. This
concern opened the door for a thorough study of UTO, to be
completed and presented at General Convention 2012.

The committee, chaired by the Rev. Mark Harris, a member
of Executive Council, defined five areas to research: History
and Story, Theology of Thankfulness, New Times and New
Technology, Anglican Communion Matters, and Organization
Structure and Relations. The resulting reports were collected
by the Study Committee and submitted to Executive Council in
October 2011.

As of General Convention 2012, the United Thank Offering
is officially a governing board. It is no longer a committee or
a ministry of the Episcopal Church Women. All criteria and
decisions for granting are made by the board out of funds
collected from prayerful thanksgivings in the form of Blue
Box gifts. Other gifts to the Memorial and Gift Trust funds are
managed by the Episcopal Church, the interest from which the
board uses to support their administrative needs, training for
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Virginia Episcopalian / Fall 2012

Photo: Eric Gregory

(From left) Anne Gordon Curran, Mike Kerr and Russ Randle hold
UTO prayer shawls as Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
offers a blessing.

diocesan coordinators, most of the materials for churches and
50 percent of staff salaries. The composition of the board is
increasing from 12 to 15 which includes an appointed member
from the Executive Council.

The United Thank Offering Board is responsive to the
Executive Council and now works in relationship to the
Department of Mission. It hopes to continue to cooperate
with the ECW, as their joint roots historically are intertwined.
Board composition is not exclusively for women. UTO is a board
and ministry of the whole Church. The simplicity of it has not
changed. It represents the Church in the world revealed though
its faithfulness to God’s mission that we go forth and serve. t