United Thank Offering L. Marie Williams, Province II Representativie to the National UTO Committee The United Thank Offering is a powerful work of the people of God in action. Every time we drop a coin in our Blue Box we are witnessing to God's presence within us by sharing our blessings with others. There are many ways to say "thank you" and using the Blue Box is only one. All of the dioceses in the Province including Haiti, the Virgin Islands, and the Convocation of American Churches in Europed participated in using the Blue Box. Our United Thank Offering Ingathering for 1997 (the money used to grant in 1998) was $272,303.24. This, in combination with the many other Ingatherings from all over the Episcopal Church become the grant monies that are given to support and strengthen the church's mission and ministry at home and through out the world. Dioceses in Province II submitted fourteen grants totaling 319,847 to the United Offering Committee for consideration. Of these, eight received awards. Grants were awarded to: ALBANY Haven Grief Counseling , Schenectady $ 6,660 CENTRAL NY Women's Transition Initiative, Broome Co. $ 11,000 LONG ISLAND St. Mark's Church, North Bellmore $ 20,000 NEW JERSEY Christ Church, Trenton $ 21,000 NEW YORK St. Andrew's Church, Staten Island $ 17,000 NEWARK Episcopal Community Development $ 25,000 NEWARK Isaiah House, East Orange $ 15,000 HAITI Church of the Ascension, Port au Prince $ 53,000 Grand Total:   $168,660 If you are interested in applying for a United Thank Offering Grant, you need to first contact your Diocesen Office. 1999 Grant Applications forms are available through the Diocesan Bishop's Office. The forms have been updated and are now "user friendly". The deadline for submitting forms to the National Office for consideration in the next granting period was January 31, 1999. Your Diocesan Coordinator can be of help to you. Whether you say "Merci", "Gracias", "Grazie", "Danke Schoen", "Takk", or "Asanti", say "thank you " by doing UTO Everyday! --Return to Contents Teens Fight Poverty and Have Fun By the Rev. John Donnelly, Rector St. Michael's, Wayne, NJ For over thirty years, the Episcopal Church has had a very strong and effective ministry to the poor in the Appalachian Mountains. Known as the Episcopal Appalachian Ministry (EAM), this ministry is actually a regional coalition of Episcopal Dioceses, seeking to minister the Good News of Jesus Christ in this economically depression region of our country. For years, many Episcopal youth groups from surrounding dioceses have traveled to the mountains, under the supervision of EAM, to participate in 5- to 7-day work camps. During these work camps, groups have worked with others in doing minor housing repairs, house painting, gardening, recreational activities with children, and other community service projects. Participants have also had fun attending blue grass concerts and other regional cultural events. In the course of these work camps, the participants often have received so much more than they have given---especially in the form of relationships with the local people. Their courage, faith, and strength of character in the midst of adversity is inspirational to those of us who are richer in material blessings. These work camps build stronger and deeper commitments within local parish youth groups. Such inter-cultural experiences, within the Christian context, have the potential to change young peoples' lives. Frequently teens remember these experiences literally, forever. One young person I spoke to recently reminded me about an occasion when she and I were driving to a work camp in the West Virginian mountains fifteen years ago. Like many Episcopal youth, she had been born and raised in an affluent suburban community. She remembered her first sighting of some "shacks" and was puzzled that she did not see any houses. She remembered how I had explained to her that those "shacks" were actually peoples' homes. The shock of that initial experience had stayed with her up until now--- years later. Unfortunately, we both recognized that the poverty had not changed much since 1984. However, that young woman had been changed forever: in place of ignorance, she received a heart of compassion. Opportunities are available for groups as small as one to three, or larger groups. There are location available both inside and outside Province II. Costs are very low and very reasonable. Contact: The Rev. John Donnelly EAM Staff Emeritus (973-694-1026) or Sandra Elledge, EAM Executive Coordinator (800-956-3185) --Return to Contents Youth Work Camps, Summer 1999 Episcopal Appalachian Ministries will sponsor three youth work camps next summer: July 4- 10 in Athens, Ohio; July 19 - 25 in Monteagle, Tennessee; and August 1 - 7 at Grace House on the Mountain in St. Paul, Virginia. The work camps, open to young people who are rising 10th graders or older, will do home rehabilitation and new home construction. Adults who would enjoy working along side the youth are always welcome. Individuals or a limited number of youth from any one youth group are invited to participate. EAM is the only organization that makes it possible for individuals or small youth groups to participate in the summer work camp experience. Cost will be $150 per person. Contact: Sandy Elledge P.O. Box 51931 Knoxville, TN 37950-1931 Phone 800-956-2776 E-mail: Sandy.Elledge@Ecunet.org. Youth groups wanting a work camp site for this summer are asked to contact Joyce Dukes, Volunteer Coordinator, at the Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA - of which EAM is the Episcopal member) at 423-584-6133, ext. 16. --Return to Contents Editor's Note Now that I have recovered from my bout with this winter's flu, the winter issue is about ready to go off to Mission Graphics for printing. The news for this issue seems to center around the exciting things happening in the province and in the larger church. After reading the articles on the meeting of the Executive Committee and the Provincial Leadership Council, I am looking forward to the possibilities that are opening for the province to take on a really positive leadership role in coordinating and enabling the ministries of the dioceses. We have a real opportunity to serve as a network for combining resources to make it possible for more to be done with what we have by sharing staff, funds, and ideas. I hope each diocese will be able to send its full delegation to Albany in May so that the Synod meeting has good representation from all members of the province. To facilitate the work that goes into that meeting, I hope, also, that each diocese will see that its delegates have gotten their copies of The Grapevine and that John Goldsack (Provincial Secretary) and I have their names and addresses for the future. Please remember that the deadline for the next issues of The Grapevine are March 26, 1999 and September 10, 1999. Jan --Return to Contents