The Rev. Ann Fontaine writes at her weblog, what the tide brings in:
If you are an Episcopalian you are probably familiar with UTO through its Blue Boxes. The little box you put on your desk or in your kitchen where you are encouraged to put in a donation for every blessing you encounter each day. Cultivating the habit of gratitude is the goal of UTO. And when all those coins are added together, grants are made to support and improve the lives of many around the world. This ministry has been in existence for 125 years and collected millions of dollars to be disbursed in grants.
The Blue Box is commemorated in a stained glass window at St Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Fairbanks. Bishop Gordon’s airplane, known throughout Alaska as “The Blue Box” was bought with UTO funds.
So why are there concerns about this ministry now?
Read the rest, including the proposed bylaws that have prompted four protest resignations from UTO leadership and an archived issue of Triennial Today that reported on UTO members’ misgivings in July 2009.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
