Resolution MW 018

Resolved, that the Mission Within the Episcopal Church of Executive Council, having met January 26-29, 2024, in Louisville, Kentucky, affirm and uphold The United Thank Offering’s 2025 focus on areas of ministry that that welcome the stranger and serve those who society has left out and left behind, specifically emphasizing grants focused on the theme of water and Jesus’ words: “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”

2025 is the final of the three years (2023-2025)of the United Thank Offering’s grants focusing on areas of ministry based on Matthew 25:31–46. The 2025 grant focus is on water, based on Jesus’ words: “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”

UTO will fund projects focused on water, including but not limited to projects that:

• Address water issues such as desalinization, access, care of water sources, water rights & education about water resources.
• Increase water awareness (drought tolerance, flood prevention).
• Address health issues directly related to water quality (formula access for babies, aftermath of contaminated water, etc.).
• Address water needs of unhoused people (laundry, showers, bathrooms, drinking water).
• UTO recognizes that many water access issues today stem directly from historic trauma and harm done to marginalized people. Projects that encourage truth telling, acknowledge that historic trauma around water, and establish pathways towards healing also fit this focus.