40 Days of Welcome and Gratitude

Each Lent, United Thank Offering (UTO) offers a variety of resources for congregations, families, children, and individuals. This year, UTO is proud to partner with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) to present: 40 Days of Welcome and Gratitude: a call to giving thanks for the ways we are welcomed in the world and the ways that people offer welcome to us and to our communities. UTO also offers kits for families, those can be ordered through February 18.

The Episcopal Church Resources for Lent

Visit https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lent-resources/ for Lent and Holy Week Explainer Videos. From Virginia Theological Seminary, visit https://vts.edu/press-release/the-way-of-the-cross-lenten-worship-resources-for-parishes/ for a video to use in worship and individual devotion during the season of Lent, called The Way of the Cross.

The Ungrateful Refugee: A Lenten Book Group with UTO and EMM

Looking for a way to connect with others as a part of your Lenten Discipline this year? Look no further! UTO, in partnership with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is offering a 5-session book club on The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri. This is a perfect book to explore during Lent because it can encourage us to think more deeply about the experience of refugees. We’ll explore this book together and see what we can learn about gratitude as a way to receive the stories and experiences of others. While reading the text prior to the meeting will enhance your experience, it is not required. You’re also welcome to attend all 5 sessions or just the ones when you’re available or where a topic interests you. Register here

  • Tuesday, March 11 at Noon Eastern: Part One: Escape
  • Tuesday, March 18 at Noon Eastern : Part Two: Camp
  • Tuesday, March 25 at Noon Eastern: Part 3: Asylum
  • Tuesday, April 1 at Noon Eastern: Part 4: Assimilation
  • Tuesday, April 8 at Noon Eastern: Part 5: Cultural Repatriation

 Other Books for study groups:

Living Well through Lent with The Living Compass

This Living Compass resource is a daily devotional that provides a foundation for seeking a deeper experience of Lent. It will be available in both print and electronic editions here.

Music and Liturgy for Lent:

From HeartEdge in England, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMPk3rZra6w for further music and liturgy resources.

EMM Stations of the Cross

Episcopal Migration Ministries offers an opportunity to journey the Stations of the Cross, with reflections on each Station and its relevance to migration and what it means to welcome the stranger as we would welcome Christ. Each reflection calls us back to our essential identity as beloved children of God and asks us to prayerfully reflect on the meaning of the Cross in a world being transformed by migration. A digital booklet, available in English and Spanish, and compilation of audio meditations is available for download.