Giving is part of our worship

Christians have always brought gifts when they gather for worship: gifts for the celebration of the Eucharist, for the needs of the Church, and for people in need.

At St. Mark’s, the offering during Holy Eucharist makes that connection visible.

After we share the Peace and prepare for the Eucharist, bread and wine are brought forward for Communion and the offering plates are passed through the congregation. Cash and checks may be placed in the plates, but no one is expected or pressured to give.

At the altar, the gifts of the people are presented to God. We sing the Doxology:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow…

The money we give remains ordinary money, but offering it is an act of worship. It represents something larger: our work, our resources, our gratitude, and ultimately ourselves offered for God’s purposes.

That connects beautifully with the post-Communion language in Rite II:

“And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do…”

Visitors are our guests.
You are welcome to contribute, but there is no expectation that you do so. Your presence with us is itself welcome.

What is the United Thank Offering?

The United Thank Offering (UTO) is different from St. Mark’s regular offering.

UTO is a ministry of the Episcopal Church that encourages a spiritual practice of noticing and giving thanks for God’s blessings. Traditionally, people place coins or money in a small “Blue Box” as an expression of gratitude. Those thank offerings are collected and ultimately used to fund grants supporting ministries across the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

At St. Mark’s, when a UTO offering is received, it is collected separately from our regular parish offering. We currently receive it after the Peace and announcements, before beginning the Offertory and Eucharistic preparation.