A letter from Larry Duffee, a St. George’s parishioner living in Juba, South Sudan:
Greetings from South Sudan! I just wanted to take a moment, as I usually do every year, to encourage my fellow parishioners at St. Georges to contribute to the upcoming UTO Ingathering on November 15th. I know from personal experience how vital and important these funds are for churches around the world. I was fortunate to personally administer two UTO grants that were given to the Episcopal Church of Sudan a few years ago. One project built a perimeter wall around the Provincial headquarters providing sorely needed security as well as—by incorporating small retail shops into the design of part of the wall—income to support the ECS. A second project, very dear to my heart because I personally applied for the grant and was able to implement it, was to purchase for the Provincial Mother’s Union office a good, sturdy vehicle to allow these tireless, wonderful women to do their work—the first time they had ever had their own transport.
I can assure St. Georgians that UTO applications are well vetted and proper financial reports required for all UTO grants. I know, having made other applications on behalf of the ECS for UTO funds that were not accepted, that the selection process is rigorous. Donors can rest well assured that their funds are used appropriately.
Recently, our family received some grave health news; we rushed home from vacation for a doctor’s appointment to discover that the dreaded C word had entered our lives.