How long has this been going on?

My name is Patricia (Patty) Tourangeau, and I write to offer 

my perspective and experience to this conversation.  That 

perspective and experience comes from having served for 

six years (2003-09) as Finance Officer on the UTO Board.  

Previous to that I had served as Treasurer for the ECW 

Board for six years, from 1997-2003. 

During those twelve years of service and ministry I spent 

substantial amounts of time working with the finance 

department/staff at the Church Center in New York City, 

keeping accurate and open financial records for both 

organizations.  Beginning in October of 2007, however, It 

became harder and harder for me to do this.  Indeed, after 

Joanne Chapman retired from her Church Center staff 

position as UTO Coordinator and liaison with the UTO Board 

in 2007 it became harder for all members of the Board to do 

what we had been elected to do.  Beginning in December 

2007 I experienced numerous insinuations that I was 

“authorizing expenditures of the UTO fund inappropriately”, 

coming from Church Center leadership: the new UTO 

Coordinator and her supervisors (not the behind-the-scenes 

clerical staff). 

In December 2007 the Executive Committee of the UTO 

Board was informed, by the new UTO Coordinator, that she 

(and staff that she and Church Center staff would hire) would 

be more knowledgeable and better informed to administer 

UTO funds and approve the "right kind” of grants (implying 

that the UTO Board were NOT so qualified and WERE “out 

of step” with Church Center priorities).   This new 

Coordinator informed me that she was now the person who 

would develop the budget and administer income from the 

Trust Funds.  These Trust Funds were given and specifically 

designated to provide operation funds by which the UTO 

Board could perform its ministry throughout the Church. 

December 2007 marks the first “official” indication that there 

was an administrative intention to eliminate the UTO Board 

from their historic role of stewardship of Trust Fund income 

and the decision-making process regarding the distribution 

of that income, as well as from their role in the Ingathering 

granting process.  I must add, however, that I had heard this 

hinted at in June of 2007 while on a trip to the Philippines 

(representing the UTO President), to represent the UTO 

Board at the final meeting of the Joint Committee on the 

Philippine Covenant (JCPC).

Early in 2008 I had a conversation with Judy Gillespie, who 

had served as the UTO Coordinator in 1985.  During our 

conversation Judy told me that when the Memorial and Gift 

Trust Fund was established it was set up for the use of the 

UTO Board and was not intended to pay any “salaries” 

for Church Center staff, even the UTO Coordinator.  Judy 

was very surprised that UTO was providing 20% (around 

$35,000.00) of the Coordinator’s salary and benefits (2007). 

My understanding is that now the UTO contributes 

approximately $100.000 toward this salary & benefits.  Judy 

also mentioned she had worked on the wording for the 

Memorial & Gift Trust Fund, and the money was to be used 

solely for the travel and expenses of the UTO

Board members to do the work they were elected to do. 

I had hoped this was all settled with the agreements 

between Executive Council and the UTO Board, and the 

vote of General Convention in 2012.  I am, however sadly, 

not surprised that authorities at the Church Center continue 

a program of neutralizing and disregarding the elected 

members of the UTO Board. 

The Women’s Auxiliary was established almost 125 ago and 

has been doing mission in Jesus’ name and under the 

banner of The Episcopal Church throughout the world and 

the Anglican Communion for those 125 years.  People 

outside the USA might not know of The Episcopal Church, 

but they certainly do know of the United Thank Offering!! 

This is all thanks to Women in the Pew, giving thanks for 

God’s daily blessing and incarnating that Thanksgiving 

through their offerings of time, talent, treasure and self. 

I have heard over and over again the frustration of UTO 

Board members and others who ask in one way or another, 

“Why are the funds gathered through the UTO Ingathering 

decreasing?”  Certainly, for a time, the church-wide 

response to one natural disaster or another (e.g. 

Hurricane Katrina) and our recent economic circumstances 

account for a portion of that decline.  In some quarters there 

may even be significant doubt about the direction of this 

Church.  But the major reason, I believe, is because of the 

efforts since 2007, on the part of individuals at the Church 

Center in New York to neutralize and dismiss the UTO Board 

and any voice the Women in the Pew have in the mission of 

the Church by their prayers and coins dropped in their Blue 

Boxes and then gathered in and granted through the United 

Thank Offering Grants each year.  Indeed, there are men 

who are very active in this mission work and who daily give 

thanks and put coins in the Blue Boxes; men have even 

served on the UTO Board many years ago (!), and so it 

should be noted that the decision taken to neutralize and 

dismiss this “Women’s” ministry in fact reaches beyond 

gender to all who support the UTO effort from their pew at 

each service held in an Episcopal Church in all nine 

provinces of this Church.

My husband, a priest of this Church and sometimes less 

diplomatic than I, has his own perspective on what is going 

on.  Having lived with me throughout these years, read 

letters and listened to telephone conversations and been 

trailing spouse to more than one Board meeting (tacked on 

to a family vacation), driven me to Chicago to get my 

passport renewed at the last minute, and supported my 

ministry in numerous ways, has likened this entire turn of 

events to an “ecclesiastical purse snatching”.

But that’s my husband.  For myself, I pray that the newly 

proposed By Laws are not accepted, and that a respectful 

and gracious way is found the UTO Board to continue to 

serve and be served by the Women in the Pew as Board 

members as well as prayerful and thankful givers.  That said, 

at this point I believe it would be better for the UTO Board 

to be its own 501(c) 3 corporation.  I continue to pray for 

the UTO Board until this is settled once and for all!

God’s Blessing,

Patty Tourangeau

(UTO Finance Office 2003-2009)