Covenant
for Building Community
Adopted
by Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist
Church
April 30,
2006
We gather together in caring and intentional community,
knowing that alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen, and
our strength too limited to do all that must be done. Aware that the life of this community is
enriched and deepened when we seek our individual spiritual truths, this
covenant provides a way for us to speak and to hear these truths with honesty
and compassion. In covenant with each
other, we choose that which builds community, honoring our shared UU Principles
when they conflict with our personal preferences. We affirm our interdependence, celebrate our
differences, and attempt to create a thoughtful and harmonious voice for
liberal religion.
Member to Self
I affirm the principles of the inherent worth and dignity of
every person and of a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. In this spirit, I covenant to:
- Develop
wise compassion and self-awareness, and examine and understand my own
motives
- Nurture
my own personal and spiritual development
- Learn to accept and forgive myself,
respecting my own gifts and limits
- Take responsibility for my own behavior and feelings,
maintaining balance in the face of conflict
- Learn
and use the skills necessary for clear and sensitive communication
Member to Member
I affirm the essential principles of justice, equity, and
compassion in human relations, the acceptance of one another, and the
encouragement to spiritual growth in our church community. In this spirit, I covenant to:
- Celebrate
and encourage diversity within our congregation in a welcoming, generous,
and committed manner
- Listen
actively, without judgment or interruption, seeking to understand,
presuming the good intentions of others
- Accept
that there will be misunderstandings; reflect before reacting, and seek
clarification when I feel offended
- Use
direct, respectful, and honest communication to settle issues in person or
by telephone, maintaining confidentiality and refraining from gossip
- Recognize
and admit my own contribution to conflict
- Forgive
and seek forgiveness
Member to Minister
I affirm the principles of justice, equity and compassion in
human relations, acceptance of one another, and the encouragement of spiritual
growth in our church community. In this
spirit, I covenant to:
- Recognize
that the minister is a human being with gifts, talents and challenges
- Support
the minister and ministry with my time, talents, and resources.
- Encourage
the minister to exercise freedom of the pulpit in conformity with UU
principles
- Respect
the minister’s personal spiritual path
- Respect
the minister’s schedule and need for privacy, and treat the minister and
his or her family with consideration
- Refrain
from conduct harmful to the minister or the ministry of our church
- Give
constructive feedback, both positive and negative
- Honor
an open covenant from the minister to our congregation
Member to Board
I affirm the principles of the inherent worth and dignity of
every person, the right of conscience, and the use of the democratic process
within our congregation. In this spirit,
I covenant to:
- Encourage
diversity of opinion, gender and background on the board
- Express
genuine appreciation to board members for their commitment of time, energy
and effort
- Offer
the same consideration to board members that we all want in regard to home
and family, recognizing that they are volunteers
- Expect
the business of the church will be conducted openly and equitably
- Educate
myself about our bylaws, policies and procedures and stay informed
- Respectfully
provide specific and constructive input to the board at appropriate times
- Respect
our board’s decisions when due process has been followed
- Follow
appropriate policies and procedures when in disagreement with decisions of
our board
- Expect
a clear covenant between the board
and the congregation
Member to Church Community
I affirm the principles of the right of conscience and of
the use of the democratic process, recognizing the interdependent web of
relationships in our community, and the goals of peace, liberty and
justice. In this spirit, I covenant to:
- Promote
and maintain a loving and safe community
- Welcome
and include newcomers
- Actively
participate in the decision making process and respect the outcome
- Accept
that conflict is inevitable and provides an opportunity for growth
- Respect
minority opinions and embrace diversity within our congregation
- Support
our church with time, talents, energy and money
- Respect
the sacred nature of our time together, our covenant, and our shared
purpose
- Remain
in community through conflict and to work towards resolution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon acceptance, the amendment process for this covenant
will be as follows:
During odd years, co-conveners, chosen at the end of the
preceding process, will invite 1- 2 previous task force members and 3 – 4 new
congregants to participate in a re-covenanting task force. They will create the input process, collect
suggestions and propose recommended changes to the Board to be voted on by the
congregation. The current task force
writers have chosen Micki Addleman
and Lisa Altizer as the co-conveners in 2007.
This covenant is supported by the following public
documents:
HVUUC Bylaws (found in New Member packets)
Supporting documents recommended by the congregation
include:
- The
following covenants:
- Board
to member
- Minister
to Board
- Board
to congregation
- Minister
to congregation
- Committee
to congregation
- Congregation
to greater community
- Board
member to Board member
- Guidelines
for a new committee to deal with conflict
- Guidelines
for the COM
- Policies
about Children and Youth
- Organizational
Structure chart
- with
contact info and how to access the Board of Directors
- Summary
of Robert’s Rules
- New
member support process
- Leadership
Training
Most of this information could/should be accessible on the
website and in church directory.