You may not know this, but East Shore has a Right Relations Covenant. You might wonder why! We already have a church covenant that we say together every Sunday, about love, truth, service, peace, knowledge, freedom and fellowship. Isn’t that enough?
The Right Relations Covenant, created in 2018, lays out the promises we make that enable our church covenant. It helps us get to love, truth and service. It contains the everyday – and every moment – commitments to mindsets, approaches and attitudes that help us build a Beloved Community here at East Shore.
The Right Relations Covenant supports the mission and vision of East Shore, but it can be changed, edited, and tweaked whenever the times and circumstances dictate. The Right Relations Committee completed a thorough review and revision of the Covenant. Our goals for the revision included making it more concise and easier to understand for everyone in our congregation.
Over the last couple of months, we have been sharing this new Right Relations Covenant with the leadership of East Shore Committees, Task Forces, Teams and Groups. We encourage groups to share, discuss and agree to the Covenant with all members. This will enable it to live, to transform our culture. Your group can adapt the RR Covenant to meet your needs and decide to review it at the beginning of all your meetings or as needed.
Revised East Shore Right Relations Covenant
We work together to strengthen and promote the values of our beloved community by focusing on relationships. Thus, we strive to:
- hold this community as sacred, balancing our personal needs with those of others to create an inclusive space.
- honor the diversity of individuals and families, inviting in marginalized voices.
- bring a spirit of appreciation and kindness to all our interactions.
- listen with curiosity, an open mind and an open heart.
- speak with honesty, care and mutual respect.
- foster and restore relationships through listening, healing and forgiving.
- collaborate with a focus on the collective care of our community.
Thank you in advance for your support in promoting the revised Right Relations Covenant. To raise awareness with our entire Congregation, we plan to include the new Covenant at our June Congregational Meeting.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact Susan McDonald.
by Susan McDonald, Right Relations