St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Meriden, CT
Vestry Covenant, Created Saturday, June 14th, 2014 at Camp Washington
To be amended each year, as necessary, to include the input of newly elected Vestry members.
Our Commitments to God
We commit to: living into our love for God and each other by:
being present, not just physically, but spiritually;
being faithful to God’s commandments and teachings;
inviting God to be present with us;
listening to God;
talking to and about God together;
learning about God together;
praying for guidance, asking for God’s blessing;
striving to trust in God’s guidance after we have discerned;
and sharing our gratitude for God’s love and guidance.
Our Commitments to one another as a Vestry
We believe that we are one body with many members, so we commit to:
fulfill our responsibilities and terms as Vestry members;
communicate openly and respectfully with one another;
recognize and honor God in each other;
be transparent about the business of the Vestry;
commit to the conversation when we disagree, stay in it;
keep our conversations at the table, no “parking lot” meetings;
be open to trying new things;
let go of the past so that we can build on the future;
ask for help and offer help to each other;
get to know each other – and then to spread the fellowship;
go outside our comfort zones;
talk to each other instead of about each other;
support the decision of the Vestry (publicly) even if we disagreed;
pray for one another regularly;
make the parish mission our own;
put the agenda and needs of the parish ahead of our own;
respect confidentiality, don’t throw anyone under the bus;
sometimes it’s okay if we agree to disagree;
checking in periodically to see how we are doing as individuals;
checking in to make sure we are maintaining these commitments;
inviting future members to have input into this document;
revising this document if needed in order to enhance our ministry;
and especially, to love and grow in love for one another.
Our Commitments to the people and parish of St. Andrew’s
Recognizing God’s call to us to serve as ministers and leaders, we commit to:
being present and visible to the congregation;
worshipping regularly on Sunday morning;
regular attendance at parish events, education series, etc.;
accessibility on the website, in The Call, or even in the bulletin;
a monthly report to the congregation about current issues;
seeking opportunities to host events for the congregation;
seek out the opinions of parishioners, represent them at meetings;
take on leadership of events or tasks and then follow through,
encouraging parishioners to participate by inviting & recruiting;
creating safe space for others to grow and share opinions;
serving as greeters and actively welcoming visitors to the parish;
seeing to the care of our senior and shut in members;
and most importantly, to talk about and seek to follow Jesus.
We commit to: living into our love for God and each other by:
being present, not just physically, but spiritually;
being faithful to God’s commandments and teachings;
inviting God to be present with us;
listening to God;
talking to and about God together;
learning about God together;
praying for guidance, asking for God’s blessing;
striving to trust in God’s guidance after we have discerned;
and sharing our gratitude for God’s love and guidance.
Our Commitments to one another as a Vestry
We believe that we are one body with many members, so we commit to:
fulfill our responsibilities and terms as Vestry members;
communicate openly and respectfully with one another;
recognize and honor God in each other;
be transparent about the business of the Vestry;
commit to the conversation when we disagree, stay in it;
keep our conversations at the table, no “parking lot” meetings;
be open to trying new things;
let go of the past so that we can build on the future;
ask for help and offer help to each other;
get to know each other – and then to spread the fellowship;
go outside our comfort zones;
talk to each other instead of about each other;
support the decision of the Vestry (publicly) even if we disagreed;
pray for one another regularly;
make the parish mission our own;
put the agenda and needs of the parish ahead of our own;
respect confidentiality, don’t throw anyone under the bus;
sometimes it’s okay if we agree to disagree;
checking in periodically to see how we are doing as individuals;
checking in to make sure we are maintaining these commitments;
inviting future members to have input into this document;
revising this document if needed in order to enhance our ministry;
and especially, to love and grow in love for one another.
Our Commitments to the people and parish of St. Andrew’s
Recognizing God’s call to us to serve as ministers and leaders, we commit to:
being present and visible to the congregation;
worshipping regularly on Sunday morning;
regular attendance at parish events, education series, etc.;
accessibility on the website, in The Call, or even in the bulletin;
a monthly report to the congregation about current issues;
seeking opportunities to host events for the congregation;
seek out the opinions of parishioners, represent them at meetings;
take on leadership of events or tasks and then follow through,
encouraging parishioners to participate by inviting & recruiting;
creating safe space for others to grow and share opinions;
serving as greeters and actively welcoming visitors to the parish;
seeing to the care of our senior and shut in members;
and most importantly, to talk about and seek to follow Jesus.