Covenant Sunday

Last year, when Silver and I were living in Vermont, we found a little church that was the first congregation I ever really felt at home in. We only worshiped there for a little under a year (and on-and -off at that, since it was an hour and fifteen minutes from where we lived, and for much of our time in Brattleboro we didn't have a car), but we participated in Covenant Sunday (the most “official” way by which people become a member of the church – which isn't, really, “official” at all, but very personal, I think) a little over a year ago in January of 2007.

I was thinking about it today because we still get The Taftsville Chapel Current (even though we read them a little late), and just a couple of weeks ago I read the one for the month of January, where the reprinted the text of the Statement of Faith and the Membership Covenant. I think that Covenant Sunday is the one time we were there for communion as well (I'm not sure how frequently they held communion – most other churches I've attended have it once a month, but it wasn't that regular here), which is what made it all the more moving for me. Even though we're no longer really members of Taftsville Mennonite, and have found – amazingly – another faith-community that we belong to, I still find the Statement of Faith and the Membership Covenant useful in its simple beauty. The Statement of Faith (to me, anyway) manages to state succinctly the cornerstones of our belief without seeming like a stuffy doctrinal checklist, but it is at the same time relievedly unwavering. Perusing the Statement of Faith of another church we visited, there was much about “diversity” and accepting people, which is all well and good, but precious little as to what that community actually believed.

People would, of course, be better off if they didn't try to box everything into categories, but a church's Statement of Faith is still an important and revealing statement on what that community values, and what, essentially, makes it a faith-community. It's not necessary for each member to have every single conviction in line with that of every others' – but each community makes a decision (explicitly or implicitly) to divide the essentials of faith from non-contradicting personal convictions. That is, what things are essential, and what things are up to the individual. In the (rather conservative Pentecostal) church my family visits when we're visiting Tennessee, the pastor's wife dresses very, very modestly, with high collars, long sleeves, long skirts, and no makeup. She also wears her hair down, and doesn't cut it. But she would never dream (although she is actually a very strong personality, and doesn't hesitate to tell people what she thinks) of insisting that anyone else should do the same – she's doing what she feels convicted to do, which is not a conviction on the same level as “God is the Creator and Master of all things.”

Likewise, some friends of ours who moved to western Vermont and are now attending a Conservative Mennonite church, say that they appreciate that while certain things (men and women sitting on different sides of the church) are congregational rules, they're just that – rules, not essential aspects of the faith. No one there entertains the illusion that Jesus intended to ban instrumental music, or mustaches, or radio or any one of a number of things that the community avoids or prohibits. (Each of those things in particular have to do with community strategies to avoid pride, association with the military, and worldliness). They're also ecumenical enough to accept, for example, a semi-permanent Catholic visitor as a fellow believer and not someone who has to be “converted.” The essentials are still held in common, and while none of them is rushing out to start attending a Catholic church, they realize that their differences are mostly inessential.

The Membership Covenant also, of course, isn't restricted to a particular community; I feel it's just as relevant to us now, thousands of miles away and attending a different (not technically Mennonite, but certainly one with Anabaptist leanings) church, as it was a little over a year ago when we stood together with the congregation of Taftsville Mennonite and repeated:

Statement of Faith

• We believe God is the Creator and Master of all things.

• We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and displayed all the fullness of God in human form.

• We believe that Christ's coming announced the Kingdom of God; His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin; and His resurrection makes sure both our present freedom and our future hope.

• We believe each individual must personally accept the salvation offered by Christ, and show that decision by repentance and baptism.

• We believe God's Holy Spirit gives life, direction and wholeness to everyone who receives salvation.

• We believe the life of the Lord Jesus and the Word of God (the Bible) reveal the truth of God, and are our guides for daily living.

• We believe that the Church is the Family of God with Christ as the head, where all members are called to share their love, time, possessions, and spiritual gifts.

• We believe Christ will come again to fulfill the Kingdom and bring his people into eternal joy in the world to come.

Membership Covenant

As members of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, we covenant to:

• Live a life of simple obedience to the will of God.

• Open ourselves to the guidance, direction, instruction and encouragement of the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.

• Be willing to be used for the strengthening of the Body of Christ, including the willingness to boldly tell others of salvation in Christ.

• Labor together in understanding and meeting human needs in our local community and in our world.

• Refrain from the use of violence, and be peacemakers in our time.

• Regularly meet together for worship, study, prayer and encouragement.

• Give systematically and generously of our financial resources, our time and our spiritual gifts.

• Annually renew our commitment to Jesus Christ and affirm our covenant with one another.