THE STORY
How do we, the children of God and the people in this church today, figure out how to behave in ways that will help us grow a strong, healthy community that pleases God?
Trying to figure out how to behave in a way that helps us get along with others and in a way that pleases God is not easy.
The Bible is filled with stories of people struggling to understand what God wants them to do, how God wants them to speak and act, and how they can get along better with their friends, families, and neighbours. There are lots of rules and laws in the Bible, but it can still be hard to decide what God is saying we should and should not do.
A man named Paul wrote many letters to some of the very first believers of Jesus in some of the very first churches. Being a believer at that time was dangerous and took alot of courage and mutual support. In one letter, Paul wrote about the fruit of the Spirit and how God’s Spirit guides and graces us with values that help us live in a way that is a gift back to God.
THE COMMITMENT
We are not alone. We live in God’s world. We live with others and are joined in communities. We seek to get along with others and to allow the best gifts of ourselves and others to be shared with God. We agree to support each other to understand, speak, act, and resolve conflicts with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-33).
We commit to a Spirit-filled and guided community that strives to be:
- Happy
- Peaceful
- Patient
- Kind
- Good
- Faithful
- Gentle
- Self-controlled
Every individual and small group in our congregation will be encouraged to explore and discover what these values mean to them and to act out the fruit of the Spirit in their lives within and beyond the church building.
THE ACTION
We agree first to address conflict through private, personal discussions, and then through the guidance of a third party or mediator.
We agree to attempt resolution of conflict as soon as possible, before an issue needs to become public and official. (This is not to limit, however, proper disclosures to child protection and law enforcement agencies as are required or needful).
We agree to be guided by the resources and protocols of the United Church of Canada.
THE RESPONSE
It is hard to get all things right, all of the time. Along the way, there may be times when individuals or groups will need to be accountable to others for their words or actions. Being accountable and responsible is a healthy part of learning, growing, and developing faith.
We commit to responding to individuals with the very fruit of the Spirit that we are striving for. We believe that support, love, and caring needs to be shown through active listening, understanding context, clarifying intentions, allowing space and time for reflection, and acknowledging opportunities for restitution and forgiveness.
