Covenants and Contracts

By Rev. Carol Bodeau

Hello friends,

So many wonderful things are happening in our Westside community! Despite the obvious struggles and suffering in the world, our small congregation is finding ways to serve one another and the larger community and really make a difference. Whether it's through supporting families experiencing homelessness through Family Promise, welcoming young musicians like the Berea Folk Roots Ensemble, working with our other Justice and Generosity partners like The Bottom, Knox Pride and Mobile Meals, or just being a friendly place to come on Sunday morning—all of these things and more make our community a warm and wonderful place to share the journey.

This week, we kick off our annual 'canvass campaign.' Think 'pledge campaign.' And in recent months, the Board and the Stewardship Team in particular have been having conversations about how our culture is changing from a 'pledging' culture to a 'subscription' culture.' What does that mean, you might wonder?

In the past, most church members have 'pledged' a certain amount of money for the year (from July 1 – June 30 of the following year). These promises of financial support let us decide how much money we will have to spend on staff, programs, etc. But more and more, our culture is leaning away from long-term pledge commitments, and towards a 'subscription' model of belonging to spiritual or educational communities. There is certainly a trend towards this in younger demographics, and we are thinking about what that means for us at Westside.

As the Board and Stewardship Team work on this question, coming up with ways for everyone to participate in supporting us financially, I want to remind you of the difference between a community that is based in a 'contract' and one that is based in 'covenant.'

A contract sets out terms that are basically non-negotiable once the contract is signed. 'Violating' the contract has consequences that are pre-determined. Contracts are valuable tools, but create relationships of a very particular nature, one of obligation and each party getting pre-determined 'goods' out of the agreement.

A covenant is different. A covenant is a promise of the heart, not to do specific things, but rather to stay in relationship. A covenant says, "I am showing up as the best version of myself I can be, to help you be the best version of yourself you can be. " A covenant may have some goals or boundaries (like our UU values) but it is a living relationship that evolves over time.

When we make promises to support Westside financial, these are covenantal agreements. Not contracts. Of course, we want folks to honor their pledges! But we also know that our relationship is our highest priority. So I hope that, no matter what your personal financial circumstances, you will join us for our canvass kick-off party this coming Sunday, and join with us in finding ways to keep the good work of Westside going well into the future. Your gifts—of time, talent and yes, money—allow us to be sources of good care in the world.

Thank you for all that you bring to our community. Rev. Carol