Actions and Campaigns

Join us in "Covenanting for Life," a process to renew, affirm, and live out the United Church's historic commitment to making our faith manifest in the world.

Covenanting for Life is a call to live faithfully in the midst of empire. It is a commitment to put faith into action regarding the many forms of empire which are obstacles to God's purposes of justice, equality, and reconciliation between people and nations within creation.

Congregations, presbyteries, and other church courts and ministries are invited to covenant for life by starting or strengthening a just relationship with a marginalized group in their community or across the globe. It is out of this covenant experience that groups will participate in an action-reflection process on the document "A Covenant for Life in Creation," which will be considered at the 41st General Council in 2012.

Covenanting is risky and may challenge our understanding of ourselves and God's mission. But by covenanting for life we are invited to trust in God's grace and power to transform us and empower us to new life.

The Process

As a next step in the United Church's efforts to live faithfully in the midst of empire, the 40th General Council in 2009 authorized the development of an education process for engaging with a covenant that will be considered for adoption at the 41st General Council in 2012. This covenant is called "A Covenant for Life in Creation." Congregations and presbyteries, and other courts and ministries of the church, are invited to engage in an action-reflection process.

• Action—to build, renew, or strengthen a relationship with a marginalized community, including becoming involved in caring for creation.
• Reflection—to reflect on "A Covenant for Life in Creation" in light of this action and provide feedback for General Council 41 by October 14, 2011

Numerous resources to assist in this process have been developed.

Resources

The following PDFs are available in editable PowerPoint files. They can be downloaded from the AuthorStream website or ordered on CD from UCRDstore.

Education for Justice Animator

Book the "empire animator" for a workshop to help you covenant for life in creation. See this flyer [PDF: 2 pp/141 KB] for some workshop ideas, and contact us for more information.

Introductory Resources

• About the Covenanting for Life Program [PDF: 4 pp/214 KB]
• An Introduction to the Covenanting for Life Program
  • Presentation with Leader's Notes [PDF: 41 pp/2.3 MB]
  • Full-Screen Presentation for Projection [PDF: 41 pp/828 KB]
• The proposed "Covenant for Life in Creation" [PDF: 2 pp/134 KB]
• "Covenanting to Live Faithfully in the Midst of Creation," report to GC 40, pp. 762–77 of the 2009 Record of Proceedings
• Order Covenanting for Life in Creation Badges from UCRDstore

Learn More about Empire

Interactive PowerPoint-based workshops:

• So Many Choices So Few Choices: An Urban Look at Empire's Grip on What We Eat
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 3 pp/317 KB]
  • Presentation with Leader's Notes [PDF: 37 pp/881 KB]
  • Full-Screen Presentation for Projection [PDF: 37 pp/2.7 MB]
• So Many Choices So Few Choices: A Rural Look at Empire's Grip on What We Eat
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 3 pp/316 KB]
  • Presentation with Leader's Notes [PDF: 36 pp/860 KB]
  • Full-Screen Presentation for Projection [PDF: 36 pp/2.6 MB]
• Caring for Creation: Choosing Creation over Empire
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 3 pp/220 KB]
  • Presentation with Leader's Notes [PDF: 44 pp/971 KB]
  • Full-Screen Presentation for Projection [PDF: 44 pp/1.9 MB]
• Are We Only Worth What We Buy: Choosing Sustainability over Empire
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 3 pp/261 KB]
  • Presentation with Leader's Notes [PDF: 48 pp/1.52 MB]
  • Full-Screen Presentation for Projection [PDF: 48 pp/2 MB]

Build Relationships

Workshops to decide with whom to build or strengthen relationships:

• Taking Action—for deepening work in a particular area
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 10 pp/269 KB]
• Determining Priorities–for deciding among existing congregational and presbytery programs or ideas
  • Workshop Outline [PDF: 10 pp/267 KB]
• Resources for Building Right Relationships [PDF: 2 pp/156 KB]

Provide Feedback for General Council 41

• Workshop [PDF: 9 pp/230 KB]
• Feedback form [RTF: 2 pp/68 KB]

For more information, please contact the Partners in Mission Unit