THEOLOGY - continued

Covenant, 3rd paragraph - continued

Third, we promise to contribute to the church’s support. While we usually think of contributions to support the church in terms of money, much more than that is implied in this promise. Yes, certainly, the church needs the monetary gifts of its members and friends to continue. There are missions to support, programs to pursue, buildings to maintain, and salaries to pay, and that is all done through our gifts of money. Members and friends are encouraged to pledge a proportion of their income for the life and work of the church.

But the promise to contribute to the church’s support is also a call for time and gifts. When a baby is baptized, the congregation vows to help in the nurturing of the child. It is a promise to support the children and youth ministries of the church. The church structure belongs to all the people of the church and always needs our gifts in gardening and carpentry and painting. Caring for others is an important ministry of the church, one that the lay people share with the clergy. When we promise to contribute to the church’s support, the promise is one of active commitment to the life and work of the church.

Lastly, we promise to labor to maintain the church’s peace and harmony. One can well imagine the need for this promise given the genesis of The United Church of Los Alamos. When that diverse group of folks from so many different denominations came together, there were bound to be disagreements and conflicts. The promise is basically one of agreeing that we can disagree. It is a promise that our oneness in Christ takes precedence over all the differences that might divide us.