Greetings, Friends!!
I’m back with some exciting new information for you. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend the meeting of Covenant 5 – our Diocese’s task force addressing peace and justice concerns. We had a wonderful conversation trying to determine the very best methods for bringing pertinent issues to our Household. I had heard of this group before and had certainly witnessed their passion expressed at our conventions but really knew nothing of the scope of their work.
First of all, I didn’t even know where their name came from! Now, maybe all of you are already knowledgeable about this but I’ll share it for others like me. As I’m sure you all remember, in our Baptismal Covenant, we make many promises:
Celebrant Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People I will, with God’s help.
Celebrant Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People I will, with God’s help.
Living into this covenant we make with God is the work of our lives as Christians; it is our mission. The fifth promise to strive for justice and peace is the specific focus of Covenant 5’s work, hence their name. And they take their work seriously! In words from their website:
Covenant 5 ministries have long had an emphasis on advocacy as a way to fulfill the gospel imperative of seeking justice, peace and equality. The definition of advocacy ministry as we understand it focuses on striving to formulate and implement public policy, and supporting grass-roots efforts for social change and other justice concerns. Examples include organizing or joining legislative advocacy efforts in conjunction with the Episcopal Public Policy Network, sponsoring educational events, and letter-writing campaigns.
Now, I know the purpose of this blog is to bring to your attention the many resolutions passed at our conventions with appropriate resources and suggested action plans for individuals and congregations – and I know I am not exactly doing that this week. However, since so many resolutions address concerns under the purview of Covenant 5, I thought perhaps I should remind you of their existence and suggest you take a look at their website http://covenant5.org/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cov5edomi). I hope that you will find many opportunities to get involved and live out the promise to “respect the dignity of every human being.”
~ Judith Schellhammer, chair, Resolution Review Committee, Diocesan Council
EDOMIresolutions 
Thank you, Judith! Great information.