RUTLAND, VT

Our Covenant

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Core Principals

• Jesus is central and the connector of our lives.

• We are called to share the welcome of Christ in our community.

• We are called to awareness of how this welcome is born out in the local context

• We are called to share Christ in practical ways.

• We are called to name, nurture, and augment spiritual growth in our city.

• We welcome every body and consider diversity of all kinds to be an opportunity for growth.

• We trust that the Holy Spirit will grow us through this work.

• We will help each other grow and be accountable.

• We do God’s work together with our hands.

• We share and receive our traditions as a gift.

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Core Practices

• We worship together formally and informally.

• We encourage mutual support of ministry through prayer, presence, financial gifts and fellowship.

• We will publish this covenant in public places and media.

• We will continue to engage with community service providers to serve the residents of our county

• We will explore additional ways to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of neighbors experiencing chronic homelessness and hunger

• We share resources to enable parish ministry, including but not limited to: pulpit supply, emergency pastoral care coverage, equipment, building space, pastoral team peer support, visitation, teaching time and materials, and training

• We will explore the potential for sharing support staff, ministry staff, and in careful consultation with our denominations’ pastors and/or deacons

• We will conduct our ministry together in a manner that is consent-driven and grounded in safe church/safe sanctuaries practice

• We will present this covenant for education, conversation, and approval by a duly authorized meeting of each congregation

• We form this covenant in light of our Shared Communion Agreement and with the support of our denominations.

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History

2017 was an incredible year for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and the Rutland United Methodist Church. We made use of generous gifts from the New England Synod and others to prepare and give away dozens of care packages and provide hundreds of hours of pastoral care to our community at large. We have created a joint covenant team of lay leaders to navigate the development of our relationship and had an incredible dinner church experience to inaugurate their work.

 

With prayerful support from Good Shepherd, RUMC held a special congregational meeting in September to deconsecrate and leave their current building. Operations will be moved into a leased space in our city’s downtown neighborhood and into the campus of Good Shepherd. The move will be celebrated in a Transformation liturgy on December 31st with members of both congregations carrying important items from one building to the other.

 

Faith on Foot has evolved from a single ministry project (the weekly Street Reach) into an umbrella of Cooperative Mission between the two churches and a commitment to strengthening the discipleship of everyone involved.