AMC covenant

Preamble

The covenant that follows is an expression of our shared values and practices. The intent is to help us fulfill the Great Command, as Jesus taught us, to love God with all our being and our neighbors as ourselves. The peace of God's love embraces all people. Thus, we respect the sincere humility of other faith traditions and accept their practitioners as honored members of the greater community.

Affirmations of Faith

In community, we of Albuquerque Mennonite Church commit ourselves according to God's revelation through Scripture:

to love God
to follow Jesus Christ
to be guided by the Holy Spirit

We commit ourselves to expressing God’s love in the following ways:

We love God as creator and sustainer of life. We respond with worship, praise, adoration. We respond with worship, praise, adoration, surrender, and obedience. We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).

We love each other as sisters and brothers in Christ. We respond by sharing life together as disciples following Jesus, giving freely of ourselves to one another. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God (1 John 4:7).

We love all people as children of God. We respond in service and mission to the world in the reconciling power of God. Those who love God must also love their neighbors (1 John 4:21).

Expressions of Faith

As Anabaptists, we strive to interpret and live the Scriptures faithfully with the help of the Holy Spirit and the wider Body of Christ. The following expressions are responses to our trust in Jesus Christ:

Together we join to worship, discern, and participate in the business of the church.
Together we affirm that close, personal relationships with one another are essential to the Christian life. We meet for study and nurture in small groups.
Together we seek spiritual growth by such means as prayer, readings, meditation, Bible study, silence, and retreats.
Together we build a community that is faithful, open-hearted and whole, welcoming and supporting one another with counsel and correction as loveguides us.
Together we work locally and globally for God’s peace and justice through nonviolent, active love.
Together we practice faithful stewardship of our time, treasure and talent, as a grateful response to God, encouraging one another to use our God-given gifts and abilities.
Together we honor God, the Creator, by challenging one another and others to live as partners with the creation.
Together we celebrate and learn from children as gifts of God, cherished individuals in our congregational life. We seek to model our faith in Jesus so that children may freely choose to follow him.

We hold that all who participate in this covenant do so in good faith to the fullest measure they are able.

This covenant will be reviewed and renewed annually. As we seek to live it, we pray for God’s presence, strength, and forgiveness.

-- Revised January 2015