UU San Mateo

A covenant of right relations is a set of promises to one another about how we want to be in community. It is an expression of our values, and a promise to practice them. Far more than a piece of paper, this covenant is brought to life by each of us.

By cultivating healthy communication, we make room for the creative, for the prophetic, for change and growth, and for one another. Taking responsibility for our actions and our feelings is an act of health and wholeness, and is an act of resistance to the larger culture which concentrates on conflict. It takes courage to create beloved community through covenanting together... and the world needs each of us to be willing to both transform, and be transformed.

Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo
Covenant of Right Relations

Building community is an ongoing spiritual practice. Inviting the spirit of Love into our interactions, we each work to develop skills and promote practices that strengthen our bonds of relationships. As we aspire to co-create a religious community of people with open hearts and open minds, we enter this covenant of right relations:

We cultivate attentive listening, care-filled speaking, a culture of gratitude, and compassionate honesty.

We communicate directly with one another, especially when we are in conflict.

We engage one another thoughtfully, seeking understanding and acknowledgment even when we disagree or our needs will not be fulfilled.

We trust one another’s intentions. We also recognize that our individual behaviors and actions have an impact regardless of our intentions.

When we hurt or are hurt, we seek reconnection and/or forgiveness as appropriate.

We are responsible for our selves and we are accountable to one another for creating opportunities to encourage, challenge, and connect.

Through these choices and actions, we realize the interconnected network of mutuality of beloved community.

For several months the Congregational Covenant Creation Team (Wendy Bartel, Intern Minister; Cordelia Leoncio; Andrea Rosenfeld; Michael Duncheon) worked along with members of the congregation on aspects of this covenant, researching, reading, seeking feedback and input, editing, and wordsmithing. This is our co-created covenant, adopted by the congregation on June 14, 2009.