CVUU Covenants

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In Unitarian Universalist communities, congregational covenants are declarations of interdependence.

Staff Covenant

Our CVUU staff wrote the following covenant together at their January 2023 staff retreat:

As Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalist staff, we covenant to bring care, integrity, collaboration, accountability, and excellence to our relationships and our shared ministries. To live this covenant, we honor the following practices:

  • Giving support to one another when asked.
  • Treating each other with respect.
  • Honoring deadlines and downtime equally.
  • Being clear and honest in our communication with one another.
  • Acting with integrity and honoring what is shared in confidence.
  • Honor the skills and expertise of one another, respect each other’s unique roles, and direct questions appropriately.
  • Assuming good intentions in our interactions with each other and the congregation and setting aside our assumptions to really hear what the other is saying and honor each other’s opinions even if we disagree.
  • When we feel that an injury or offense to us occurs, we will pause and consider whether we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired before speaking or acting (PHALT).
  • In the event of a disagreement or misunderstanding, we will speak directly and respectfully with one another in calm tones.
  • When we are in doubt, we will seek clarification.
  • We will be open to acknowledging each other’s and our own limitations.
  • When it is necessary, we will say “no” graciously.
  • We will ask for help when needed.
  • We will be flexible.

In doing so, we foster a trusting environment of collaboration, care, and creativity in which we all thrive, collectively and individually, demonstrate a relational approach to teamwork, and serve the ends of this congregation. We all take responsibility for upholding and revisiting our covenant as needed.

Board Covenant

Our CVUU Board members wrote the following covenant together for the 2022-2023 church year:

As Unitarian Universalists, we will be guided by UU principles.

As Members of the Board, we agree to actively participate in its work and by extension, the life of the congregation.  This means we are willing to commit our time, money, and effort.

We will appreciate one another and willingly give and receive grace.

We will remember to pay attention to context and reference and focus on what is important.

As we think about actions to take for the future of this congregation, we will focus on our mission and vision while we build upon the lessons learned and the gifts received from the past.

We will be on time for regularly scheduled meetings.  If we will be late or unable to attend a meeting, we will let the other members of the board know. During meetings, we will adhere to board business and promote efficiency, respecting boundaries such as time.

In our communications with each other and with congregants, whether in person or electronically, we will do so with courage, honesty, and candor; this does not excuse us from demonstrating empathy and mutual respect. This also means that we will listen to one another. In our communications with congregants, we will do so with one voice.

In conversations about our ideas and what is important to us, we must remember to be open-minded, and we should not be afraid to think out loud, at the same time understanding that we should remember to “lean out” of the conversation as much as, if not more than, we “lean in.”

We will help each other and share the load for the important work that we do, with the understanding that there will be realistic and clear expectations for all work assignments.  We will honor the personal boundaries that each of us has in place for ourselves and will respect the need to say “no” when life requires it.

We will remember to have patience with each other and with the process, but we will remember to take the time to review any of the processes we have in place.

 In the course of our working together, if any part of this covenant is broken, we will ask for a pause in the process to work through the issue.

Social Justice Committee Covenant

Our CVUU Social Justice Committee members wrote the following covenant together for the 2024-2025 church year:

We will act with integrity by:

  1. creating an environment of safety by treating one another with kindness, love, acceptance, and respect.
  2. staying focused on our purpose.
  3. giving and receiving grace to one another.
  4. encouraging clear, honest, and direct communication, while actively engaging in open and attentive listening.
  5. recognizing and respecting the viewpoints of others, even when we hold differing opinions.
  6. speaking one at a time, raising our hands and being recognized before speaking, and leaning in and leaning out of the conversation as appropriate.  
  7. ensuring the confidentiality of all personal stories shared at the meeting.
  8. being accountable to one another, which includes but is not limited to honoring our time together.
  9. asking for a pause if there should ever be a break in this covenant and taking the time to seek repair.

Choir Covenant

Our CVUU Choir members wrote the following covenant together for the 2023-2024 church year:

(October 2023)
As members of the C-VUU Choir, we pledge to commit our time and talents, to the best of our
abilities, to this ensemble and its mission of music ministry. Through singing in the choir, we
seek to create meaningful connections with others, nurture our own spirituality, and enhance
and deepen the worship experience for our congregation. We strive to be in beloved
community with each other, and to treat one another with trust, love, kindness, patience,
respect and honesty. We respect and honor decisions made for the good of the ensemble and
our congregation. We do our part to create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive
environment, where all members are valued. We recognize that our music ministry is part of the
greater ministry and mission of CVUU; Spirit, Service, Justice, and Love.

  1. Be kind.
  2. Be considerate of other people’s needs.
  3. Be on time.
  4. Be prepared.
  5. Be respectful of others.
  6. Be supportive.
  7. Assume positive intentions. When in doubt, ask clarifying questions.
  8. Defer to the director.
  9. Do your best and forget the rest.
  10. Give and receive grace.
  11. Honor different skills and abilities.
  12. Honor personal pronouns.
  13. Leave room for sacred silliness.
  14. Leave space for a way back when the covenant is broken.
  15. Let the director know when you cannot attend a rehearsal or performance.
  16. Remember that this is a group effort.
  17. Respect the director and each other.
  18. Speak one at a time.
  19. When conflict arises, speak directly to the person with whom you are having conflict.
  20. Resist triangulation.
  21. When someone is speaking to you, give them your full attention.