The 8th tenet of our Congregational Covenant states: Respect the roles, responsibilities and abilities of members, leaders, staff and minister as we work to live our mission and serve needs greater than our own.
Those of us of a certain age, remember the iconic AAA TripTik; no road trip was complete without it.
A TripTik, with its flipchart pages, yellow highlighted lines showing the route, and enormous amount of information about where to stay, eat and visit along the way, allowed us to plan and dream ahead of time about the details of our upcoming trip. Today’s GPS just doesn’t provide the same sense of romance and fun when going on a new adventure. A TripTik gave us the necessary structure and support to hopefully guarantee a safe and pleasant journey.
A favorite memory of mine with my father involved a TripTik, his wristwatch, and having the back seat of the station wagon down so that I could spread out with my dolls and sleeping bag. As he took charge of driving us safely to our destination, it was my responsibility to keep us on track, as well as to remind him to take a break every two hours. The point is that we had a successful structure that clearly defined each person’s role and responsibilities, thereby insuring a memorable bonding experience for us both.
At Shoreline, we also have a TripTik of sorts: a mission statement, bylaws, and leadership covenants, to name a few. They help define our roles and responsibilities, which we need to understand so our community can grow and move forward. Therefore, in order to serve needs greater than our own, it is important to make efficient and appropriate use of all our roles, responsibilities, and abilities. We don’t want to waste time and energy duplicating efforts; nor do we want one person’s contribution to be less appreciated than another. Our goal is to work together to create a circle of support in which neither the whole nor the individual can be understood without reference to the other; thereby resulting in the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
The eighth tenet of our Congregational Covenant reminds us to notice and appreciate all the ways in which our life’s travels, and especially our journeys through church life together, are made easier by the existing organic structures that smooth the way and help us over the inevitable “bumps in the road.” It really comes down to trying to be more aware of the “bigger picture,” beyond our self, and how it contributes to the end result. To not be afraid of making responsible choices and changes; thereby actively participating in creating a meaningful and joyful life for ourselves, our community and the world.
Elizabeth Santoro, Covenant Tenders Team