Economic Justice Covenant

St. John’s United Church of Christ, Troy, Ohio

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:8

“To do justice” . . . Micah and other Old Testament prophets declared God’s call to all to be fair and just. Further, the New Testament tells of Jesus and his followers in their quest for justice. And today, centuries later, we are still called “to do justice.”

Following in the footsteps of countless Christians, we recognize a moral obligation to be advocates for justice—to care about our neighbors around the world to the point of social action. Joining together and working as one body with one spirit, amazing things can happen.

Standing with others in body and spirit creates a strong advocacy for justice. Living a just life and joining with others of faith can make a difference. St. John’s United Church of Christ in Troy, Ohio, declares its intention to make a difference in the lives of the poor, marginalized, and outcast in our community, our country, and around the world . . . “to do justice.”

In this spirit, as people of God’s Covenant, we believe we bear a sacred responsibility to care for the well being of the human community. Jesus Christ and the prophets proclaimed and lived a vision of this community as one in which all live in peace, sharing the earth’s abundance and treating one another justly.

We believe God still speaks these eternal truths to us. Yet we participate in an economic system in this country and around the world in which many live in poverty and suffering. We ask God’s forgiveness for the many ways our negligence and selfishness help to create and sustain such an unjust system.  

Living in a nation of abundant resources, we have a special obligation to strive for a just global economy.  We recognize we can choose to enact Christ’s vision in ways open to us and we know our efforts for justice can help create needed changes.

Therefore, we the congregation of St. John’s United Church of Christ, Troy, Ohio, covenant with God and with one another to:  

1.    Continue providing service and care for those in need.

2.    Encourage and support one another in our own stewardship of God’s earth and its bounty.

3.    Educate and support one another in the complex task of creating a just economy.

4.    Learn more about how our present economy works and its ties to such problems as poverty, inequity, unemployment, and other relevant national and global issues.  

5.    Share our knowledge and insights with one another and our wider communities.  

6.    Work for greater economic justice in the policies and practices of this congregation by annually reviewing our success in living this covenant.

7.    Strive for personal economic decisions supporting a more just local, national, and world economy.
 
8.    Support economic justice for all people.
 
9.    Join and support organizations, including those of our denomination, that share our commitment to greater economic and political justice.  

We pray for strength, courage, vision, humility, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us fulfill this commitment.  

Approved January 24, 2016