Proclaiming God’s love for all people and creatures in the world, our congregation seeks to act directly and justly, advocating for social justice, including ecological responsibility in our community and our world.
homelessness and housing
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." ~Matthew 25:35-36
We at Church of the Covenant are very aware of the unjust reality of homelessness in our world, country, city, and literal doorsteps. We are heartbroken over this reality, and lament the societal structure, economic systems, and ongoing inequalities that lead to and perpetuate these realities. While our church has long been aware and committed to serving the needs of the poor who are facing homelessness and housing needs, in 2013 we reinforced our commitment. By forming our "Next Steps Team" to help carry out our work in this ministry of justice and compassion, we have been able to do more for the community, such as an active leadership role in the BostonWarm movement.
Resources for those experiencing homelessness: Groups we love and support:
We at Church of the Covenant are very aware of the unjust reality of homelessness in our world, country, city, and literal doorsteps. We are heartbroken over this reality, and lament the societal structure, economic systems, and ongoing inequalities that lead to and perpetuate these realities. While our church has long been aware and committed to serving the needs of the poor who are facing homelessness and housing needs, in 2013 we reinforced our commitment. By forming our "Next Steps Team" to help carry out our work in this ministry of justice and compassion, we have been able to do more for the community, such as an active leadership role in the BostonWarm movement.
Resources for those experiencing homelessness: Groups we love and support:
- BostonWarm
- Common Cathedral
- Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance
- Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
- Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
- Friends of Boston's Homeless
lgbtq+ advocacy and inclusion
Church of the Covenant has a history of lobbying for openness and support for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our congregation, one that proudly continues today! Highlights from our history include:
- Church of the Covenant became a "More Light" Church within the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1980.
- In 1986, Church of the Covenant became the first congregation in the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ to declare itself "Open and Affirming," joining only seven churches nationwide that had previously made this decision.
- In 1995, the Covenant Council voted to approve the following Policy on Same-Sex Unions: We declare that we are called to name that these marriages/unions hold the same legitimacy and value as those weddings we traditionally have participated in throughout the history of the church, and furthermore we declare that we are called to continue this ministry to be pastorally present to and stand in solidarity with men and women who seek God's blessing and the church's embrace as they make life commitments to partners of the same sex.
- As of 2004, following the legalization of same sex marriages in Massachusetts, Church of the Covenant is happy to officially celebrate all marriages through all aspects of our administration.
race and identity
For several years, we have focused our attention as a church community on issues of race and identity. Inspired by the bold Black Lives Matter organizing in our city and by both our denominations’ renewed efforts to combat racism in our congregations and in our nation, we think, talk, and pray about how race impacts our lives and the life of our community. Through this work, we seek to more faithfully live out our call to see and honor the image of Christ in all people, especially in those who have experienced oppression or exclusion, and welcome all in the name of our boundary-breaking, hierarchy-shattering, liberating God.
food cupboard: weekend food pantry
The Weekend Emergency Food Pantry program offered by Church of the Covenant provides free groceries and other necessities to Boston residents in urgent need. This ministry was developed by the church in response to widespread necessity, and the fact that many other food pantries are closed on the weekends.
Hours are Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10 am to noon in the alley at the corner of Berkeley and Newbury Streets in Boston's Back Bay.
Visits are limited to once each calendar month. The pantry is staffed by volunteers from the church and the community, who each serve one morning per month working with our part-time staff coordinator, Alan Lane, to ensure adequate food supplies and the stocking of our shelves. Food is obtained from the Greater Boston Food Bank, as well as public and private donations. We are grateful to Project Bread for grant support to purchase food and continue our operations.
For more info, email [email protected].
Hours are Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10 am to noon in the alley at the corner of Berkeley and Newbury Streets in Boston's Back Bay.
Visits are limited to once each calendar month. The pantry is staffed by volunteers from the church and the community, who each serve one morning per month working with our part-time staff coordinator, Alan Lane, to ensure adequate food supplies and the stocking of our shelves. Food is obtained from the Greater Boston Food Bank, as well as public and private donations. We are grateful to Project Bread for grant support to purchase food and continue our operations.
For more info, email [email protected].
climate justice
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The Psalmist declares what we know deep within, that "the earth is God's, and all that is in it" (Psalm 24). Therefore, as people of faith, we are called to be stewards and lovers of that which God creates, and that which God loves. In a time in which human-driven climate change stands to threaten the very beauty and sustainability that God has created, we as a church are deeply committed to climate justice. We stand with the poor around our planet who are most susceptible to rising seas, increasing droughts, and chaotic weather events.
Our congregation is committed to giving further legs to our divestment from fossil fuels by helping to speak out against all new fossil fuel infrastructure projects in our Commonwealth. We are proud that our church's investment portfolio is 100% fossil fuel free! One ongoing commitment supported by our Mission and Advocacy Committee is The Eco-Stewards Program—a grassroots community that shapes young adult leaders through place-based experiences that connect faith and the environment. For more information, visit our Climate Jubilee page. |
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greater boston interfaith organization (GBIO)
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Church of the Covenant is one of many Christian, Jewish, and Muslim congregations working together, building community ties, and organizing to improve the lives of the people of Greater Boston around issues such as health care, education, and economic justice.
Click here to visit GBIO's homepage. |
boston food justice young adult volunteer program
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The Boston Food Justice Young Adult Volunteer Program is a former project of the Presbyterian Church (USA) National Office that provides opportunities throughout the United States and internationally for young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 to spend a year in service with church congregations and local organizations. Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) live together in intentional community with a focus on the practice of simple living, spiritual formation, and vocational discernment. YAVs time is spent serving the community that hosts them for the year in conjunction with intensive introspection and community reflection aimed at cultivating a sense of life purposefulness and mission. We are grateful for our past YAVS at Covenant: Chris Nellett, Hope Seggelink, and Audrey Holt!
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immigrants and refugees
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As followers of a Holy Family who found "no room at the inn," our faith compels us to stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees seeking belonging in our communities today. We do this through attending rallies, supporting partner organizations, and building relationships with immigrant-led communities around Boston. Our commitment to immigrant justice is especially strengthened by our longtime sister community in Dulce Nombre de Jesús, Nicaragua, and hearing about the stories of migration and immigration that our siblings in Nicaragua have experienced. To learn more about about our Nicaraguan partner community, please visit our Community Life page.
Please contact us at [email protected] to learn more about opportunities to act for immigrant justice. For those seeking assistance and resources specifically for immigrants in Massachusetts, we recommend the Boston Liberation Health resource guide. |
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denominational mission through the UCC and pcusa
We actively support the work of both our denominations. Together with other people of faith we can do so much more to seek justice in the world.
We support the mission work of the United Church of Christ through financial support of "Our Church's Wider Mission." Please click here for information about National Justice and Witness ministries and Global ministries of the UCC. We work together with the UCC through its Southern New England Conference.
We support the mission work of the Presbyterian Church (USA) through financial support of the General Assembly Mission Council. Please click here for information on their Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries as well as Worldwide mission efforts. We are active members and supporters of the Presbytery of Boston.
We receive special offerings several times a year for specific mission purposes. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering provides support to both our denominations' efforts to respond in the case of natural disasters. Other examples are the Peacemaking offering, which supports the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, or the UCC Strengthen the Church program, which supports newer churches.
We support the mission work of the United Church of Christ through financial support of "Our Church's Wider Mission." Please click here for information about National Justice and Witness ministries and Global ministries of the UCC. We work together with the UCC through its Southern New England Conference.
We support the mission work of the Presbyterian Church (USA) through financial support of the General Assembly Mission Council. Please click here for information on their Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries as well as Worldwide mission efforts. We are active members and supporters of the Presbytery of Boston.
We receive special offerings several times a year for specific mission purposes. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering provides support to both our denominations' efforts to respond in the case of natural disasters. Other examples are the Peacemaking offering, which supports the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, or the UCC Strengthen the Church program, which supports newer churches.
mission through our historic building: Women's Lunch place
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Since its inception in 1982, when the first lunch was served to 12 women in our basement fellowship Bates Hall, Church of the Covenant has been a wholehearted supporter of the Women's Lunch Place. We are proud that WLP continues to gather six days a week in our Bates fellowship hall directly under our historic sanctuary at 67 Newbury Street, serving both breakfast and lunch in addition to providing priceless social service assistance to hundreds of women. We fully support this dynamic nonprofit's mission to serve low-income and homeless women in our own city of Boston by creating a safe daytime space where "dignity is everything."
We love and celebrate WLP's mission: To provide a safe, comfortable daytime shelter, nutritious food, and support services for women who are homeless or low-income. We treat women with dignity and respect, and foster a community committed to meeting each woman’s unique needs. For more information, please click here for the Women's Lunch Place website. Please let us know if you would like to help carry out the mission of the gospel of Jesus to love and serve the so-called "least of these" through supporting the vital work of WLP through volunteering or other means of support. |
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