The Covenant

of the Lansingburgh Ecumenical Shared Ministry

Prologue 

    In 1792, the First Presbyterian church was organized. In 1827, the formal organization of the Methodist Society in Lansingburgh was established. Through times of major church growth and expansion, through times of flood, fire, and other calamity, and through years of faithful service and witness, each congregation has long traditions of service within the Lansingburgh community. The present building of First Presbyterian Church was built in 1845 and that of the United Methodist congregation in 1849. 

    For more than fifty years, congregations in the Lansingburgh area have joined together for Union Summer Services, alternating buildings weekly. Then, a bit over a decade ago, in about 1989, the congregations of The United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches began celebrating the season of Advent by combining choirs for a series of yearly Christmas concerts now called Prelude to Christmas. 

    In September 2001, the congregations covenanted to "share worship and Christian Education" for the period extending from Advent 2001 through Easter, 2002. Worship and education plans were developed and implemented. Other boards and committees were challenged to find additional venues through which we could combine efforts and ministry. By Easter of 2002 we hoped to have a commitment to a "broader covenant to integrate our congregations and to walk together in faith." 

    By February 2002, the congregations of the United Methodist Church of Lansingburgh and the First Presbyterian Church of Lansingburgh agreed to "extend and expand the covenant to share worship and Christian Education through December 31, 2002." 

    Through the end of 2002, each congregation, through prayer and discussion, and through the sharing of our lives together, has been able to discover a relationship with each other which has brought a new sense of energy, hope, and vitality to our shared ministry. 

    We have come to describe our common venture as a yoking, a pulling together, for ministry and mission within our community. Through this model of yoking, we see our common ministry together as supportive and expansive, nurturing and witnessing. We find we have a developing sense of a shared purpose, without losing our individual congregational identities and traditions. At this time, we do not see federation or merger as models we wish to pursue. It is our intention to assess and evaluate this Covenant annually to insure it remains a living document throughout the life of our shared ministry. 

    As we continue to integrate pastoral care and nurture, we are able to expand our sense of a common ministry beyond our separate church structures; 

    As we share in the sacraments, our worship grows vital and pivotal to our individual and shared understanding of what it means to be a Church; 

    As we embrace the traditions and distinctive theologies of each tradition, we see a unity in the midst of our diversity; 

    As we teach and learn side by side through a common Christian Education program, we celebrate our ecumenical heritage and history; 

    As we commit ourselves to being a hub for mission, discipleship and spiritual formation, we become a Church alive within the community. 

Our Vision 

    Our shared vision is to experience the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ through worship and Christian education for all ages; 

    To offer true spiritual sanctuary wherein all people can find forgiveness, grace, faith, and renewal in Christ; And to use these gifts to strengthen our mission presence in the community. 

    We seek, by the endorsement of each congregation, to expand our vision and extend our original covenants as we commit ourselves to a broader integration of our ministries and pastoral oversight into a shared ministry within our community. By this new sense of covenant, we are endeavoring to develop a stronger Christian presence within the greater Lansingburgh community through our combined Christian faith and action.