Background

When Emmaus set out in 2007 to become an Open and Affirming Congregation, many wondered why it was necessary to work on process for a church already living into being a welcoming and affirming congregation; but we write these Covenants to declare who we are not just for ourselves, but before God and for one another. We share our covenants with those outside our church so they can know our values. If someone has been hurt by a church, seeing a covenant of commitment can give them the courage to go back to church. Covenants are also for the future us. We can look back at our covenants again and again to seek to continue to grow more faithfully in line with each of them. These covenants define who we are, who we can become for the whole world to know.

Emmaus United Church of Christ WISE Covenant

We, the people of Emmaus United Church of Christ seek to be a Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive and Engaged (WISE) congregation for individuals living with mental health experiences, addiction, or neurodiversity, as well as for their families and loved ones.

Sometimes these individuals feel cut off from God or find it difficult to be included in a faith community. We are called to communicate to everyone that God loves all of us equally, even when we do not feel the love of the Holy Spirit in our lives. All people, regardless of mental health or disability status, have gifts to offer, and we want them to feel fully welcomed, included, supported and engaged in the life, work, and leadership of our church.

Emmaus United Church of Christ covenants to be a WISE Congregation, a place that embodies Jesus’ welcome and hospitality for all people. Our goal is to reduce stigma and promote inclusion of individuals with mental health experiences, addiction, or neurodiversity, as well as their families and loved ones.

Call to action:

We pledge to create a welcoming environment for people with mental health experiences, addiction, or neurodiversity, and for their families and loved ones:

  • We pledge to educate ourselves and offer educational opportunities to help our whole congregation understand these issues.

  • In an effort to reduce social stigma, we pledge to examine our own attitudes and preconceived notions.

  • We pledge to actively welcome individuals with these experiences into our faith community and provide a safe environment in which people can tell their stories and share their journeys.

We pledge to include people with mental health experiences, addiction, or neurodiversity in the life, work and leadership of the congregation:

  • We commit to recruiting, nominating and supporting people with these experiences to serve on teams and in leadership positions within the congregation.

  • When calling clergy and other staff, we pledge to be open to hiring persons with these lived experiences.

We pledge to support people in our congregation who have mental health experiences, addiction, or neurodiversity, and their families and loved ones:

  • We pledge to reach out to those struggling with these issues in the same way we reach out to those living with physical challenges.

  • We pledge to offer companionship and compassion for individuals, families and loved ones living with these experiences.

We pledge to engage with other organizations that work at the intersection of mental health, addiction, or neurodiversity and faith/spirituality/religion:

  • We pledge to welcome and encourage outside groups who focus on these issues to use our church facilities.

  • We pledge to seek out opportunities to engage with other organizations in shared mission, ministry and advocacy together. This includes working with our church Ministry Team, Congregational Care, the UCC Mental Health Network and the UCC Disabilities Ministry.

This vote affirms that we join in the process of always becoming more welcoming, inclusive, supportive and engaged with all of God’s people.

Adopted January 25, 2026