What is a Covenant?
Covenants were spiritual documents signed by early Puritan settlers and church members in which they laid down their faith in God, and the rules that would govern the functioning of the congregation. Every now and again, these would be revisited and written up again.
When was the first Covenant of First Church signed?
The first covenant, called the “Brinsmead Covenant” (from the name of our first minister) was drawn up in 1679. It was used with minor changes until 1837. Our current Covenant was updated and amended in 2025 but still contains some of the language from 1679.
Do you have a Covenant now? Do you use it?
Yes we do, and yes we use it. Generally, we use it during the first Sunday after Labor Day, and when new members join our church. It reminds us of our obligation towards God and one another, our Congregational and Reformed roots.
What does your Covenant say?
We, the members of First Church in Marlborough (Congregational) UCC, following the example of Jesus, who loved and served all, promise we will:
- Love God with all our heart and all our soul and strength.
- Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
- Faithfully support the Church with our time and treasures.
- Seek to do the will of God to promote the life of our Church community and the community at large.
- Welcome people of every age, economic circumstance, ethnicity and race, family structure, gender identity and expression, physical and intellectual ability, and sexual orientation—to share fully in the membership, leadership, sacraments and ministry of the Church.
- Listen to, speak with, and interact with each other with respect, honesty, and Christian love.
- Approach each other with open minds and hearts, knowing we are stronger together when we consider perspectives that may be different from our own.
- Love and serve the people and property of the Church and community in the name of our Lord.
- Continue to live out this commitment to acceptance and inclusion through our words and actions, relying on God’s grace.
- And May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip us with everything good that we may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
