"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future." Alex Haley.

Earlier this summer I attended my first family reunion on my father's side, whose roots go back to rural Arkansas. It was a most enlightening and inspiring occasion in that I had chance to share some original poetry, some of which paid tribute to my father and other family members. When one of my cousins on the planning committee found out that I was a minister and a writer, she talked with me about composing a family pledge or some statement to affirm our commitment as family and to express some of the principles that we should endeavor to live by. After much prayerful deliberation, I wrote A Family Covenant with 3 parts: A statement Celebrating Our Ancestors which I recited and a Covenant with Our Hands and 10 Principles of Family Living, both of which I led the family members in reciting in unison.

My sister mentioned that she had some friends who were planning family reunions and asked if I would mind her sharing what I had written with others. I have heard from others that the Family Covenant is a great expression of ideals that should be a part of every family reunion. I am publishing it with the desire others may want to use it as written or adapt to their particular family. Anyone is welcome to use it.Let me know what you think about the Family Covenant.

Celebrating Our Ancestors
Families are designed by God for the blessing of humanity. God takes the solitary, those who are isolated and alone, and places them in families. We thank God for the families that have come from this generational bloodline. We are grateful for our forefathers and foremothers through whom we were given the precious gift of life. Despite great adversities and seemingly impossible situations, they persevered that we might be here today. Many fought and wept and prayed, some giving their last full measure of devotion, their very lives, that we might be successful and exceed their greatest expectations. We are the answers to many of their prayers and the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams.On this occasion we recognize and celebrate the contributions that our ancestors have made to the world.

Covenant with our Hands
As members of this family, we recognize that our times are in God's hands, and as we receive these words in our hearts, we join with Him, and with our mouths, we make this covenant, while we join hands with each other :

We affirm that these loving hands will be used to serve our families and others in need, to comfort those who are sick and embrace and console those who are grieving.

We affirm that these hands will not be used as instruments of violence but will be used to heal, protect, shelter and guide and to minister to all those whom we touch.

We affirm that these hands will support and encourage family members to pursue our dreams, to become all that God intended for us to be.

We affirm that we will use our hands to work together to improve our local communities, our individual states, our nation and the world, as we build a future filled with hope for ourselves and generations to come.

With these hands we release fruitfulness and favor, health and wholeness, peace and prosperity, goodness and mercy, and blessings without measure upon our present and future family generations from this time forth and forever.

10 Principles for Family Living
As members of this family, we will endeavor to apply these principles to our lives:

We will build and maintain healthy relationships grounded on mutual respect between husbands and wives, family members, friends and associates and others.

We will honor the commitments we make and conduct our lives with integrity.

We will accept personal responsibility for our actions and the decisions we make.

We will nurture, support and cherish our children, to protect and to provide for them; as we invest in their lives, so we invest in our future.

We will value education and encourage one another to advance our educational goals and to become lifelong learners who are always learning and growing.

We will encourage each other to always strive for excellence in all that we do: in our careers, or professions or whatever line of line of work we pursue.

We will look for opportunities to serve within our families and beyond to give of our time and resources that we might be a blessing and be blessed in return.

We will forgive all those who may have wronged us, knowingly or unknowingly, and we release them and ourselves from the prisons of hate and mistrust.

We will pray for one another and never forget nor neglect the awesome power of prayer.

We will live by faith, rest in hope and actively walk in the love of God which is the bond that unifies our family line.

Bio:
Having been blessed to explore various careers, Lonnell Johnson has worked as pharmacist, poet, professor, pastor, and publisher, among other professions. He endeavors to observe life from a spiritual perspective and enjoys sharing his observations and insight. Like St. Augustine, he strives to contemplate the truth and to share with other the fruits of this contemplation in poetry and prose.

Website:
http://www.examiner.com/x-20264-Columbus-Christian-Spirituality-Examiner

Email:
ljohns10@insight.rr.com