Bethel A.M.E. - Trinity Covenant

Our partnership with Bethel A.M.E. was established in 2007 (the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High School) in a joint effort to build community connections and continue the work of racial reconciliation in Little Rock. Below you'll find the Trinity-Bethel Covenant, which is read every year at our Covenant Renewal service featuring music from both choirs. This partnership is headed by the Trinity-Bethel Steering Committee which works to find ways our churches can partner and share in the spiritual lives of one another. 

 

 

 

The Covenant of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

October 11, 2007, Little Rock, Arkansas

 

“Glory to God, whose power working in us can do more than we can ask or imagine!”

    Acknowledging before our merciful God the brokenness of our lives, our fears and foolish pride, the racism, hatred, and prejudice that have haunted our city and society, we make covenant today to seek God’s truth, God’s healing, and the peace and unity of that beloved community that God alone can give.  We come from strong and faithful churches, but together we seek to know God in the other’s story, struggle, and tradition. We must learn of each other, and be taught together of God’s yet more excellent way – the way of Love.

    We are mindful of our Lord’s prayer for us in John’s Gospel, chapter 17: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of these who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are one in me and I am in you, may they also be in us.” In the power of Jesus’ prayer, we commit to pray daily: 1) that the barriers of sin and prejudice may come tumbling down 2) for our churches – their ministry, their leaders, and their calling 3) to annually renew in the month of October in worship and praise, this covenant community.

    Inspired by the image of Christian sisters and brothers in Acts 2:42, we commit ourselves “to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, breaking of bread and the prayers.  We commit ourselves 1) to continue to learn of each other, the stories of our faith, our traditions, our struggles 2) to support each other in programs that bring together: our youth, our outreach in community, and our people in holy fellowship and praise 3) to share our songs, our worship, our joy whenever possible, respecting each other’s tradition and custom.

    We take to heart St. Paul’s great vision of our ministry together in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5: “All this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”  We commit ourselves 1) to seek partnerships in all our work that build bridges across the divisions of race, creed, ethnic background, economic status, color, or any other barrier to the unity and welfare of God’s people 2) to listen, reason together, and confront the challenges and issues of our neighborhood, our city, our world 3) to speak of one another and with one another with kindness and respect, seek common good in our decisions and actions, give thanks to God always for the forgiveness, grace, and guidance to continue in the way.       

    To these ends we sign this covenant, clergy, lay leaders and young people, and commit ourselves to meet together, pray together, and plan for concrete steps to implement these plans.  May God, who has given us the will to do these things, give us the grace and power to perform them.

The Very Rev. Henry L. Hudson  
The Reverend Nolan Watson
Dr. Herbert Hahn, Senior Warden
Mr. Doug Brass, Junior Warden   
Bro. Grant Cochran, District Steward
Bro. Henry McHenry, Pro-Tem-Trustees
Mr. Robert Henry         
Annett Roper, Minster of Music
Timothy Allen, Choir Master
Nicholas Hardin
Ms. Allison Brass
Elitha Askew
Ionia Askew