Sample Covenant 1

These are statements volunteered by the members of a Circle to be used in a covenant:

1) It is the speaker's story to tell - second hand recounting is a form of gossip.

2) What is said in the group stays in the group.
 
3) Making attendance a priority.

4) Coming on time for the meeting, starting on time, and ending on time.

5) Use "I" and "my" and "mine" when speaking.  Be specific, own your experience, and only your experience rather than someone else's.

6) Respect each person's judgment on readiness to speak.

7) No interruption when someone is speaking and no dialogue until after everyone has a chance to speak. 

8) Institute a timing procedure so everyone is comfortable knowing that someone is keeping track of the time.

9) Keep open to including new members.

10) Agree to do one or more service projects as a spiritual practice.

An example of a compressed covenant after someone has “word-smithed” the above raw statements into a succinct statement of intent:

“We agree to speak from our own experiences and keep confidential what we have shared. We will make attendance a priority and respect our time constraints. As each person chooses to speak, we agree to listen in silence.”  

A Circle may then choose to add some element that was left out, thereby expanding the covenant. Covenants are “hand-made” by the members of each Circle and tailored to their specific concerns.