Hi I'm Lisa Presley, the MidAmerica staff person who serves on the UUA's safe congregations team. As such, I can be a go-to person for you, as you consider safe congregations issues in your congregation. Or you can also call your congregation's primary contact. Behavioral covenants might sound like something new in congregations, but in actuality, it's simply moving from an implicit understanding of appropriate behavior to a more explicit naming of it. Every congregation has behavior expectations. Sometimes they are assumed not mentioned. We all have behaviors that can be made better, as in more helpful to what the person or group or congregation wants to be and wants to achieve. Being explicit about our expectations helps us learn how welcoming we are, and what we might want to change to become truly welcoming. Knowing our aspirations helps us move closer towards them. What might be new, is that congregations are beginning to hold members accountable for behavior that is not helpful to their community. This accountability is sometimes as gentle as a one on one conversation, through limited access agreements, and all the way up to removal when the member chooses not to change their inappropriate behavior. While we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people, we do not believe in the inherent worth of every behavior. We strive to balance the individual freedom with congregational health, and how to help each other form the beloved community we dream about. If you're interested in more information, reach out to either your primary contact or to me, we want to help you be the best you can be. You can also find lots of materials on safe congregations on the UUA website www.uua.org forward slash safe.