Deaconess vows

Deaconesses swear before God and before their fellows the following covenant:

 

ü  Obedience and respect

The deaconess promises to dedicate her whole life to Christ under the guidance of the Word of God and pledges obedience throughout her life until death. As a servant of the Lord, she commits to obey and respect the governing bodies of the deaconesses’ community "Abaja ba Kristo" (CD-ABK) and its leaders, to go wherever she will be sent and to do all the work assigned by the community. She also undertakes to abide by all rules and regulations governing CD-ABK. These principles of respect for others, sisters’ guidance, and obedience to God are based on the Word of God and the Holy Scriptures (Deuteronomy 10:12:13; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Proverbs 22:4; Psalm 111:10; Philippians 2:5 - 11; Hebrews 13:17; …).

 

ü  Celibacy and chastity

Based on the Word of God and her vocation, the deaconess commits to celibacy, chastity, and faithfully throughout her life. This helps her to be rooted in her spiritual life, ensures continual purification, and lives intimately with God all the time. That calling of Abaja ba Kristo, to surrender all to God, to follow him and become the Servants of Christ, is a gift from God. This was confirmed by Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul when they answered people who were arguing about marriage (Matthew 19:11-12, 1Corinthians 7:7). It also helps the deaconesses to strive to please our Lord Jesus Christ, as stipulated in 1Corinthians 7:32-34.

 

ü  Humility

The deaconess promises to live a humble life throughout her life, based on the model of Jesus Christ. This can be seen through sisterhood, where deaconesses share their livelihood and support each other with selflessness, proving empathy and forgiveness, and wearing community uniform (Exodus 28:40-41). The deaconesses commit and pledge to pool all the property they earn, including their salaries, gifts, and other benefits obtained from their work. In this sense, all benefits from Abaja ba Kristo are allocated to CD-ABK so that it can achieve its common goals.

 

ü  Living harmoniously with others

The deaconess promises to cooperate with her colleagues in a harmonious partnership to express the love of Jesus Christ. That goes with respecting one another, asking for forgiveness, and forgiving one another due to any inconvenience, as Apostle Paul recommends to the Colossians 3:12-14. A good relationship is also based on sharing joys and sorrows with others and encouraging each other (Eph.4:32; Rom.12:18). The deaconess commits to cooperate with others in all activities to developing the community and achieving its core goal of finding Christ's booty. She promises in addition to collaborate with others in the process of enriching their spiritual life and relationship with Christ, including praying together.