I. NAME
The name of the corporation (herein referred to as the “Fellowship”) shall be the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort, Incorporated.
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Fellowship shall be to provide for public religious worship and
instruction, and for such charitable and benevolent activities as befit a religious society,
all in accordance with the principles of Unitarian Universalism, including the following:
A. To support the free and thoughtful search for the truth.
B. To affirm, defend and promote the equality. worth and dignity of every person
without regard to race, creed, nationality, age, gender, or sexual identity.
C. To support individual freedom of belief and the free civil and religious expression
thereof.
III. AFFILIATION
The Fellowship shall be affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and The
Thomas Jefferson District.
IV. MEMBERSHIP
Any person desiring to become a member of the Fellowship shall sign the membership roll
in the presence of a member of the Fellowship Board. The Fellowship specifically
acknowledges that membership is open to all persons regardless of race, creed,
nationality, age, gender, or sexual identity.
The right to vote at a meeting of the members of the Fellowship or the right to be
elected an officer shall be reserved for persons who have been members at least thirty
days.
Any member whose whereabouts is unknown, or who does not respond to inquiries mailed
to the last known address, shall be removed from the membership roll, or, at the
discretion of the Membership Committee, shall be assigned inactive status. A member on
inactive status shall be reinstated upon request without a repeated signature on the
Membership Roll. Persons on inactive status shall be not be counted as members in the
annual report to the Unitarian Universalist Association.
V. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES AND THEIR DUTIES
A. Officers: The officers of the Fellowship shall consist of a President, Vice
President, Secretary, and Treasurer, which shall also constitute the Executive
Committee.
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B. Standing Committees: There shall be the following standing committees, each
with a Chair and at least two members, with each committee having the following
duties. Each Chair shall submit to the membership a report of activities at the
annual meeting of the membership.
1. Religious Education Committee: Shall have charge of and be responsible
for the educational programs of the Fellowship.
2. Program Committee: Shall have charge of the development and scheduling
of all programmatic events, in conjunction with the Minister, with the
exception of those Sunday services which are the sole responsibility of the
Minister.
3. Property Committee: Shall have charge of and be responsible for the
repair, maintenance, and insurance of the physical facilities owned or used
by the Fellowship.
4. Finance Committee: Shall have charge of and be responsible for the
fundraising programs of the Fellowship and, in cooperation with the
Treasurer, be responsible for the submission of an annual budget for
consideration at the annual meeting of the membership.
5. Hospitality Committee: Shall have charge of and be responsible for
arranging refreshments following the Sunday service, and for arranging
special membership events in cooperation with the Membership Committee.
6. Social Concerns Committee: Shall reflect the principles of affirming,
defending and promoting the equality, worth and dignity of every person
without regard to race, creed, nationality, age, gender, or sexual identity.
7. Membership Committee: Shall be responsible for continuing activities to
promote and retain membership, including welcoming members and visitors
at Fellowship services, orienting new members, and maintaining the
Fellowship directory and telephone list.
8. Ministry Committee: Shall endeavor, in concert with the Minister, to
promote effective ministry in the accomplishment of the goals as stated in
the Minister’s Letter of Agreement, receive comments on the ministry from
the congregation at large, and review and report upon the status of the
ministry. The composition of the committee shall be agreed upon by the
Minister and the Fellowship Board. The committee shall, with the Fellowship
Board, recommend adjustments in the Minister’s compensation.
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9. Adult Activities Committee: Shall be responsible for special fellowship
activities for the adults of the fellowship, with particular concern for the
assimilation of newcomers.
10. Long Range Planning Committee: Shall be responsible for developing and
maintaining plans for future activities of the Fellowship. These
responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the development of a plan
for the acquisition and management of a dedicated facility for conducting
Fellowship services and business. The Long Range Planning Committee shall
coordinate with other Standing Committees as necessary, and will provide a
periodic report to the Fellowship Board as required.
C. Other Committees: Other committees may be appointed by the President, as
required from time to time; membership, duration, duties, and reporting shall be
specified by the Fellowship Board.
D. Fellowship Board; the four officers, the committee chairs of the active standing
committees and the immediate past-president shall constitute the Fellowship
Board. The Fellowship Board shall have the entire authority, control, and
responsibility to act for the Fellowship, subject to these by-laws. All members of
the Fellowship Board must be active members of the Fellowship.
E. Nominating Committee: Shall be appointed by the President and consist of at
least four Fellowship members, two of which shall be from the Fellowship Board.
and The Nominating Committee shall present to the membership of the Fellowship
at least one nomination for each vacancy on the Fellowship Board at the Annual
Meeting of the membership of the Fellowship. Additional nominations may be made
by any member.
F. Executive Committee: Shall consist of the four officers and may meet for
special purposes. Any action shall be subject to review by the Fellowship Board.
VI. ELECTIONS, RESIGNATIONS AND VACANCIES
A. The President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected
annually by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Each chair of an active Standing
Committee shall be elected for a two year term by the membership at the annual
meeting. Those elected shall take office at the beginning of the fiscal year.
B. No person shall have more than one vote on the Fellowship Board at any time but
any person may serve on more than one committee.
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C. Each standing committee shall have as many members as the chair of the
committee may choose to appoint, subject to the minimum established in Section
V.B. and the approval of the President. The Minister and the President shall be
ex-officio members of all committees.
D. Any officer may resign by written notice to the President and any committee
member may resign by written notice to the Executive Board.
E. Any vacancy occurring at any time in any office may be filled for the unexpired
term at any monthly business meeting. Any vacancy on a committee may be filled
by the chair of that committee.
F. Any officer may be removed with a written ballot by two-thirds of those present
at any meeting of the membership and any committee chair may be removed by
simple majority at any monthly business meeting. The person’s replacement shall
be elected to fill the unexpired term at that same meeting.
VII. MEETINGS
A. Meeting of the Membership: The Annual Meeting of the membership shall be held
within ninety-days prior to the end of the fiscal year to hear the reports of the
officers, the committee chairs, and the Minister; to elect officers, to adopt a
budget, and to receive reports of the Fellowship Board during the year ending.
Notice of the date and place of the Annual Meeting shall be reported at least two
weeks in advance by written notification. Members may vote in person or by
written ballot in absentia to arrive prior to the meeting date. Special meetings of
the membership may be held upon written notice to the membership of the
Fellowship. Meetings of the membership can be called at any time by the President,
by four members of the Fellowship Board, or by one-tenth of the membership of
the Fellowship.
B. Monthly Business Meeting: The Fellowship Board shall meet monthly at such
times and places as the Board shall determine. Any member of the Fellowship may
attend any meeting of the Fellowship Board, with or without invitation. This
meeting will receive reports of all standing committees and will be referred to as
the “Monthly Business Meeting.”
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C. Quorum: At any meeting of the Fellowship membership, a quorum shall consist of
twenty percent of the voting members. At the Monthly Business Meeting, a quorum
shall consist of fifty-one percent of the Fellowship Board. Thirty percent of the
voting members of the Fellowship shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of
conducting business at any meeting in which the order of business includes any of
the following:
1. Calling or dismissing a minister.
2. Buying or selling real estate.
3. Encumbering the Fellowship with any additional indebtedness resulting in a
cumulative loan balance in excess of five percent of the annual budgeted
expenses.
VIII. FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year shall begin on January 1 and end the last day of December.
IX. AUTHORITY FOR DISBURSEMENT
Disbursements will be authorized by the annual budget subject to amendment by the
Fellowship Board. Upon establishment by corporate resolution, any changes in bank
accounts or number of required signatures must be approved by the Fellowship Board.
Disbursements in an amount exceeding $500.00, out of any fund, not authorized by the
Annual Budget approved by the membership, shall require approval of the Fellowship
Board.
X. RULES OF ORDER
Meetings of the membership and of the Fellowship Board shall follow, as closely as
possible, the current Robert’s Rules of Order.
XI. AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
A. PROPOSALS: Amendments, repeal motions, or new articles may be proposed by
any member of the Fellowship to the Fellowship Board. Motions must be submitted
in writing to the Board for preliminary consideration. The proposal must be
approved by the Board by a simple majority before placement on the agenda of the
Annual Meeting, and must include:
1. the article and section which it is proposed to amend or repeal;
2. a concise summary of the principal arguments on which the proponents
rely (i.e., the reason for requesting the change);
3. other articles or sections affected by the proposed amendment and
suggested text of the amendment.
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B. VOTING: The By-Laws may only be amended, repealed, or have new articles
inserted upon the recording of a two-thirds majority affirmative vote of the voting
membership (defined in Section IV) at an Annual Meeting. If the proposed change
is not approved, then the proposed amendment, repeal, or new article will be
submitted to a Special Membership meeting within 30 days of the Annual Meeting
for an additional review and vote. If the proposal is not passed, the proposal or
another proposal that is substantively similar may not be placed on the agenda of
any membership meeting until the next Annual Meeting.
C . RECORDING: Amendments, repeals, or new articles shall be inserted into the
appropriate documents by the Fellowship Secretary and will reflect the date of
change.
XII. DISSOLUTIONShould the Fellowship cease to function and the membership vote to disband, any assets
of the Fellowship shall be transferred to the Unitarian Universalist Association.
By-laws adopted 15 August 1999.
By-laws amended ( deletions / additions ) 07 April 2002.
Copy processed 21 December 2004 by David Russell.