Unitarian Universalist Christians

Article I
Name:
The name of this corporation is Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, Inc. In the following by-laws it will be referred to as the Fellowship.

Article II
Purposes:
The purposes of the Fellowship are: to diffuse the knowledge and promote the interests of Christianity; to encourage and aid the spread of the Christian religion; and to support and promote religious activities.

Article III
Membership:
Section 1. All members in good standing in the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, an unincorporated voluntary association, on the date of the adoption of these by-laws shall be members of the Fellowship.
Section 2. Other persons may be elected by the Executive committee upon making a written application for membership submitting the required dues and subscribing to the Fellowship’s purposes. Membership shall be of six kinds: Patron, Contributing, Sustaining, Family, Individual, and Student. Life Members as of the date of adoption of these bylaws shall continue, but no new Life Members shall be added. Chapters, churches, and fellowships may also be admitted to membership by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Executive Committee upon such terms, conditions, and dues as said Committee may prescribe.
Section 3. Any person in arrears for more than two renewal reminders in the payment of dues may be dropped from the roll of membership by order of the Executive Committee.
Section 4. All members shall receive the Unitarian Universalist Christian, the Newsletter and notices of meetings of the Fellowship. In addition all members shall receive the annual report including theannual financial statement, and be entitled to vote at meetings.

Article IV
Dues:
Section 1. The annual dues for all classes of membership shall be determined by the Board.

Article V
Officers:
The officers of the Fellowship shall be a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Treasurer, a Recording Secretary, and a Corresponding Secretary. The officers shall be elected annually at the annual meeting of the Fellowship for the term of one year each and until their sucessors are elected and qualified. The President shall not serve for more than four sucessive terms.

Article VI
President:
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Fellowship; shall be the chairman of the Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as usually pertaining to his office.

Article VII
Vice Presidents:
In the absence or disability of the President the First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President, and if the First Vice President is absent or disabled, the Second Vice President shall perform such duties.

Article VIII
Treasurer:
Section 1. The Treasurer shall receive, collect and disburse the funds of the Fellowship, subject to the paramount control of the Executive Committee. He shall keep proper books of account and make reports to the annual meeting of the Fellowship and, whenever so required, also to the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The Treasurer’s report shall be audited annually by such person or persons as the Executive Committee may designate.

Article IX
Recording Secretary:
The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings of the Fellowship, and shall give notice of all meetings of the Fellowship and of the Executive Committee. He shall have all the powers of clerk of a corporation.

Article X
Corresponding Secretary:
The Corresponding Secretary shall carry on correspondence of the Executive Committee.

Article X
Directors:
There shall be twelve Directors, four to be elected at each annual meeting for terms of three years. Directors may be elected for no more than two consecutive terms, following which, they shall be ineligible for one year. The Board of Directors shall consist of the officers and twelve directors and have full control of all business and interests of the Fellowship and of the management and direction of its property, funds, and operations. The Board shall meet at such times and places and upon such notice as the President or any three of its members may direct, or as the Executive Committee may determine. Six members shall constitute a quorum at meetings of the Board.

Article XII
Executive Committee:
There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President, the First Vice President, the Treasurer, the Recording and Corresponding Secretaries, and one Director appointed annually by the Board. The Executive Committee will be empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Directors between meetings of the Board. All actions of the Executive Committee, however, must be confirmed at a meeting of the Board. Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Committee.

Article XIII
Committees:
Section 1. On or before the January 15th of each year, the Executive Committee shall elect a nominating committee of five members and shall designate a chairman thereof. Not later than thirty (30) days before the annual meeting the nominating committee shall file with the Recording Secretary its nominations for President, First and Second Vice Presidents, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and for the directors whose terms of office are about to expire.
Section 2. The Board of Directors shall appoint a Publications Committee, a Vocations Committee, a Scholarship Committee, a Finance Committee, an Evangelism Committee, a Worship Committee, a Program Committee, a Retreat Committee, a Local Fellowship Committee, and such other committees as it deems advisable.

Article XIV
Staff:
The President may, in consultation with the Board of Directors, hire and dismiss an Executive Director, responsible to said President, who retains exclusive authority to make wage recommendations for said employee. The Executive Director shall have a budget from which to hire, compensate, and dismiss staff responsible to said Executive Director. The duties thereof shall include; facilitation and support of work of all committees, especially any outreach activity; production of all Fellowship publications; effecting all its mailing; maintainance of its records; administration of its office(s), including telephone coverage and secretarial services; conduct of its retain sales and stweardship of its inventory; coordination of (and presence at) its display table at General Assembly, annual meeting, and related occasions; and other such tasks assigned by the President.

Article XV
Meetings:
Section 1. The annual meeting of the Fellowship shall be held in conjunction with the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association each year.
Section 2. Special meetings of the Fellowship may be called at any time and place by the President, or by three members of the Executive Committee, or upon written request of at least fifteen members of the Fellowship.
Section 3. Notice of the time, place and purpose of all meetings of the Fellowship shall be sent to each member at his last addresss, as shown upon the records of the Fellowship, not less than ten days before the meeting in question.
Section 4. Twenty members shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Fellowship. Except as provided in Article XVIII hereof (Amendments), all action of any such quorum shall require an affirmative majority vote thereof.

Article XVI
Vacancies:
Any vacancy in any office or in the board of directors or in the Executive Committee may be filed by the Executive Committee, except that term of office of any person filling a vacancy of a director shall expire at the next annual meeting and at that time a director shall be elected to serve for any unexpired balance of the term of the director whose position has become vacant.

Article XVII
Fiscal Year:
The Fiscal Year of the Fellowship shall be from April 1 to March 31.

Article XVIII
Amendment of By-Laws:
These by-laws maybe amended, altered or repealed, or an entirely new set of by-laws may be substitued, by a vote in favor of such a proposed action by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at any annual meeting, or at a special meeting called for the purpose. Notice of any proposed action, sufficiently indicating the nature thereof, shall be contained in the call of any such annual or special meeting.

Revised June 1998