Unitartian ByLaws
By-Laws of the Unitarian Fellowship of Huntington
Article I Name : The name of this religious society shall be the Unitarian Fellowship of Huntington
Article II Affiliation: This Fellowship shall be affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association
Article III Purpose: This Fellowship is founded upon the recognition of the supreme value of the individual and his/her rights to develop to the limits of his/her ability in all fields of human endeavor and understanding. It neither sponsors nor requires belief in any religious creed. In the seeking of the highest moral values, it stands for the ideal of “universal brotherhood of man” undivided by race, creed or national origin. It assumes the right of the individual to seek the truth in accordance with his conscience and free from coercion. The purpose of this Fellowship, therefore, is to afford the means whereby individuals can share in programs of religious enlightenment and self improvement, and to conduct other consistent religious and social activities.
Article IV Membership : Membership in this Fellowship shall be open to any individual:
• whose sympathies are in general accord with the interests and activities of the Fellowship, and
• who signs the Membership Book, and
• who gives a recorded contribution each year to the financial operation of the Fellowship.
Individuals who wish to have a definite association with this Fellowship but who do not adopt or retain membership status at this time will be considered to be “Friends of the Fellowship”.
Article V Officers: The elected officers of this Fellowship shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. All of the affairs of the Fellowship shall be controlled by the Board of Trustees, which shall consist of the four officers, three trustees elected at large and chairpersons of standing committees. The four officers shall hold , ex officio, the same offices in the Board of Trustees. The Board shall by appointment fill any vacancies occurring in its membership. Only qualified members of the Fellowship are eligible to serve as members of the Board of Trustees.
Article VI Meetings:
• Fellowship meetings: Fellowship meetings shall be held at the times, dates and places determined with consideration for the interests and wishes of the membership. Business may be conducted at any meeting for which the members have been sent notices.
• Annual Meeting: An annual business meeting shall be held the first Sunday in May at which time the election of officers and trustees shall be held. The annual report of
• officers and committees shall be presented at this meeting. A budget for the next year's operation should be presented at this meeting.
• Special Meetings: Special meetings may be called by the President or upon the signed petition of at least 10 % (not less than five . members), of the members. Members shall be notified in writing of the time and place of any special meeting, as well as the specific business for which the meeting is being called. Each member shall have the right to speak and vote upon any issue during any business meeting provided he is at least sixteen years of age.
All questions properly before any business meeting shall be decided by a majority vote of members unless otherwise specified.
• Board meetings: The Board of Trustees shall have regular
monthly meetings during the program year, upon reasonable notice.
Special meetings may be called as needed
5) Rules of Order: The rules contained in Robert's Rules of .. Order Revised shall govern all cases wherein they do not conflict
with the rules of this organization.
Article VII Elections:
• Term of Office: The officers of this Fellowship shall be elected annually and may not serve more than three consecutive terms in any one office. Trustees-at-.large shall be elected for three year terms on an alternate basis, so that one is elected each year. When during his/her three year term a trustee is elected as an officer, a replacement trustee—at-large shall be elected to fill the unexpired term.
2) Procedure: The officers and trustees-at-large of this Fellowship shall be named by a nominating committee of three who shall be elected by the members of the Fellowship in the following manner: One month prior to the annual business meeting, nominations of not less than three nor more than five shall be made from the floor at a Fellowship meeting. >From .the list of nominees, the members will by ballot, choose three. The three receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared the nominating committee. The nominating committee shall make its report at the annual meeting in May. After receiving the report of the nominating committee, additional nominations from the floor will be in order. The election will then proceed by ballot.
Article VIII Committees
Chairmen of special. and standing committee shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Trustees • Committee chairmen will be responsible for obtaining one or two interested people to form a working committee. Committee appointments will be announced to the membership as promptly as possible. Standing committees should include: Program under chairmanship of the Vice President, Religious Education, Social Responsibility, Membership, Public Relations, Hospitality, Finance, Property, Denominational Affairs. .
Any member of the Board shall have one vote.
Article IX Fellowship Year:
1) The Business Year: The Board of Trustees elected at the May business meeting shall take office on June 1 of that year and shall be responsible for the program and activities of the Fellowship until May 31 of the following year.
2) The Fiscal Year: The fiscal year shall, be the same as the
business and program year. An annual budget should be presented
at the May business meeting which will guide the financial operations of the fiscal period.
Article X Amendments: These by-laws may be amended or repealed at any --
. meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided
that the membership shall be informed of the details of the pro-
posed change at the last previous meeting and in the notice of
the meeting at which - the proposed change is to be voted upon.
Revised and effective as of June 1, 1966
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