BY-LAWS OF THE AMARILLO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP
As Amended March 2018
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be “The Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.”
ARTICLE II – MISSION
Our mission is to be a spiritual community that promotes a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and to be a respected public voice for liberal religious values.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Any person eighteen years of age or older who is in sympathy with the mission of this Fellowship may become a member by complying with the path to membership as outlined in the Policy Manual, and being officially enrolled by the Board at a regular monthly meeting. The method of removal of membership is to be specified in the Policy Manual.
This congregation affirms and promotes the full participation of persons in all our activities and endeavors; including membership, programming, hiring practices, and the calling of religious professionals; without regard to race, color, gender, physical or mental challenge, affectional or sexual orientation, gender expression, age, class or national origin.
ARTICLE IV – AFFILIATION
This Fellowship shall be a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Conference and may from time to time, by approval of three-fourths of the voting members, join other associations, provided the charters of those associations accord with the Unitarian Universalist principles.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS
The Annual Meeting for the election of officers and trustees and other congregational business shall be in September or October of each year, no later than the fourth Sunday in October. The agenda of the Annual Meeting shall be publicized at least one week prior to the meeting. The agenda for the Annual Meeting may be publicized by mail, email, telephone or other means as determined by the Board.
Special congregational meetings may be called by the Board. A special congregational meeting shall be called by the Board at the written request of fifteen percent of the voting members. Special congregational meetings require seven days notice of the voting members. Notification of the special meeting may be by mail, email, telephone or other means as determined by the Board.
Twenty-five percent of the voting membership shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business at congregational meetings. Those voting absentee shall be counted as present in determining a quorum.
The Board shall determine the methods of voting at any congregational meeting for present and absentee members. These may include, but not be limited to, mail, email, telephone, written proxy, secret ballot or acclamation and the Board shall include methods of voting in the notice of the meeting.
ARTICLE VI – ELECTIONS
For the purpose of the selection of Officers and Trustees and the continual development of the leadership, Leadership Development Committee of three voting members shall be elected at the Annual Meeting. The committee shall submit the nominations for the following year to the voting membership by the third Sunday in October. At the Annual Meeting, nominations may be made from the floor by voting members.
ARTICLE VII – OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES
All Officers and Trustees must be voting members of the Fellowship.
Section 1. The Officers shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There shall also be four Trustees. The duties of the Officers and Trustees shall be as follows:
PRESIDENT – The President shall preside at all meetings of the Fellowship and Board. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall be charged with the responsibility of the conduct of the Fellowship according to the provisions of the By-laws and the Policy Manual.
VICE PRESIDENT – The Vice President shall assume, in the absence of the President, the duties of the President, and shall otherwise assist in the execution of administrative duties. The Vice President shall represent the Fellowship at meetings of community organizations. The Vice President shall chair the Long-Range Planning Committee.
SECRETARY – The Secretary shall be responsible for the keeping of the records of the Fellowship, for preparing the minutes of the meetings of the Board and business meetings of the Fellowship, and handling all correspondence not handled by other officers.
TREASURER – The Treasurer shall be responsible for handling the funds and assisting/ supervising the Office Manager in keeping financial records of the Fellowship according to Article X, and shall serve as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee.
No officer shall serve more than three consecutive terms.
TRUSTEES – Each Trustee shall be elected for two years. Two Trustees shall be elected each year so that their terms are staggered. Trustees shall not serve more than two consecutive terms. Standing committees shall be assigned to each Trustee, who shall serve as liaison from the committees to the Board.
Section 2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – An Executive Committee shall be made up of a majority of Board Members, and it may handle issues that require action between monthly Board meetings.
Section 3. Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting and shall assume their duties on January 1. Between their election and January 1, the Officers-elect shall be non-voting ex-officio members of the current Board and shall attend all remaining Board meetings.
Section 4. In case of a vacancy, the Board shall appoint a successor from the voting membership to fill the unexpired term, except in the case of President, in which case the Vice President shall become President.
ARTICLE VIII – BOARD
The Board shall assist in the administration of the business of the Fellowship as provided in the By-laws.
The Board is empowered to develop and maintain a Policy Manual that incorporates past and future Fellowship policy decisions made by the Board and/or the congregation. The Policy Manual shall be followed in the operation of the business of the Fellowship.
The Board shall meet not less than once a month at a time and place specified by the President. Fifty percent of the Board members shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.
The Board shall consist of the Immediate Past President, the Officers, and the four Trustees.
Any member of the Board who shall be absent from three successive meetings of the Board without valid cause shall be automatically dropped from membership on the Board, provided such member has had reasonable notice of the time and place of such meetings.
The Board shall appoint a voting member to fill a vacancy on the Board until the next general election, at which time a voting member shall be elected to fill the unexpired term.
Any member of the Board whose behavior is deemed to be detrimental to the purposes or persons of the Fellowship may be removed from the Board by a majority vote of the voting members.
ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES
Section 1. There shall be sixteen standing committees are set in the Policy Manual.
Section 2. The President may appoint such special committees as are deemed advisable.
Section 3. The President shall appoint, from the recommendation of the President-Elect and with the approval of the Board, the chairs of the standing committees. Specific committees shall be assigned to specific Trustees, as previously stated. Chairs shall be appointed by January 1 and shall assume their duties immediately. The committee members shall be recruited by the committee chairs as soon thereafter as possible.
Section 4. The Board Vice President shall serve as Long-Range Planning Committee chair and shall appoint a three-member group who shall serve three-year, staggered terms. The three-year terms shall be staggered so that one new committee member is appointed each year. The Board Treasurer is also assigned to this committee.
ARTICLE X – FINANCIAL
The fiscal year for this Fellowship shall be January 1 through December 31.
Expenditures within the annual budget may be authorized by those committee chairs or other persons responsible for administering the various sections of the budget. Unbudgeted expenditures of more than $100 may be made only with Board approval. Any unbudgeted expenditure totaling over three percent of the annual budget may be made only with approval of the voting membership.
During November of each year the President shall appoint a qualified person to examine the financial records of the Fellowship.
ARTICLE XI – PERSONNEL
A Minister shall be called upon recommendation of a Ministerial Search Committee by an eighty percent majority of the voting members of the Fellowship present at any meeting legally called for the purpose. The quorum for a such a meeting is to be constituted by forty percent of the voting members rather than twenty-five percent of the voting members as called for in Article V.
ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS
Amendments may be proposed by the Board or by no less than fifteen percent of voting members, in which case the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Board in writing. The Board shall then distribute, within thirty days, copies of the proposed amendment to the membership. It shall be distributed no less than two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered. Passage of an amendment requires a majority vote by voting members present.
ARTICLE XIII – DISSOLUTION
Should this Fellowship cease to function and the membership vote to disband, any assets of the Fellowship shall be transferred to the Unitarian Universalist Association for its general purposes, this transfer to be made in full compliance with whatever laws are applicable.
ARTICLE XIV – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The parliamentary authority of this Fellowship shall be the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.”