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The United PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH By-Laws

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The United Presbyterian Church of East Guilford, NY
P.O. Box 175, Sidney, New York 13838-0175
  1. The United Presbyterian Church in East Guilford, NY, being a particular congregation of The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, recognizes that the Constitution of said Church is, in all its provisions, obligatory upon it and its members.

  2. There shall be an Annual Ecclesiastical and Corporate meeting of the congregation in the church edifice ordinarily on the third Sunday of January for the transaction of any business properly coming before such meeting.

  3. The session or the Presbytery may call special meetings. Such calls shall state clearly the purpose of such special meeting, and no other matter save that specified in the call may be considered.

  4. Public notice of the time, place, and purpose of all meetings of the congregation shall be given from the pulpit on the two Sundays preceding the meeting.

  5. For Corporation Meetings, the Pastor shall preside. If the church is vacant, or if the Pastor and the ruling elders agree that the subjects to be discussed require it, or if the Pastor is ill or otherwise unable to be present, a minister of the Presbytery of Susquehanna Valley shall be invited by the Session to preside.

  6. The Clerk of Session shall be secretary of the meetings of the congregation. In his/her inability to attend, the session shall designate a secretary in his/her stead.

  7. The members of the Church shall be communicant members in good standing as defined by the usage's and rules of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, regardless of age.

  8. All communicant members of the Church are eligible to vote at all stated and special meetings of the Church. Voting by proxy is not allowed.

  9. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules, Newly Revised so far as they apply, and when they do not apply, according to the usual legislative rules of order.

  10. All meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer.

  11. A quorum for congregational meetings shall consist of the moderator, clerk of session or appointed recorder in absence of clerk and six eligible voters who are of full age.

  12. The order of business at the annual meetings should include:
    Opening Prayer
    Reports of Pastor, Session, Other Groups
    Nomination and Election of Elders and Trustees
    Financial Reports
    Review Terms of Call of the Pastor
    Presentation of the Budget
    Other Proper Business
    Reading and Approval of Minutes
    Adjournment

  13. In that this church recognizes a Unicameral System, a person elected for a term on the Session shall also be elected to be a member of the Trustees. There shall be six ruling Elders on the Unicameral Board (Session) divided into three equal classes, one class of whom shall be elected each year at the annual meeting for a three year term. No ruling elder shall serve on the Session for consecutive terms, either full or partial, aggregating more than six years; and shall be ineligible to be elected to a new term until one year shall have elapsed.

  14. Vacancies on the session may be filled at a special meeting of the congregation or at the annual meeting as the session may determine.

  15. The Clerk of Session shall be ex-officio, secretary of the Board of Trustees. Only acts of trustees as a board are binding. The Pastor or other officiating minister shall be ex-officio, moderator of all meetings unless as otherwise permitted in this constitution and the rules and regulations of the Presbyterian Church USA.

  16. A quorum for session meetings shall consist of the moderator and at least 3 ruling elders. A quorum for the transaction of business as trustees shall be a majority of the trustees then in office.

  17. There shall be chosen annually a representative nominating committee of communicant Members of the Church. Two ruling elders shall be designated by and from the session, one of whom shall be chairman, and at least two members who are not session members shall be elected by the congregation at its annual meeting. The Pastor shall be a member of the committee, ex-officio, but without vote. This committee shall bring to the annual meeting nominations of one eligible person only for each office to be filled. Additional nominations of qualified persons may be made from the floor by any eligible voter. The committee shall also present names for membership on the nominating committee for the ensuing year.

  18. These bylaws may be amended subject to the charter of the corporation, the laws of the State of New York, and the Constitution of the [ United] Presbyterian Church USA at any annual meeting or at any special meeting by a two thirds vote of the voters present provided that a full reading of the proposed changes and a printed distribution of the same shall have been made at a previous meeting and in connection with the call of the meeting.

  19. These bylaws or the charter of this corporation may not be amended contrary to or so as to exclude the provisions of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church USA.

Adoption - 1/9/1969
Modified - 1/11/1971
Modified - 1/10/2001
Modified - 1/11/2007
Modified - 1/9/2014