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METHOW VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP BYLAWS

NAME

We shall be named Methow Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (MVUUF).

PURPOSE

We are a welcoming Fellowship open to all free-thinking religious liberals who embrace the following principles:

We covenant to affirm and promote

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our Fellowship;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our Fellowship and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.

MVUUF MEMBERSHIP IN THE UUA

The MVUUF shall be a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and of the Pacific Northwest District or their successors.

NONDISCRIMINATION CLAUSE

We are a welcoming Fellowship, embracing members and employees of all races, colors, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities and/or transitions, abilities, disabilities, and without requiring adherence to any particular interpretation of religion or to any particular religious belief or creed, subject to harmony with the principles set forth in our Purpose.

MEMBERSHIP

A. Membership Requirements

Any person may become a member of this Fellowship by

• Embracing its Purpose;
• Supporting it through financial and/or personal participation; and
• Signing the Membership Book.

It is generally expected that prospective members will have had a discussion of the Unitarian Universalist movement with current members holding leadership positions in the Fellowship. It is specifically understood that membership is open to all in accordance with our welcoming nondiscrimination clause stated above.    

B. Becoming a Member--Procedure

The Membership Committee shall establish the procedure for becoming a member of this Fellowship, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.

C. Voting Privileges

A Voting Member is any member age sixteen (16) or older who has been a member of the Fellowship for at least ninety (90) days. Only Voting Members may vote at Annual and/or Special Fellowship Business Meetings (hereinafter referred to collectively as Fellowship business meetings).

D. Removal of Membership

A member may resign membership by providing the Board with written notice of resignation. The Board may revoke the membership of anyone who, after a due process hearing, the Board determines is a threat to the health or safety of the Fellowship or of any participant in the activities of the Fellowship and/or because the member has not acted in accord with the Purpose of the Fellowship. The Board may remove any member who has been out of contact with the Fellowship for two (2) years, following a good-faith but unsuccessful attempt at contact by the Membership Committee.

BUSINESS MEETINGS

A. Types and Dates of Meetings

1. Annual Meeting: There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Fellowship at a time and place designated by the Board within the final two months (May and June) of each Fiscal Year.
   
2. Special Fellowship Business Meetings: Special Business Meetings of the Fellowship may be called by the Board or at the written request to the Board of any five (5) Voting Members. If the Special Business Meeting results from a request made to the Board, it must be scheduled within thirty (30) days of the Board's receipt of the request. The Board shall determine the place and specific time for all Special Fellowship Business Meetings.
   
3. Collective Terminology: As used in these Bylaws, the phrase "Fellowship business meetings" refers collectively to Annual Fellowship Meetings and Special Fellowship Business Meetings, while the phrase "Fellowship business meeting" refers to either kind of meeting.

B. Method of Notification

An outline of the business to be transacted at all Fellowship business meetings shall be set forth in the written notice of the meeting, which shall be sent to all members and others in the Fellowship’s database by postal or electronic mail. Such notice shall be sent at least forty-five (45) days before an Annual Meeting and fourteen (14) days before a Special Fellowship Business Meeting. The Board may supplement the notice regarding business items to be covered at the Annual Meeting, provided that this occurs at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting. Business items that are not included in a timely written notice may be discussed during an Annual or Special Fellowship Business Meeting, but no action may be taken on them. Attendees who are not Voting Members may be heard subject to time constraints set in the meeting Agenda.

C. Quorum

1. Twenty percent (20%) of the Voting Members shall be required to constitute a quorum at all Fellowship business meetings except as otherwise noted.


2. The purchase, sale, or transfer of any real property of the Fellowship shall be authorized only upon a vote taken with a required quorum of fifty-one percent (51%) of the Voting Members participating. The hire or dismissal of a Minister shall also be effective only upon a vote taken with a required quorum of fifty-one percent (51%) of the Voting Members.
   
3. The Board shall determine and publish in all meeting notices how a Voting Member may participate in that particular meeting, if any means other than physical presence is to be allowed. Any permitted form of participation shall count toward establishment of a quorum.
   
4. If a quorum of the Voting Members is not participating at a Fellowship business meeting called by the Board, the meeting may be postponed until such time as is convenient to the Board and until the required percentage of Voting Members is participating. However, if a Fellowship business meeting agenda includes an item to decide on the purchase, sale, or transfer of real property and/or hire or dismissal of a Minister, and there are other agenda items as well, the other items may be acted upon provided that a quorum of twenty percent (20%) of the Voting members is participating.

D. Voting/Majority Percentage

A simple majority of the votes cast shall be sufficient either to approve or disapprove matters submitted for determination by vote, except for those votes taken relating to the hire or dismissal of a Minister. Selection of a Minister requires an eighty percent (80%) majority of those Voting Members participating in the Fellowship business Meeting at which the hiring is considered. A Minister may only be dismissed by a sixty-five percent (65%) majority of those Voting Members participating in the Fellowship business Meeting at which the dismissal is considered.

E. Conduct of Meetings

Fellowship business meetings and committee meetings shall be conducted by the Board President or committee chair democratically, subject to time limits set in the Agenda and using Robert’s Rules of Order as a general guide at the discretion of the person leading the meeting.

GOVERNING STRUCTURE

A. Board of Trustees

1. The governing body of the Fellowship shall be a Board of Trustees including seven (7) to thirteen (13) members elected as Trustees by the voting members of the Fellowship at its Annual Meeting, and possibly as supplemented between Annual Meetings by the Board itself.
   
2. The Minister, if one has been named, shall also serve on the Board ex officio as a non-voting Trustee. The immediate past President, if not already a Trustee, shall also serve on the Board ex officio as a voting Trustee until such time as he or she is replaced by another past President who has completed his or her service in that office more recently.
   
3. In this article, the word "year" refers to the time between one Annual Meeting of the Fellowship and the next, even though it may vary slightly from exactly twelve (12) months.
   
4. Upon election or reelection, Trustees shall normally serve for a term ending at the second Annual Meeting following their election (two years, unless elected by the Board itself between Annual Meetings). However, at the first election of Trustees only, Trustees shall be assigned to Board positions with terms of either one (1) year or two (2) years so that at the time of future elections approximately half of the current Trustees will either end their terms or be reelected, and the remainder shall be serving for one additional year.
   
5. A Trustee may be reelected at most three (3) times, and then must be off the Board for a minimum of two years, or until the second Annual Meeting following, in order to be again eligible to be elected as a Trustee.
   
The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the finances, administration, property, and business affairs of the Fellowship. The Board shall also supervise all Fellowship programs. Any decision, action, or omission of the Board may be appealed at an Annual Meeting, or at a Special Fellowship Business Meeting called for that purpose.


6. The Board’s specific duties and obligations include:

1. to hold monthly meetings at such regular time and place as the Board shall designate;

2. to appoint the officers from among current Trustees at the first meeting of the Board following an Annual Meeting;

3. to establish standing committees and temporary committees as needed to accomplish tasks and/or develop proposals, as the Board decides are needed, and to specify their charges;

4. to appoint the Trustees or other Fellowship members who shall chair the committees, at the first meeting of the Board following an Annual Meeting or at the Board meeting in which a new committee is established and its charge approved;

5. to elect additional Trustees to the Board if and when a Trustee resigns, dies, or is removed; if the number of available voting

   Trustees is less than seven(7); or a specific person's participation on the Board of Trustees is deemed to be needed, provided that a majority of Trustees must always have been elected by the Fellowship;

6. to hold special Board meetings when requested to do so by the President, the Minister, or three (3) or more members of the Board. Effective notice of special Board meetings, stating the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting shall be given to each Trustee at least two (2) days in advance. No business except that stated in the notice shall be acted upon, but other matters may be discussed;

7. to provide notice to the Fellowship of the dates, times, and places of all regular Board meetings, at least seven (7) days in advance;

8. to give notice to the Fellowship at least seven (7) days in advance of special Board meetings, except when the Executive Committee, Board, or Minister determines the existence of an emergency which allows insufficient time for prior notice as described herein. Whenever a special Board meeting is held without prior notice to the Fellowship, the Board shall make written report to the Fellowship of the business transacted at such meeting;

9. to make available to the Fellowship minutes of each Board meeting, or a summary of all business transacted at the Board meeting, by at most two weeks following the Board's approval of the minutes;

10. to appoint and dismiss all employees of the Fellowship and fix their salaries, with the advice of the Minister, except as provided herein;

11. to establish budgets for approval by the Fellowship, monitor those budgets, and see that expenditures are within those budgets;

12. to ensure recruitment of volunteers to staff standing and temporary committees and to fill other non-elected positions needed to carry out Fellowship programs or administration;

13. to authorize expenditures exceeding its budget to the extent of not more than ten percent (10%) of the total annual budget, as periodically adjusted in light of actual income;

14. to establish Standing Rules for conducting its own business; and

15. to prepare a written report to the Fellowship at least annually, and also to announce in writing major policy decisions within one (1) month of their being made by the Board.

8. A quorum of the Board of Trustees shall consist of at least a majority of the number of Trustees currently serving. Participation of Trustees in meetings by proxy or absentee ballot is not permitted. The Board may arrange for an alternative means of participation (such as by telephone) by a physically absent Trustee, in which case that Trustee shall be deemed as present for the duration of the arrangement, for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum.
9. Any member of the Fellowship who is not a Trustee may attend meetings of the Board of Trustees, except that the Board may determine a particular agenda item to be confidential and limit participation for that item to Trustees only (during which the Trustees are said to be meeting in Executive Session). Non-Trustee members of the Fellowship, when present, may participate in discussion but may not vote.
   
10. A regular monthly meeting of the Board may be canceled by the Executive Committee when there is no business needing to be transacted, but in such case the regular meeting for the next month must be held as scheduled.
    
11. Decisions of the Board of Trustees shall be made by consensus of all members present at a meeting, whenever possible. If, however, a consensus cannot be reached, the President shall so declare and action shall be taken by majority vote of the Board members present. In this case, any Trustee may request to have his or her position recorded in the minutes by name.
    
12. Complete and accurate typed minutes shall be kept of any and all regular or special meetings of the Board. A record set of final approved minutes shall be kept in a bound and indexed form at a place determined by the Board to be safe from loss or damage. A second set of such minutes shall be kept in a place and under conditions which shall make them readily available to all members of the Fellowship. This second set of minutes shall include a record of decisions made in Executive Session, but not of any discussion leading to such decisions which is deemed by the Board to be confidential. All recorded minutes shall be formally approved by consensus or a majority vote of at least a quorum of the board, and shall be signed by the Secretary certifying that such minutes are as approved by the Board.
    
13. The Board shall adopt, and subsequently follow or amend, Standing Rules to govern its own processes of discussion and decision-making. Such Standing Rules may resemble or differ from Robert's Rules of Order as the Board may see fit. A copy of the current Standing Rules shall be provided to each new Trustee at the beginning of his or her service.
    
14. A vacancy on the Board resulting from the resignation, death, or removal of a Trustee may or may not be filled by the remaining Trustees at their discretion, provided that a vacancy must be filled by election of a new Trustee if the number of voting Trustees would otherwise be reduced below seven (7). The Board shall seek the advice of the Nominating Committee when filling a vacancy.
    
15. A vacancy in an officer position, or in the chair of a committee, shall be filled by the Board at its next regular or special meeting. The new officer must be a current Trustee or appointed as a new Trustee at the same meeting . A new committee chair need only be a Fellowship member.
    
16. Any Trustee may request a Leave of Absence from the Board for a period of up to nine (9) months, which request may be granted or not granted as the Board decides. If the request is granted, that Trustee shall not be counted as a Board member for purposes of determining the number of members required to constitute a quorum, for the duration of the approved Leave of Absence.
    
17. Failure of a Trustee, through other than approved Leave of Absence, to attend three (3) consecutive regular Board meetings or four (4) of any six (6) consecutive regular Board meetings shall be an automatic resignation from the Board without further action or notice. Removal for cause of an officer or Trustee shall be by 2/3 majority vote of the Board, with consideration of removal of that individual stated in an agenda distributed in advance of the meeting.
    
18. Officers and committee chairs serve at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees, and may be removed at any regular or special Board meeting by consensus or simple majority vote, provided that consideration of such action is included in the agenda distributed as part of a timely notice of the meeting. If an officer is removed, or has resigned or died since the last previous Board meeting, the Board shall appoint another Trustee to the same office as soon as possible, including the meeting during which a removal is approved.
    
19. If a Trustee resigns (or is removed by action of the Board) from an officer position or as chair of a committee, such resignation or removal shall not automatically remove the Trustee from the Board.

B. Officers

1. The officers of the Board of Trustees, and of the Fellowship, shall consist of President, Secretary, Treasurer, and one or two Vice Presidents.
   
2. All officers shall be elected from among the Trustees at the first meeting of the Board of Trustees following the Annual Fellowship Meeting, and shall serve until the first meeting of the Board of Trustees following the next Annual Meeting.
   
3. The duties of the President shall include presiding at Board meetings and Fellowship business meetings, representing the Fellowship to the public and other organizations, and signing contracts and other documents on behalf of the Fellowship except when such authority is expressly assigned otherwise by the Board.
   
4. The duties of the Vice President (either of them, if there are two) shall include presiding at meetings in the absence of the President and acting in lieu of the President otherwise when requested to do so by the President, the Board, or the Executive Committee.
   
5. The Secretary shall have general charge of and responsibility for all non-financial records of the Church and shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Fellowship, Board, and the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall maintain records of membership in the Church and the voting eligibility of the members. The Secretary shall keep the Fellowship informed of the actions of the Board and Executive Committee.
   
6. The Treasurer shall have responsibility for all money belonging to the Fellowship; keep careful and accurate records of income, receipts, and expenditures of the Fellowship; pay the bills and charges that are in the approved budget or are approved by the Board; and report to the Board at its monthly meetings and to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
   
7. All officers shall also have such duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Board.

1. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees shall consist of the President, Vice President(s), Secretary, Treasurer, and the Chair of the Program Committee if that person is not himself/herself an officer.
2. Three members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. Minutes of meetings shall be kept, and actions taken shall stand unless disavowed by the Board.
   
3. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the affairs of the Fellowship between meetings of the Board, and it shall have such other duties as are delegated to it by the Board. Any action taken by the Executive Committee must be ratified by the full Board at its next meeting.

COMMITTEES

A. Basic Provisions Regarding Committees

1. The Board shall establish standing and temporary committees as it deems necessary. All committees shall report to the Board or Executive Committee at the time and in the form determined by the Board. All committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the Board. The Board shall also specify the charge of each committee, and no committee is considered to be established until its charge has been approved by the Board.
2. The chairpersons of all committees shall select those additional people required to serve on their committees, except as specified herein for the Nominating Committee.
   
3. Standing committees perform actions necessary for the normal functioning and operation of the Fellowship. The Fellowship, or its Board, may establish new standing committees by a majority vote at any meeting with such a proposal in its notice. Standing committees may include (1) Finance, (2) Facilities, (3) Program, (4) Membership, (5) Publicity, (6) Religious Education, (7) Adult Programs/Social Activities, (8) Social Concerns, and (9) Nominating.
   
4. Members interested in serving on standing or temporary committees are encouraged to notify a Trustee (or the committee chairperson, if one has been appointed) of their interest.

B. Nominating Committee

1. Nominating Committee Constitution: A Nominating Committee of three (3) to five (5) Voting Members shall be appointed by the Board subject to approval by the Fellowship at each Annual Meeting to serve for the time until the following Annual Meeting. If possible, one (1) or more of the current members of the Nominating Committee shall be nominated for a second year. No member of the Nominating Committee shall serve for more than two (2) consecutive full years. At least two (2) members of the Nominating Committee shall not be current Trustees.

2. Nominating Committee Procedures:

1. The Nominating Committee shall publicize, solicit, and submit the names of all qualified candidates for vacant positions on the Board of Trustees. Members who desire to serve as Trustees shall apply to the Nominating Committee, pursuant to procedural rules adopted by the Committee.

2. The Nominating Committee will recommend Voting Members to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees and to stand for regular annual election to Trustee positions. For a regular election, the Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of Voting Members deemed qualified who have agreed to serve and publish this list at least fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual Meeting. Other Voting Members may add names of Voting Members to the list by notifying the Nominating Committee, and additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor at the Annual Meeting. Any name submitted for nomination must be accepted as long as the nominated person is a Voting Member of the Fellowship and agrees to serve.

3. Members of the outgoing Nominating Committee shall prepare ballots, present its slate for Trustee positions, introduce additional nominees added by Voting Members, specify a method for the write-in of nominees from the floor, and tally completed ballots for election of the Trustees. The newly-elected Board shall then appoint one of its members to oversee the ratification process for approval by the Fellowship of the incoming members of the Nominating Committee.

4. The Nominating Committee shall decide and document the specific process for voting in the election of Trustees at the Annual Meeting and for determining which nominees are to be considered elected, including the breaking of ties. If and when ratified by the Board of Trustees, a description of the process shall be included in the notice of the Annual Meeting or a supplement thereto. If the Nominating Committee does not propose a process for voting, determination of winners, and tie-breaking, the process used at the previous Annual Meeting shall remain in effect for another year.

THE MINISTER

If and when a minister is hired, the following shall apply:

A. Responsibilities

The Minister, in conjunction with the Program Committee, shall be in charge of the public worship services and shall perform such other duties as are customary in liberal religious bodies and/or as may reasonably be prescribed by the Board. The Minister shall attend all meetings of the Board, serving ex officio and without a vote. The Minister shall have freedom of the pulpit as well as freedom to express personal opinions outside the pulpit.

B. Calling a Minister

The Voting Members shall have complete freedom in selection of a Minister, who shall embrace the Purpose of this Fellowship.

1. The Ministerial Search Committee: In the event of a vacancy (or pending vacancy) in the position of Minister, a Search Committee shall be established as a temporary committee in accordance with these Bylaws for the purpose of identifying, screening, and bringing to the Fellowship for consideration candidates for the position of Minister. The Search Committee shall consist of one (1) Trustee and at least two (2) other Voting Members (either or both of whom may also be Trustees). Once the Search Committee has chosen one or more candidates to present to the Voting Members, it shall submit nominees to be voted upon during the Annual Meeting or at a Special Fellowship Business Meeting called for that purpose.

2. Quorum and Plurality of Hiring a Minister: The Minister shall be hired upon recommendation of the Ministerial Search Committee by an eighty percent (80%) majority of the Voting Members participating at a Fellowship business Meeting in which such action is considered as governed by these Bylaws. A quorum for this vote requires fifty-one percent (51%) of the Voting Members.
   
3. Termination of a Minister’s Employment: The employment relationship of a Minister with the Fellowship may end by mutual agreement or by delivery of three (3) months’ notice in writing by either party to the other. The Board shall not give such notice without prior approval by sixty-five percent (65%) of the Voting Members at a Fellowship business Meeting in which such action is considered as governed by these Bylaws. A quorum for this vote requires fifty-one percent (51%) of the Voting Members.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF

1. When and if the Fellowship decides to hire staff other than the Minister such as a church secretary, a music director, or a child care/church school director, a Personnel Committee shall be formed by the Board of Trustees to write a job description, recommend the salary, conduct a job-related recruitment process, and develop a job-related selection process. Approval by the Board of Trustees is required before any action or recommendation of the Personnel Committee is effective. The Board of Trustees shall make the final selection of the new employee and shall determine all terms of employment.
   
2. All professional and support staff shall operate under the ultimate direction of the Board of Trustees. However, these staff members may operate under the day-to-day supervision of the Minister or a designee of the Board of Trustees. Disciplinary actions and/or termination of professional and support staff shall be conducted by the Board of Trustees.
   
3. All actions associated with hiring, discipline, and termination shall be conducted in a legal and timely manner.

FISCAL MATTERS

1. The Fiscal Year of the Fellowship shall be July 1 through June 30. The budget for said fiscal year shall be adopted by a majority vote of those present and voting at the preceding Annual Meeting.
2. Execution of Instruments: Checks and other orders on the funds or credit of the Fellowship, and all contracts and instruments in writing by the Fellowship, shall be valid and binding upon the Fellowship only when executed by such officers as have been designated and authorized by the Board.
3. Audits: Once each year the Board shall arrange for a professional audit of the Fellowship's books, including income, expenditures, and current financial status. The details of the process shall be as agreed between the Board and the outside auditor. Results of the audit shall be made available to members of the Fellowship in a form to be specified by the Board.

DISSOLUTION CLAUSE

1. Any action to dissolve the Fellowship must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of eligible voting Members of the Fellowship present at a meeting called to specifically consider such action, for which meeting written notice has been issued to all Members eligible to vote in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws.
   
2. IIf the Fellowship at its own option shall cease to exist, all real or personal property remaining after settlement of debts and just claims shall be transferred to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) or its successor for its general purposes, or (as the Board may decide) to an entity affiliated or associated with the UUA or its successor. The Board of Trustees shall perform all actions necessary to effect such conveyance. Such transfer will be made in full compliance with whatever laws are applicable.

RULES OF PROCEDURE

Unless otherwise specified herein, Robert’s Rules of Order shall provide a general guide for Fellowship business meetings. The Executive Committee may appoint a parliamentarian and such other persons as may be necessary to assist at each Fellowship business meeting. The Executive Committee may appoint a Trustee to ensure that the Board is following the Standing Rules that the Board shall adopt as the procedural rules for its meetings.

INDEMNIFICATION

Anyone who acts as an Officer, Trustee, Employee, or Volunteer for the Fellowship owes the Fellowship a fiduciary duty to perform in the best interests of the Fellowship. Absent proven evidence of (1) malice, (2) wanton disregard of that duty, (3) intentional misconduct, (4) knowing violation of the law, and/or (5) reckless disregard for the health or safety of others, all such acts shall be presumed to have been undertaken in good faith and will be indemnified by the Fellowship.

EXPECTATIONS OF VOTING MEMBERS

Voting members are expected to participate actively in the Fellowship’s activities and/or to make a recordable financial pledge to the Fellowship each fiscal year. The financial contribution should represent an amount judged by the Voting Member to be a fair share of the Fellowship’s needs, in light of the Voting Member’s income and means, and recognizing that, as an emerging Fellowship, while need is great, this process will require education.

OPEN RECORDS

All records of the Fellowship, other than those of a personal/personnel nature, shall be made available for inspection by any member at a reasonable time and place.

INTERPRETATION

These Bylaws shall be liberally interpreted in order to accomplish their basic intent, which is the efficient operation and management of the Fellowship in order to accomplish its Purpose.

PROTECTION OF NON-PROFIT STATUS

Neither the Fellowship, its Board of Trustees, nor any Officer or Employee of the Fellowship shall take any action or allow any activity or use of any Fellowship property which shall endanger the non-profit corporate status or charitable, tax-exempt status of the Fellowship or its property.

REPRESENTATION

The President or any member of the Fellowship who is specifically authorized by the Fellowship, the Board of Trustees, or the Executive Committee may represent the entire Fellowship in any public or private meeting.

The Social Action Committee may, with general notice to the Fellowship and with the approval of the Executive Committee, act or speak on a social action issue that has not been addressed by the Fellowship provided the action is consistent with the Purpose of this Fellowship as set forth in these Bylaws.

AUTHORITY OF FELLOWSHIP

The ultimate authority of the Fellowship is vested in its Voting Members as expressed in the Fellowship business meetings. The following powers may not be delegated, but may only be exercised by the Voting Members: (1) the employment or release of the Minister; (2) the location of any Fellowship-owned buildings and grounds and their purchase or sale; (3) approval of the annual budget for the operating fund; and (4) ratification or amendment of the Bylaws.

INITIAL ADOPTION OF BYLAWS AND INITIAL ELECTION OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND NOMINATING COMMITTEE

1. The initial adoption of these Bylaws shall be by majority vote of those persons attending a Fellowship business meeting called and held for such purpose, without regard to any voting qualifications or requirements provided for in these Bylaws. The meeting shall be chaired by the Chair of the Steering Committee.
   
2. The initial Board shall be elected at the same meeting from a slate developed by the Steering Committee's Executive Committee or by its designee(s), and that slate shall be augmented to include any nominations made from the floor at the initial meeting.
   
3. Nominees must agree to serve, and for each nominee a brief statement of his/her qualifications shall be presented by the nominee or his/her designee prior to voting.
   
4. Since voting membership shall not yet have been established for anyone at the time of this meeting, normal membership requirements for nomination and for voting shall be waived, as shall the normal requirement for a quorum of voting members.
   
5. The specific procedures for the election of Trustees shall be decided by the Steering Committee and publicized in advance of the meeting as part of a notice to all adults in the Fellowship's database.
   
6. At the same meeting the Steering Committee shall present a slate of nominees for members of the Nominating Committee to serve until the first Annual Meeting of the Fellowship. Those present shall approve or disapprove the slate as a whole by simple majority vote. If the slate is disapproved, nominations shall be accepted from the floor and individual nominees shall be approved or disapproved by majority vote until there are at least three (3) but not more than five (5) persons elected to the Nominating Committee.

AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws, so far as allowed by law and by our affiliation with the Unitarian Universalist Association and its Pacific Northwest District, may be amended or replaced at any Fellowship business meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting, provided that a summary of the proposed change(s) was contained in the notice of the meeting.    

Approved this _____ day of _________________, 2006.

Steering Committee Chair: ____________________________________

Steering Committee Secretary: _________________________________