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CCEC By-Laws

 



Cross Country Emmaus Community
By-Laws

Updated: September 15, 2005


Article I
Name

Section A The name of this Community shall be the Cross Country Emmaus Community, hereinafter referred to as the "Community".

Article II
Objective & Jurisdiction

Section A The objective shall be to unite, inspire, challenge and equip members for Christian Action in their homes, churches, places of work and communities through the Emmaus Experience.

Section B No part of the funds of the Community shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to, its members, directors, or other private persons, except that the Community shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Section A of this Article. No substantial part of the activities of the Community shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Community shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing and distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section C Notwithstanding any other provision of these by-laws, the Community shall not carry on any activities not permitted on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), or, (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Section D The Community is affiliated with the National Emmaus movement, the Upper Room. The national office is 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203-0004 (615) 340-7200.

Article III
Membership

Section A All persons who have completed a Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis experience may become members of the Community, by participating in the activities of the Community, upon applying to the Secretary to include their name on the membership list. All persons who have completed a Cross Country Walk to Emmaus Weekend or Cross Country Chrysalis Weekend automatically become members of the Community.

Section B Persons who have completed a Cross Country Chrysalis Flight, Cursillo weekend, or Chrysalis of Tres Dias may become members, by participating in the activities of the Community, upon applying to the Secretary to include their name on the membership list.

Article IV
Board of Directors

Section A Direction of the Community shall be vested in the Board of Directors, hereinafter referred to as the "Board".

Section B The Board shall be elected by the Community members at the December gathering, for a three-year term, and shall be organized into three Classes, with the 3rd Class rotating off the Board each year. All Directors are full voting members. Ex-Oficio Directors may serve and be appointed to the Board and will have full voting priviliges. Ex-Oficio Directors will serve only as their professional Positions apply to the Cross Country Emmaus Community. (Example, Accounting Firm, Camp Director). Ex-Oficio Directors must complete an Emmaus Weekend as a Pilgrim before the appointment.

Section C Each Class will consist of five persons, one of whom has served as Walk Lay Director or Walk Spiritual Director, where possible.

Section D Terms of Office:
1. Each term of office shall begin on January 1 and terminate on December 31. The election of officers and the Lay Director shall be held at the December gathering. The Lay Director cannot be elected from Class 1 of the Board unless they have previously served on the Board. Lay Director should be as possible elected from Class 2 or 3 of the Board the previous year. The Lay Director shall remain on the Board as immediate Past Lay Director for one year as a nonvoting member.

2. The Term of office for the Spiritual Director shall begin at the June gathering and terminate the following June at the June gathering. The election for the Spiritual Director shall be made at the June gathering.

3. Individuals may serve as Directors multiple times but not in consecutive full terms as stipulated under Article (V) Section (B). Directors cannot succeed themselves in consecutive three-year terms. Past Directors are elegible for re-election after 2 years.

4. Directors that miss three consecutive meetings may be removed from office as necessary by the majority vote of the Board of Directors.

5. A quorum of Directors must be present to conduct business.

Article V
Qualification for Board Members

Section A Each Director shall have served on a Walk to Emmaus team or agree to serve in some way (cooking breakfast, cleaning, etc.) within the year of election.

Section B Each member shall be active in a local Reunion Group and Emmaus Community Gathering.

Section C The members of the Board should, as nearly as possible, consist of:

1. A maximum of three members from one church organization.

2. Twelve lay members and three clergy members.

3. Both men and women with equal division as possible.

Article VI
Duties of the Board

Section A The Comunity Lay Director is to be the Chief Administrative officer, and the Community Spiritual Director is to be the Chief Advisor. The Executive board will consist of the following officers of the Cross Country Emmaus Community:

The Community Lay Director, the Spiritual Director, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Assistant Lay Director and a delegate from each Class not represented by the afore-mentioned officers.

Section B The Board shall elect for a one-year term, at the November meeting, the Lay Director, The Assistant Lay Director, the Assistant Spiritual Director, the Secretary, the Treasurer and other officers as needed from the Board of Directors. These officers will hold office from January through December.

Section C Members of the Board shall set the date, place, the Lay Director and the Spiritual Director for each Cross Country Community Emmaus Walk.

Section D The Board shall, at the November meeting, elect five members to serve as the Nominating Committee.

1. The Nominating Committee shall select and nominate replacements to fill vacancies during the year.

2. Replacements filling vacancies during the year shall complete the unexpired term, and are immediately eligible for re-nomination and election to the Board.

3. The names of those nominated shall be presented to the Community for Vote. Nominations will be presented to the Community at the September Gathering with no vote taking place. Nomination at the October Gathering may be made from the floor. At the October Gathering, the New Class of Directors will be elected by secret ballot. The New Class of Officers will be presented to the Community at the December Gathering, to take office in January.

4. Nominations may only be submitted after the October Gathering unless authorized by majority vote of a quorum of the Board of Directors at a duly-called Board meeting by the Community Lay Director.

Section E The Board shall, at the November meeting, elect members to serve as the Community Team Selection Committee.

Section F The Board shall, at the November meeting, elect a representative to serve on the Cross Country Chrysalis Board.

Section G The Board shall, at the November meeting, elect a Treasurer. This person will hold office for three years. This person may not be elected from Class 2 or Class 3. This person will serve as the Chief Financial Officer for the Community. This person will collect monies and pay debits as necessary for the smooth operating of the Community. The Treasurer shall at the end of the year file the IRS 501(C3) Non-Profit Tax report. The Treasurer shall make a monthly accounting of all transactions to the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall at the discretion of the Board of Directors make arrangements for an annual audit. The Treasurer shall have full voting rights as a Director of Class 1.

Section H The Office of Secretary shall be held by any Director of Cross Country Emmaus Community. This individual will be responsible for taking minutes of Board meetings and keeping records. Minutes must be archived and available for reference. The Secretary shall present the previous month's Minutes of business at each Board meeting.

Article VII
Requirements for Lay Directors and Spiritual Directors for the Emmaus Walks

Section A They shall include the following:

1. They shall have attended a Walk to Emmaus, a Cursillo or a Tres Dias.

2. They shall have participated in at least two previous Emmaus Walks as a speaker and/or Table Leader or Assistant Lay Director or Assistant Spiritual Director.

3. They shall be actively involved in a Reunion Group and Emmaus Community Gatherings, where possible.

4. They shall be willing to conduct the Emmaus Walks as written in the Lay and Spiritual Director Manuals available from the Upper Room in Nashville.

5. They shall be willing to follow guidelines for the sake of registration.

6. They shall be committed to the task of directing a Walk to Emmaus and eager to give what is necessary to organize, carry out and successfully complete the Walk.

Article VIII
Requirements for Walk to Emmaus Team Members

Section A They shall include the following:

1. They shall have attended a Walk to Emmaus, a Cursillo or a Tres Dias.

2. They shall be actively involved in a Reunion Group and Emmaus Community Gatherings.

3. They shall be active participants in their local church.

4. They shall be willing to accept whatever responsibility for the success of the Walk that is assigned by the Lay and/or Spiritual Director.

Article IX
Rules of Order

Section A Robert's Rules of Order, the latest edition, shall be recognized as the authority governing the meetings of the Community, its Board of Directors and Committees, in all instances wherein its provisions do not conflict with these By-laws.

Article X
Amendments

Section A Proposed amendments may be presented to the Board by any member of the Board one month in advance of the consideration by the Board. After Board consideration, the proposed amendments shall be circulated to the Cross Country Community along with a mail-in ballot.

Section B For an amendment to be adopted it must receive a three-fourths affirmative vote of the Board and a simple majority of those mail-in ballots returned by the Community.

Article XI
Attachments

Walk to Emmaus Guidelines shall be an attachment to the By-Laws of the Cross Country Emmaus Community. These Guidelines may be altered and changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. These are to be the rules, policies and procedures of the Cross Country Emmaus Community. These rules cannot supersede the Emmaus Model as set forth by the Upper Room. These Guidelines do not require a majority vote of the Community.

Article XII
Ratifications

These By-laws are to take effect immediately, upon certification by the Lay Director and Spiritual Director that a simple majority of the mail-in ballots returned by the Cross Country Emmaus Community, before the deadline, approves the By-laws.

Next Annual Review 2010