BYLAWS 

010.1 The name of this church shall be the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Eugene.

020.1 The purposes of this church shall be the development and enrichment of human lives through the study, practice and promotion of liberal religion. We covenant to affirm and promote:

030.1 This church shall be governed by its membership. It shall be a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and of the Pacific Northwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

040.1 Member: A person who has signed the membership book Through such signing the member enters into a covenant with the members of the church to use the Unitarian Universalist Association's Principles and Purposes as guiding values in their lives.

040.2 VOTING MEMBER: Voting Members are the caretakers of the church: A voting member is a member who is either entering ninth grade or 15 years of age or older, who has been a member of the church for at least 30 days and who annually makes a pledge of money and/or time, thus reaffirming membership in the church. In addition, the Board may give lifetime voting member status to individuals whose names are submitted by the Membership Committee for approval. Exceptions for those who cannot meet these requirements can be granted by the Minister or the President of the Board of Trustees.

040.3 Lifetime Member: A person who has been a member for an extended period of time and is no longer physically or financially able to meet the requirements for membership. Names will be submitted by the Membership Committee to the Board of Trustees for approval. Any lifetime member who is present at a congregational meeting is entitled to vote.

040.4  Resignations: Members may withdraw from membership by submitting a written or oral resignation.

040.5  Removals of Names from the Membership Rolls: A member may be excluded from membership for cause by action of the Board of Trustees. The Safe Congregation Policy may provide guidelines for action.

040.6 Membership Roll: The official roll for denominational purposes shall be updated annually by the Membership Committee and shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval on or before January 20th. A preliminary figure shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees prior to the Board meeting.
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050.1 The officers shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

050.2 The President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Trustees and meetings of the congregation. She/He shall be an ex officio member without vote of all committees except the Nominating Committee and the Committee on Ministry.

050.3 The Vice President shall assist the President and shall preside at meetings of the Board of Trustees and of the congregation in the absence of the President.

050.4 The Secretary shall handle all official correspondence of the Board of Trustees, file all records and communication, and record all proceedings of meetings of the Board and membership.

050.5 The Treasurer shall receive and safely keep all money and other property of the church entrusted to his/her care, and shall disburse the same under the direction and to the satisfaction of the Board of Trustees. The treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the church.

060.1 There shall be a Board of Trustees consisting of the four elected officers of the church and six trustees at large.

060.2 The Board of Trustees shall, between meetings of the membership, administer the business affairs of the church. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the overall direction of the church, and shall establish policies and programs to accomplish the needs and objectives of the church.

060.3 The Board of Trustees shall meet monthly at such regular time and place as it shall determine. Special meetings of the board may be called by the president or by any three board members. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

060.4 The Board may temporarily fill any elective office which becomes vacant. A successor shall be elected at the next Annual Meeting to fill the unexpired term.

070.1 The Annual Meeting shall be held in April, at a date and time to be determined by the Board of Trustees, on 14 days' published notice. The agenda of this meeting will include the election of the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee.

070.2  Following the annual canvass and before the start of each fiscal year, a Congregational Budget Meeting shall be held at a time to be determined by the Board of Trustees for the purpose of adopting a budget for the next fiscal year.

070.3  Special Congregational Meetings of the membership may be called by a majority of the Board or by written petition of at least 10 members of the church. At special meetings, the business acted upon shall be restricted to items on the previously published agenda.

070.4 Fourteen days' written notice, stating the business to be transacted, shall be given to all members. Normally such notice is given via the church newsletter. An agenda shall be prepared and shall be circulated at the meeting.

070.5  Twenty percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum except for calling or dismissing a minister or buying or selling property. In those cases a quorum shall consist of forty percent of the membership.

070.6  Those who are not members shall be welcome at all meetings, and shall be given the courtesy of the floor but they may not vote or make motions.

095.8 The trustees shall make an annual report and accounting of all funds under their control to the congregation at the Annual Meeting.
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080.1  The membership shall elect a President, and Treasurer for two year terms in even numbered years at the Annual Meeting, and the membership shall elect a Vice President and Secretary for two year terms in odd numbered years at the Annual Meeting. At each Annual Meeting, three turstees shall be elected for two year terms, and five Nominating Committee members shall be elected for one year terms. Terms of office shall commence on June 1 of the year in which elected and expire on May 31.

080.2  The Nominating Committee shall report the names of the nominees to the Board at its March meeting and shall publish the names in the newsletter at least 14 days in advance of the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting provided the nominee has given prior consent. No person may serve in the same position on the Board of Trustees for more than two consecutive terms. No person may serve in any combination of positions on the Board of Trustees for more than six consecutive years.

080.3  The Nominating Committee shall also offer a slate of five people to serve as the Nominating Committee for the following church year. To insure continuity, the slate shall normally include two members fo the current Nominating Committee.

080.4  The Nominating Committee shall consult the Minister and the President of the Board as to appropriate candidates for both the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee. It shall be sure that all candidates are given and understand an outline of expected duties, as specified in the Policies.

080.5  The Nominating Commitee will be on call to suggest replacements to the Board of Trustees should a vacancy occur between annual meetings.

080.6  At the Annual Meeting following the election of the Board of Trustees, nominations from the floor and election of the Nominating Committee shall be held. No member of the Nominating Committee shall serve concurrently on the Board of Trustees. No member of the Nominating Committee shall serve more than three consecutive years.

090.1 The fiscal year of this church shall be July 1 to June 30.

090.2 There shall be at least one annual canvass to raise funds for the next fiscal year.

090.3 A budget allocating funds for each fiscal year shall be enacted by the Congregation. The funds governed by the annual budget comprise the General Fund. The Board of Trustees is authorized to spend money from the General Fund balance on hand to meet the purposes of the budget. The Board may adjust funds within the budget to meet the changed conditions.

090.4 The Reserve Fund consists of surplus funds allocated for the purpose of providing a margin of safety in meeting ordinary and emergency needs.

090.5 The Capital Fund is made up of gifts, pledges, and other funds set aside to acquire or construct buildings - or for major building repairs not covered by the General Fund. Liquidation of capital property requires an arrangement that keeps good faith with the groups whose designated gifts resulted in acquisition of the property.

090.6 An affirmative vote of the Congregation is required for the purchase or sale of real estate or the borrowing of money.

090.7 Special funds given to the church may be expended by the Board of Trustees only in accordance with the conditions accompanying their receipt.

090.8 Borrowing or drawing on other church funds or the cash or bank accounts which represent them to finance a General Fund deficit is prohibited except as explicitly permitted in these Bylaws.

095.1 An endowment Fund shall be established and shall be, except as provided herein, subject to the control of the Endowment Fund Trustees, and all such funds shall be held in accounts separate from all other accounts of the church.

095.2 Monies received for the Endowment Fund shall be invested at the discretion of the fund's trustees. Real or personal property shall be received into the fund upon approval of the trustees and may be disposed of by the trustees in order to convert such property(ies) into cash.

095.3 Unless otherwise specified by the donor(s), money and/or property donated to the fund shall become part of the general account of the fund. Gifts received by the fund for special purposes shall be held in (a) special account(s) for the specified purpose(s).

095.4 Income resulting from the general endowment account shall be released by the fund's trustees to the church's general operating account(s) at the request of the church's Board. However, the fund's trustees may retain a sufficient amount of such income to offset inflation.

095.5 Income resulting from any special account(s) shall be released to the church's Board of Trustees only to meet, in whole or in part, expenses related to the named special purpose(s) of each special account, provided a majority of each of the church Board of Trustees and the trustees of the fund agree that the expenditure is related to the named purpose.

095.6 The principal of any endowment account can be transferred to the general operating funds or other church account only with the prior approval of the congregation.

095.7 There shall be three Endowment Fund Trustees appointed by the Board of Trustees for terms of three years.

095.8 The trustees shall make an annual report and accounting of all funds under their control to the congregation at the Annual Meeting.
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100.1 There shall be standing committees of the church including the Membership Committee, the Committee on Ministry and the Nominating Committee.

100.2 The Committee on Ministry shall consist of five persons selected by the Board President from lists of names provided by the Minister and the Board of Trustees. Members of this Committee may not be members of the Board of Trustees.

100.3 The Nominating Committee is elected by the congregation.

100.4 Any other standing committees shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees.

100.5 The Board may establish other committees for particular purposes and specific lengths of time as it deems necessary.

110.1 A minister may be settled in the church by a two-thirds vote of the votes cast at a Congregational Meeting called for this purpose.

110.2 The Minister may not be dismissed except by a written ballot of a majority of those present at a Congregational Meeting called for this purpose. Dismissal or resignation of the Minister shall not carry less than a ninety day termination date except as otherwise provided by mutual consent of the Minister and the Board of Trustees.

110.3 The quorum for a meeting to select or dismiss a minister is specified in article 070.5.

110.4 In keeping with the liberal tradition, the Minister shall be free at all times to express his/her opinion on any subject, both from and away from the pulpit.

110.5 The Minister may be an ex officio member without vote of any committee, except they may not be members of the Nominating Committee or any Ministerial Search Committees.

110.6 Any minister chosen to serve this congregation shall be in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

120.1 This membership shall be governed in all its meetings by parliamentary law as contained in Robert's Rules of Order.

120.2 Any matter of policy not provided for in these Bylaws may be determined by the Board of Trustees.

130.1 On dissolution of the Church, all properties shall vest in the Pacific Northwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

140.1 These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the votes cast at any Annual or special meeting, provided that notice of the meeting and of the proposed amendments shall be given to the membership 14 days prior to each meeting.

140.2  Proposed amendments to amendments must be submitted in writing at least 7 days prior to the congregational meeting that addresses such proposed amendments.