Membership Bylaws

[Revised 2/14/2012]

040.1 Member: A person who is either entering ninth grade or is 15 years of age or older, who has satisfied the aims of the Newcomers Orientation Program as set forth in the UUCE Membership Policies, and 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 his or her life.

040.2 Voting Member: Voting Members are the caretakers of the church: A voting member is a member who has made an identifiable financial contribution of record of any size to the church in the previous 12 months.

040.3 Honorary Lifetime Member: A person who has been actively participating member of UUCE or of another Unitarian Universalist congregation for an extended period of time and who is, because of age or infirmity, no longer able to actively participate in UUCE, may be granted the status of Honorary Lifetime Member. Names will be submitted by the Membership Committee to the Board of Trustees for approval.

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

040.5 Removal of Names from the Membership Roll: A member may be denied membership or expelled from membership for cause by action of the Board of Trustees. The procedure required for giving notice to the member and an opportunity to comment is set forth in the UUCE Membership Policies. The Safe Congregation Policy may provide guidelines for causes for removal. Names of Members shall also be removed if the member resigns, is deceased, or has moved and cannot reasonably be contacted for an extended time.

040.6 Membership Roll: The official roll of members shall be maintained by the Membership Committee, and shall be updated from time to time throughout the year. The official roll of voting members shall also be maintained and updated from time to time throughout the year for internal uses, such as at congregational meetings to establish the number needed for a quorum and to determine who is eligible to vote. This process shall be done under the direction of an Officer of the Board.

The official roll of voting members shall be updated annually to report the number of voting members in our Congregation to the UUA by its February 1 deadline. This number shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval at the January Board meeting. A preliminary figure shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees prior to that Board meeting.

UUCE Membership Policies

MEMB. 1 The aim of the Newcomer Orientation program is to facilitate integration into the church and to help new members become familiar with Unitarian Universalism, its history, its organization and its Principles and Purposes; and with UUCE, its operations and the rights and responsibilities of membership.

Prospective members must complete and submit a New Member Information Sheet, and are also expected to:

• attend an orientation series approved by the Minister and conducted by the Membership Committee
• read the “Principles and Purposes of Unitarian Universalism” and
• participate in an official welcoming ceremony at a worship service.

New members are to be informed about opportunities for participation in church activities and for volunteering time to maintain church operations. The general financial condition of the church and the cost to the church of each membership shall be explained clearly to new members. (revised 2/12/2009)

MEMB. 2 A member of the Board of Trustees or the Minister will help in welcoming a new member in the above ways and by emphasizing that the primary value of each new member to the church is the gift of their personhood and not their tangible contributions. (revised 2/12/2009)

MEMB. 3 The names of Honorary Lifetime Members shall remain on the membership roll unless they resign or are deceased and final rites have been performed, and shall not be removed simply because the church cannot contact them, so that previously active members who become elderly or inform will not be denied membership and the right to use the church for their rites of passage. (revised 2/12/2009)

MEMB. 4 In connection with Bylaw 040.5, "for cause" refers to serious violations of the purposes of the church. (adopted 6/12/03) Any person whom the Board intends to remove from membership or deny membership shall be given thirty days advance written notice by certified mail and the reasons for the proposed action together with an opportunity to be heard by the Board orally or in writing not less than five days before the effective date of the removal or denial. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the Board members then in office shall, for cause, be sufficient to remove any member or deny any person membership. The decision of the Board shall be written, final and not reviewable by any court. (revised 2/12/2009)

MEMB. 5 The annual count of voting members is taken by the chair of the Membership Committee. The names on the membership database kept by the Church Administrator will be compared with the records of identifiable financial contributions of record of any size to the church in the previous fifteen months, at the time of the count. Donations “to the church” means any donation to the UUCE church, including donations to the church’s general fund and also donations designated for a specific church fund or purpose. This does not include donations made to related but separate groups or activities that are affiliated with the church, but which are not funded through the church’s budget. Any discrepancies between the two lists will be reconciled by the chair of the Membership Committee to determine the final count. This count will take effect on December 31 of each year. (revised 2/12/2009)

MEMB. 6 A member whose name has been dropped from the membership roll for reasons other than “for cause” may be reinstated by completing and submitting the New Member Information Sheet, and re-signing the Membership Book. A member whose name has been dropped from the voting membership roll may be reinstated as a voting member by making an identifiable financial contribution of record of any size to the church, which may be done immediately prior to a congregational vote in which the person wishes to vote. (revised 2/12/2009)