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Amended and Adopted 26 February, 2005
Board of Directors
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Composition. EarthTides Pagan Network
(hereinafter called EPN) shall be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of
the Corporate Officers (a president, a vice president, a recording
secretary, a corresponding secretary, and a treasurer), as well as other members
responsible for specific leadership roles (e.g. chairpersons of standing
committees) necessary to do the work of the organization. The Board is
responsible for decision making and day to day operations between quarterly
meetings. Its duties shall include the setting up and assisting of both standing
and ad hoc committees, administration of EPN funds, attention to all legal
issues, maintaining such correspondence as shall be necessary, and the keeping
of all official records.
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Officers. Corporate Officers shall be
elected by the EPN membership for terms of approximately three (3) years
corresponding to the annual meeting dates. Any Officer may be removed from
office by a vote of three quarters of the Board. The president shall
appoint from among the membership a temporary officer who will serve until an
election can be held to fill the position. Officers not able to attend any
meeting may vote by written proxy or e-mail. Any full member in good
standing may be appointed to the Board of Directors or stand for election, and
must remain in good standing to remain in office.
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Election of Officers. In the Mabon issue of
the EPN Newsletter (hereinafter EPNN), notification will be given announcing a
request for candidates. Candidates will send biographical information and
position statements to EPNN before the deadline for the Samhain issue, in which
this information as well as ballots will be published. Ballots must be mailed to
the Board of Directors at least two weeks before publication deadline of the
Yule edition of EPNN, in which the election results will be published. Ballots
will be counted by at least two members of the Board. The candidate for any
office who receives the greatest number of votes will win the election.
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Meetings. The Board of Directors shall call
an annual meeting of EPN between Yule and the Spring Equinox each year. Notice
shall be published in the preceding EPNN and on the EPN electronic discussion
list. Additional EPN meetings may be held if needed. Attendance at these
meetings shall be open and free to all EPN members and subscribers to the EPNN
in good standing. All questions brought to a vote at these meetings shall be
decided by a majority vote of all full members present, except as provided for
in section IV, paragraph C.
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Closed Session Meetings. The Board of
Directors shall meet in closed session in the event of personnel or legal
issues in which involved parties are due a degree of privacy and discretion.
Members
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Full Members. Full members of EPN shall be
defined as those adult residents of the State of Maine whose annual dues are
paid up to date. Membership shall lapse if dues are more than one month in
arrears.
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Associate Members. Associate members of EPN
shall be defined as adults residing outside the State of Maine whose annual dues
are paid up to date. Membership shall lapse if dues are more than one month in
arrears. Associate members may not vote or hold office, but are welcome to
attend and speak at annual and quarterly meetings.
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Annual Dues. Annual dues for both full and
associate members shall be set at $11.00 per person or household, and shall
include a subscription to EPNN.
Clergy
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One of the functions of EarthTides is to provide an avenue
for the ordination of solitary clergy who will meet legal requirements in the
State of Maine. (While congregations may incorporate as Independent Local
Churches under Maine law, and thus designate their own clergy, the law makes no
provision for solitaries to do the same.) Ordained clergy shall perform all
legally binding ceremonies and appropriate clerical functions as specified by
both the beliefs of their own traditions and local and state law. Ordained
clergy must maintain full membership in EPN.
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The procedures for ordination will be as follows: First, the
candidate must be recommended to the Board of Directors by the Ordination
Committee. Second, the candidate must meet the approval of whatever criteria the
Board deems appropriate and be approved by a unanimous vote of the Board for
provisional ordination. There shall be a year and a day probationary period,
followed by a vote by the Board for final ordination. Final ordination shall
require a unanimous vote of the Board. Failure to receive final ordination
revokes provisional ordination. Normal disciplinary procedures shall apply to
probationary ministers with the exceptions noted.
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Before each annual meeting, all clergy shall provide the
Board of Directors with an annual account of how they have been using their
ministry. Any minister not reporting or having not used her/his ministry during
the past year, or who is no longer a full member of EPN, may, at the discretion
of the Board, be moved to inactive status. Any minister so inactivated shall be
notified by mail at her/his last known address. Inactive ministers may not
perform any legal ceremonies under the auspices of EPN. Inactive ministers may
petition the Board for reactivation at any time. The Board shall consider all
requests at their earliest convenience.
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Ministers must comply with all local, state, and federal laws
and procedures regarding their official functions. Failure to comply will be
grounds for immediate action by the Board.
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A minister may also be moved to inactive status for
disciplinary reasons by a two thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
Reactivation of an inactive minister shall require a two thirds vote of the
Board. Reactivated ministers are on probation for a year and a day. Ministers
may be defrocked (stripped of their ministerial credentials) by an 80% vote of
the Board (excluding any members of the minister's own congregation). Defrocking
shall require a vote of deactivation, followed by a minimum of one month's
waiting period, followed by a Board meeting of which the full membership has
been informed of the agenda. Failure by the Board to reactivate or defrock an
inactive minister leaves that minister inactive. The Board may move to defrock
any minster on probation without first deactivating them. Deactivation and
defrocking shall have no effect on an individual's membership in the
organization.
Other Procedural Notes
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A quorum for any official Board meeting shall consist of a
majority of the Corporate Officers, either in person or by mail, e-mail,
telephone, or written proxy.
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In the event of dissolution of EarthTides Pagan Network, all
assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning
of section 501C(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any
future federal tax code. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of
by the Court of the county in which the principal office of EPN is then located,
exclusively for such purposes or to such organizations, as said Court shall
determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
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These By-Laws, as well as any other major document, may only
be amended by affirmative vote of 80% of the members voting at an annual or
quarterly meeting.
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