BYLAWS OF
Ravenstar church of Seven Planes
The Church of Ravenstar A NJ Non Profit Corporation
ARTICLE I — NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1 — Name: The name of the organization shall be Ravenstar Church of Seven Planes DBI: The Church of Ravenstar A NJ Non Profit Corporation. It
shall be a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the
State of New Jersey.
Section 2 — Purpose: The Church of Ravenstar A NJ Non Profit Corporation is organized exclusively for Religious and Charitable Purposes.
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A: Our purposes are to:
1. Live in the manner consistant with the Feri Tradition of Witchcraft.
2. Explore and practice Witchcraft beliefs and traditions, with a primary focus on the Traditions linked to the Feri Tradition.
3. Support one another within the Church in our healing, growth and aspirations.
4. Hold Witchcraft rituals according to the beliefs of the Feri Tradition. To work magic, recognize rites of passage and honor the Feri Gods.
5. Honor the earth and all her creatures as sacred and work to heal and protect the environment within our community, across the Nation and throughout the World.
6. Teach Witchcraft beliefs and traditional; skills to members and students, and sisters and Brothers of the Craft and Kindred Spiritual Paths; and
7. Where appropriate, to educate the general public about Witchcraft.
8. To help others not of the faith with Psychic and Spiritual gifts and insights and to perform healing rituals when requested.
9.To provide worship structure to the Witchcraft community and offer services tailored to that community.
B. Commitment:
1. All members of this church must have fully committed themselves to the purpose in their beliefs, their activities and their lives.
II. Membership
A. Qualifications: Membership shall be offered to individuals upon recommendation of the Board of Directors and consensus of all full members of the church. No person Shall be denied access to membership on the basis of gender, race ethnic background, sexual preference, physical handicap, or age provided they have attained their majority.
B. Degrees of participation and membership: Participants in the programs sponsored by this church may include the following:
i. Guests: Interested parties who may attend all open activities, and church only activities in the company of a full member with the consent of the Board of Directors.
ii. Congregants: Persons who support the open activities of the congregation.
iii. Dedicates: persons who have dedicated themselves to the study of the Path of Witchcraft and who with the approval of the Board of Directors, are following the prescribed course of study in the church. After a year and a day of participation, a Dedicate may be asked to state his/her intention to qualify for ordination into the Priesthood or to withdraw for advancement in the Church.
iv. Membership in the Church shall be limited to:
A. Persons who have been active in the Craft and specifically this church for at least a year and a day, and have met all requirements for initiation as defined by the Board of Directors.
B. The board of directors
C. Congregants.
ARTICLE III — MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
Section 1 — Regular meetings: Regular meetings of the members shall be held
weekly, at a time and place designated by the chair.
Section 2 — Annual meetings: An annual meeting of the members shall take
place in the month of October, the specific date, time and location of
which will be designated by the chair. At the annual meeting the members shall elect directors and officers, receive reports on the activities
of the association, and determine the direction of the association for
the coming year.
Section 3 — Special meetings: Special meetings may be called by the chair, the
Executive Committee, or a simple majority of the board of directors. A
petition signed by five percent of voting members may also call a special meeting.
Section 4 — Notice of meetings: Printed notice of each meeting shall be given
to each voting member, by mail, not less than two weeks prior to the
meeting.
Section 5 — Quorum: The members present at any properly announced meeting
shall constitute a quorum.
Section 6 — Voting: All issues to be voted on shall be decided by a simple
majority of those present at the meeting in which the vote takes place.
ARTICLE IV — BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 — Board role, size, and compensation: The board is responsible for
overall policy and direction of the association, and delegates responsibility of day-to-day operations to the staff and committees. The board
shall have up to 20, but not fewer than 3 members. The board
receives no compensation other than reasonable expenses. Members are appointed for life.
Section 3 — Meetings and notice: The board shall meet at least yearly, at an
agreed upon time and place. An official board meeting requires that
each board member have written notice at least two weeks in advance.
Section 4 — Quorum: A quorum must be attended by at least forty percent of
board members for business transactions to take place and motions to
pass.
Section 5 — Officers and Duties: There shall be Three officers of the board, con-
sisting of a chair, secretary and treasurer. Their duties are as
follows:
The chair shall convene regularly scheduled board meetings, shall
preside or arrange for other members of the Executive Committee to
preside at each meeting in the following order: vice-chair, secretary,
treasurer.
The secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of board
actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meet-
ings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each board member, and assuring that corporate
records are maintained.
The treasurer shall make a report at each board meeting. The treasurer
shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information
available to board members and the public.
Section6 — Resignation, termination, and absences: Resignation from the
board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. A board members shall be terminated from the board due to excess absences, more
than two unexcused absences from board meetings in a year. A board
member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths vote of
the remaining directors.
Section 7 — Special meetings: Special meetings of the board shall be called
upon the request of the chair, or one-third of the board. Notices of spe-
cial meetings shall be sent out by the secretary to each board member
at least two weeks in advance.
ARTICLE V — COMMITTEES
Section 1 — Committee formation: The board may create committees as need-
ed, such as fundraising, housing, public relations, data collection, etc.
The board chair appoints all committee chairs.
Section 2 — Executive Committee: The three officers serve as the members of
the Executive Committee. Except for the power to amend the Articles
of Incorporation and bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all
the powers and authority of the board of directors in the intervals
between meetings of the board of directors, and is subject to the direc-
tion and control of the full board.
Section 3 — Finance Committee: The treasurer is the chair of the Finance
Committee, which includes three other board members. The Finance
Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, fundraising plans, and the annual budget with staff and other
board members. The board must approve the budget and all expenditures must be within budget. Any major change in the budget must be
approved by the board or the Executive Committee. The fiscal year
shall be the calendar year. Annual reports are required to be submitted
to the board showing income, expenditures, and pending income. The
financial records of the organization are public information and shall
be made available to the membership, board members, and the public.
ARTICLE VI — DIRECTOR AND STAFF
Section 1 — Executive Director/Minister: The executive director is hired by the board.
The executive director has day-to-day responsibilities for the organization, including carrying out the organization’s goals and policies. The
executive director will attend all board meetings, report on the
progress of the organization, answer questions of the board members
and carry out the duties described in the job description. The board can
designate other duties as necessary. Living space/expenses shall be provided by the board.
ARTICLE VII — AMENDMENTS
Section 1 — Amendments: These bylaws may be amended when necessary by
two-thirds majority of the board of directors. Proposed amendments
must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular board
announcements.
CERTIFICATION
These bylaws were approved at a meeting of the board of directors by a two-
thirds majority vote on December 16, 2002.
Secretary: Mina Hayes
Date 12/16/2002