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Preamble
Article 1 - Name and Purpose
Article 2 - Membership
Article 3 - Structure, Officers, Committees
Article 4 - Meetings
Article 5 - Amendments
Article 6 - Dissolution

Preamble-

In accordance with the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and as expressed in Article II of the Bylaws of the UUA, and with the purpose expressed in the bylaws of the St. John's Unitarian Church; we, as interested and concerned members of UUA societies and fellowships, join together in association to advance a free and responsible exploration of our religious and spiritual values, and to promote understanding of those values within the UUA and among the broader religious community. These bylaws are patterned after the bylaws of CUUPS, Inc.

Article 1 - Name and Purpose -

A. The name of this organization is EarthSpirit of St. John's Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church (hereafter referred to as St. John's).

B. EarthSpirit is formed for the following purposes:

B1. To provide a safe place to explore and celebrate Earth-centered spirituality with like-minded people (proposed amendment, 2/10/99);

B2. To promote the understanding of Pagan and Earth-Centered Spirituality within the local UU community;

B3. To enable networking among pagan-identified UUs;

B4. To provide outreach of UU-ism to the broader pagan community;

B5. To provide an outreach of paganism to other area UU congregations and Fellowships;

B6. To provide educational materials on paganism for local UU congregations and the general public;

B7. To encourage the development of theo/alogy and liturgy based on earth and nature-centered religious and spiritual perspectives;

B8. To encourage greater use of creative ritual (dance, drumming, outdoor locations) in UU worship and celebration;

B9. To provide support for pagan-identified UU religious professionals and ministerial students;

B10. To foster healing relationships with our mother, the Earth, and with Earth's Children.

Article 2 - Membership -

A. Membership in EarthSpirit CUUPS shall be open to individuals regardless of race, color, sex, affectual or sexual orientation, physical disability, religious or national origin, social condition or gender identity. Members must affirm sympathy with the Principles and Purposes of the UUA and with the purpose Earth Spirit has stated in these bylaws. Membership is open to persons 18 years of age or older. Persons 16 or 17 years old may become voting members with written permission from both parents or permission from the primary guardian. Parental participation is encouraged.

B. At least 50% of the membership of EarthSpirit must consist of members in good standing with the host church or with another Unitarian Universalist Organization.

C. Upon officially expressing sympathy with our principles by signing a membership form and paying the annual dues, a person becomes a voting member of EarthSpirit. The membership fee may be altered depending on the ruling of the annual EarthSpirit meeting. Members enjoy the rights to vote at meetings, be elected to office, lead subcommittees and rituals, and receive the EarthSpirit Newsletter. First time voting rights commence 30 days after the membership form is signed, though this can be waived by a simple majority vote with a quorum of members. Membership must be renewed annually by paying the membership fee.

D. The Secretary must be notified of the date these dues are paid. If a year commences and the dues are not renewed, the individual goes into inactive membership for up to 6 months. If paid within this time frame, voting rights are immediately reinstated.

E. Resignation will be given as a written notice to the Secretary. Membership to EarthSpirit is non-transferable, non-refundable, and ceases upon a member's death.

F. Membership may be revoked following a two-week notice and the opportunity of a hearing, if the Executive committee determines, by an unopposed vote with a quorum present, that such membership is seriously prejudicial to EarthSpirit or its bylaws, particularly Section B of Article 1.

Article 3 - Structure, Officers, Committees -

A. The elected officers of EarthSpirit are Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations/Publications, and Educational Director. While the bylaws will commence to assume all positions are filled, the Chair may absorb Treasurer and Educational Director if no one is able to fill the position. Also, the Secretary may absorb the Public Relations/ Publications office. All Executive Committee officers must be voting members, and half must hold a good standing at the host church or another UU Fellowship. If there is an even number of Executive Committee officers, an additional member will be appointed as a Tiebreaker. The Tiebreaker will only be asked to vote on an issue if there is a tie.

A1. The Chairperson responsibilities are to:

• Prepare the agenda and facilitate business meetings;
• Oversee the scheduling of, and secure a place for, rituals and other events;
• Create an open dialogue with the EarthSpirit liaison on the St. John's Board;
• Present an annual report to the St. John’s board;
• Handle all administrative duties involved in maintaining membership as an official affiliated CUUPS chapter.

A2. The Treasurer’s responsibilities are to:

• Oversee all monetary transactions;
• Maintain all receipts and records of payments;
• Present a concise financial report at necessary business meetings;
• Present a financial report at the annual EarthSpirit meeting.

• Keep minutes of all business meetings;
• Verify quorums;
• Tally and record votes of all business meetings of EarthSpirit;
• Have general charge of EarthSpirit records;
• Maintain records from CUUPS, Inc.;
• Facilitate business meetings in the absence of the Chair;
• File EarthSpirit memberships and maintain records of membership dues.

A4. The Public Relations/Publications Officer's responsibilities are to:

• Oversee the publishing of any informational or educational brochures or publications produced by Earth Spirit;
• Coordinate the Earth Spirit Newsletter -- describing the upcoming events and activities within the organization;
• Oversee the advertisement and distribution of EarthSpirit events within the community at large and within the St. John's community, including being published in The Reporter and the orders of service;
• Be the official spokesperson for EarthSpirit.

A5. The Educational Director’s responsibilities are to:

• Act as a liaison between EarthSpirit and the religious education (RE) program at St. John's;
• Regularly touch base with the RE directors;
• Organize childcare for the adult-oriented rituals;
• Organize teachers/classes for the RE program at St. John's;
• Act as a liaison between the St. John's youth group and EarthSpirit;
• Organize adult RE classes/speakers on Earth-based practices at St. John's.

B. The Executive Committee

B1. Composition and election --

The Executive Committee will comprise the five officers of EarthSpirit. Officers shall be elected to 2-year terms, from March 20th to March 19th. The Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relation/Publication officers shall be elected in even years, the Chairperson and Educational Director in odd.

B2. Duties and Responsibilities not otherwise noted in job descriptions --

The Executive Committee shall have the general charge of the property of EarthSpirit and conduct all business affairs. It shall affirm and appoint the chairs of all subcommittees within EarthSpirit. It may create and dissolve all task forces and non-elected committees as necessary. Any action taken by the committee sanctioned in the bylaws shall be placed on the announcements for the upcoming business meeting. If a vote seems necessary, a two-thirds majority with a quorum of members may overturn the decision. Any action not previously stated in these bylaws but taken by the Executive Committee must be placed on the agenda for the upcoming business meeting. A simple majority can overturn the decision.

The Executive Committee shall appoint all temporary replacements to fill vacancies on elected committees (including itself). At the next official business meeting, voting members of EarthSpirit will elect a permanent replacement to serve out the remainder of the term for the vacated position.

Executive Committee members may be removed with good cause by a simple majority vote at a special meeting. 66% of voting members will determine a quorum.

Article 4 - Meetings -

A. The annual business meeting of EarthSpirit, called by the Executive Committee, shall be held no later than March 20th, but no earlier than January 15th. The agenda shall include at least:

• Election of officers;
• Confirmation of next year's annual dues, if any;
• An inventory of the year's events and activities.

B. Special business meetings will be held whenever the Executive Committee deems necessary, or with the request of a simple majority of the voting members.

C. The executive Committee shall notify, in writing, all voting members of the time, place and agenda of any business meeting at least two weeks in advance.

D. One third shall constitute a quorum for a business meeting unless otherwise specified in these bylaws.

E. All notions shall pass by simple majority unless otherwise noted in these bylaws.

F. During a business meeting, voting members may propose nominations, resolutions, and amendments to motions on the floor, but they may not propose amendments to these bylaws. The bylaw's amendments must be made in accordance with the provisions of Article 5.

G. Proxy voting will be allowed by written proxy only.

H. Balloting will be open unless a voting member requests that it be secret, in which case the entire vote will be taken secretly.

I. All meetings will follow the rules and codes of, and will remain sympathetic to, the mission stated in these bylaws.

Article 5- Amendments -

A. Requesting Amendments

Proposed amendments to the bylaws must be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing accompanied by the signatures of at least 25% of the voting members. This will then be placed on the agenda for the upcoming business meeting, unless it does not meet the one-month deadline (see below). If this is the case, it will be placed on the following business meeting's agenda, or a special business meeting can be called (see Article 4, Section C).

B. Notification

The Executive Committee will provide each voting member with a full written text of the proposed changes accompanied with all relevant bylaws, at least three weeks before the meeting in which the proposed amendments will be voted on. Proposed changes and signatures must be submitted a week previous to this three-week deadline. Motions for changes to the proposed amendments shall be allowed to the floor.

C. Adoption of Amendments

Proposed bylaws amendments shall be adopted after a two-third majority vote at a business meeting with a quorum of 75% of the voting members of EarthSpirit. Proxy voting will not be accepted in these circumstances.

These bylaws (1/28/01) shall become effective upon a two-thirds vote of the members present at a meeting for the expressed purpose of deciding on the bylaws of EarthSpirit.

Article 6 - Dissolution -

A. Earth Spirit may be dissolved if approved by 90% of the total voting membership at a business called specifically for the purpose of dissolution.

B. Upon dissolution, any assets will be dispersed to a pagan or Earth-centered organization to be decided at the time of dissolution.

* These bylaws were adopted largely from the Athen’s Area CUUPS chapter and from some original work by Bobbye Wood.