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Volume t Number 3twenty-five centsOu ts id e C al if or ni athirty-five cents

A METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH PUBLICATION A U G U S T 1970

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UNIV ER SA L F EL LOW SH IP

METROPOLITAN COMMU NIT Y C HU RCHES

Worship Service Directory

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1 1BY-LAWSOF THE UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIPJ t FJ ? METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES

j'~RTICLE I

NAME:The name of this Fellowship shall be the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN

COMMUNITY CHURCHES.A. All affiliated local church groups will use the name "METROPOLITANCOMMUNITY CHURCH" in its official title. The group may add either a prefixor a suffix to distinguish it from other affiliated local churches, such as: "GraceMetropolitan Community Church," "Trinity Metropolitan Community Church,""Metropolitan Community Church of Long Beach," or "Metropolitan CommunityChurch of Tallahassee."

OBJECTS:The objective of this Fellowship shall be:A. To bind together Churches for the purpose of sharing in the Worship of Godin the Congregational Christian tradition, and to make His will dominant in thelives of men, individually and collectively, as set forth in the Holy Scriptures.B. To set up bodies for instruction in the science and philosophy of theologyand kindred subjects for the propagation of the teachings and philosophy of theChristian Faith, as accepted by the General Conference of the Universal Fellow-ship of Metropolitan Community Churches.C. To instruct and indoctrinate those who offer themselves into the teachingsand philosophy as received by this body.D. To do all things that are compatible with the work and labor of a religiousbody.

) ~RTICLE IIIThis Fellowship acknowledges the Holy Scripture interpreted by the Divine Spirit through reason,

Faith and conscience, as its guides in Faith and Discipline, The government of this Fellowship isvested in its Ministers and Church delegates, who exert the right of control in all of its affairs, sub-ject to the provisions of its articles of incorporation and By-Laws. This Fellowship is amendable tono outside ecclesiastical jurisdiction, but accepts the obligation of mutual counsel, comity and co-operation involved in the free fellowship of other Christian Churches, and does pledge itself toshare in their common aims and endeavors, subject to the expressed approval of its membership.

A local Church body in the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCHES, is that body which subscribes to the government and doctrines of the UNIVERSALFELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES, and has been chartered by thesame, and is listed in the minutes of the General Conference.

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The government of the local Church bodies that make up the Fellowship is veted in its memberswho exert the right of control in all of its affairs, subject to the provisions of its articles of incorpor-ation and By-Laws, and those of the General Conference of the Fellowship. The Local Church bodyis amendable only to its membership and the General Conference of the UNIVERSAL FELLOW-SHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES.

CHARTERING AND DISCIPLINE OF LOCAL CHURCH BODIES

To become affiliated with the Fellowship as a local church body, a mission body or other groupof interested persons shall apply to the Board of Elders for a charter. The application shall indicatethat the mission body or other group of persons agrees to abide by the Articles of Incorporation andthe By-Laws of the Fellowship if a charter is granted. The application shallalso set forth the namesof at least twelve prospective members who have expressed their desire to become members of thelocal church body when chartered by the Fellowship, and any additional information which shouldbe considered by the Board of Elders in determining whether to issue a charter.

The Board of Elders shall determine whether there is a need for a local church body in the area tobe served by the applicant group, the availability of a pastor for the Church, the preparations thathave been made to carryon the work of a Church, and the ability of the applicant to sustain suffi-cient interest and support to become a self-sufficient local church body.

If the Board of Elders is satisfied that there is a need for a local church body and that the appli-cant can successfully fill the need they shall issue a Charter to the applicant. At the next meeting ofthe General Conference each newly chartered local church body shall be presented for considerationand admission to full membership in the Fellowship.

If a chartered local church body shall fail to abide by the Articles of Incorporation or theBy-Laws of the Fellowship, or fails to participate in the General Conference of the Fellowship theBoard of Elders shall take appropriate action to require compliance and participation. The Board ofElders shall report any such action to the next meeting of the General Conference which shall havethe power to revoke or suspend the charter of the local group or to take such other action as it maydeem appropriate.

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3. That Jesus ...the Christ...historically recorded as dwelling in Asia Minor some2,000 years before this writing, is God's most divine Son, as well as being the sonof man, born of woman. And that by total subservience to God, the Father, hasdemonstrated once and forever that all men are likewise children of God, beingspiritually made in His image.4. That the Holy Spirit is the working arm of God, available to, and workingthrough all who are willing to place their welfare in His keeping. That the HolySpirit is the manifestation of God's love and interest in all men, and given theopportunity, making his presence felt in their lives.B. WE FURTHER BELIEVE THAT: J I A .I.De e lC'e St;.l. (All men are justified to God through Faith) Mtltoell;h l',~tH~Ii&les die eel~~f f !eH~a6 Ie in li te sight (5f ~e bela, (5141)'th f0H gn ~B it/o r .,a l cot !to p e (8 B ttail ' loHis flf8s8liee.2. Further, we are saved from loneliness, despair, and degradation through God'sgift of grace, as witnessed by our Master's words when He said, "Today shalt thoube with me in Paradise." Such grace is not earned but is a pure gift from a God ofpure love. We further commend the Fellowship of the Faithfui to a life of prayer,seeking genuine forgiveness for unkind, thoughtless and unloving acts and deeds.

To this end, we enjoin the brethren assembled together to express throughChristian witness, a personal commitment to lead Godly and Christ-like lives,approaching His throne in an attitude of prayer, seeking regeneration and rebirth.

The Church shall serve as the vehicle for bringing men to God through Christ.To this end, it shall arrange for regular services of worship, prayer, intrepretationof the Scriptures, and edification through the teaching and preaching of the Word.C. SACRAMENTS:The Church shall embrace two Holy Sacraments:1. Baptism by water and the Spirit, as exemplified by Christ at the hands ofJohn the Baptist. This baptism shall be a sign of the dedication of each life toGod and His service. Through the words and acts of this baptism, the words,"God's own child" shall be stamped upon the recipiant.2. Holy Communion (or the Mass), which is the partaking of bread and winesymbolizing the broken body and spilt blood of Jesus Christ.. ok. ~ d . , . . . : .

. - : 7 ~ o./~All who believe, confess and repent, and seek God's lov~ay freely participate in ~~~.the communal meal, signifying their desire to be received into His Fellowship, andbe saved by His sacrifice.D. RITUALSThe Rites of the Church, as performed by its duly appointed Ministers shall consist of:1. The office of Ordination, evidenced by the "laying on of hands," by its dulyordained ministers, initiating the Church's servants into the duly constitutedoffices of Elders, Deacons, Exhorters, and Ministers of the Gospel. Such ordi-nation shall extend throughout the lifetime of the Ordinee, unless decreed other-wise by the Church Disciplinary Boards in regularly constituted meetings.

2. Membership in the Church can be achieved by letter of tranfer from a reog-nized Christian body or through confirmation and/or affirmation of Faith, aftersuly studious effort in classes instituted for instruction in the beliefs and doctrinesof the Church.

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MINISTRY:

3. The office of Holy Matrimony shall be a rite of the Church performed by itsordained ministers in a manner fitting and proper as proscribed in the "Orders ofWorship." The partners in marriage shall be counseled and apprised of theirreaponsibility in being enjoined with God's blessing.4. The Church will conduct, as a rite, fitting memorial services for the dead,commiting their bodies back to the earth from which they came, and their spiritsunto God's eternal care.5. The Church, through the duly appointed and ordained offices, shall encouragehealing of the sick of mind and body through prayer and supplication.6. And a rite of the Fellowship shail be the consecration and/or dedication of achurch building to the eternal glory of God.These, then, are the tenets of our Fellowship. It is our hope and prayer that theywill continue to have meaningful application to the members, congregations, andgroups constituting the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COM-MUNITY CHURCHES. We reverently trust that they may be added unto, ex-panded, and developed as man's need for understanding of, and dependency uponGod continues.

? /'ARTICLE V

A. The UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES recognizesfour orders of the ministry.

- - ' l . 1. DEACONSThe Scriptures clearly point out Deacons as dinstinctive officers in ch e Church.This office is one of sympathy and service after the Lord Jesus. Those individualswho are selected and set apart according to the Holy Scripture for helping thePastors in a local Church will hold this office.2. EXHORTERS:Individuals who feel called by the Lord to the Ministry, and wish to be recognizedby the Local Church.3. LICENSED MINISTERS:Those individuals who have proven their calling by their work and have goneinto the Ministry.4. ORDAINED MINISTERS:Those individuals who are in full time Christian service and have met the require-ments of a Bi shop as stated in the Scripture, I Timothy 3 1-7.

B. Requirements of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCHES for the Ministry.

1. DEACONS:The requirements for Deacons shall be as those recorded in I Timothy 3: 8-16and as adopted in the minutes of the Mother Church where it is stated that;"to the office of Deacon shall be chosen persons of Spiritual mind, exemplarylife, friendly spirit and sound judgement."

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2. EXHORTERS:Anyone feeling the call to Ministry shall notify his Pastor. The Pastor may give theperson the right to preach at meetings at the local Parish. Three months after thenotification, if the individual has proven himself through faithfulness and service tothe Church, the Pastor may call a special meeting at any Church service and askthe members of the congregation to make a motion, and second, that the indi-vidual be licensed as an Exhorter. If the motion carries, the Clerk of the Churchwill issue an Exhorter's license to this person and will list this action in the minutesof the local Church. The Clerk of the local Church will then send a copy of theminutes to the Ministerial Credentials Committee of the UNIVERSAL FELLOW-SHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES where it will be re-

~e license may be renewed annually.3. LICENSED MINISTERS:Persons seeking such licenses shall have served as an Exhorter for at least sixmonths and be in Christian service (pastoring, Evangelizing, teaching, etc.). Thecandidate shall present himself to the Ministerial Credentials Committee at theannual convention, or at special meetings of the Committee throughout the year,requesting to become a licensed Minister. After questioning the candidate, theCommittee will determine whether a license should be issued. A LicensedMinister may request renewal of his credentials annually, on or before the ex-piration date.4. ORDAINED MINISTERS:To be considered for ordination, the person shall 'have been a Licensed Ministerfor at least one year. To become an ordained Minister, the Licensee must be pre-sented by an Ordained Minister as a candidate for ordination to the CredentialsCommittee of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COM-MUNITY CHURCHES. After questioning the candidate, the Committee will de-termine whether the candidate should be ordained.

C. Duties of the Ministry of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITYCHURCHES:-.::y 1. DEACONS

Deacons shall minister to those in need: the sick, the friendless, and those personswho may be in distress, in accordance with the Spiritual duties of the office ..,Then m ay be Q ele~at8Eb to the D eaCQ; l, \U IQ .er tll.: Binc tjo of ta8 Pastol dnd ttt eBoau! o f D irestsFs, B8rtai lO l speeifie aHa aesig tlat ea rs sl 'IsH si ei liti 8s Fillat iRg ts theM8Hl.eers sf tl 'll il QUIFSl'l , SHe"" as ae 'lisiRg sff ile ti,;,s m S8HS fSF eolleclilig tits g if ts 8~the people to the fi a lJceg alO lQ prQperties of t\:ie CfiHfSR; tQ it~ eH3 lO lgil li stic ;; aJ;ldmiisionary and eQ Ys8 ti sf lm p ro g ram s. l1 !e Beac;;s lO ls \:ia ll aSSHfHe 8l!1 i1Ro tn er aMt ies,not Ijmited to the foregoing as delegated to lY m l3 ,' t""e Pastor and the Board OfDirectors o f his loc al OlllTCh.

- 'l 2. EXHORTERS:Exhorters will assist the local Church in the broad areas of Christian Service, asPublic Speaker, Counselor, Teacher and such other duties as assigned by theLocal Church. -Y3. LICENSED MINISTERS:The licensed Minister may perform all functions of the Ministry, with the except-ion of administering Sacraments and Rites (unless also authorized to performthese functions by decree of the Ministerial Credentials Committee.)

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4. ORDAINED MINISTERS:The Ordained Minister shall be required to shepherd his Flock, to preach theGospel as stated in the Doctrine of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METRO-POLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES, as set forth in the Articles of Incor-poration and By-Laws of same, to administer the Sacrament and perform theRites of the Church.D. MINISTERS FROM OTHER DENOMINATIONS:It is the policy of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COM-MUNITY CHURCHES, in accepting Ministers from other denominations, to re-ceive them in the rank of the Ministry deemed proper by the Ministerial Cre-dentials Committee, which by the Ministerial Credentials Committee, whichshall question such candidates in the same manner as other candidates to deter-mine whether they are worthy of the Ministry.

E. DISCIPLINE AND REMOVAL OF MINISTERS:The UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH-ES cannot condone disloyalty or moral turpitude in the Ministry, and thereforemakes the following provisions for discipline and removal of Ministers:1. DEACONS AND EXHORTERS: ~~~The local church body shall have the right to d isG ipiiR e Ministers holding the rankof Deacon or Exhorter. The local Church, upon a majority vote of the congrega-tionJma? refuse to rene~ense of a Deacon or Exhorter after the credentialsissued have expired, or to impose such lesser discipline as it may deem appropriate ..Such action shall be taken only after a determination by a majority vote of the

-">ls8!tl 881i~U!~!ttitm that such person has brought reproach upon the Church.2. LICENSED MINISTERS:Disciplinary action against Licensed Ministers is reserved to the Ministerial Cre-dentials Committee of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITANCOMMUNITY CHURCHES. The Ministerial Credentials Committee, upon amajority vote of the members thereof, may refuse to renew the license of aLicensed Minister after the issued credentials have expired, or to impose suchlesser discipline as it may deem appropriate.3. ORDAINED MINISTERS:Disciplinary action against Ordained Ministers is reserved to the MinisterialCredentials Committee of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITANCOMMUNITY CHURCHES. Such action may be initiated only by a formal -statement of charges brought against the Ordained Minister by a majority vote ofa local congregation, or a formal statement of charges signed by two OrdainedMinisters. The Ministerial Credentials Committee shall schedule a hearing uponthe charges at a special meeting of the Ministerial Credentials Committee or at thenext Annual Conference, whichever shall occur first. All parties shall have a rightto be heard at the hearing. After the hearing, the Ministerial Credentials Com-mittee shall make findings on each of the charges which were brought against theOrdained Minister. If the Ministerial Credentials Committee shall determine thatthe charges, or some of them, are true, they shall then determine whether theUNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHESshould dismiss the Ordained Minister or to retain him. If the Ministerial CredentialsCommittee shall vote to reatain the Ordained Minister they may impose suchlesser sanctions as they may deem appropriate.

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: ! - .ARTICLE VIMEMBERSHIP:

Any person desiring to become a member of any Church which is a member of the Fellowship,shall submit his application to the Clerk and the Board of Directors of such Church. Upon approvalof such Board he shall be admitted to membership, after affirmation of Faith Baptism, or by letterof transfer from any other local Church body.

/ v1 . \ Any member who does not have registered attendance, identified financial~'2.0rt, definite ser-flvice contribution, or expressed interest and loyalty during the period of one ~r:'f,ear, shall be/ / placed on an inactive members list. At that time the Board of Directors of his local Church shall, e J I " notify the member in writing that he has been placed on such lis.!l''lfter notification, if the member

'" . has not expressed further interest or loyalty for a period of one year immediately following, theAI" 1 Board of Directors of his local Church shall have the authority, in their discretion, to drop any

such member from the Church rolls, may be restored to regular standing by vote of the Board of1( Directors of his local Church, without a public reception into membership.FRIENDS OF THE CHURCH:

The General Conference of the Fellowship for the transaction of business will be held during themonth of September of each year. The General Conference of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OFMETROPOLITAN lO~~UNITY CHURCHES is that body consisting of all Licensed Ministers,aweOrdained Minister1wffi a~~:ffiliated with the Fellowship and the Lay Delegates elected by the local , 4 ~ 1 lY I: 'Churches to vote at the General Conference. Each Local Church may elect one delegate for e:...;a;o;c_--- jyhundred members, or portion thereof, that it carries on its membership rolls~::::_---______ < ~

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A local Church body may, if it desires, accept into the Church persons who, for one reason oranother, feel that they cannot become regular members of the Church, but who support the goals ofthe Church and want to be part of the work of the Church. Such persons shall be designated as"Friends of the Church." Friends may serve on appointed committees, and may participate in allactivities of the Church. Friends may not, however, serve on the Board of Directors, or the Boardof Deacons, and may not vote at congregational meetings. Friends shall not be considered in deter-mining the number of Lay Delegates which a local Church body may send to meetings of the GeneralConference of the Fellowship.

61ARTICLE VIISERVICES AND MEETINGS:

Services of public worship shall be regularly held each Sunday. Other worship services may beheld as determined by the Pastor, with the approval of the Board of Directors of the local Church.The Sacrament of Holy Communion may be administered at each worship service. The Pastor ofeach local Church may administer Communion to aged or infirm persons at his discretion. HolyBaptism may be administered at any service of the local Church, or at any other time, at the Pastor'sdiscretion.

Special meetings of the Fellowship and of the local Church bodies, for the transaction of businessmay be held with adequate notice from time to time, when required, The nature and purpose ofthese special meetings shall be generally stated before the contemplated special meeting. Twentyper cent of the local Church membership shall constitute a quorum alany. ~US!~2~l!eeting of thatlocal Church. A majority of the votes cast shall decide all questions/~6ie eTec~on e fs P88hHor _ recall or removal of a Pastor. 1i188ti8 1 '1 6 f Ii l188t6f 8""811 'Q qJl i~ 8 t" 6 tl ril\~~ 6 fn to 1 te votes 1:!88't.l! .'Q th ird s of the meTRQ8fBz1tMwst v8 te f.a, th e teeall et eh 3 iitiss al ep a Past8F 'e8~re tNSR. '8Q tisfI 8@ -G o@ I'I'l88 d rial.

All those desiring to vote at either the General Conference of the Fellowship or the annual busi-ness meeting, or any special meetings of the local Church, shall have been a member for a minimumof ninety days, in order to exercise the voting privilege.

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;tARTICLE VIII

OFFICERS OF THE FELLOWSHIP AND THEIR DUTIES:The Board of Elders of the UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY

CHURCHES shall consist of four members of this Fellowship. It will be the responsibility of theBoard of Elders to hold the offices of Moderator, Vice-moderator, Clerk and Treasurer of theFellowship, to establish and make appointments to the various Boards, Commissions and Committees., . , - S F "':J.~@ t Persons who M~K?s~e2Lto e 0f~~ < } [ Elder will serve in that capacity for life. If the office~becomes vacant tYirou ~ de~abilitYOf'resisnation, the office will be filled by an appointmen~of the remaining Elders. At tka ihlxt Ce] ;lera1 CQderiilC ~1 l{ )w il 'lg Hte !lflPQifl~e~ t!.a apps!Moieshall be presented to the General Conference for confirmation. ~ il a ls tJo reu 6c1 I6 f a l CQl'l:fCl"e'I'J:cefail"" esnfirm the appo jp tP uhe Ii:~~ . m then 1111111 ,IW *h "7r apP9 i;< lll H lf tt amI d !!)h itl:pr ien1tH is POfOilfl ts the eef tC f tti COIi[t'l'T!ilce ~f ih 8 s l 'ls isO lfa ti S tl :.BOARD OF DIRECTORS:-7 The Board of Directors of the local Church Bodies, shall consist of from five to nine members ofthat local Church, and they shall hold office for a term of three years, (with the exception of thePastor, who will hold office until the pulpit becomes vacated) and until a successor is elected andinstalled; provided, however, that the term of one-third of the members of the Board shall expireeach year, and that other members shall be elected to fill the vacancies thus created.f'ff1e Board ofDirectors shall be subject only to the vote of the Local Church Membership, and to these By-Laws,and shall have charge of all matters pertaining to the Articles of Incorporation, Church property,finances and physical affairs of the local Church Bodies. The directors shall have general over-sightof the religious and spiritual affairs of the Church, may assist in the distribution of Holy Commun-lion, shall receive the tithes and offerings at public worship, shall act as ushers and as Church greeters.l~-They may also assist the Pastor in visiting the aged and infirm, contacting prospective members andkeeping the Church membership rolls up to date. The Pastor of the local Church Body, shall haveresponsibility for the religious services of the Church and may participate ex-officio in the activitiesof any of the Boards, Committees, and organizations within the local Church. The Pastor shall act asmoderator of all business meetings. Associate or Assistant Pastors, and other compensated personnelshall be appointed by the Pastor, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and any budge-tary limitations. The Pastor shall act as Personnel Director of the compensated staff, and shall havethe authority to delegate such responsibilities and duties as to him may seem wise, and shall, withthe approval of the Board of Directors, determine compensation, vacation periods and titles of office

he compensated staff." I ~ CHURCH CLERIC, The Church Clerk shall be responsible for giving proper notice of all authorized meetings of the, local Church Body, for the recording of all business at such meetings, for the maintenence of a com-

1 .. 1 I J plete list of members, showing time and mode of admission and dismissal. The Church Clerk shallalso maintain a Sacramental Record, covering Baptisms, Communions, Marriages and Deaths. Heshall be elected from the Board of Directors.CHURCH TREASURER:

The Treasurer shall be elected from the Board of Directors, and shall be responsible for the re-ceipt and safekeeping of all' funds of the local Church Board, including all subsidiary and depositedaccounts. He shall also be responsible for the keeping of accurate books of accounts and shall dis-burse monies only upon the order of the Board, Committee or other constituted group havingauthority over the funds drawn upon. Whenever possible, all funds shall be disbursed by bankchecks, which checks shall bear two signatures. The authorized signatures shall be those of theTreasurer, a Pastor and the Clerk. The Treasurer shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a monthly

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report to the Board of Directors, a copy of which shall be available to any member of the localChurch Body at the Treasurer's office. He shall prepare and present at the annual business meetinga financial report covering all funds and accounts for which he is responsible, a statement of fundson hand at the beginning of the year, amounts received and disbursed, and amounts on hand in eachof such funds at the close of the year. The Treasurer's report shall be audited annually by theBoard of Directors, or an auditor named by that Board.NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE:

The Nominations Committee shall consist of as many members as there are elective boards andstanding committees of local Church Bodies, plus one member who shall be appointed b,,'4and serveat the pleasure of the Pastor. Various boards and committees shall, in the first week of 9@8~ ofeach year, select members of the Nominations Committee from among its own number, and shallnotify the Church Clerk of its selection. The Nominations Committee shall nominate at least onefor each office to be filled at the annual meeting. The nominations shall be reported to the ChurchClerk, who shall mail a copy of this report to each Church Member not later than twoweeks beforethe annual meeting. Additional nominations shall be received from the floor before any election isheld at an annual meeting. The election of officers shall also include selection of any delegate oralternate delegate to local, state, national, international conferences or other organizations to whichthe Church may be entitled to send delegates. All elections must be conducted by secret ballots.OTHER BOARDS, COMMITTEES, ETC.

Such additional Boards and Committees may be brought into existence at the request of thePastor, Board of Directors, or at the request of the membership, as the need arises in' the localChurch Bodies. The Pastor shall appoint the head of any such Board or Committee.

; < ~ARTICLE IXSTANDARD PROCEDURES:

All elected or appointed officials of the local Church Body shall be installed in office within twoafter the annual meeting, and each Board or Committee shall hold its first meeting within four weeksafter the annual meeting. Each of the Boards and Committees shall hold not less than six regularmeetings per year, and may, if the occasion arises, meet in special session at the call of the presidingofficer. Each of the Boards and Committees shall keep a written record of proceedings. At the endof the calendar year, such records will be submitted to the office of the Church Clerk for permanentfiling.

In the event of the resignation or death of a Board or Committee member, the remaining mem-bers of the Board or Committee shall appoint a member of the Church to fill the vacancy for thebalance of the unexpired term of office .

.30ARTICLE X

CHURCH FINANCES:At each service of Public Worship of the local Church Body, an offering shall be received by the

Board of Directors, and the proceeds thereof given into the safekeeping of the Church Treasurer.Such monies shall be distributed to maintain the financial structure of the Church, support the com-pensated staff, advance the Christian cause by the assistance of missions, hospitals, nursing homes,orphanages or Church related schools.

Visiting Pastors or Missionaries who may be called upon to preach at Public Worship, eitherduring the vacation or illness of the Pastor, or during a special series of meetings, will be paid fromthe General Fund of the Church, with the amount being paid to said Pastor or Missionary to bedetermined by the Board of Directors.

Each local Church Body shall contribute 5% of its general offering to the Board of Elders of theUNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES, to help in thework of establishing new Missions for our Fellowship, and each local Church Body shall set aside 5%

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of its general offering as an "Other Missions Fund" to help establish Missions in its own home area.

J.-\RTICLE XI

RESERVATION OF POWERS:All powers not delegated by these By-Laws are reserved to the membership of the local Church

Body and may be exercised by the voting members in meetings of the local Church duly convenedafter adequate notice.

~~ARTICLE XIII

AMENDMENTS:These By-Laws may be amended or repealed at any duly convened meeting of the General Con-

ference. Such amendment or repeal shall not be effective unless two-thirds of the duly authorizeddelegates vote in favor of such amendment or repeal.

These By-Laws shall become effective immediately upon the adoption by the Board of Elders ofthe UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES, and shall be-come binding upon each local Church Body as it presents itself for, and is accepted into membershipin the Fellowship by the Board of Elders.

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1 f i(@ ~~ ~~ whether it be heterosexual or homosexual, physica l orem otional the most beautifu l and deep felt emotion that tw o individuals canfee l for one another . Homosex ual lo ve is not anything new -- it has ex iste dsince re cord ed history began -- In numerous socie ti es it has been and is anac cepted and condoned pra cti ce -- the m ost fam ous of which w ere anc ientRom e an d G reece . Some societi es have attem pted to suppress it , but youcannot sup pre ss the need in an indiv id ual for Love -- it is felt in the heartsand bodie s of m en for one another - - so m etim es fulfilled , so metimes not .:

Matthew of GZendaZe

CA 1-1236 3319'WINCHESTER AVENUELOS ANGELES. CALIF. 90032

OPEN7 DAYS- 11:00A.M; - 11:00 P.M.FRI. 8

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I N T R O D U C I N G

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O U R C O V E R

Th ere fo re sa id h e u nto th em , T he h arv est tru ly is g rea t, b ut th el ab ou re rs a re f ew : p ra y y e th ere fo re th e L ord o f th e h arv es t,th at h e w o uld s en d fo rth la bo ure rs in to h is h arv est.Luk e 10 :4