Along with being a community of people, we have some
structure to us. We are incorporated in the State of Florida as a
not-for-profit. That means that we have a Charter
filed with the Florida Secretary of
State.
Our Charter is a public document. We also have Bylaws, a private document that is subordinate to our Charter. These "scraps of paper" are our "Covenant" on how we will relate to one another.
Since we are subject to the laws of Florida, the State gets to insist upon some words within our Charter. Since we want 501(c)(3) tax exemption, the I.R.S. gets to insist upon some more words. We must also listen to the Florida Sales Tax People.
Be that as it may, most of the wording was freely chosen and voted in by us with the idea of keeping us a democratic and harmonious community. We agree that we are a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association and we covenant to affirm and promote our UUA Purposes and Principles.
We, the membership, control our church. When the voting members of the church assemble in a Congregational Meeting, we constitute the sovereign voice of our organization. Yes, we do have a policy on disruptive behavior.
Our Annual Meeting is held each May at which Church Officers and Trustees are elected and policies are considered. A special meeting is held each January to approve our operating budget. Seventy-five percent of our operating budget comes to us through the pledges of our members and friends.
Additional congregational meetings are called as needed when there are big decisions to be made affecting many of our members.
Between Meetings of the Congregation, our Board of Trustees is the policy-making body of our community. Our Board has 10 members including four Church Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Board meetings are held the second Saturday morning of each month at the Church and are open to all members and friends.
The Church Council is a committee of chair people meeting to discuss items of concern and make recommendations to the Board.
Our Minister, Gail Tapscott, is our spiritual guide and leads our Sunday worship, serves as chief administrative officer to the staff, and is on call for pastoral care. She is in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. The church membership has complete freedom in its choice of a minister, and the Minister, in turn, enjoys a "free pulpit", the right to speak truth as she sees it.
The church staff consists of the Director of Religious Education, Music Director, Choir Director, Office Administrator, Custodian, and Sexton. They are hired by the Board and serve at the pleasure of the congregation.
Lay Leadership is very important within denomination. Here we include guidelines for worship services, the order of a service and memorial services.
Our Church has a separate Endowment corporation. Six elected Endowment Trustees watch over $250,000 and make special grants for the good of the Church, for outreach, and for special projects beyond the Church Operating Budget.
Our Committees do the work of the Church. Committee
Chairs are appointed by the Board and are entrusted to carry out their tasks
in the best interest of our community.
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Covenanting Statement from 1993
"I will have good will toward the church, |