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BYLAWS

OF

THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF HOUSTON, TEXAS

ARTICLE 1    THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

A. Election and Dismissal of Officers

At their first meeting following theGeneral Meeting, the Board shall elect from its members a President and 2 Vice-Presidents.  Their terms of office shall be one year.  Any of these officers, if eligible, may be re-elected for a second term in the same office, but no trustees may serve in these two offices for a combined term of more than three consecutive years.

An officer of the Board may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the total voting membership of the Board after ten days notice to the Board members and at a Board meeting called for this purpose.

B.  President

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Church Membership and of the Board of Trustees and shall perform other duties as prescribed by the Board.

C.  Vice-Presidents

The Vice-Presidents shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and perform other duties as prescribed by the Board. Other position-specific duties are outlined below.

1. Vice President, Administration

The Vice President, Administration, shall oversee financial and administrative issues as        directed by the Board and shall serve as the Board=s liaison to the Church Administrator.

2. Vice President, Programs

The Vice President, Programs, shall oversee Program Council and other program-related issues as directed by the Board.

D.  Executive Committee

The President, Vice-Presidents, Ministers, and a representative from the Finance Committee shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Board. The Finance Committee representative shall be selected jointly by the Executive and Finance Committees, with the consent of the Board. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to see that the policies and decisions of the Board are executed. The Committee shall have limited decision- making authority at the discretion of the Board.

E.  Clerk

The Clerk shall keep a record of all meetings of the Membership, keep minutes and attendance records of all meetings of the Board, keep custody of copies of all papers and documents pertaining to the Clerk position, and perform other duties as prescribed by the Board.  All records of the Clerk remain the property of the Church.

F.  Treasurer

The Treasurer shall (1) maintain the General Fund, Reserve Fund, and special funds designated by the Board, (2) keep account of all receipts and expenditures, (3) pay such obligations as are approved by the Board, and (4) render a financial statement of the Church at the General Meeting, at each regular Board meeting and at other times as prescribed by the Board.

The Treasurer and others having signature authority over Church funds shall be bonded.  The books shall be audited each year by an individual or group approved by the Board.

G. Other Non-Voting Members

The Board shall have the discretion to designate additional non-voting positions on the Board of Trustees, and appoint qualified members to fill the positions.

ARTICLE 2                COMMITTEES

A.  Board Review of Committee Structure

At its August meeting, the Board shall review the existing committee structure of the Church, organize new committees and dissolve existing committees as it deems necessary, appoint or confirm the election of chairpersons of all committees (except the Nominating Committee), and designate the Board members to serve as liaison to church committees.  The Board liaison shall be an ex-officio member of the assigned committee and shall be notified of its meetings.  Each committee shall have certain responsibilities defined by the Board.

B. Finance Committee

There shall be a permanent committee known as the Finance Committee.  It shall be responsible for advising and assisting the Board on financial matters. The Finance Committee shall prepare and recommend to the Board a budget for the ensuing year.  The budget, when approved by the Board, shall be submitted to the Church Membership at the General Meeting for approval.  The Board shall have authority to revise income or expenditure items during the year to meet changing financial conditions and needs.

The Finance Committee shall recommend to the Board investment policies for all funds other than assets of the Endowment Fund.  Responsibility for approval of investment policies for all Church assets shall rest with the Board.

C.  Endowment Committee

There shall be a permanent committee known as the Endowment Committee.  The Chairperson and members shall be appointed by the Board.  The Committee shall manage the Endowment Fund, recommend to the Board investment policies and encourage the long-term financial support of the Church by its members and friends.

The Chairperson of the Endowment Committee shall present a financial statement of the Endowment Fund to the Board on at least a semiannual basis or as requested by the Board.

D. Stewardship Committee

There shall be a permanent committee known as the Stewardship Committee.  The six members of this committee will each serve a three year term with the terms of the Committee members being staggered so that each year two new members are elected and two members retire from the Committee.   Each year the Nominating Committee will select the nominees from the members of the Church for the available positions and the new members will then be elected by the Board of Trustees no later than the June meeting.

The Stewardship Committee will select their chair from among the members of the Committee.  When a vacancy exists on the Committee the members of the Board of Trustees will elect a qualified member of the Church to fill the vacancy.

The responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:

To be responsible for the Annual Membership Canvass Drive each year

To work with the Finance Secretary to monitor the payment of pledges.

To alert the Ministers and/or Board of potential need for pastoral care detected while following up on delayed pledges.

To work with the Membership Committee and Ministers to insure that incoming members are canvassed.

At the end of the Drive, but not later than December 31, the Committee shall submit to the Board written lists of all who have and have not renewed membership.

E. Personnel Committee

There shall be a permanent committee known as the Personnel Committee.  The six members of this committee will each serve a three-year term with the terms of the Committee members being staggered so that each year two new members are elected and two members retire from the Committee.   Each year the Nominating Committee will select the nominees from the members of the Church for the available positions and the new members will then be elected by the Board of Trustees no later than the June meeting.

The Personnel Committee will select their chair from among the members of the Committee.  When a vacancy exists on the Committee the members of the Board of Trustees will elect a qualified member of the Church to fill the vacancy.

The responsibilities of the Committee are as follows:

Annually, make recommendations to the Finance Committee and Board of Trustees regarding compensation of staff members.

Assist in the performance evaluations of staff members as appropriate.

Make recommendations for changes to the Personnel Handbook.

Provide services as stipulated in the Personnel Handbook.

ARTICLE 3   AFFILIATIONS

First Unitarian Universalist Church is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Southwest District of the UUA.  The membership number reported to the UUA each year shall be the membership number reported and accepted at the January Board of Trustees’ meeting.  This is the number on which our annual assessment to the UUA and the Southwest District is based.

9/1/2000