Maryland, USA
BY-LAWS
Article I
Name and purposes
Section 1. Name. The name of this corporation shall be Bezerra de Menezes Spiritist Society, Inc.
Section 2. Purposes. Consistent with the purposes described in the Articles of Incorporation, the basic objectives of this Society shall be the study, practice, and dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine, as codified by Allan Kardec. The Society will be active in conducting charitable activities in the spiritual, moral and material fields, to benefit persons in need.
Article II
Offices
The principal office of the Society shall be at 7520 Royal Dominion Drive, Bethesda, Maryland, MD, 20817. The Society may also secure additional office space within the State of Maryland, at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Article III
The Members, Their Rights and Duties
Section 1. Qualifications. Each member of the Society shall be above the age of 18, an adherent to the Spiritist Doctrine, shall be willing to accept the obligations set forth in these By-Laws and in any Internal Regulations promulgated by the Permanent Members Assembly or Board of Directors. Individuals shall qualify for membership without distinction as to sex, race, nationality or marital status.
Section 2. Classes of Membership. The membership shall be classified into three categories:
a. Contributing Members - those members who offer their financial support, in monthly installments. No limit shall be imposed on the number of individuals who may be admitted to level of contributing membership in the Society;
b. Enrolled Members - those members who, while unable to make any financial contribution, provide services to the Society which, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, entiltles them to enjiy the rights accruing to Contributing Members;
c. Permanent Members - the Board of Directors and the Contributing and Enrolled Members who have volunteered their services to the Society and being designated by two Directors and approved by Permanent Members Assembly. The number of Permanent Members should not be above thirty individuals.
Section 3. Duties. The following shall be the duties of all members:
- to study the Spiritist Doctrine seriously and to seek to guide their behavior by its moral rules;
- to provide their moral and material cooperation to the Society, aiming to fulfill its ibjectives; and
- to faithfully fulfill and help to fulfill the provisions of these By-Laws and of any Internal Regulations that have been approved by the Permanent Members Assembly or Board of Directors.
Section 4. Rights. The following shall be the rights of the members:
Contributing and Enrolled Members - may present to the Board of Directors suggestions in writing that will be beneficial to this Society.
Permanent Members:
- to vote for, and be elected to, the elective posts;
- to deliberate and vote at the General Assemblies on the matters discussed therein, subject to the exception provided in Article IV, Section 5; and
- to propose, with other Permanent Member, the admission of new Permanent Members.
Section 5. Admission to Membership. In order to become a member of the Society, the candidate shall be required to sign an admission proposal endorsed by a member in good standing in the Society. The persons who have signed the act of founding the Society and approving its By-Laws shall be exempt from this requirement. Contributing or Enrolled Members shall only be effective after approval by the Board of Directors, and Permanent Members after approval by the Permanent Members Assembly.
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