CHELC Constitution
I. NAME
The name of this support group is Christian
Home Educators of Laurens County (CHELC).
II. DEFINITION
CHELC is a Christian organization, the members of
which are like-minded Christian home educators dedicated to
observing the Biblical commands of Deuteronomy 6:4-10, Proverbs 22:6,
Ephesians 6:4 and Malachi 4:6. CHELC is not a church nor is this
organization meant to replace the ministry of the local church to the
home education family. CHELC is primarily a group led by women who
have placed themselves under the authority of God and the leadership of
their husbands.
III. PURPOSE
The purpose of Christian Home Educators of Laurens
County (CHELC) shall include but not be limited to:
A.
Helping parents fulfill their
God-given responsibilities and privileges to educate their own children.
B.
Promoting educational excellence that will
result in responsible citizenship.
C.
Representing home education to the general
public, educators, legislators, etc. through personal contact,
interviews, newspapers, lectures, seminars, workshops, newsletters, etc.
D.
Providing a variety of information
(including possible curriculum resources) to home schooling parents
regarding home education and Christian family life.
E.
Encouraging the educational growth of home
schooling parents through seminars, cassettes, information on home
education conferences and conventions, etc.
F.
Providing a variety of opportunities
for positive social interaction for home educated children.
G.
Providing information regarding S.C.
laws, pending legislation and names of attorneys specializing in helping
home educators.
H.
Keeping in touch with our state and
national home education organizations.
I.
Encouraging families to prioritize
their lives (including putting their families and their local church
fellowships before commitments to the local support group).
IV. STATEMENT OF FAITH
The officers of CHELC have purposed that the
organization and all of its activities and publications will be
consistently and forthrightly Christian. All members will
subscribe to the doctrinal statement printed below:
A.
The Bible is the inspired and
infallible Word of God and constitutes completed and final revelation.
The Bible, in its original autograph, is without error in whole and in
part; including theological concepts as well as geographical and
historical details.
B.
God has existed from all eternity in
three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. Jesus Christ was God come in human flesh being fully god
and fully man except without sin.
C.
All men are in violation of God’s
righteous requirements and His holy character, both by nature and act;
and are therefore under His wrath and just condemnation. The
central purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ was to pay the penalty for
man’s sin through His substitutionary death on the cross – the
successful accomplishment of which was attested to by His subsequent
visible, bodily resurrection.
D.
Salvation is offered as a gift; free
to the sinner. This gift must be responded to in individual faith,
not trusting in any personal works whatsoever, but the sacrificial death
of Jesus Christ alone.
(Doctrinal statement taken from The Teaching Home magazine.)
V. MEMBERSHIP
A.
Specifications
Membership is open to all Christian home
educators who:
1. profess the Christian faith.
2. are in
agreement with and sign the Statement of Faith.
3. are
currently engaged in the home education of their children.
4. pay dues
assessed by the Association.
5. perform at
least one duty as assigned by the Board, with the exception of first
year home schoolers.
B.
Expectations
It is
expected that all members will support CHELC with annual dues in the
amount set by the Board to cover operational expenses, and in the work
of the Association to ensure that its purposes are met. Further,
it is expected that all members will conduct themselves in a manner
consistent with Statement of Faith and purpose of CHELC in order to
contribute to a positive image of our group in the community.
C.
Applying for Membership
Each
Christian home educator interested in membership shall read and sign the
application containing the Statement of Faith and Purpose. If one
spouse is unable to sign the Statement of Faith, this spouse may
accompany the family for CHELC activities, but would have no voice in
discussion or vote in meetings. Payment of dues establishes a
membership in the Association.
D.
Terms of Membership
Members will be required to renew their membership on an annual basis at
the beginning of each new year by signing the Statement of Faith and
paying dues, reaffirming their commitment. The year shall be taken
to be August 1 through July 31. At this time, updated membership
rolls and any changes in leadership will be noted.
VI. BOARD OF DIRECTORS (OR
FACILITATORS)
A.
The Executive Board shall consist of:
1. President
2. Vice
President
3. Secretary-Treasurer
B.
A Board member must be a practicing
Christian of high moral standards.
C.
The new executive officers are nominated by
the Board and elected by the full membership of the support group.
If possible, at least one officer should continue in office for another
term to provide continuity.
D.
A Board member shall agree to endorse and
support the Statement of Faith and this constitution.
E.
Executive officers must have been home
schooling their own children for at least one school year.
F.
The new Board members shall serve a 2 year
term, be nominated at an annual April meeting, and be elected and
introduced at the Spring Festival.
G.
If any Board member terminates his
membership (or is terminated for failure to uphold the Constitution) on
the Board before his term is up, the member shall be replaced by the
Board at a regularly scheduled meeting.
H.
Board member should attend the scheduled
Board meeting regularly.
I.
All committees are subject to the final
authority of the executive officers of the Board.
J.
A brief summary of proceedings of all
meetings of the Board of Directors shall be published in the newsletter
VII.
DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
A.
The President shall:
1.
Preside at the meetings of the Board.
2.
Guide the support group within the
provisions of this constitution.
3.
Seek to keep up with current affairs and
have an over-all view of the direction home education is going in the
local county, the state, and the U.S.
4.
Be a primary spokesman for the support
group.
5.
Be an Ex-Officio member of each committee
(attendance at all meetings is not necessary), help guide the
committees, keep the committees accountable on a regular basis.
6.
Set up programs that help fulfill the goals
of the Constitution.
7.
Seek to be available to serve on an Advisory
Board of the State Association of Educators as a representative of this
local support group (or support a Board member to serve who will report
to the officers of the Board).
8.
Perform other duties as assigned by the
Board.
B.
The Vice-President shall:
1.
Perform the duties of the President in the
event of the latter’s absence.
2.
Assist the President at the latter’s
request.
3.
Work with President in setting up
meeting/programs.
4.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Board.
C.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall:
1.
Record and maintain minutes of all the
meetings of the Board.
2.
Type and distribute copies of the minutes to
the Board members.
3.
Answer correspondence.
4.
Notify members of Board meetings.
5.
Maintain a record of addresses and phone
numbers of home educators in and around our district.
6.
Provide the safe deposit and proper
distribution of the money (for the proper functioning of the support
group) in accord with the instructions of the Board.
7.
Keep an accurate record of all financial
transactions and submit a report at each Board meeting of all current
expenditures and income.
8.
Be ready to submit financial records to an
independent “auditor” annually at a designated time.
9.
Be responsible for the financial business of
the support group including (but not limited to) appointing other
persons and regulating financial procedures for any of the support group
activities.
10.
Submit to the executive officers for
approval any unusual expenditures over $25.00.
VIII. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD
A.
To act, both individually and as a group,
with a high Christian standard of morals, both privately and in public.
B.
To administer the affairs of the Christian
Home Educators of Laurens County.
C.
To hold regularly scheduled meetings.
D.
To publicly/visually represent home
schooling to the community in conformity with the support group’s
Statement of Faith and Purpose.
E.
To form such committees as are necessary to conduct
the business of the support group.
F.
To provide/facilitate spiritual and moral
support/encouragement to parents who want to have a wholesome family
life, especially those who are seeking to educate a child at home.
G.
To provide educational opportunities that
would be difficult for parents to provide by themselves.
H.
To offer counseling whenever possible,
including linking up families that can help each other (e.g. Families
using the same curriculum, new home schooler with a more experienced
home schooler, etc.).
I.
To make wise decisions in line with
Christian principles.
IX.
BOARD MEETINGS
A.
Regularly scheduled Board meetings shall be
held 4 times a year (October, January, April, July) and other times as
needed.
B.
Board meeting shall be held at location
agreed upon by the Board members.
C.
Association members may attend Board
meetings and express their views unless the Board meets in Executive
Session, which shall be open only to the Board and those expressly
invited.
D.
The meeting Board to nominate new Board
members shall be in April of each year.
E.
All meetings shall be opened and closed with
prayer.
F.
All committees must notify the President
about any meetings they may hold and submit written report after such
meetings. The report should include any information relating to
their committee.
G.
Normally all business shall be conducted by
consensus.
X.
AMENDMENTS
Amendments
to this Constitution must be proposed by a resolution from a Board
member and submitted to the officers of the Board to be voted on at the
next regularly-scheduled meeting. It must be passed/approved by a
two-thirds majority vote of the Board members. Notice must be
given 10 days prior to any vote on
amendments. Amendments become effective upon approval.
XI.
DISSOLUTION
In the event
that the association disbands, after all local obligations have been
met, any remaining funds shall go to an existing Christian state home
schooling organization, as determined by the Board.
XII. FINANCES
A.
Compensation: No part of the earning
of CHELC shall insure to the benefit of, to be distribute to, its
members, trustees, directors, officers, or other private persons, except
that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable
compensation for services rendered and to make payments and
distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article III
and VI above.
B.
Yearly dues will help provide for services
such as these: monthly newsletter, periodic guest speakers,
representatives being sent to state or national leadership meetings,
etc. The yearly dues shall be determined for the following year by
the Board in the April meeting, announced in the June newsletter and be
paid by August 1.
XII. AMENDMENTS
Amendments 1 through 5 approved April, 2005.
1.
Advisory Board Member – This member
attends all board meetings and offers input as desired. This
position has no vote in any board vote.
2.
The qualifying executive officers are
nominated by the members at large and elected by the full membership of
the support group. The election will be held by secret ballot with votes
being counted by the sitting board.
3.
Executive officers must have home schooled
their own children for at least two school years (grades 1-12) and be
members of CHELC for at least two years.
4.
The new board members shall be nominated in
April, be finalized at the April board meeting, and be elected and
announced in late April/early May. The new board will replace the
sitting board by the end of May. The new board determines the
location of the annual August meeting.
The board is to set a yearly balanced budget. |
