By-laws

The following paragraphs constitute the By-Laws of The Society of Albert the Great, a non-profit charitable corporation founded under the Laws of the State of New Hampshire, and hereinafter designated as The Society. These By-Laws shall regulate the conduct of The Society and shall be binding upon all acts of The Society and upon all acts of officers and members of The Society insofar as they are acting in the interest of or on behalf of The Society. These By-Laws shall be amended only as indicated in Article Five below.

Article One. Membership.

Section 1. The membership of The Society shall consist of its officers, and of each other Christian layman or laywoman as shall at any time show intent to join the society by affirming agreement with the purposes of The Society and paying the annual dues of $25.

Section 2. Holding an office in The Society shall not exempt an officer from any of the other requirements or obligations of membership.

Section 3. For the purposes of this article, "Christian layman or laywoman" shall mean any adult, eighteen years of age or older, who has been baptized in any of the following Christian traditions:

African Methodist Episcopal, Amish, Anglican, Armenian Apostolic, Assemby of God, Assyrian Church of the East, Baptist, Evangelical United Brethren, Church of the Brethren, Church of God, Congregational, Disciples of Christ, Eastern Catholic, Episcopalian, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, Old Catholic, Orthodox, Polish National, Presbyterian, Reformed, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but is meant to include Christians who baptize with water in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; and who confess the ancient Christian faith as summarized in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Section 4. The Secretary shall maintain the membership list of The Society and shall co-ordinate the maintenance of the list with the Treasurer.

Section 5. If a member of The Society is deprived of membership for cause as provided in Article Four, Section 4, one year's annual dues shall be refunded to the member, and the member shall cease to possess the rights and privileges of membership. Re-admission to membership shall require a correction of the causes of deprivation and a vote of two-thirds of the governing board, or two-thirds of the membership.

Article Two. Officers.

Section 1. The officers of The Society shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, an Assistant Secretary, a Treasurer, and an Assistant Treasurer. The officers of The Society shall be the governing board of The Society.

Section 2. Until the first Election of officers occurs, the officers of The Society shall be the founding members of the governing board, as listed in the official Articles of Incorporation.

Section 3. In the event of temporary vacancy of one, two, or three of the six offices, the remaining officers shall continue to perform all the functions of the governing board of The Society. However, in the event of temporary vacancy of four or more of the six offices, the governing board shall take no other actions than to conduct an Election of officers as specified in Article Three.

Section 4. The President of The Society shall preside, when present, at all meetings of the governing board and at all meetings of The Society.

Section 5. The Vice-President of The Society shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.

Section 6. The Secretary of The Society shall maintain the official records of the membership of The Society and of the membership of the governing board, and the official records of the actions of The Society. The Secretary shall certify the results of all Elections of The Society.

Section 7. The Assistant Secretary of The Society shall perform the duties of the Secretary in the absence of the Secretary.

Section 8. The Treasurer of The Society shall have custody of the funds of The Society. Any disbursement of the funds of the Society must be authorized by an Action of The Society as provided in Article Four, Section 1. Any financial instrument effecting disbursement of The Society's funds must be signed by the President and the Treasurer, except that the Vice-President may sign in place of the President when performing the duties of the President as provided by Section 5, and the Assistant Treasurer may sign in place of the Treasurer when performing the duties of the Treasurer as provided by Section 9.

Section 9. The Assistant Treasurer of The Society shall perform the duties of the Treasurer in the absence of the Treasurer.

Article Three. Elections.

Section 1. The officers of The Society shall be elected in annual Elections. The President and Assistant Secretary shall be elected in 2011 and triennially thereafter; the Secretary and Assistant Treasurer shall be elected in 2012 and triennially thereafter; the Treasurer and Vice-President shall be elected in 2013 and triennially thereafter.

Section 2. If any office is vacated prior to the scheduled Election for that office, that vacant office shall be filled by an Election held simultaneously with the regular triennial Election of the offices which are being filled due to normal expiration of triennial terms.

Section 3. Election to each office of The Society shall be by a majority vote of the members. The results of such elections must be certified by the Secretary, except that in years in which the Secretary is being elected, the Assistant Secretary shall certify Elections. In years in which both Secretary and Assistant Secretary are being elected, another officer of the Society whose office is not being filled at that Election shall certify the results.

Section 4. If no candidate for a particular office receives a majority, the incumbent of that office shall retain the office for the ensuing three-year term.

Section 5. The annual Election of The Society will be held in conjunction with the annual Meeting of The Society. Proxy ballots may be cast by members who do not expect to be present in person at the annual Meeting. Such proxy ballots must be received by the Secretary at least one week in advance of the annual Meeting.

Article Four. Actions.

Section 1. Actions of The Society may be taken by a majority vote of the governing board, or by a majority vote of the membership, except for specific Actions as mentioned in this Article requiring a two-thirds vote.

Section 2. Amendment of the By-Laws requires both a two-thirds majority of the membership of the Society and ratification by a two-thirds majority of the governing board.

Section 3. Change of The Society's name, purpose, or mission requires both a two-thirds majority of the membership of the Society and ratification by a two-thirds majority of the governing board. Notification of such change must be provided to the State of New Hampshire as provided by state law.

Section 4. Deprivation of membership shall only be for actions inconsistent with the purposes of The Society. A petition signed by two members requesting such deprivation shall initiate an action for deprivation. The governing board of The Society shall appoint a Judicial Committe for hearing the action for deprivation, composed of three officers of The Society and three non-officer members of The Society, none of whom shall be the original parties to the deprivation. The member accused shall have the right to hear the case in the presence of his accusers, and to make a defense. The Judicial Committee shall make a recommendation concerning the case to the governing board. A dissenting minority of the Judicial Committee, if there is dissent, shall make a minority report to the governing board. The governing board shall accept a majority recommendation from the Judicial Committee, if it is a recommendation to confirm the member accused, and no further action for deprivation against that member shall be considered for a period of at least three years. A majority recommendation from the Judicial Committee to deprive shall not be valid unless it is ratified by a two-thirds majority of the governing board of The Society. If a recommendation to deprive is not so ratified, the member accused shall be confirmed, and no further action for deprivation against that member shall be considered for a period of at least three years.

Section 5. The Society shall meet annually, on or about the traditional feast of Albert the Great, November 15th. Elections shall be held at the annual meeting as specified in Article Three. At least three months' notice of the specific date, time, and place of the annual meeting shall be provided to the membership by the governing board of the Society. The first annual meeting shall be not later than 2011.

Article Five. Amendment of By-Laws.

Section 1. This Article shall not be amendable.

Section 2. A proposed amendment to the By-Laws of The Society shall be proposed by a member of The Society at least two months before the annual meeting of The Society. Proxy votes for or against the amendment may be cast by members who do not expect to be present in person at the annual Meeting. Such proxy votes must be received by the Secretary at least one week in advance of the annual Meeting.

Section 3. If a proposed amendment to the By-Laws receives a majority vote at the annual meeting of the Society, it shall be considered by the governing board. The governing board may approve the proposed amendment, at which point it shall be adopted. The governing board may reject the proposed amendment, at which point it shall be reconsidered by the next annual meeting. If the governing board takes neither action, the proposed amendment shall be reconsidered by the next annual meeting as if it had been rejected.

Section 4. A proposed amendment to the By-Laws reconsidered by the next annual meeting in consequence of the action of the governing board as provided in Article Five, Section 3 must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the membership of The Society. If the proposed amendment fails to receive the required two-thirds vote, it shall fail. If it receives the required two-thirds vote, it shall be immediately adopted.

Section 5. The Secretary shall notify the State of New Hampshire of amendments to the By-Laws as required by state law.

Adopted by reference at the incorporation of The Society, 2010.