Hearts Toward Home Bylaws

Hearts Toward Home
Bylaws

ARTICLE I

NAME: HEARTS TOWARD HOME

MISSION: Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NLT

PURPOSE: As we believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God, we are an independent, Christ-centered group of parents representing many churches. Our desire is to provide support and encouragement to our member home schooling families. The efforts of our group are intended to be supplemental and NOT a substitute for a strong home school. We strive to schedule and organize activities in a manner that will please God and increase our understanding of His creation and His will for our lives, as well as develop our families physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. We desire to provide opportunities for Christian fellowship for all family members.

ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. We will assume that your participation in Hearts toward Home means that you: 1) understand our spiritual perspective; and 2) agree to support our purpose statement.

The parent(s), and/or legal guardian, and teacher of the home-schooled children will be required to sign a membership statement form. This signed form entitles them to have all rights, privileges, and responsibilities accorded to the membership of the support group. These include participation in all activities of the support group, subject to the authority of the leadership team.

Membership dues will be collected to support the operating costs of the organization and will be determined by the leadership team.

SECTION 2. Duties and Responsibilities: Members agree to abide by all verbal standards established by activity coordinators, and written policies of the support group as established in the bylaws. Members shall also refrain from engaging in any activity, which may bring reproach on the support group.

SECTION 3. Termination of Membership: Membership in Hearts Toward Home may be terminated by members at any time by providing notice of same to the leadership team. Any member may be involuntarily terminated by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the leadership team whenever in its judgment the best interests of the support group will be served thereby.

ARTICLE III
OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The leadership team should consist of six (6) husband/wife couples.

SECTION 2. Qualifications: The qualifications of the members of the leadership are as follows:
1) The leadership couples of Hearts Toward Home must meet the qualifications listed in I Timothy 3.
2) Have a minimum of three (3) years of homeschooling experience with their own children.
3) Each must sign and submit a written, personal testimony of conversion; and
4) Have been members of the Hearts Toward Home group for the preceding 12 months.
5) Each must sign and submit a statement of faith that reads as follows:

We believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God and constitutes His completed and final written revelation to man. 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 10:35, Revelation 22:18-19

We believe that God has existed from all eternity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is God and came in human flesh being fully God and fully man, except without sin. Genesis 1:26, 2 Corinthians 13:14, John 1:1-2,14, Galatians 4:4-6, Philippians 2:5-8, 1 John 3:5

We believe that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.” Romans 3:23, 5:8

We believe that salvation is offered as a free gift to the sinner, through grace. This gift must be responded to in individual faith, not trusting in any personal works, but in the completed work of Jesus Christ. Salvation is found in no other name.” Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, John 3:16, Romans 10:9, 3:28, Acts 4:12

We believe that our children have been given to us from God and that we have the responsibility to instruct them in the principles of God so that they will grow to love and obey God." Deuteronomy 4:9 and 6:5-9, Jeremiah 10:2

6) Leadership members must heed and obey our God-mandated conditions for educating our children according to the principles established in Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 and Jeremiah 10:2. Couples will demonstrate this by refraining from placing their children under the authority and responsibility of any organized educational institution other than their own.

SECTION 3. Duties: The leadership team will include the responsibilities of 1) chairman and meeting coordinator; 2) secretary; 3) treasurer; and 4) field trip organizer. The leadership team will then appoint any other members to help them fulfill these positions as needed. The leadership team will divide up the oversight of any other committees or ongoing services that the support group offers.

SECTION 4. Length of term: The leadership term will consist of three (3) years. There will be a rotation of duties to be decided by the team itself. Each year two couples terms will expire and two (2) couples will be elected to replace the outgoing couples. Outgoing couples may be considered for re-election. Duties will begin in June after the election. Outgoing leadership couples agree to remain available for a reasonable time to facilitate the transition of incoming leadership team couples.

SECTION 5. Method of election: Interested members may submit their own names, or couples’ names may be submitted by the general membership to the current leadership team in place. The leadership team will check eligibility and availability before names are published. All names must be submitted by April 1 of each calendar year. Names of nominees will be published and made available to the general membership. Voting will be conducted at the annual membership meeting in May. Members must be present to vote Two (2) members who are not on the ballot and are appointed by the chairman will count ballots. Newly elected officers will be announced at that meeting. In the event of a tie, a time of discussion and prayer seeking God’s guidance will be held after which a second ballot will be cast with the chairman’s vote only counted in the event of a tie.

SECTION 6. Delegation of Authority: The leadership team may delegate to one or more of its members or to any of its committees such powers and duties, as it may deem appropriate and proper. In the absence of such delegation, whether generally or specifically, no member of the leadership team will have any authority to act for any other member of leadership team. Each member of the leadership team shall have equal status with that of each other member, and each member shall have the right to vote on any and all questions coming before the leadership team.

SECTION 7. Reimbursement of Expenditures: Members of the leadership team or their appointed committee members may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the maintenance of their duties, following established ceiling guidelines determined by the leadership team. Documentation of expenditures will be required as defined in current policy.

SECTION 8. Vacancies: If a vacancy should result because of the death or resignation of a member, the leadership team will appoint a replacement within the established guidelines of the charter to finish out the unexpired term. Then the normal election procedure will take place after that time.

ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Support group meetings: Support group meetings will be held at the discretion of the leadership team.

SECTION 2. General membership meetings will be held a minimum of once per year no later than May 31. The leadership team will determine any additional meetings. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern all meetings in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order Hearts Toward Home Inc. may adopt. (RONR §56, pp.561-562)

The leadership team will determine the moderator of each meeting. A quorum will consist of the majority of members present at a meeting. All members of the leadership team should be present.

SECTION 3. Special leadership team meetings: The leadership team must meet a minimum of six (6 times per year).

A majority of the leadership team members must be present to conduct formal business.

Approved minutes will be made available upon request to current members only.

ARTICLE V
COMMITTEES and ACTIVITIES

SECTION 1. All committees shall be determined, appointed and governed by the leadership team and the names of the committee members will be made available to the membership.

SECTION 2. All activities that use the Hearts Toward Home name must be Pre-approved by the leadership team.

ARTICLE VI
ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

SECTION 1. The leadership team will review bylaws annually and document in meeting minutes.

SECTION 2. Any proposed changes in the bylaws must be brought before a general session for a vote by the majority of members present as appears in Article IV, Section 2.

SECTION 3. With the exception of Articles VI and VII, which are irrevocable and not subject to amendment, these bylaws shall be adopted and thereafter amended only by a majority vote of those members at a general membership meeting.

ARTICLE VII
DISSOLUTION OF SUPPORT GROUP

In the event that the support group should be dissolved for any reason, any and all assets shall be donated to an existing homeschooling support group organization, which complies with Article 1.

________________________________________________________________________
(Keep this portion for your records.)

Having read the bylaws for Hearts Toward Home, I understand the spiritual perspective of the support group and agree to support the purpose for the group’s existence. I understand by affixing my signature, that I agree to cooperate with the leadership and its goals. I also understand that by complying with these statements, I am entitled to all rights and privileges accorded to members. I enclose the $15 per family per year fee, which gives my family membership until September 30th of 2004. (must be updated annually)

_______________________________ __________________________________
(Husband / date) (Wife / date)

_______________________________ __________________________________
(Legal Guardian / date) (Instructor / date)
If different than the child’s parents

(Detach below and send to HTH.)
P.O Box 1774
Marion,Ohio 43301-1774

Having read the bylaws for Hearts Toward Home, I understand the spiritual perspective of the support group and agree to support the purpose for the group’s existence. I understand by affixing my signature, that I agree to cooperate with the leadership and its goals. I also understand that by complying with these statements, I am entitled to all rights and privileges accorded to members. I enclose the $15 per family annual fee which gives my family membership until September 30th of 2004. (must be updated annually)

_____________________________________ _______________________________
(Husband / date) (Wife / date)

_____________________________________ ______________________________
(Legal Guardian / date) (Instructor / date)

If different than the child’s parents