The Emmanuel Emmaus Community 

EMMANUEL EMMAUS COMMUNITY

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this community shall be Emmanuel Emmaus Community; hereinafter referred to as the “Community”.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

Section 1.        The object of the Community shall be to inspire, challenge, and equip church members for Christian action, in their homes, churches, places of work, and the world community through the Emmaus experience.

Section 2.        The community is affiliated with the International Emmaus Program of The Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee.

Section 3.        Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Articles, the purposes for which the Corporation is organized is exclusively charitable, scientific, literary, and educational within the meaning of Section  501(C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Code.

Section 4.        The corporation is irrevocably dedicated to and operated exclusively for nonprofit purposes; no part of the income or assets of the Corporation shall be distributed to, nor insure to the benefit of, any individual.

Section 5.        In recognition of its ecumenical nature, all activities conducted by the Emmanuel Emmaus Community shall be conducted in such a manner  as to encourage Ecumenism and avoid discrimination against any Christian belief.

 ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.        All persons who have completed a weekend experience Emmanuel  Emmaus/Chrysalis Walk to Emmaus shall be members of the Community.

Section 2.        Persons who have completed the Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo, Tres Dias, TEC, Chrysalis, or other 3 day weekends approved by the Upper Room in other communities may become members by participating in the activities of the Emmanuel Emmaus Community.

ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.         Management – The business and property of the Corporation shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Directors. Such management and control shall include the determination of all policies governing the conduct of the corporation.

Section 2.        Composition – The Board will consist of no more than twenty-four (24) elected lay members and four (4) clergy from the Community . The number of laity board members shall be determined by the board members on a yearly basis, depending upon the needs of the community at that time. 

Section 3.      Election of Board Members

A.     Lay persons and clergy on the Board shall be elected by the Community Members in three (3) years terms; with the exception of Treasurer which shall be a term of 5 years.  In rare natural events/pandemics/or state orders from the state Governing body of North Carolina, a current Board member expiring term can be extended for one extra year, due to a vacancy of an expiring term/position on the Board. The one year extension has to be approved by current Board for any expiring term/positions on the current board.  Along with guidance from Upper Room due to lack of progressive servanthood, it would be ok with a spouse serving together on the board if a current board member's term is extended by the board. The current board has to approve the one (1) year extension of current board members if a spouse comes on board.

B.      Board members shall be elected at the annual elections held in September through the printed Newsletter and the web version for terms beginning the following January.

C.      Board members cannot succeed themselves in consecutive terms. Reelection is allowed after waiting a period of 1 year.

D.     Terms of office shall begin January 1 and shall terminate December 31.

E.      The nominating committee shall submit to the board a slate of at least two extra names needed for the positions expiring and provide a biography of each candidate. (Emmaus participation / church / etc.)

F.       The nominating committee shall prepare ballots (including Biographies) to be printed in the September newsletter (both the printed newsletter and the web-site.)

G.     Ballots shall be signed and received by the Community Lay Director/Chair by October 15^th.

H.     The Community Lay Director is the Chairman of the Board and votes only to break a tie.

Section 4.        Officers

A.      Officers shall be the Chairperson/Community Lay Director, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer and in case of absences will chair meetings in this order.

 The Vice-Chair must be eligible to serve an additional term on the Board and serve as the Chairperson if elected to that post.  Officers can accept responsibility of Work Area in addition to an elected position on the Board.

B.      The executive committee shall consist of Chairperson, Vice-chair,  Secretary, Treasurer, and Community Spiritual Director.

Section 5.        Election of Officers

                        Officers shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors at the December meeting for a one-year term of office beginning January 1 of the next year.

Section 6.        Meetings

                        The Board shall meet monthly in regular meetings unless otherwise ordered by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board in a regular meeting.

Section 7.        Quorum

                        A quorum shall consist of 50% plus 1 of the current elected members of the Board of Directors.  

Section 8.         Spiritual Director

                         The Spiritual Director of the Community shall be elected by the Board of Directors annually from the clergy on the board.  Term of office shall begin January 1.  The Spiritual Director may be replaced during the term by a quorum of affirmative votes plus ratification by the International Spiritual Director of the Walk to Emmaus, who shall not be a voting member of the Board, for the purpose of removing the local Spiritual Director.

Section 9.        Past Chairperson

                        A. The immediate past Chairperson of the Board shall serve on the Board one (1) additional year or the remainder of their class term, whichever is longer.

 B. The role of past chair is to maintain an outreach committee to send to churches in the area of the Emmanuel Community to promote the Emmaus movement.

Section 10.      Special Meetings

                        Special meetings may be called with ten (10) days written notice by the Chairperson upon own initiative or when requested in writing by a quorum of members of the Board to the Chairperson.

Section 11.      Resignation

                      Board members may resign by written notice to the Chairperson / Community Lay Director.

Section 12.      Vacancies on the Board

                        The Board may appoint persons to fill vacancies for the remainder of the vacant term.  Such persons are eligible for election by the  Community at the conclusion of their appointed term.

ARTICLE V  -  COMMITTEES

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall name Board members to chair the following committees:

Community Gatherings/follow-ups/refreshments, LD Training, Music/Entertainment, Registration, Facility Setup/Breakdown and transportation, Kitchen, Dining Room, Support/Literature, 72 Hour Prayer Vigil, Prayer Chapel, Agape Acts/ Letters/Banners, Newsletters/Web Page, Membership List, Sponsorship Training/Reunion Groups/Photography, Sponsor’s Hour/ Closing, Candlelight/ Music, Chrysalis, and Team Selection.

(These positions may be combined differently by the board of directors if the need arises.)

Section 2.        The Chairperson of the Board will be an ex-officio member of all standing committees.

Section 3.        The Chairperson of the Board shall nominate temporary acting committees as deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VI   -  WALK TO EMMAUS

Section 1.        The Community shall follow the guidelines of The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus program in the formation to the three- day (72 hr) experience “Walk to Emmaus”. 

Section 2.        The Board of Directors shall have general oversight in all matters relating to the local Walk to Emmaus Community.

Section 3.        The Board of Directors shall choose a Lay Director for each Community Walk to Emmaus.  Lay Directors shall be a person who has completed progression of servanthood as outlined by team selection.  The Lay Director may not succeed themselves in consecutive walks.

Section 4.        The Spiritual Director for each Community Walk to Emmaus shall be recommended to the Board by the Community Spiritual Director in consultation with the Lay Director of that Walk.

ARTICLE VII   -  AMENDMENTS

Proposed amendments may be presented to the Board by any member of the Board one (1) month in advance of consideration by the Board.  If the amendments are voted in the affirmative by a three-fourths (3/4) vote they will be circulated to the membership by the Community Newsletter or through electronic communication and if no petitions signed by at least twenty-five (25) Community members objecting to the new amendments are received, the amendments will be considered adopted.  Any objection petition must be received within thirty (30) days of the mailing or electronic communication of the notification.  If the objection petition is received with the twenty-five (25) members needed, the amendment would be considered voided; however, if the Board then wishes to submit the amendment to the entire Community for a vote, it may do so.  A majority or plurality of votes cast by the membership will decide the matter.

ARTICLE VIII   - RATIFICATION

 The By-Laws are to take effect immediately upon certification of the Board that a majority of the electronic and/or paper ballot of the Community approves them.

ARTICLE IX  - THE BOARD REPRESENTATIVE

Section 1.  Job Description

A. The Board Representative (BR) is considered a conference room               team member, trains with the team, and participates in all the walk activities along with the conference room team. The BR is single gender (man on a men’s weekend, woman on a women’s weekend) and single position. This means the BR cannot hold any other team position while performing as BR. The BR is an advisor to the weekend and has no leadership authority. The BR will primarily observe, make notes on happenings and events during the weekend, and present a report on the quality of the weekend to the Board of Directors at their next scheduled meeting. This report should contain any suggestions for improving any aspect of the weekend for future walks. Should an issue arise during the walk, the BR should bring it to the attention of the Weekend Lay Director (WLD) and the Weekend Spiritual Director (WSD) in private. The Community Lay Director (CLD) and/or the Community Assistant Lay Director (CALD) need to notified at the first available time. Caution should be used by the BR not to involve the conference room in any potential problems so as to protect the pilgrims.

Section 2. Role on a Walk

 (The following is taken from “The Upper Room Handbook on Walk to Emmaus” and the “Director’s Manual on Walk to Emmaus”.)

1. To provide an added degree of quality assurance and to maintain continuity between each event.   The BR should carry with him/her a copy of the most current version of the Handbook on the Walk to Emmaus, Team Manual, Director’s Manuel and Three Day Schedule for reference as needed during the walk.  

2. The BR is available before the 3-days to answer questions and give direction to the WLD & WSD.

3. The BR is present to support the Weekend Lay Director and Conference Room Team.

4. The BR serves as an advisor for the weekend to the WLD and WSD in the  event that an opinion on procedure is required or in rare circumstance that a  WLD and/or WSD violates the trust of the Board of Directors by steering the Walk in a direction of their own choosing.

5. The BR monitors the weekend, observes problems to be avoided on future Walks, and learns of improvements that future teams could incorporate.

6. The BR acts as liaison among the various board committee chairpersons in delivering information and items for the three days to the appropriate person.

7. The Board Rep. is not present to direct the Walk and does not have a Leadership role in the team process unless counsel is sought.

8. The BR functions only in a low-key support role among the team members. 

9. The Board Rep. sits at the back table (leader’s table) throughout the event to observe all that happens in the conference room.

10. The BR should keep a roll of all team members for each meeting.

A. Each team member (ALD, TL. And ATL) has to attend a majority of meeting days and/or hours for over nighters (ex: 2 days of 3, 3 days of 4, 12 hrs. of 18, 15 hrs. Of 20) or be replaced.

B. If a team member misses the 1^st meeting, the LD needs to contact the team member and reminded they have to attend the next 2 or 3 meetings.

C. If a team member attends the 1^st meeting, but misses the 2^nd meeting,  the LD needs to contact the team member and reminded they have to  attend the next 1 or 2 meetings.

D. The Team Selection Chair will determine whether there is time to replace  a team member from the team selection list or a use a past LD.

 11. The BR should send a report to CLD and CALD after each team meeting.

 12. The BR should time, and preview all talks to verify that the speaker is following the Upper Room guidelines.

 13. The BR should be with the Clergy and WLD when they give the speaker his/her critique on their talk.

A. A speaker or any team member that cannot follow the Upper Room and Emmanuel Emmaus Guidelines are subject to be removed from the team selection process for future walks.  

 14. The BR should ensure that all talks are previewed by the team. The talks belong to the team.

 15. The BR should contact the CLD or CALD if they need assistance with a question or problem they cannot handle.

16. Should the WLD become incapasitated, the BR is available to step in and keep the Walk moving(Director's manual pg. 14 )

Remember: The less you know about Emmaus the more you want to change it,  and the more you know about Emmaus the more you want to leave it alone.

Suggested Guidelines

Before the Weekend

·        Pray for the Lay Director and Spiritual Director as the team forms.

·        Pray for the team and pilgrims

·        Obtain a copy of the newest version of the Handbook for use during team formation and the three days.

·        Obtain any needed materials for the three days (such as book table instructions, etc.) from the correct board member.  Collect suggestions for the book table and pass them on to the correct board member.

Thursday evening

·        Come early to the Send Off in order to be available to the Lay Director, Spiritual Director, and team.

·        Help introduce pilgrims who seem to be alone to other pilgrims and team members.

Day One

·        Sit at the leader’s table at the back of the room.

Day Two

·        Participate in the Candlelight Service as a Conference Room Team member.

·        Help with the chapel service and fellowship time following Candlelight if needed.

Day Three

·        If necessary, help reset the facility after closing.

·        When the Spiritual Director asks for corrections on rosters while going through the packet on Day Three, make changes on one copy to give to the Emmaus Board of Director.

After the Emmaus Weekend

·        Prepare a written report on the weekend.

·        Submit a copy of the report to the Board of Directors and present the report at the next board meeting.

·        Participate in the Fourth-Day Follow up Meeting with pilgrims and team following the Walk

·        Participate in the final team meeting to evaluate the Walk so you can learn from mistakes, celebrate victories, and suggest improvements to the Board of Directors.  Coordinate with the Lay Director and Spiritual Director in preparing an Evaluation Report to submit to the board.

Article X  - Team Selection Guidelines

Purpose:  It is the desire of the Board of Directors of the Emmanuel Emmaus community to set guidelines for the team selection process. It is also the desire of the board to follow the guidelines set forth by The Upper Room as closely as possible.

Section 1.  The team selection committee shall be chaired by an active board member and eight other non-board members consisting of men and women from different regions of Emmanuel Emmaus Community.

Section 2.  The team selection committee shall meet in early March to choose potential team members for the men's and women's fall walks and  and shall meet on the men's fall walk to choose potential team member's for the spring walks each year. This will give the WLD approximately six (6) months to build their team and have team meetings.Usually four walks are scheduled each year so that potential team members will be chosen for one men’s and one women’s walk in order of the walks.

Section 3.  Team selection members shall serve a three year staggered term and shall be approved by the board each year in January. The board and the team selection committee should be in prayer for guidance in the team selection and formation process.

 Progressive Servanthood

Purpose:  The  established progression of responsibilities for Emmaus community members is twofold: Leadership training and spiritual development.

Section 1. A person’s readiness to carry out his particular assignment effectively often depends on and is always enhanced by prior experience in another position.

Section 2. The progression of responsibilities starts with support roles (agape, kitchen, and set-up) and then moves into the conference room. (The Upper Room Handbook on Emmaus page 23).

Section 3.  A potential team member should also be involved in fourth day activities:

1.      Regular church attendance               

2.       Involvement in their local church

3.      Ongoing participation in reunion group       

4.      Support of Emmaus gatherings

5.      Servanthood ministry behind the scenes of Emmaus walks. One credit for serving behind the scenes is given whether you work one meal, one day, or the entire weekend. Multiple credits are not given for working different days of the same walk

Section 4.  It is not the intention of the Board of Directors to keep anyone from serving on a team, but to make sure that a potential team member has followed the progressive servanthood role and is ready to move into the conference room.

Section 5.  Support roles for the Emmanuel Emmaus are: Set-up/Take-down, kitchen/dining room, prayer chapel, set-up/take-down of candlelight, music, and support. We as a board feel that it is important that one has worked behind the scenes at the camp in order that you will get to know how Emmaus works and for others to get to know you before you serve in the conference room.

Guidelines

Section 1. The Emmanuel team selection committee will select prospective team members for the men’s walk first and then the women’s walk.

Section 2. The potential team members will be taken from the community membership records indicating a person’s progressive team experience and progressive servanthood.

Section 3. The team list will have two Assistant Lay Directors’ experienced, two Assistant Lay Directors’ New, Three Table Leaders’ experienced, three Table Leader’s New, and six assistant table leaders.

Section 4. The list should have 10 to 25 names of eligible persons for each position.

Section 5.  A person should serve as Assistant Table leader one time, Table Leader two to three times, and ALD two to three times for a total of five times before moving up to LD.

Section 6.  A person that hasn’t served behind the scenes in 2 years will be moved to the bottom of the list and removed after 3 years.

Section 7.  In case of a needed replacement after team meetings have started, the Lay Director may choose to work with one less ALD as long as the talks are covered, or a past LD may serve (not in the same year).

Section 8.  A Board Representative cannot serve two roles.

Section 9.  The Board of Directors shall approve the potential team members.

Section 10.  After board approval of a team, an initial list of names can be given to the Weekend Lay Director (one name per position at a time until the team is      filled ).

Section 11.   A person may serve on a team as a Assistant Lay Director, Table Leader, or Assistant Table Leader once in a calendar year.

Section 12.  Team members from same church are limited to 6 members.

Section 13.  A team member should not be a sponsor or close relative to a pilgrim.

Section 14.  After team is confirmed, send list to newsletter editor, registrar, and team selection members.

Article XI - COMMUNITY OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

Introduction – The Board of Directors pledges to conduct each walk in a manner consistent with the Guidelines established by The Upper Room in Nashville, TN.  Local “color” or details of the walk experience are left to the Board’s discression.  This document details the special “local’ rules and procedures for conducting each walk as determined by the Board.  The Board reserves the right to approve any proposed changes to the walk format or special events.

Bond of Confidentially – Family members, close friends, and sponsors should refrain from having contact with the pilgrims except at Candlelight.  Remember, we are here for the pilgrims and their privacy should be considered at all times.  Only team members and pilgrims are to listen to talks given during the walk.

Treating Each Pilgrim Equally – All pilgrims should be treated uniformly so that no one is slighted. Twenty-five (25 ) pieces of agape for pilgrim beds and fifty (50) pieces of agape for the Dining Room should be provided for each walk.  Agape letters should be marked: "Friend, Family, Sponsor, or Clergy' (minister,pastor) by the sender. Any letters not marked will be processed as friend letters. Place ALL letters marked: "Family,Sponsor, or Clergy" in the pilgrims envelope. Note:There is NO limit to the number of letters a pilgrim can receive in their envelope from "Family, Sponsor, or Clergy. If there are less then twelve (12) letters from "Family, Sponsor, or Clergy, pick enough friend letters to make twelve (12). Any remaining "Friend" letters need to be rubber banded together and given to the Closing Coordinator who will give them to the pilgrim's sponsor. Any special agape received for a specific pilgrim that each pilgrim doesn't  get needs to be put with the extra letters and given to the Closing Coordinator to give to the sponsor.

Team Selection – Servanthood is at the heart of the Emmaus program.  We encourage members to come and work ‘Behind the Scenes”.  Team selection is done primarily from a list of those who have demonstrated their servanthood by working at the camp.  A team selection committee of nine(9) members will be appointed to the Board to serve terms of three (3) years.  Three new members will be elected each year.  New community members should not serve on a team for one year after their walk to provide time for them to demonstrate their servanthood.  Husbands and wifes are not to serve on the same team.  Likewise, members of the opposite sex may not serve as lay members on teams.  No more than six team members should be from the same church. 

Pilgrim Leaving a Walk - If a pilgrim has to leave the walk due to sickness or any other reason, the sponsor should be notified.  Anyone who leaves the walk, not of their own choosing, after candlelight will be considered to have completed the walk and is a full member of the community.

Pilgrim Selection – Pilgrims are selected on a first come, first served basis (with priority to couples). After 6 months any single pilgrims will be given the same consideration for walks.   No more than six pilgrims from the same church will be included on a walk, unless by special approval of the executive committee.  If room is not available for both husband and wife to attend in the same set of walks, then both will be moved to the next set. 

Article XII:  CLOSED SESSION PROCEEDINGS 

Section One:  Entering Close Session

A.Executive session cannot occur merely on the say-so of one member, or even several. Rather, transitioning a business meeting from open to closed proceedings will require a motion by a majority vote of the attending Board members.

B.Closed session meetings shall be used to discuss personnel, disciplinary actions, property, and handling of large donated funds.

a.Personnel is to include all leadership roles; including, but not limited to, Board members, sub-committee members, team members, Spiritual Directors, Assistant Spiritual Directors, and any others who may have a leadership role in the community.

C.Process of moving into closed session:

A member moves that the group should enter closed session for consideration of a certain topic.

a.The motion to enter closed session is seconded, discussed, and then put to a vote.

b. If a majority say "yes", the group will enter closed session.

Section Two:  Closed Session Attendees

A.Non-members of the Board can attend closed session if invited.

a.This can include, but is not limited to, the personnel being discussed, additional witnesses, Spiritual Directors, financial advisors, or attorney's, if needed.

b.These attendees would be invited to provide context or perspective that the Board members may need to make any necessary decisions.

B.Procedure to allow a non-member to attend.

The Chairman of the Board would need to make the motion to allow the non-member.

a.The Board members would then also need to make the motion to allow the non-member to stay present, a second must be made, and then a majority "yes" would confirm that the non-board member would be allowed to stay during closed session.

Revised: 9/2020