USCF Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF

THE UNIVERSITY STAFF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

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ARTICLE  1 NAME

The name of the Fellowship shall be called “the University Staff Christian Fellowship (USCF).

ARTICLE  2 PLACE OF BUSINESS

The place of business of the Fellowship shall be Sheares Hall, National University of Singapore, Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 0511 or such other address as the Executive Committee may determine with the approval of the Registrar of Societies, from time to time.

ARTICLE  3 STATEMENT OF FAITH AND OBJECTIVES

a. Statement of Faith

The Statement of Faith of the Fellowship shall be:

i. Concerning the Bible :   The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as originally given are inspired by God and thus infallible, completely reliable, and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice.

ii. Concerning God :   There is one true God, eternally existent in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and entirely sovereign over creation, history, revelation, salvation and final judgement.

iii. Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ :   He is God Incarnate, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life and performed divine miracles;  He died as a vicarious, atoning sacrifice by shedding His blood for our sins and to destroy the works of Satan;  He was raised bodily from the dead, ascended to Heaven, continues His mediatorial work, and will personally return in power and glory.

iv. Concerning the Holy Spirit :   The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father to bear witness to His Son; His power is essential for the regeneration of sinners, and His indwelling presence in all believers is vital for their progressive sanctification and power to witness.

v. Concerning Man :    Created originally in the image of God, man became a fallen, lost and sinful being, who can be redeemed and restored to fellowship with God only by grace through personal living faith in Jesus Christ.

vi. Concerning the Church :    Through their union with the Head, all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ are one in His Spirit and belong to His body, the Church, which is committed to fulfilling His Great Commission, by declaring His Gospel and discipling converts in all nations to observe His commands.

vii. Concerning the Future :    At Christ’s return, there will be bodily resurrection of all the dead - of believers to eternal blessedness, and of unbelievers to eternal punishment - and the perfection of the glorious Kingdom of God in a new heaven and a new earth.

b. Objectives

1. The objectives of the Fellowship are to proclaim the Gospel and to promote Christian witness in the University.

2. In furtherance of the above objective, the Fellowship may  :-

(a) promote unity and fellowship among Christian staff members of the University for spiritual growth, renewal and service;

(b) promote fellowship with other like-minded Christian groups in the University;

(c) establish such funds as may further the work of the Fellowship;

(d) Where necessary, to purchase, lease, hire, or otherwise acquire suitable premises for the use of the Fellowship; and to manage, improve, develop and utilise any such premises; and to sell, mortgage, let or dispose of the same.

ARTICLE  4 MEMBERSHIP

a. Membership shall be open to all staff members of the University, covering both academic and non-academic staff members.

b. Any person who applies to be a member of the Fellowship must be proposed by a member of the Fellowship and seconded by another member.  Acceptance of such application is conditional on the applicant signing a declaration embracing the Statement of Faith and Objectives.

c. Membership shall be renewable on an annual basis subject to a member reaffirming his acceptance of the Statement of Faith and Objectives.

ARTICLE  5 MANAGEMENT

a. The Executive Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall comprise the following :

Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Assistant Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and not less than three Committee Members.

b. They shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting and, except for the Honorary Treasurer, shall be eligible for re-election year after year.

c. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the policy, programme, correspondence, financial and other matters of the Fellowship.

d. The Executive Committee may appoint members or form subcommittees to assist them in any matter as the need arises.

e. The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy on the Committee which may arise from time to time.

f. The Executive Committee shall process all applications for membership to the Fellowship and shall have absolute discretion to deal with such applications.  The Committee shall also have the powers to suspend or terminate any member’s membership if it is of the view that such member no longer accepts the Statement of Faith or subscribes to the Objectives of the Fellowship.

g. One-half of the membership for the moment present in Singapore shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by the Executive Committee.

h. The Executive Committee shall strive for a consensus in the making of any decision.  In the event that such consensus is not attained, no resolution will be passed by any meeting of the Committee except by a majority of the members.

i. Definition of Duties:

(a) The Chairman shall preside at Annual General Meetings and at all Committee Meetings.

(b) The Vice-Chairman shall take the Chairman’s place in his absence.

(c) The Honorary Secretary shall record minutes of the Annual General Meetings and Committee Meetings and shall be responsible for the general correspondence and administration of the Fellowship.

(d) The Assistant Honorary Secretary shall assist the Honorary Secretary and take his place in his absence.

(e) The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for the finance of the Fellowship and shall be required to present the audited accounts of the Fellowship at the Annual General Meeting.  The Honorary Treasurer shall not keep more than $500 in the form of cash, and any monies in excess of this must be deposited into a bank to be determined by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE  6 FINANCE

a. Members shall not be required to pay annual subscriptions.  However, all members are expected and shall be encouraged to support the work of the Fellowship through prayers, service and gifts.

b. The financial year shall be from 1st April to 31st March.

ARTICLE  7 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

a. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in either July or August each year to :

i. Receive the report of the Honorary Secretary.

ii. Receive the audited accounts of the Honorary Treasurer and a report by the Auditor or Auditors.

iii. Elect the new Executive Committee.

iv. Elect an Auditor or Auditors who are not members of the Executive Committee but who shall be proposed by the Committee.

v. Deal with other matters.

b. Notice of the Annual General Meeting together with the Agenda shall be given not less than fourteen days before the date of the meeting.

c. The quorum shall consist of thirty members or one-fifth of the membership at the moment present in Singapore, whichever is less.  In the event of a lack of quorum, another meeting shall be held within fourteen days and not earlier than two days of the postponement when, irrespective of the number of members present, the business fixed for the meeting shall be considered, but the meeting shall have no power to alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules of the required quorum is not met.

ARTICLE  8 EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

a. The Honorary Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting on:

i the request of the Executive Committee.

ii. the written application of at least one quarter of the members of the Fellowship stating the objective of the meeting.  Such meting shall be held within fourteen days of the receipt of the application.

b. Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be given not less than seven days prior to the date of  the meeting.

c. Only the matter for which such an Extraordinary General Meeting is called shall be on the Agenda.

d. The quorum shall consist of thirty members or one-fifth of the membership at the moment present in Singapore, whichever is less.  In the event of a lack of quorum, another meeting shall be held within fourteen days and not earlier than two days of the postponement when, irrespective of the number of members present, the business fixed for the meeting shall be considered.

ARTICLE  9 TRUSTEES

If the Fellowship at any time acquires immovable property, such property shall be vested in Trustees who shall be members of the Fellowship appointed by the Committee subject to a declaration of trust.  Any trustee may at any time resign his trusteeship.  If a trustee dies, or becomes a  lunatic or of unsound mind, or moves permanently, or is absent from Singapore for a period of more than one year, he shall be deemed to be resigned his trusteeship.  If a trustee is guilty of misconduct of such kind as to render it undesirable that he should continue as a trustee, the Executive Committee may remove him from his trusteeship.  Vacancies in the trusteeship may be filled by the Committee but the number shall not be greater than four or less than two.

Any removal of a Trustee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities for approval.

ARTICLE  10 AUDITORS

a. There shall be either one or two Auditors for the Fellowship’s accounts.

b. The Auditor shall not be a member of the Executive Committee but shall be proposed by the Committee.

c. The Auditor shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.  He shall hold office for once year and shall not be eligible for re-election.

d. The Chairman shall require the Auditor to audit the accounts for the year and present a report on them at the Annual General Meeting.

ARTICLE  11 AMENDMENTS

a. No amendments shall be made to the Statement of Faith except with the consent of four-fifth of the total membership of the Fellowship at the moment present in Singapore.

b. No amendments shall be made to the Constitution except with the consent of three-fifth of the total membership of the Fellowship at the moment present in Singapore.

c Amendments shall be tabled for discussion at any General Meeting and a vote taken on them accordingly.

d. Any amendment shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.

ARTICLE  12 INTERPRETATION

In the event of any question or matter arising out of any provision in this Constitution over which there is a dispute in interpretation, or arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the Constitution, the Executive Committee shall decide on the interpretation to be adopted or the necessary steps to be taken at its discretion.

ARTICLE  13 PROHIBITION

a. Gambling of any kind and the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the society’s premises.  The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.

b. The funds of the society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in Court.

c. The society shall not attempt to restrict or in any other manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in any Trade Union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.

The society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the society or its office-bearers, Committee or members.

d. The society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.

ARTICLE  14 DISSOLUTION

a. The Fellowship shall not be dissolved except with the consent of four-fifth of the members at the moment present in Singapore.

b. In the event of the dissolution of the Fellowship, all liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Fellowship shall be fully discharged and all remaining funds and assets shall be donated to charities with similar objects and registered under the Charities Act.

c. A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to the Registrar of  Societies and the Commissioner of Charities.