Meridian Christian Home Educators BY-LAWS ARTICLE I -NAME This organization shall be known as the MERIDIAN CHRISTIAN HOME EDUCATORS (MCHE) ARTICLE II-TERM This organization shall have continual existence as long as there are members who agree to maintain the association. ARTICLE III PURPOSES The primary purpose for which this organization is formed is to benefit its membership, constituents, and community at large through the under girding of one another as each home schools their children, training them both educationally and spiritually. The foundation for the organization is Jesus Christ; the goal is knowledge, understanding, and wisdom; and the basis is the Holy Scriptures. The general purposes for which this organization is formed are to foster the encouragement and support that each family may need in their home schooling efforts; to share in the resources that each family may find helpful; and to present a positive image of home schooling to the general public at large. ARTICLE IV STATEMENT OF FAITH The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God. God has existed from all eternity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, was God come in human flesh being fully God and fully man except without sin. Man is by nature sinful and is inherently in need of salvation. Christ s death provides substitutionary atonement for our sins. He literally rose bodily from the dead. 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 and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone. Children are a heritage from the Lord entrusted to parents to train up in righteousness; for His glory. ARTICLE V MEMBERSHIP IN THE ORGANIZATION Membership: The members of this organization will comprise all those who voluntarily join, agree to participate, and pay their dues. Only members who agree with the statement of faith will be eligible for election to the offices or positions found in the By- Laws. Termination: Membership may be terminated voluntarily by individuals or involuntarily by action of the Advisory Council in cases where any member is in non-compliance with the spirit and intent of this organization s stated purposes. A 4/5 vote of the Advisory Council shall be required to recommend termination of any member under this provision. Such a recommendation will be referred to the membership at large for its agreement. A simple majority vote of the membership at large will be required to terminate membership. ARTICLE VI MEETING OF MEMBERS The organization will meet a minimum of 3 times per year. During a spring meeting, elections will be held for the offices becoming vacant that year. Those elected will take
office effective June 30 after a turnover has been completed with the person being replaced. Special meetings may be held at the call of the Coordinator or the Advisory Council with two (2) weeks notice to the entire membership. ARTICLE VII OFFICERS OF THE ORGANIZATION The Officers shall be composed of Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer shall hold office for the term for which he or she is elected. The job descriptions for all office positions will be maintained by the Advisory Council and will be given to the officer as they assume their positions. Term: The term of the elected officers shall be 1 year. No one may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position. All officers shall be required to sign the Statement of Faith showing they are in agreement with it prior to the spring elections. Election Procedures: The Advisory Council will nominate officers and present them to the membership for approval by a simple majority vote of those present. Vacancies: Vacancies among the Officers shall be filled by appointment. Duties of Elected Officers: The Coordinator has the overall responsibility for program planning and execution during the elected term. All officers and appointees report to the Coordinator. In addition, the Coordinator will provide to the Advisory Council end of year status reports on association resources, finances, and public image. These reports will normally be prepared by the Secretary, Treasurer, and Assistant Coordinator, respectively. The Coordinator will also report on the overall effectiveness of the organization in meeting its stated purpose of fostering encouragement and support that each family may need in their home schooling efforts. ARTICLE VIII THE ADVISORY COUNCIL Membership: The Advisory Council shall be comprised of five (5) voting (See Voting below) and ten (10) total (See Qualifications below) members from within the organization. The Council shall be responsible for nominating persons to serve and these shall be elected by majority vote of all the membership. All Advisory Council members shall be required to sign the Statement of Faith showing they are in agreement with it prior to the spring elections. Qualifications: Minimum qualification for members of the Advisory Council shall be male heads of households and their wives with children who are currently being homeschooled. Voting: Issues requiring a vote will be conducted by family unit. Each male head of household will cast 1 vote for his family unit. Advisory Council Officers: The Advisory Council shall elect its own Chairman and Secretary prior to the beginning of the new term. The Chairman shall schedule and determine the agenda for all meetings of the Advisory Council. Advisory Council Action: Unless noted in the By-Laws, all proposals submitted to the Advisory Council shall require a simple majority vote to prevail. Only those prevailing proposals which are recorded in the minutes and available for distribution to the membership will be considered actions of the Advisory Council. Term: The term of Advisory Council members shall be three years. Vacancies: If any Council member elects to step down before completing the three year term, the Council will decide on the appropriateness of replacing that member or waiting until the summer rotation before taking action. Election of the Advisory Council Members: During the spring election meeting, vacancies to the Advisory Council shall be filled. Nominations can be made by any member of the association and by the Advisory Council. Following the close of the nomination period, all nominations will be reviewed by the Advisory Council. Nominations will be submitted to the membership in attendance with runoff elections conducted during the same meeting until replacement member(s) for the Advisory Council has been selected. The election of
members of the Advisory Council shall be administered by the Secretary of the Advisory Council, or by another member of the Advisory Council if the Secretary has been nominated for reelection. Purposes: The purposes of the Advisory Council include: be accountable to the By-Laws, keep the support group and its officers accountable to the By-Laws welcome prospective members to the organization review the By-Laws and purpose statements solicit input on needs the new members may have address all issues that may be brought before it by the elected office holders or the membership at large meet at least two times a year to review the organization and its achievement of its purposes and goals recommend amendments to the By-Laws as necessary encourage elected office holders and membership at large to faithfully carry out their duties ARTICLE IX FISCAL POLICY The Treasurer shall keep thorough records of all expenditures and receipts. In addition to the Treasurer, the Coordinator or the Assistant Coordinator may also sign checks. Only those expenditures approved by the Coordinator shall be made by the Organization subject to Advisory Council s review. ARTICLE X CHILDREN S ACTIVITIES Supervision of children during association activities is the exclusive responsibility of their parents. Unless specifically authored in writing by the Advisory Council, no child care, either paid or volunteer, will be provided by the Meridian Christian Home Educators. ARTICLE XI- AMENDMENTS The Advisory Council may later amend, revise, add to, repeal or rescind these By-Laws and/or adopt new By-Laws by a ¾ vote of the membership in attendance, provided that notice of the proposed alteration, amendment, revision, addition, repeal or recension of the By-Laws or adoption of new By-Laws shall have been given at least thirty days preceding the appropriate meeting. ARTICLE XI DISSOLUTION If the Meridian Christian Home Educators should ever dissolve, the Advisory council shall submit at least three options for asset disbursement to the entire membership for their vote.
MCHE POLICY REGARDING GRADUATION The graduation exercise and/or reception is an important but optional event and is not mandatory for MCHE to provide. The duties of the graduation exercise are the responsibility of the graduating parents. The graduation may be cancelled if deemed necessary by the MCHE Advisory Council. If graduation responsibilities are not volunteered for they are deemed unnecessary and will not be fulfilled (i.e. invitations, reception, speaker, etc.). In order to participate in the MCHE graduation, the family of the graduating student must be a member of MCHE for at least the prior two years and homeschooled the graduating students junior and senior years of high school. Exceptions will be made for transferring students if evidence of prior homeschooling is provided upon request. A member of the Advisory Council is responsible to oversee the graduation exercise. MCHE is responsible to: Locate a suitable place for graduation Pay a rental fee for the place. The fee will not exceed the budgeted amount, Order and pay for diplomas Get a small gift for graduates and the cost not to exceed an amount budgeted by MCHE Provide printed programs for the commencement exercise Determine the date of the exercise, with the input from the parents. All graduation plans must be approved by the Advisory Council member overseeing graduation. All students who are in their Junior year of school and their families are encouraged to volunteer to help with the graduation exercises. This will allow families to become familiar with graduation procedures. A Planning Committee will meet no later than January of the year of graduation.
Code of Conduct We, as Christian, are called to be salt and light. Others observe what we say and do. It is our obligation to represent Christ in a manner consistent with Biblical teaching (Philippians 1:25). Therefore, this Code of Conduct has been created as a guideline for our members and others who may participate. It is a parent's responsibility to instruct his/her child (children) in proper behavior and speech. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) 1. Attendance at Outside Functions (i.e., field trips, group trips, community work, club meetings, etc.) Everyone should be courteous and attentive to speakers or guides. Please, see that your family stays with the group. Youth and children are to be supervised at all times. Play and chatter need to be kept to a minimum. Wear appropriate dress for the occasion. 2. Manner of Dress (I Timothy 2:9) Dress for parents, youth and children should be clean, well maintained, and modest. Please, no short-shorts, no revealing tops, no spaghetti straps, no halter tops, no bare midriffs, no undergarments visible, no immodest swim wear, etc. Clothing and jewelry with occult, pagan or crude messages or designs are not acceptable. Be sensitive to others who may be offended by clothing with secular designs or messages. 3. Speech (Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29) Speech that is lewd, vulgar, or includes cursing is not acceptable. Parents should teach their children what is and is not appropriate to discuss with other children, especially with those that are younger. 4. Attitude Toward Others (Philippians 2:3-5) Respect others as cherished children of God. Teasing or ridiculing others is not acceptable (i.e., personal religious beliefs, weight, glasses, etc.) Always be ready to encourage, edify, and support each other in love. 5. Personal Example (I Timothy 4:12-16) At MCHE functions, the following activities are expressly prohibited: smoking or the use of any tobacco products, use or possession of alcohol, use or possession of illegal drugs, theft--if it doesn't belong to you, HANDS OFF! 6. Personal Relationship (I Timothy 4:12) Boyfriend/girlfriend public displays of affection are entirely inappropriate at MCHE functions. Parents should teach their children to exercise discretion in their conversations with others about boy-girl relationships. 7. Respect for Church Building and Public Property (Matthew 7:12 and Philippians 2:4)
Everyone will be expected to show responsibility and respect for any facility we use. Please, express appreciation to those who extend their hospitality toward us. Notify one of the leaders immediately if any damage occurs to the property, especially vandalism. Those that litter or create a mess should be reminded to clean up after themselves. Anyone should feel free to give such reminders in a polite manner. If the responsible party is unwilling to correct the problem, please notify one of the leaders at that time, not later. 8. Music, Magazines, books, etc. (I Corinthians 8:9) All music, magazines, books, etc., that are brought to MCHE functions should encourage and strengthen our Faith. Please, be sensitive that some may not approve for their families what others, in an honest evaluation of their faith, have accepted for theirs. 9. Conflicts (Colossians 3:12-13, Hebrews 12:14-15, & Ephesians 4:31-32) All conflicts should be resolved in a Christ-like manner, based upon Biblical principles. The Bible teaches us that if our brother or sister has offended us, we are responsible to go to that person and make it right. (Matthew 18:15-17) The Bible teaches us that if we have offended our brother or sister, we are responsible to go to that if person and make it right. (Matthew 5:23) Please, don't discuss your conflicts with uninvolved parties. Simple rule of thumb: If you're not part of the problem or part of the solution, you're gossiping. Our Code of Conduct is meant to be a guideline. We hope to strengthen our fellowship and our faith in Christ through a mutual understanding of common and. courteous behavior that will demonstrate to our children and to others who observe us that we truly do represent Christ in all that we say and do. In the event that there are those who choose to disregard the guidelines as set forth in this Code, our leadership will contact the individuals involved in such behavior. If they choose to disregard the encouragement to change said behavior, the leadership reserves the right to drop those individuals from MCHE membership. Reinstatement of membership will be granted only after the leadership feels appropriate changes have been made. (Colossians 3:12-13)