1. The voting members of the Chapel of the Cross comprise all persons who are enrolled confirmed adult communicants in good standing of this parish and who have thereby consented to be governed by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of North Carolina. For purposes of these bylaws, a person who has attained the age of sixteen years shall be deemed as adult.

2. The Rector shall maintain an accurate roster of the Voting Members of the parish and shall submit the roster to the Vestry for its inspection not later that four weeks before the date set for the Annual Meeting of the Parish. The Rector shall certify the roster of Voting Members to the Managers of the Vestry Election each year not later than one week before the opening of the period for receiving nominations.

II. Parish Meetings

1. There shall be an Annual Meeting of the parish not earlier than the last Sunday after Epiphany nor later than the second Sunday in Lent on a day and at a place and hour to be set by the Vestry. One or more adjourned sessions of the Annual Meeting shall be provided for as required and shall be held at times and places set by the first session of the Annual Meeting.

2. Other parish meetings may be held on the call of the Rector or Vestry as provided by constitution and canon.

3. Notice of the time and place of the Annual Meeting shall be distributed in writing to communicants in good standing at least two but not more than three weeks before the date on which the Annual Meeting is to be held. Notice of the time and place of other parish meetings shall be communicated through the same medium at least one week before the date on which any such meeting is to be held.

4. As provided by constitution and canon, the Rector, if there be one and if present, shall preside at the Annual Meeting and at all other parish meetings. In the absence of the Rector, the Senior Warden shall preside; in the absence of both the Rector and Senior Warden, the Junior Warden shall preside; and in the event the Rector and both wardens are absent, the parish meeting shall elect its presiding officer.

5. The Secretary of the Vestry shall serve as Secretary of the Annual Meeting and other parish meetings. If the Secretary of the Vestry is absent, the presiding officer shall appoint a secretary for the parish meeting.

6. All voting members of the parish as defined in Article I above shall be entitled to both voice and vote in the Annual and other parish meetings.

7. As required by canon, all motions, questions, and elections before the Annual or other parish meeting shall be decided by majority vote of those present and voting.

III. Adoption of Vestry Plan.

1. This parish affirms its adoptions of Vestry Plan Two as authorized by Canon 22, section 2 of the Diocese of North Carolina.

2. Under this Vestry Plan, the parish shall have a Vestry of twelve members, four of whom shall be elected each year for three-year terms.

3. The terms of the four vestry members who have served three-year terms shall end and the terms of the four newly elected vestry members shall begin at the regular May meeting.

4. As provided by canon, the Vestry shall fill any vacancy that occurs in its body; the person chosen to fill the position shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of the person whose position is being filled.

IV. Nomination of Persons to be Elected to the Vestry

1. As authorized by canon, the parish adopts the use of a preferential ballot designed to place in nomination the names of twice the number of persons required to fill the open Vestry positions.

2. The retiring members of the Vestry shall administer the provisions of these by-laws insofar as they provide for the nomination and election of members of the Vestry. For purposes of these by-laws they shall be referred to as Managers.

3. All voting members as defined in Article I above shall be eligible for election to the Vestry. Persons already serving as members of the Vestry or who have served on the Vestry within twelve months of the current election shall not be nominated unless they joined the Vestry by appointment to fill a vacancy within the 12 months preceding the election.

4. A list of persons eligible for election to the Vestry shall be posted in the hallway of the Parish adjacent to the Parish Office for a period including not fewer than three Sundays, this period to end at 6:30 p.m. on the third Sunday before the day fixed for the first session of the Annual Meeting.

5. Persons eligible to vote in the Annual Meeting who desire to submit nominations for election to the Vestry shall transmit them in a written communication addressed to the Managers of the Vestry Election at the Parish Office. Such communication shall state whether the proposed nominees have agreed to have their names submitted for this purpose. All written communications of this kind must be submitted during the period the list of those eligible is posted as required by Article IV, section 4 of these by-laws. Names submitted before that period opens or after it closes shall not be counted; thus no nominations may be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting. No one may submit more than four names for nomination, although one may submit fewer than four. Oral nominations shall not be received.

6. When the period for submission of nominations is closed, the Managers shall promptly meet, record all names that have been submitted as provided by these by-laws, and prepare a preferential ballot listing the names of all eligible persons submitted. The names of persons ineligible to serve on the Vestry and names that have not been submitted in accordance with these by-laws shall not be listed. Persons whose names have been submitted without their permission shall be notified of their nomination by the Managers, and their names may be listed if they give their consent to the Managers.

7. The preferential ballot, listing all eligible names in alphabetical order, shall include the following title and instructions:

PREFERENTIAL BALLOT FOR NOMINATION TO THE VESTRY
Vote by circling the names of . . . . . . . [here the Managers shall print the number of Vestry positions to be filled] persons of your choice. If you vote for a greater or smaller number, your ballot shall not be counted. Return this ballot to the Managers of the Vestry Election at the Parish Office by . . . . . . . [here the Managers shall state the hour and date as provided in these by-laws].

8. The Preferential Ballot shall be mailed to all persons on the list of those eligible provided for in Article IV, section 4 of these by-laws no later than two weeks before the date of the Annual Meeting. The completed ballots shall be returned to the managers no later than 6:30 p.m. on the Sunday before the day fixed for the first session of the Annual Meeting.

9. When the period for return of the Preferential Ballot is completed, the Managers shall promptly meet, record all names circled on the ballots, as provided in these by-laws, and count the number of nominations each has received. No ballot shall be counted on which the voter has marked a greater or lesser number of names than there are Vestry positions to be filled.

10. The nominees for the final vote shall be no more than twice the number of Vestry positions to be filled and shall be those persons who received the highest number of votes on the Preferential Ballot.

11. At the first session of the Annual Meeting, the Managers shall announce the names of the persons whose names will appear on the Vestry election ballot. The names of the nominees shall also be printed in the Sunday bulletins distributed between the date of the first session of the Annual Meeting and the adjourned sessions thereof.

V. Preparation of Vestry Election Ballots

1. The Managers provided for in Article IV, section 2 of these by-laws shall prepare a sufficient number of ballots to be used in the election of members of the Vestry and maintain them in their safe-keeping at all times. Each ballot shall carry the names of the nominees ascertained as provided in Article IV, section 10 of the by-laws, printed in alphabetical order; and above the names of the nominees shall be printed the following title and instructions:

BALLOT FOR ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE VESTRY
Vote by circling the names of . . . . . . . [here the Managers shall print the number of Vestry positions to be filled] persons of your choice. If you vote for a greater or smaller number, your ballot will not be counted.

2. Should ballots be required more than once, the Managers shall prepare them in accordance with these instructions.

VI. Election of Members of the Vestry

1. The Managers provided for in Article IV, section 2 of these by-laws shall administer the provisions governing the conduct of the election of members of the Vestry.

2. The election for members of the Vestry shall be conducted at an adjourned session of the Annual Meeting to be held at the times of the regularly scheduled services of worship on a Sunday selected at the first session of the Annual Meeting.

3. At the time of the election, the Managers shall distribute and collect the ballots from eligible voters actually present. Absentee voting is not allowed under the Canons of the Diocese of North Carolina. Following the voting, the Managers shall promptly meet and count the ballots and determine the results as provided in Article VI, section 5 below.

4. Ballots on which the voter has marked a greater or lesser number of names than there are Vestry positions to be filled shall not be counted.

5. When nominees for four or more Vestry positions are to be elected, there being no more than twice that number of names of nominees on the ballot, the majority shall be ascertained by dividing the total vote cast for all nominees on the ballot by the number of Vestry positions to be filled, and by dividing the result by two. Any excess of the sum so ascertained shall be a majority, and the nominees who obtain a majority shall be declared elected. If more nominees obtain a majority than there are Vestry positions to be filled, those having the highest vote (equal to the number of Vestry positions to be filled) shall be declared elected.

6. If nominees for some or all of the Vestry positions do not receive a majority of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second ballot shall be taken as prescribed by these by-laws.

7. If a second ballot shall be required, the Managers shall prepare it as provided in these by-laws for the first ballot except that there shall be printed thereon the names of nominees equal to twice the number of Vestry positions remaining to be filled, the names to be those of the nominees not elected on the first ballot who, on the ballot, received the highest number of votes.

8. The second ballot for members of the Vestry shall be taken at an adjourned session of the Annual Meeting to be held at the times of the scheduled services of worship on a Sunday selected at the first session of the Annual Meeting.

9. At the time the second ballot is taken, the Managers shall distribute and collect the ballots from the eligible voters present. Absentee voting is not allowed. Following the voting, the Managers shall promptly meet and count the ballots and determine the results as provided in Article VI, section 5 above.

10. If nominees for some or all of the Vestry positions to be filled do not receive a majority of the votes cast on the second ballot, a third ballot shall be taken under the rules and procedures prescribed for taking a second ballot.

VII. Certification and Notification of Results of Election

1. Upon determining the result of each ballot for electing members of the Vestry, the Managers shall certify to the Rector and Senior Warden the number of votes cast for each nominee, indicating which nominees have been elected.

2. The Rector or, in his/her absence, the Senior Warden shall certify to the Vestry the names of those elected, and a permanent record thereof shall be maintained by the Vestry.

3. The Rector or, in his/her absence, the Senior Warden shall promptly notify each candidate whether he or she has been elected to the Vestry.

[The foregoing by-laws were adopted by majority vote at the Annual Meeting of the Parish of the Chapel of the Cross held on Shrove Tuesday, February 11, 1975, and amended at Annual Meetings held on February 19, 1985, February 11, 1986, February 28, 1988, March 5, 2000, and March 25, 2001.]

© 2001: Chapel of the Cross