|Qii|igrega.tiofi of United jW Sth^ 1909. H. B. 529. S. B. 254. CHARTER An act to amend chapter forty-seven of the private laws of one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four entitled ^'An act to incorporate the members of the Congregation of United Brethren of the Town of Salem" ratified January thirtj^-first, one thou- sand eight hundred and seventy-four. The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact : That chapter forty-seven of the private laws of one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four ratified January thirty-first, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, incorporating the mem- bers of the CongTegation of United Brethren of Salem and Vicin- ity, be amended as follows. Strike out all of said act after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following: That the members of the Congi-egation of the United Brethren, commonly called Moravians, of the Town of Salem and its vicini- ty, be and the same are hereby created a body politic and cor- porate under the name and title of ^^The Congregation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicinity." That said corporation by the said name and title shall have perpetual succession with authority to adopt a common seal, to sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded in all courts of law, and shall have power and authority to take, purchase, hold and receive to them and their successors in trust for and to the use of said Congregation, any lands, tenements, property of what- soever nature or kind, real, personal or mixed, which are now or may at any time hereafter become the property of said cor- poration by purchase, gift, grant, bargain, sale, conveyance, devise, bequest or otherwise from any person or persons whatsoever, and the same to grant, bargain, sell, improve or dispose of for the use and benefit of said Congregation, provided: It shall not be lawful to appropriate or use any of the principal of the funds belonging to the Congregation for any purpose except for re- building any Church belonging to said Congregation which SECTION 1. SECTION II. 2 may be destroyed by fire or other calamity, nor apply any of the income from the funds or other property of said Congregation to other than charitable, religious, educational or other like pur- poses. SECTION III. No misnomer of said corporation or its successors shall defeat or annul any gift, grant, devise or bequest to said CongTegation, provided the intent of the party or parties shall sufficiently appear upon the face of the gift, grant, will or other writing whereby any estate was intended to pass to the said corporation. SECTION IV. The secular and business affairs of said corporation shall be 'managed by a Board of Trustees, called the Central Board of Trustees, who shall be elected by the Congregation Council under such rules and regulations as it may, from time to time, adopt. The Congregation Council shall be composed of all male members of the Congregation in good standing who have attained the age of twenty-one years and who have complied with its rules and regulations. The Central Board of Trustees shall elect one of their number as president of said board, who shall preside at all meetings and whose duty it shall be to execute all deeds and other contracts as may be directed by the said board. They shall also elect a secretary and treasurer who may be one and the same ^ person and may, or may not be a members of said Board of Trus- tees. SECTION V. The spiritual affairs of said Congregation shall be managed by a Board of Elders called the Central Board of Elders which shall be composed according to and be governed by such rules and regulations as may, from time to time, be adopted by the Congre- gation Council. SECTION VI. Should the members of either of the above Boards for any cause fail to be elected as provided, this corporation shall not be thereby dissolved, but the out-going members shall hold over until their successors are elected. SECTION VII. Whenever it is deemed expedient to divide the Congregation, it shall be lawful by and with the consent of a majority of the members present of the Home Church first obtained ,in regular 3 meeting called for that purpose, for them so to do, by setting apart as a separate Church, any of the Churches or Chapels that may belong to and form part of the said corporation, provided the same be done with the assent of a majority of the persons en- titled to vote as aforesaid who shall belong to such Cliurch or Chapel intended to be set apart and who shall attend a meeting to consider such separation after at least ten days notice previous- ly given for that purpose in the said Church or Chapel, during or immediately after divine service. And such separation so as- sented to by the Board of Provincial Elders and the Congregation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicinity shall take effect according to the terms agreed upon between the parties, and the members of the Congregation of such Church or Chapel so sep- arated, shall immediately thereafter cease to be members of the corporation of the Congregation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicinity above mentioned, and may, if they so desire, pro- ceed to incorporate themselves according to law as a separate Congregation of the Moravian Church, or Unitas Fratrum, and Avhether so incorporated or not, may receive from the corporation of the Congregation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicin- ity any grant, conveyance or gift of any chapel or other real or personal estate for its separate use, and may hold and enjoy the same accordingly, as fully and beneficially as any such re- ligious body or corporation can hold and enjoy its temporalities, howsoever the same may be acquired. SECTION VIII. No enumeration of powers, privileges and duties herein con- tained, shall be so construed as to exclude any unenumerated which are necessary to the proper fulfillment of the design and purpose of this Act and not inconsistent with its express provis- ions and limitations. SECTION 2. This Act shall be in force from and after its ratification. In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 6th day of February, 1909. W. C. NEWLAND, President of the Senate. A. W. GRAHAM, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Enrolled and read by Mrs. A. Syme. ' Proof read by M. F. Means. Examined and found correct by N. D. Tomlin, for Committee. 4 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. Office of Secretary of State. Raleigh, Feb. 27, 1909. I, J. BRYAN GRIMES, Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina do hereby certify the foregoing' to be a true copy from the records of this office. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and - affixed my official seal. Done in office at Raleigh this 27th day of Feb- [SEAL] ruary in the year of our Lord 1909. (Signed) J. BRYAN GRIMES, Secretary of State. 4 RULES AND REGULATIONS OF 'THE CONGREGATION OF UNITED BRETHREN OF SALEM AND ITS VICINITY-'' (As amended and adopted June 8, 1909.) 1. The members of the Congregation of United Brethren, com- monly called Moravians, of Salem, N. C, and its vicinity, are one body politic and corporate, under the name and title of ''The Congi-egation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicinity." 2. Every member of the Congregation, and every person who shall become a member has the right to choose for himself or herself which Church, Chapel or Mission of the Congregation he or she may wish to be affiliated with. The requisites for Church organization shall be one hundred and fifty communicant mem- bers in good standing, with regularly elected Elders and Trustees and full approval of the Church Council; the Home Church, Cal- vary Chvirch and Christ Church are hereby declared regularly con- stituted Churches of the Congregation; Fairview and East Salem are considered as Chapels until their membership entitles them to become Churches, when they can be so constituted by formal ac- tion of the Central Boards of Elders and Trustees; Elm Street and Centerville shall be Missions of the Congregation until other- wise constitued by action of Council. The Negro Church is con- sidered a charge of the Congregation. All other Churches, Chapels or Missions of the Congregation can hereafter be accepted only upon a two-thirds vote of those present in two Congregation Coun- cils at regular or special meetings. * 3. The Congregation Council is composed of all brethren, com- municant members of the Congregation, who have attained the age of twenty-one years, and have subscribed to the rules and regulations of the Congregation, and have paid their church con- Congregation" — refers to the aggregation of Churches, Chap- els and Missions forming ''The Congregation of United Bretli- ren of Salem and its Vicinity." "Church" — refers to a regularly organized and accepted compo- nent part of the Congregation. "Central Boards of Elders and Trustees" — the governing Boards of the Congregation. "Elders and Trustees" — the governing Boards of the Churches. 6 tributions. The act of subscribing- to the rules can take place only in the presence of the Chairman of the Council, who shall add the date of the signature. 4. The Congregation Council shall once in three years elect a Secretary who shall keep a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the Council, which record shall be carefully pre- served in the office of the Central Board of Trustees. 5. The sisters of the Congregation may be present at the meet- ings of the Council and shall participate in its proceedings as far as the terms of the Charter permit. 6. The Pastor of the Congregation, or if there be no Pastor of the Congregation, the Chairman of the Central Board of El- ders, shall preside at all meetings of the Council. In his absence, the Congregation Council shall elect a Chairman pro tern. All meetings shall be held in the Home Church and shall be an- nounced from the pulpit or desk of each of the Churches on an occasion of public worship, and in such other manner as the Central Board of Elders may determine. It shall be the duty of the Congregation Council to elect the delegates to the Provin- cial Synod and the Provincial Conference ; the elective members of the Central Board of Elders, the elective members of the Central Board of Trustees and of the School Board, and all other officers and boards of the Congregation not otherwise provided for. 7. The Central Board of Elders shall have authority at any time to convene a special meeting of the Congregation Council. Upon application of the Central Board of Trustees, or ten mem- bers of the Council, they shall likewise call a special meeting. Fif- teen duly qualified members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of Council. 8. All standing officers elected by the Congregation Council shall continue in office until their successors are elected. All elec- tions shall be by ballot, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary to a choice. 9. All matters that relate to the temporal or spiritual wel- fare of the Congregation may be discussed in the Council at the motion of any member, or by request of the Central Board of Elders or the Central Board of Trustees. 10. The annual report of the Central Board of Elders, the an- nual report of the Central Board of Trustees including the finan- cial statement in which the principal fund and income accounts 7 are clearly stated, and the annual report of the School Board shall all be submitted in writing to the annual meeting of the Congregation Council which shall be held on the second Tues- day in October of each year. The fiscal period shall end on the 30th day of June of each year. 11. Each Church of the Congregation shall have its own an- nual meeting and its own Elders and Trustees as hereinafter pro- vided, 12. Whenever any Church of the Congregation other than the Home Church shall desire to become a full self governing Con- gregation of the Southern Province of the Moravian Church it shall notify the Central Board of Elders and the Central Board of Trustees of its desire to become independent, and it shall be the duty of the Central Boards to submit the request to a Con- gregation Council with such recommendations as they may de- termine are right and proper, and if Council shall so direct by a majority of those present, the Central Boards shall report the matter to the Provincial Elders' Conference requesting that said Church shall be constituted an independent CongTegation, and the representation of such Church on the Central Boards shall thereby terminate. > THE PASTORATE OF THE CONGREGATION. 1. The Central Board of Elders and the Central Board of Trus- tees in their joint discretion may request of the Provincial Elders' Conference the appointment of a Pastor for ^'The Congregation of United Brethren of Salem and its Vicinity" who shall have general oversight of the entire work of the Congi-egation, and who shall preside at all meetings of the Central Board of Elders and of the Congregation Council. 2. It shall be the duty of the Pastor of the Congregation to prepare annually the Memorabilia of the Congregation and af- ter it has been approved by the Central Board of Elders it shall be read before the Congregation, according to established custom, in the Home Church on New Year's Eve, and afterwards filed in the archives of the Congregation. If there be no Pastor of the Congregation the Chairman of the Central Board of Elders shall prepare the Memorabilia. 3. The Central Board of Elders and the Central Board of 8 Trustees in their joint discretion may request of the Provincial Elders' Conference the appointment of a Pastor for any or such Churches, Chapels or Missions of the Congregation as in their judg- ment may be necessary. 4. It shall be the duty of the Pastors in the service of the Congregation to meet together not less than once in each month as they may determine upon for the purpose of considering subjects of mutual interest, and the advancement of the work. THE CENTRAL BOARDS OF THE CONGREGATION. 1. The Central Board of Elders: a. The Central Board of Elders shall be composed of the Pas- tor of the Congregation, the duly appointed Pastors of the Churches, Chapels and Missions of the Congregation, the Presi- dent of Salem Academy and College, one brother elected by Coun- cil from and upon the recommendation of each Church entitled to representation, and three additional brethren elected by Council from the membership of the Home Church. A Church of the Con- gregation shall be entitled to its elected representative provided it shall have at least 150 communicant members in good standing, and shall have paid to the Central Board of Trustees for the year preceding his -election its full part of the expenses of the Congre- gation ,as apportioned by the Central Board of Trustees. If a Church fails to pay its apportionment for any year, the $eat of its elected representative shall become vacant and so remain un- til such time as the annual report of the Central Board of Trustees shows that the said Church has paid its past due apportionments, when the elected member shall be re- seated or his successor elected. The elected members shall be not less than thirty years of age, and must have been members of the Congregation not less than five years. They shall serve for three years and shall be so elected that as nearly as possible one-third of them shall retire each year. The election shall take place at the annual meeting of Council on the second Tuesday in October of each year, and shall be the first of the elections at that Council meeting. No one shall be a member of the Central Board of Elders and of any other board of the Congregation at the same time, nor shall any member be elected for more than two consecutive terms, although he may be re-elected after an intermission of one year. 9 b. At the meetings of the Central Board of Elders the Pas- tor of the Congregation shall preside, or if there be no Pastor of the Congregation, the members of the Central Board of Elders shall elect a presiding officer who shall be a minister. In case of the absence of the presiding officer, the members of the Board shall appoint a Chairman pro tern. At the first meeting of the Cen- tral Board of Elders after the annual election, the members of the Board shall elect from their number a Secretary. Five mem- bers shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Due notice of all meetings shall be given by the Chairman or Secretary to each member. c. It shall be the duty of the Central Board of Elders: 1. To watch over the spiritual and moral well-being of the Congregation as a whole. 2. To regulate the various meetings for worship. 3. To determine for what purposes the churches and chapels may be used. 4. To maintain the proper exercise of church discipline. 5. To ratify applications for church membership if approved by the Elders of the Churches, to decide upon dismissals from the same, and also upon names of persons to be dropped or to be excluded from the Congregation. 6. To appoint the Superintendents of the Sunday Schools con- nected with the Congregation. 7. To hold one joint conference annually with the Elders of each Church of the Congregation. 8. To have general oversight of the music used in connection with the services of the Churches of the Congregation. 9. In general to serve as a Board of Appeal for the entire Congregation, to carry out in the Congregation as a whole the principles and rules enacted by the proper authorities of the Church of the United Brethren. d. Any vacancy among the elective officers of the Central Board of Elders shall be filled by the remainder of the Board until the next annual election. 10 2. The Central Board of Trustees: a. The Central Board of Trustees shall be composed of one brother elected by Council from and upon the recommendation of each Church entitled to representation, and six brethren elected by Council from the membership of the Home Church. A Church shall be entitled to its elected representative provided it shall have at least 150 communicant members in good standing, and shall have paid to the Central Board of Trustees for the year preceding his election its full part of the expenses of the Con- gregation as apportioned by the Central Board of Trustees. If a church fails to pay its apportionment for any year, the seat of its elected representative shall become vacant and so remain until such time as the annual report of the Central Board of Trustees shows that the said Church has paid its past due apportionments, when the elected member shall be re- seated or his successor elected. Members of the Central Board of Trustees shall be not less than twenty-five years of age, and shall have been communicant members of the Congregation for not less than three years. They shall serve for three years, and shall be so elected that as nearly as pos- sible one-third of them shall retire each year. The election shall take place at the annual meeting of Council on the second Tuesday in October of each year. No one shall be a member of the Central Board of Trustees and of any other board of the CongTegation at the same time, nor shall any member be elected for more than two consecutive terms, although he may be re- elected after an intermission of one year. At the first meeting after each annual election the Board shall organize by electing a President and a Secretary and Treasurer, which latter may or may not be a member of the Board, and who shall act also as Secretary and Treasurer of the School Board. In case of the absence of the presiding officer, the members shall appoint a President pro tern. Five members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Due notice of all meetings shall be given by the President or Secretary to each member of the Board. b. It shall be the duty of the Central Board of Trustees: 1. To manage and direct all secular and financial affairs of the Congregation and the various funds entrusted to its care. 2. To determine and pay or cause to be paid the salaries of the Pastor of the Congregation, the Pastors of the several Church- 11 es, the assistants, and other officers and servants of the Con- gregation. 3. To determine at the end of each fiscal year as nearly as possible the expenses of the Congregation for the ensuing year, and apportion to each Church, Chapel and Mission such part of the total expenses as in the judgment of the Board is both just and equitable, and to notify in writing the Trustees of each Church of the Congregation the amount of expenses apportioned to it. The apportionment of the expenses of the Congregation shall be made with the end in view that each Church, Chapel and Mission shall become self-supporting just as soon as possible. The Central Board of Trustees, with the co-operation of the Trustees and Pastors of the several Churches of the Congregation, should request some contribution from each communicant, however young, in order that in this way the habit of giving for Church purposes may be formed in the most susceptible years of the Christian life. 4. To determine the amount of annual contributions to be paid by non-resident communicant members, and non-communicant, and non-communicant birthright members over 21 years of age who desire to maintain their connection with the Congregation. 5. To pay, or cause to be paid, the expenses necessarily in- curred by the Board of Elders and the School Board in the dis- charge of their legitimate spheres of duty. 6. To apply the income from the funds and property of the Congregation as follows: 1st. To maintain and keep in good repair the Sisters' House, the Widows' House, the Archive Building, the Boys' School Build- ing, the Congregation offices, the Colored Church and all other common property of the Congregation, and to keep in proper or- der the Graveyard, the Avenue and the Salem Square. 2d. To pay the salary of the Pastor of the Congregation. 3rd. To pay such general expenses of the Congregation, if there be any, as are not covered by the amounts apportioned to the several Churches. 4th. Any excess of income remaining after the above expenses have been paid shall be expended only by order of Congregation Council. 12 7. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Central Board of Trustees to keep a Membership Book," in duplicate, the form of which shall have been approved by the Central Board of El- ders, and to enter therein all reports made to him by the Secre- taries of the Trustees of the several Churches; one co'py of this book shall be filed with the Pastor of the Congregation or the Chairman of the Central Board of Elders and the other copy shall be filed in the office of the Central Board of Trustees. c. Any vacancy occurring in the Board shall be filled by the remaining members until the next annual election. 3. The Joint Action of the Central Board of Elders and the Central Board of Trustees. The Central Board of Elders and the Central Board of Trus- tees have each their separate sphere of activity, and are not to interfere Avith one another in the performance of their peculiar duties; one having charge of the spiritual, and the other of the temporal concerns of the Congregation; yet it is desirable that they should be on terms of friendly intercourse, and confer to- gether in such cases as may arise where each Board is interested, or where such mutual conference may result for the manifest good of the Congregation. In cases of disagreement between these* two Boards a joint meeting of both may be had and the subject disposed of by a majority of votes. 4. The School Board. a. The School Board shall be composed of the Pastor of the Congregation, or the Chairman of the Central Board of El- ders, one brother elected by Council from and upon the recom- mendation of each of the Churches of the Congregation enti- tled to representation, and two lay brethren and one minister elected from the membership of the Congregation at large. A Church of the Congregation shall be entitled to its elected represen- tative provided it shall have at least 150 communicant members in good standing and shall have paid to the Central Board of Trus- tees for the year preceding his election its full part of the expenses of the Congregation as apportioned by the Central Board of Trustees. If a Church fails to pay its apportionment for any year, the seat of its elected representative shall become vacant and so remain until such time as the annual report of the Central Board of Trustees shows that the said Church has 13 paid its past due apportionments, when the elected meml)ei' shall be reseated or his successor elected. Members of the School Board shall serve for three years, and shall be elected at the annual meeting on the second Tuesday in Oc- tober of each year. At the election in October 1909 as nearly as possibl-e one-third shall be elected for one year, one-third for two years, and one-third for three years. No one shall be a mem- ber of the School Board and of any other Board of the Congre- gation at the same time, nor shall any member be elected for more than two consecutive terms, although he may be re-elected after an intermission of one year. b. The Board shall have the direction and management of the Congregation school for boys. The Pastor of the Congregation or Chairman of the Central Board of Elders shall be President of the Board, In case of » the absence of the presiding officer, the Board shall appoint a President pro tern. Four members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. Due notice of all meet- ings shall be given by the President or Secretary to each mem- ber of the Board, c. Any vacancy occurring in the Board shall be filled by the remaining members until the next annual election. d. It shall be the duty of the Board: 1, To appoint or elect a Principal of the School who shall have charge of the School, subject to the direction of the School Board. 2, To appoint a Head Teacher, or teachers, and assistant teachers. 3, To fix the salaries of the Principal and teachers, and pro- vide for the proper maintenance of the school, and to regulate the price of tuition and to collect the same. In doing so, it shall require not less than $1.50 per month from each Congregation pu- pil in the lower classes, and not less than $2.00 per month from each Congregation pupil in the Junior and Senior classes, provided that ' any pupil whose tuition for preceding years has not been paid, shall be debarred from the privilege of attending this school. 4, It shall not, however, incur any extraordinary expenses without previous consultation with the Central Board of Trustees. 14 5. To make and enforce rules and regulations for the proper government of the School. e. All boys eight years of age, or upwards, shall be admitted to this School, whose parents, or one of them, are members of this Congregation, and w-ho shall be willing to submit to the rules and regulations of the School. The sons of others, not members, may be admitted on such terms and under such rules and regula- tions as the School Board may find expedient. ELDERS AND TRUSTEES OF THE CHURCHES OF THE CONGREGATION. a. Each Church of the Congregation shall have its own Elders composed of its Pastor, who shall be ex-officio Chairman, and three or more members to be elected by ballot at its annual meeting; they shall serve for three years and shall be so elected that as nearly as possible one-third of them shall retire each year. No member shall be elected for more than two consecutive terms al- though he may be re-elected after an intermission of one year. At their first meeting they shall elect from their number a Secretary. b. Each Church of the Congregation shall have its own Trustees composed of three or more members to be elected by ballot at its annual meeting; they shall serve for three years and shall be so elected that as nearly as possible on^- third of them shall retire each year. No member shall be elected for more than two consecutive terms although he may be re-elected after an intermission of one year. At their first meeting they shall organize by electing from their number a President and a Secretary and Treasurer, which latter may or may not be a Trustee. The Pastor of each Church shall be ex-officio a consulting mem- ber of its Trustees. c. It shall be the duty of the Elders under the direction of the Central Board of Elders: 1st. To watch over the spiritual and moral Avell-being of its jDarticular Church of the Congregation. 2nd. To regulate the various meetings for worship. 3rd. To determine for Avhat purpose the Church may be used. 4th. To maintain the proper exercise of Church discipline. 5tli. To assist the Pastor in the administration of Church music. 6th. To present to the Central Board of Elders with recom- mendation in regard thereto, the names of all persons presenting- themselves for membership, and the names of members to be trans- ferred to other Churches of the Congregation or to other Churches, also the names of members to be suspended, dropped or excluded. 7th. To recommend a suitable person to be Superintendent of the Sunday School. 8th. To appoint the musicians, sextons, and others engaged in the care of the Church, and order regular or special collections. 9th. In general to carry out in the Church the principles and rules enacted by the synods and conferences of the Church of the United Brethren. d. It shall be the duty of the Trustees with the concurrence of the Central Board of Trustees: 1st. To fix the compensation of the musicians, sextons and others engaged in the care of the Church ; and to have charge of and maintain the property of the Congregation entrusted to its care. 2nd. To determine the best method of raising among the mem- bers of each Church the amount of congregational expenses ap- portioned to it by the Central Board of Trustees, and to collect and pay over the same to the Central Board of Trustees. 3rd. To furnish to the Central Board of Trustees wdthin thirty days after the close of each fiscal year a statement of the finan- cial affairs of its Church. 4th. To furnish to the Central Board of Trustees such esti- mates of expenses in advance for the ensuing fiscal year as its needs may require. 5th. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Trus- tees of each Church of the Congregation to keep a full rec- ord of the membership and all changes therein or thereto, in a book specially provided by the Central Board of Elders and to report all additions or changes at least once a year to the Secre- try of the Central Board of Trustees. 16 GENERAL PROVISIONS. 1. All resolutions of the Congi-egational Council, and the Cen- tral Boards of Elders and Trustees, not referring merely to their current business, but containing" permanent regulations, shall be submitted for approbation to the Provincial Elders' Conference, which shall, however, be at liberty to withhold its sanction only in case such resolutions, in the opinion of said Conference, are at variance with the principles and constitution of the Church. 2. Persons desiring to become communicant members of the Congi-egation will receive such catechetical instruction as their circumstances may require. When they have been thus pre- pared for Church membership their names shall be submitted to the Elders of the Church concerned who shall have power to grant or refuse their application to be baptised or confirmed; and shall then be presented to the Central Board of Elders for ratification. All adults seeking admission into our communion shall, before being received, be furnished by the Elders Avith a copy of and full information as to the rules and regulations of^the Congregation. 3-a. Persons who have previously been full members of an- other denomination, shall have their certificate of dismissal from their former Church, or, in case they cannot obtain it, the proper evidence of their previous membership, laid before the Elders. If their request to become members of this Congregation has been granted by the Central Board of Elders, they shall be received at a communion service, with the right hand of fel- lowship. Their children, under twenty-one years of age, if not objectionable in character, or not communicants of some other denomination, shall be received into the privileges of non-com- municants in the Congregation. b. In all cases where one parent of a family, only, is received into our communion, the question as to whether the children, if there be any, are to be enrolled as non-communicant members of the Congregation, or whether they adhere to the other parent, shall be definitely understood at the time. 4. Members of other Moravian congregations, having been regularly transferred from their Churches, shall, after having been accepted by the Central Board of Elders, have their names an- nounced at a communion service as being henceforth members of this Congregation. 17 5. Members are expected to bring their infant children to be baptized as soon after their birth as convenient. Such children become incorporated, by the sacrament of Baptism, into the vis- ible Church of Christ, and are to be regarded as non-communi- cant members of the Church until they have been confirmed, un- less they should forfeit these privileges by their misconduct in riper years or by their refusal to pay contributions as appor- tioned to them by the Trustees. 6. The Lovefeast regulations are as follows: a. Lovefeasts are private meetings, intended only for those whose names are found on our Church catalogue, or are members of other Moravian Churches. b. Communicants of sister denominations, and such only, may be invited to these occasions. c. In the case of a married couple, of which only one is a member of the Church, the other shall likewise have the priv- ilege of attending the lovefeasts. d. Invitations to the lovefeast must be issued through the pastors, and according to their best judgment. e. A lovefeast shall annually be held in the Home Church for all those brethren and sisters who are regularly engaged in the service of the Congregation, in all its Churches, Chapels and Missions. f. In the case of children in the Sunday Schools and pupils in the Salem Academy and College existing customs of admission to lovefeasts shall be observed, as far as the Central Board of Elders shall find them practicable and desirable. g. The following lovefeasts and services held in the Home Church shall be recognized as the union occasions of the mem- bership of all the Churches of the Congregation: The festi- val of the Thirteenth of August; the Great Sabbath lovefeast; the early service of Easter morning; the services of Christmas Eve; the services of New Year's Eve. 7. The regulations for Funerals are as follows: a. The chief sexton of each Church shall make a list of the male members of his Church up to sixty-five years of age from 18 which at the request of the family of the deceased he will select those who shall assist, in their due order, in carrying the mor- tal remains of their brethren and sisters to the church and graveyard. b. Interments in the graveyard can be made only on permits to be issued by the Secretary of the Central Board of Trus- tees upon the written or printed statement from the Treasurer of the Trustees of the Church to which the deceased belonged, that all contributions then due had been fully paid, said state- ment to be filed with the Secretary of the Central Board of Trus- tees as the basis of the permit. Interments are restricted to the following classes: Members of this Congregation whose annual contributions have been paid, and their children under 21 years of age, whose names are on the Church books, and who have not con- nected themselves with some other church; non-communicant hus- bands or wives of active members, who were of good moral char- acter; members of other Moravian congregations, who may die while visiting here, or who were formerly connected with this Congregation; teachers and boarders who may die during their term of residence in Salem Academy and College; non-communi- cant, non-communicant birth-right and regularly contributing members, who, after arriving at 21 years of age have paid their Church contributions as apportioned by the Trustees. Excep- tional cases may be decided by the Central Boards of Elders and Trustees. In all cases, interments in the graveyard must be refused where members have left the Church, or have been excluded, or where arrears in current Church account have not been provided for, and where no suitable guarantee is given that a tombstone will be laid, and other requirements met. c. Fifteen dollars shall be paid for the privilege of burial in the graveyard, in cases where the person was husband or wife of a communicant member. This sum shall be for grave space only, and additional to the other expenses which are customary in the case of members. An additional deposit of ten dollars shall be made at the same time, with the Central Board of Trustees, as a guarantee that a tombstone will be furnished, which sum shall be refunded when the tombstone is laid. d. It is expected that a suitable tombstone shall be placed upon every grave within six months after interment. All tombstones 19 shall be recumbent, of white marble, and their size shall not ex- ceed 20x24x4 inches for adults, and 16x20x3 inches for children. 8. Members who for a considerable time, have entirely neg- lected the ordinances and interests of the Congregation, and with- out being excused by the Central Board of Trustees, have neg- lected or refused to contribute to the support of the Congregation, shall be regarded by the Central Board of Elders as having with- drawn from the Congregation, and their names shall be omitted from the list of members, and, where it is practicable, they shall be notified of the fact through the Central Board of Elders. 9. Members who have been excluded shall be duly notified, and shall, in all cases, have the right to appeal to the Provincial Elders' Conference. 10. Members desiring a letter of dismissal to another denom- ination, shall make application therefor, either in person or by letter, to the Pastor or Board of Elders of the Church to which they belong, and the said Board of Elders shall transmit the ap- plication, with such recommendation as they see fit to make, to the Central Board of Elders for final decision. 11. All Rules and Regulations in conflict with these Rules and Regulations are hereby repealed, except as to the unexpired terms of the members on the Central Board of Elders, the Central Board of Trustees and the School Board. All members on these Boards are eligible to election for two consecutive terms after the termination of their present terms of office. 12. These Rules and Regulations may be altered, amended or added to at any time by a majority of two-thirds of all the votes cast in the Congregation Council, provided, the vote on such al- terations, amendments, or additions is not taken in the same meeting in which they were introduced, but at some subsequent meeting of the Congregation Council expressly convened for that purpose; and, provided further, that all such proposed alterations and amendments have obtained the sanction of the Provincial El- ders' Conference.