RULES OF THE LONDON SPIRITUAL MISSION (download pdf version)
1. The Mission shall be called “THE LONDON SPIRITUAL MISSION”.
2. The objects of the Mission are to present the Teachings, Philosophy and as far as may be necessary the Phenomena of Spiritualism in accord with the teachings of the Master Christian. All members shall promise to strive to adhere to these objects and to manifest the spirit of the divine principle: “Give out Light; Give out Love”.
3. The control of the Mission shall be vested in a Committee consisting of the President, Vice-President, the Officers and Acting Officers appointed in accordance with these Rules and not less than five nor more than eight other members appointed in accordance with these Rules. At all meetings of the Committee five members thereof including the Chairman, shall form a quorum. Any Vice-President, Officer or Acting Officer position may optionally be occupied and shared by up to two people, each person shall be appointed according to these rules.
4. The membership shall consist of (a) ordinary members whose annual subscription shall be one guinea or such sum as the Committee shall decide from time to time payable in advance each year on the anniversary of the date of his or her election and (b) honorary members who may be appointed by the Committee in recognition of services rendered to the Mission.
5. The election of all new members of the Mission shall be vested in the Committee. The Committee shall be entitled to terminate the membership of any member whose subscription is more than three months in arrear or whose membership is considered not conducive to the best interest of the Mission, and such membership shall be deemed to be terminated at the time when notice thereof posted by the Committee, or on their instructions, to the last known address of the member concerned, would reach such member in the ordinary course of post. A member shall be entitled to resign his membership at any time by notice in writing given to the Secretary or Acting Secretary. On termination of membership, the person whose membership shall have been terminated shall cease forthwith to have any right or interest in the assets, funds and property of the Mission, and shall cease to be under any liability or obligation in respect thereof or otherwise in respect of his membership.
6. The Committee shall, subject to the right of the members to enforce retirement as hereinafter provided under Rule 14, have power to appoint and dismiss the following officers and/or members acting as officers from amongst their own number or from the general body of members. The officers who may be so appointed or dismissed are an Honorary Treasurer, a Secretary and an Honorary Librarian. All members so appointed shall exofficio be members of the Committee with the same voting rights, and shall retire as provided under Rule 10.
7. Nominations for the office of President as hereinafter provided may be made at the Annual General Meeting by any member, provided 14 days’ notice in writing of such nomination, signed by the member making the same and endorsed with the written consent of the nominated member, is given to the Secretary or Acting Secretary. No member may be nominated for the office of President unless the person nominated has served on the Committee for at least two consecutive years. Should there be nobody on the Committee willing or able to stand for election, the Committee shall have power to put forward for consideration any person or persons from the general body of members.
8. The President may hold office for a period of three years without re-election, and on completion of said period shall retire at the next Annual General Meeting and shall without previous nomination be eligible for re-election for the office he vacates. If no other nomination is received the retiring President, if willing to accept re-election for the office he is vacating, shall be declared by the Chairman of the meeting to be re-elected without further motion. If any nominations are received for the office to be filled, then the election shall be by means of voting papers to be marked by the members present personally or by proxy at the meeting, or by votes sent through the post arriving not later than the morning of the same day on which the Annual General Meeting is held, and the recipient of the highest number of votes shall be declared by the Chairman of the meeting to have been duly elected.
9. The Vice-President and one ordinary member of the Committee shall retire at every Annual General – Meeting and shall both be eligible for re-election for the offices vacated without nomination. The order of retirement of the ordinary member shall be in rotation, in order of length of service since last elected. Nominations for, and election of, Vice-President or Committee member shall be made and take place (mutatis mutandis) in similar manner to that of the President. If no other nominations are received the retiring Vice-President and Committee member shall, if willing to accept re-election, be declared by the Chairman of the meeting to be re-elected without further motion.
10. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in March of each year, or as near as circumstances permit, to receive the report of the Treasurer, for general business or any particular items of which notice shall have been given to the Secretary, or Acting Secretary, in accordance with these Rules. Details of such particular items for consideration, together with the date, time and place, shall be supplied to each member at least 14 days prior to the meeting and such particulars if posted or emailed to any member to his last known address, shall be deemed to have been properly supplied. A two-thirds majority of the members present personally or by proxy at the meeting, or by votes sent through the post arriving not later than the morning of the day on which the meeting is held, shall be necessary to pass any resolution dealing with particular items. In any question arising under these Rules or otherwise (unless definitely specified herein) as to whether any business is Special Business, the decision of the President or Acting President shall be final and conclusive and binding on all parties.
11. Two members either of the Committee or of the ordinary membership shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting to act as Auditors of the Accounts of the Mission until the next Annual General Meeting. The Treasurer shall cause to be prepared a Receipts and Payments Account of the transactions during the year, which shall be duly audited by the Auditors and presented to the members at the next Annual General Meeting. The nomination and election of Auditors shall be made and take place (mutatis mutandis) in similar manner to that of the Vice-President. The retiring Auditors shall be eligible for re-election without nomination. In the event of no other nominations they shall, if willing to serve, be declared by the Chairman of the meeting to be re-elected without further motion.
12. The Committee shall have power from their own number, or from the general body of members, to appoint Trustees of the assets, funds and property of the Mission. Such assets, funds and property shall be vested in the names of the three Trustees who shall act accordingly as they think best to preserve such assets, funds and property. The removal of one or more Trustees can be done only at a Special Meeting of the members called for that purpose. No transactions of a Capital nature concerning the assets, funds and property of the Mission shall be entered into without the consent of the Trustees or a majority of same, but the Committee may let any property that may accrue to the Mission at such rents or terms as they deem wise in the interests of the Mission, provided such term of tenancy does not exceed three years.
13. A Special Meeting to consider any Special Business shall be called by the Secretary, or Acting Secretary, whenever the Committee may require him or her to do so, or upon his or her receiving
a requisition in writing signed by not less than twelve members at least one calendar month before it is desired that such Special Meeting shall be held and stating the objects for which such meeting is required, accompanied by a deposit of Ten Pounds to cover the cost of printing and postage in connection with such meeting. Particulars of the date, time and place of the Special Meeting shall be supplied to each member by the Secretary or Acting Secretary at least fourteen days prior to such meeting and such particulars if posted or emailed to any member shall be deemed to have been properly supplied at the time at which they would reach him in the ordinary course of post. A majority of two-thirds of the members present personally or by proxy at any Special Meeting shall be necessary to pass any resolution proposed thereat and the business dealt with shall be regarded as special business.
14. Should it be deemed desirable in the interest of the Mission that the President, Vice-President, any member of the Committee, or any Auditor or officer should retire, the Secretary or Acting Secretary shall upon receiving a requisition from the Committee or from any twelve members in the manner and subject to the conditions set out in Rule 13 call a Special Meeting. The business arising under this Rule shall be regarded as special business. In the event of the appropriate resolution or resolutions being passed, the President, Vice-President, or other Committee member, Auditor or officer or all or any of them as the case may be, shall forthwith cease to hold his or her office.
15. Any casual vacancy occurring in the office of President, Vice-President, Auditor or other Committee member or officer may be filled by the Committee from amongst their own number or the general body of members and the person so appointed shall hold office so long as the person whose office is filled would have held such office if no vacancy had occurred.
16. The President shall be Chairman of all meetings of the Committee or of the members at which he is present and in the absence of the President the Vice-President shall be Chairman, provided that during such time at any meeting as any election or re-election to any office or any matter arising under Rule 14 is under discussion, no person who is affected personally thereby shall act as Chairman but the meeting shall appoint another member to act temporarily in his stead.
17. A proxy must be a member and whenever voting is to be given by proxy the form appointing the proxy must be deposited with the Chairman of the meeting before the vote is taken.
18. At all meetings of the Committee or of the members, the Chairman of the meeting shall in the event of equality of voting have power to exercise a second or casting vote.
19. All previous Rules are hereby rescinded but such rescission shall not invalidate any appointment, act, matter or thing done or suffered under the same prior to such rescission.