CHINA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORDINANCE, 1912

CHINA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORDINANCE, 1912

No. 36 of 1912.

An Ordinance to Provide for the incorporation of the Church
Body of the China Congregational Church in Hong Kong.

[1st November, 1912.]

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the China Congregational.
Church, Ordinance, 1912.

2. (1) The members of the Church Body of the China
Congregational Church in Hong Kong shall be a body corporate
under the name of 'The Church Body of the China Congrega-
tional Church in Hong Kong' (hereinafter referred to as the
corporation).

(2) The corporation by the name aforesaid shall have
perpetual succession, and shall and may sue and be sued in all
courts, and shall and may have and use a common seal, and may
from time to time break, change, alter and make anew the said
seal as to the corporation may seem fit.

(3) The corporation shall have power to acquire, accept
leases of, purchase, take, hold and enjoy any lands, buildings,
messuages or tenements of what nature or kind soever and
wheOsoever situated and also to invest moneys upon mortgage
of any lands, buildings, messuages or tenements, or upon the
mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares or securities of any
corporation or company, and also to purchase, acquire and
possess goods and chattels of what nature and kind soever.

(4) The corporation shall further have power by deed under
its seal to grant, sell, convey, assign, surrender, exchange
partition, yield up, mortgage, demise, reassign, transfer or
otherwise dispose of any lands, buildings, messuages, tenements,
mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares or securities, or
goods and chattels, which are for the time being vested in or





belonging to the corporation, upon such terms as to the
corporation may seem fit.

3. The corporation shall keep at its principal church or
meeting place a register of the members of the China Congrega-
tional Church in Hong Kong, and shall enter in such register the
names of all such persons as are in the opinion of the corporation
proper persons to be admitted as members of the said church.
Such book is hereinafter referred to as the register of members,
and the persons whose names appear therein as members of the
church.

4. Upon the death or resignation or removal from office of
any member of the Church Body aforesaid, a successor to the
person so dying, retiring or being removed shall be appointed by
a majority of the members of the church present at a meeting to
be convened for the purpose by the corporation. The names of
every person so elected shall be entered in the register of
members with the date of election and particulars of the office
to which such person is elected, and every such entry shall be
signed by at least four members of the Church Body.

5. The services of the church shall be regulated and
conducted by the pastor of the church for the time being in
accordance with the principles of the Christian religion based
upon the old and New Testamentsi and in accordance as far as
possible with the practice of the Congregational Churches now
in existence in Europe and America.

6. Subject to the provisions of section 5, the corporation
may make regulations for the services of the church and the
management of its property and affairs generally. All such
regulations shall be laid before a meeting of the members
convened for the purpose and if approved by a majority of the
members, present at such meeting shall be binding on the
corporation and upon all members of the church. A copy of any
such regulations sealed with the common seal of the corporation
and countersigned by any four members of the Church Body
shall be accepted as evidence of such regulations having been
regularly made and confirmed.
7. The regulations may provide for the removal from office
or from membership of the church of any member of the Church
Body or the church by the vote of at least two-thirds of the
members of the church.

8. Every meeting held under this Ordinance may be con-
vened by posting a notice of the time and place for holding such
meeting, and the nature of the business to be discussed, upon the
door of the principal church or other meeting place of the
corporation in Hong Kong on the two Sundays next preceding
the date of the meeting.

9. All deeds, documents and other instruments requiring the
seal of the corporation shall be sealed with the common seal of
the corporation and signed by at least four of the members of the
Church Body for the time being.

10. Nothing in this Ordinance shall affect or be deemed to
affect the rights of His Majesty the King.
[Originally No. 36 of 1912.] Short title. Incorporation. Succession and seal. Power to acquire property. Power to sell property. Register of members. Filling vacancies in Church Body. Conduct of services, etc. Power to make regulations. Removal of members. Convening meetings. Use of seal. Saving of rights of Crown.

[Originally No. 36 of 1912.] Short title. Incorporation. Succession and seal. Power to acquire property. Power to sell property. Register of members. Filling vacancies in Church Body. Conduct of services, etc. Power to make regulations. Removal of members. Convening meetings. Use of seal. Saving of rights of Crown.

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