CHINA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORDINANCE

CHINA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORDINANCE

CHAPTER 272.

CHINA CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

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 Con-
gregational Church Ordinance.

2. (1) The members of the church body of the China
Congregational Church in Hong Kong shall be a body cor-
porate under the name of 'The Church Body of the China
Congregational Church in Hong Kong', hereinafter called
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, build-
ings, messuages or tenements of what nature or kind soever
and wheresoever 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 othenvise dispose of any lands, buildings, mes-
suages, tenements, mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds,
shares or securities, or goods and chattels, which are for the
tirne 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
Congregational 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 Testaments, 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 corpora-
tion 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 frorn 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
convened by posting a notice of the time and place for hold-





ing 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 requir-
ing the seal of the corporation shall be scaled 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, His Heirs or
Successors, or the rights of any body politic or corporate or
of any other persons except such as are mentioned in this
Ordinance and those claiming by, from or under them.
Originally 36 of 1912. Fraser 36 of 1912. 37 of 1950. 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. [s. 8 cont.] Use of seal. Saving. 37 of 1950, Schedule.

Originally 36 of 1912. Fraser 36 of 1912. 37 of 1950. 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. [s. 8 cont.] Use of seal. Saving. 37 of 1950, Schedule.

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