HONG KONG BAPTIST CHURCH INCORPORATION ORDINANCE

HONG KONG BAPTIST CHURCH INCORPORATION ORDINANCE

LAWS OF HONG KONG

HONG KONG BAPTIST CHURCH INCORPORATION

ORDINANCE

CHAPTER 1078





CHAPTER 1078.

HONG KONG BAPTIST CHURCH INCORPORATION ORDINANCE.

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS.

Section...................................... page.

1. Short title ................................ ... ... ... ... ... ... 2
2. Interpretation ............................. ... ... ... ... ... 2

3......................Description and incorporation ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2

4.................Powers of corporation ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2
5.................Transfer of property ....... ... ... ... ... ... ... . ... ... 2

6...............Number of trustees ........... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

7...................Vacation of office by trustee ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

8. New trustees; their appointment and tenure of office ... ... ... 3

9...........................Filling casual vacancies among trustees ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

10........................Notification of changes of trustees ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3

11..................................Appointment of chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary ... ... ... 4

12...............Execution of deeds ........... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4

13..................................Appointment and removal of clergyman or preacher ... ... .. 4

14.................Custody of documents ....... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4

15...........................Power of committee to make regulations ... ... ... ... ... ... 4
16...........................Regulations not binding until approved ... ... ... ... ... ... 4

17. Saving................................. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4





CHAPTER 1078.

HONG KONG BAPTIST CHURCH INCORPORATION.

Toprovide for the incorporation of the Trustees of the Hong Kong
Baptist Church.

[27th May, 1955.1

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Hong Kong Baptist Church
Incorporation Ordinance.

2. In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires'church'
means the Hong Kong Baptist Church;

'committee' means the committee elected by members of the church;

'deacons' means the deacons of the church;

'members' means the adults who have been baptised in and admitted to
the church or those transferred from other baptist churches and
admitted to the church.

3. The trustees for the time being of the Hong Kong Baptist Church
shall be a body corporate, hereinafter called the corporation, and shall
have the name 'The Trustees of The Hong Kong Baptist Church', and in
that name shall have perpetual succession and shall and may sue and be
sued in all courts in the Colony and shall and may have and use a
common seal and may break. alter and make anew the said seal.

4. (1) 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 wheresoever situate. and
also invest moneys upon mortgage of any lands, buildings, messuages
or tenements, or upon the mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares
or securities of any government, municipality. corporation, company or
person. and also to purchase, acquire and possess vessels and other
goods and chattels of what nature and kind soever.

(2) 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 vessels or other 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.

5. The legal estate in any property whatsoever transferred to the
corporation in any manner whatsoever shall in the event of the death of
any of the trustees for the time being or in the





event of any trustee ceasing to hold office as such trustee vest in the
trustees for the time being duly appointed.

6. The number of the trustees shall be seven.

7. The office of any trustee shall be automatically vacated if such
trustee shall die or shall resign his office or if a resolution be passed at a
meeting of members of the church requiring the resignation of such
trustee or if his term of office shall come to an end.

8. (1) At the annual general meeting of members of the church
held in each year, six new trustees shall be elected by members of the
church as follows

(a)three deacons who have been proposed by the deacons of
the church;

(b)three members of the committee who have been proposed by
the members of the committee.

(2) If there shall only be one clergyman or preacher then he shall be
ex officio a trustee but if there shall be more than one, then the
members of the church shall elect in the church during the month of
January each year a presiding clergyman or preacher from among the
number of clergymen or preachers. and such presiding clergyman or
preacher shall be ex officio a trustee.

(3) Subject to the provisions of section 7, trustees when elected
shall hold office until the annual general meeting of members of the
church in the following year. Trustees whose terms of office have
expired shall be eligible for re-election.

9. If the office of a trustee be vacated other than through the
expiration of the term of office then a new trustee shall be elected by the
members of the church from among the class of members of the church
who proposed the trustee whose office is vacated and such new trustee
shall hold office until the next annual general meeting of the members of
the church.

10. (1) Any change in membership of the trustees shall within three
weeks of such change be notified in writing to the Colonial Secretary
and by the publication of a notice in the Gazette.

(2) No such change shall be deemed to have been made until a
notification of such change has been published in the Gazette.

(3) The production of a copy of the Gazette containing any such
notification shall be prima facie evidence of a change in membership
of the trustees.





(4) The trustees shall when required by the Governor furnish to
him satisfactory proof of the succession, election or appointment of any
new trustee.

11. The trustees when elected shall appoint a chairman, a vice-
chairman, and a secretary from among their number.

12. All deeds, documents and other instruments requiring the seal
of the corporation shall be sealed in the presence of three or more of the
trustees, one of whom must be a trustee ex officio and shall also be
signed by the three of such trustees present and such signing shall be
and be taken as sufficient evidence of the due sealing thereof.

13. The members of the church may at a general meeting of the
members appoint a clergyman or clergymen or preacher or preachers to
perform and carry on divine worship and the services usual in the
Baptist Churches and may also appoint a preacher or preachers and
other officers or staff to assist the presiding clergyman or preacher to
carry on all matters connected with the religious services or other affairs
of the church under the immediate direction of the presiding clergyman
or preacher, and may remove all or any of them.

14. All books, deeds, papers and other documents belonging to the
church shall be under the care and custody of some one or more
persons appointed by the trustees.

15. All regulations relating to the affairs of the church otherwise
than those specifically provided for by this Ordinance shall be drawn up
by a committee appointed by the members of the church for such
purpose and shall be submitted to the general meeting for approval.

16. No regulations made by any committee under section 15 shall
be binding on the members of the church unless such regulations have
been passed by a majority of members present and voting at a general
meeting of members.

17. Nothing in this Ordinance shall affect or be deemed to affect the
rights of Her Majesty the Queen, Her 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 17 of 1955. Short title. Interpretation. Description and incorporation. Powers of corporation. Transfer of property. Number of trustees. Vacation of office by trustee. New trustees; their appointment and tenure of office. Filling casual vacancies among trustees. Notification of changes of trustees. Appointment of chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary. Execution of deeds. Appointment and removal of clergyman or preacher. Custody of documents. Power of committee to make regulations. Regulations not binding until approved. Saving.

Originally 17 of 1955. Short title. Interpretation. Description and incorporation. Powers of corporation. Transfer of property. Number of trustees. Vacation of office by trustee. New trustees; their appointment and tenure of office. Filling casual vacancies among trustees. Notification of changes of trustees. Appointment of chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary. Execution of deeds. Appointment and removal of clergyman or preacher. Custody of documents. Power of committee to make regulations. Regulations not binding until approved. Saving.

https://oelawhk.lib.hku.hk/items/show/3553

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