recorded. such church, and the time of the annual meeting, which shall Annual meeting when be in Easter week; and no church shall be incorporated, in any held. township or city, bearing the same name as any other Protestant Episcopal church theretofore organized therein. SEC. 3. Such articles of agreement, when duly signed Articles where and acknowledged, shall be recorded in the office of the Secretary of State and in the office of the county clerk of the county in which such church is located; and it shall not be lawful for such church to acquire the title to any property until such articles are so recorded. Who may call SEC. 4. Any three or more persons who have signed any arst meeting. such articles may call the first meeting of such church, at such time and place as they may see fit, by publishing a notice for ten days previous to the time of such meeting in some newspaper published in the city or township in which such church Notice how is located; and if no newspaper is published therein, then such given. notice may be given by posting the same in three of the most public places in such city or township; and at such meeting the affidavit of such posting or publishing shall be produced and recorded in the minutes: And it is further provided, That Proviso as to at such meeting, in addition to the signers of such articles, any to vote. other persons who may be authorized by the laws of the church to take part in the incorporation of parishes shall be entitled to vote, who shall sign a declaration in writing, to be kept in the book of minutes, whereby he or she shall signify an intention of becoming attached to said church, and accepting the terms of such articles; vestrymen of the church shall be elected at said meeting or any adjournment thereof. who entitled at subsequent meeting to be how given. SEC. 5. At all subsequent meetings, the right to vote shall Who may vote be confined to such persons as shall be authorized by the laws meetings. of the church to vote at parish meetings. The annual meeting shall take place at such time in Easter week as shall be fixed Annual in said articles. Public notice shall be given of the time and in Easter week. place of holding such meetings, on the Sunday before Easter and on Easter day, by the rector, and in his absence, by either Notice of the wardens, at the regular service on such days. In case service shall not be held, notice shall be given either by publishing or posting, as the vestry shall direct, written or printed notices thereof, signed by the rector, or, in case there is no rector, by the secretary of the vestry, at least one week prior to such meeting. Special meetings of the parish may be called Special by the vestry, and a like notice shall be given of any such how called. special meeting as is required for an annual meeting, and the object of such special meeting shall be stated. At the annual meeting, an election of vestrymen shall be held to serve until Vestrymen how the next annual meeting, but at such annual meeting it shall of office. be lawful, at the option of said meeting, to classify the vestrymen in three equal classes, as near as may be, one of which classes shall hold their offices for one year, one for two years and one for three years, and at all subsequent meetings vestry. men shall be elected for three years, to fill the places made va meetings classified term May discon tinue classification. Vestrymen to be elected by ballot. Who to be judges of election. cant by the class whose term of office shall expire at the time. Any church desiring to discontinue such classification may do so, and thereafter vestrymen shall be elected for one year to fill the places made vacant by the class whose term of office shall expire at the time of election. The vestrymen shall be elected by ballot, and shall serve until their successors shall be chosen. The wardens, when present, shall be the judges of the election, and shall permit no person to vote unless qualified as aforesaid; and they shall canvass and declare the result, and a majority of all the votes cast shall be necessary to elect. In case of the absence of the wardens, or either of them, members of the vestry shall be appointed to act as such judges in the place of the absent warWho to preside. den or wardens. The rector, when present, shall preside at all meetings of the parish. A full and complete record of the proceedings of all such meetings shall be kept by the secretary of the vestry. Record of proceedings to be kept. Wardens, etc., how chosen. Meetings of vestry, how called. Quorum. Rector to preside. Vacancies in vestry, how filled. Who to have care and management of affairs. May acquire real estate. Certain real estate, how SEC. 6. The vestrymen shall annually choose by ballot from their own body two members, who shall be communicants, to be wardens. They shall also appoint a secretary and a treasurer, who may be members of their own body, and they may employ such other agents and servants as may be required. Meetings of the vestry may be called by the rector of the church by giving due notice thereof at any regular service on Sunday, or they may be called by serving upon the rector and upon all members of the vestry a notice in writing, signed by the rector, either warden or any two vestrymen. A majority of the vestrymen elected shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The rector, when present, shall preside at all vestry meetings, but shall have no vote except in case of a tie; and in his absence from the meeting, one of the wardens, if present, shall preside. All vacancies in such vestry may be filled by the remaining vestrymen at any meeting, and the persons so elected shall hold office for the same period as their predecessors would have held. SEC. 7. The vestry shall have the care and management of all the temporal affairs of such church, and they shall have authority, in the corporate name, to lease or to purchase and hold such real estate as shall be reasonably necessary for a church building, chapel, parish house, lecture and school rooms, and for dwellings for the ministers thereof; but it shall not be lawful for such corporation to hold or use any real long may hold. estate for any other purpose for a longer period than ten years. The said vestry shall also have power to alienate or encumber any of the property of said corporation, but they shall not have power or authority to alienate or encumber any real estate purchased or held for any of the purposes above enumerated, without being first authorized to do so by vote of the congregation of the parish, at the annual meeting or at a special meeting called for such purpose, and no other person shall vote at such special meeting except those qualified to vote at How may encumber property. consent of the annual meeting; nor shall it be lawful to encumber or alienate any such property without the previous consent of the Bishop, acting with the advice and consent of the standing To have committee of the diocese in which such property is situated. bishop. Said vestry shall have authority to erect, alter, repair, enlarge, How may alter and repair take down or remove and rebuild any church or other building church, etc. belonging to such corporation, provided such vestry shall first have obtained from the parish authority so to do, in the manner herein before provided for alienating or encumbering the property thereof. No owner of any pew or slip in such church shall be held to be the owner of any interest in the land whereon the same is erected. of proceedings. SEC. 8. The vestry shall keep a record of their proceedings, To keep record which, together with a record of the meetings of the congregation of the parish, shall, at all times, be open to the inspection of any officer of the parish, and of all persons qualified to vote at the annual meeting of such church. Such records shall be what to be prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated. evidence. How may Articles of SEC. 9. Any Protestant Episcopal Church whose corporate reorganize, etc. term of existence has expired, or may be about to expire, or may hereafter expire, by limitation, may be reorganized under this act, so as to become subject to the provisions thereof, whenever the wardens and vestrymen, de jure or de facto, shall execute and file articles of agreement as provided in this act. agreement. Said wardens and vestrymen, de jure or de facto, are hereby authorized by their names of office to make, sign, acknowledge, execute and file one or more duplicate articles of agreement, as provided in sections one, two and three of this act, which articles shall, in addition to the requisites in said last men- Articles, what tioned sections named, set forth that they are executed for the to set forth. purpose of reorganizing said corporation according to the provisions of this act, and such articles shall be deemed sufficient when so executed and filed, although the number of signers shall be less than six, if they shall constitute the majority of such wardens and vestrymen, de jure or de facto. Upon the execution and filing of said articles such corporation shall, without further action, be deemed to all intents and purposes when deemed reorganized, and the corporate identity of such corporation reorganized. shall continue unchanged. church at articles of SEC. 10. Any church incorporated under this act may, at Power of any annual meeting, or at any special meeting, called for that annual purpose, by a vote of the majority of those present qualified to meeting. vote and voting on the question, amend its articles of agree. May amend ment in any manner not inconsistent with the provisions of agreement, etc. this act, of the constitution and canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and of the diocese in which said church shall be located, and such amendments shall become operative on filing a copy of the same, certified by the presiding officer and secretary of such meeting, with the Secretary of State and with the clerk of the county in which such church is located; and all such amend. When valid. Acts repealed. Churches heretofore may reorganize. To execute articles of agreement. What to set forth. ments heretofore made by any Protestant Episcopal Church are hereby declared to be valid and binding. SEC. 11. The following entitled acts are hereby repealed, viz.: "An act to provide for the organization of Protestant Episcopal Churches," approved February seventeenth, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven; "An act to amend sections four, five, six and seven of an act entitled 'An act to provide for the organization of Protestant Episcopal Churches,' approved February seventeenth, eighteen hundred fifty-seven, being sections three thousand and eighty-three, three thousand and eighty-four, three thousand and eighty-five and three thousand and eighty-six of the compiled laws of eighteen hundred seventy-one, and to add a new section thereto, to stand as section eight of said act," approved May twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred seventy-nine; "An act to enable certain Protestant Episcopal Churches to reorganize under the statute, approved February seventeenth, eighteen hundred fifty-seven, entitled 'An act to provide for the organization of Protestant Episcopal Churches," approved March fourteenth, eighteen hundred sixty-five; also all other acts amendatory of the above entitled acts, or inconsistent with this act; but the organization of all corporations under the provisions of either of said acts shall be deemed and taken to be organizations under this act, and all rights, obligations and liabilities contracted or incurred by any such corporations thereunder, or under the provisions of any law now in force, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, shall continue of the same force and effect as though such acts of law had not been repealed; all such corporations, from and after the taking effect of this act, shall be subject to all the provisions hereof as fully as though such organization had been perfected hereunder. SEC. 12. Any Protestant Episcopal Church, heretofore ororganized, how ganized under any other general law than those mentioned in the last preceding section, may reorganize so as to become subject to the provisions of this act. The wardens and vestrymen, de jure or de facto, of such church, or a majority of them, are hereby authorized by their names of office to execute, acknowledge and file one or more articles of agreement, as provided in sections one, two and three of this act, which articles shall, in addition to the requisites in said last mentioned sections provided, set forth that they are executed for the purpose of reorganizing such church according to the provisions of this act; and such articles shall be deemed sufficient, when so executed and acknowledged, although the number of signers shall be less than six, if consisting of a majority of such wardens. and vestrymen. Upon the execution and filing of said articles. When deemed such church shall, without further action, be deemed to all intents and purposes to be reorganized and a corporation under this act, and all rights of property and of contract shall remain unimpaired, and the corporated identity of such church shall continue unchanged. reorganized. to continue The wardens and vestrymen in office shall continue in office Certain officers until the annual election in Easter week next following such in office. reorganization, and until their successors shall be chosen; and no other meeting or notice shall be necessary to complete such reorganization. This act is ordered to take immediate effect. [No. 41.] AN ACT to provide for records to be kept, and reports to be made by, and for the State supervision of societies, associations and organizations incorporated, or which may hereafter be incorporated, under the laws of this State, the whole or part of the business of which is to receive and maintain minor children in institutions, or place minor children in homes, on indenture, by adoption, or otherwise, and to provide for certain expenses in connection with such records, reports and State supervision. The People of the State of Michigan enact: children. to contain. SECTION 1. There shall be kept at the institution of each Institutions to and every society, association and organization, incorporated, keep record of or which may hereafter be incorporated, under the laws of this State, the whole or a part of the business of which is to receive, maintain, or place minor children in homes, on indenture by adoption, or otherwise, so far as the children in their custody or under their control, a full record of each child who is now in, or who may hereafter come within, its custody or control; which record shall contain such data as shall be deemed im- Record, what portant by the State Board of Corrections and Charities, particularly as to the number of children received, their parentage, the cause of the child's admission, the consent or agreement of the parents, if any, or their authority by which the custody of the child is surrendered, age, date of admission, education, and special training given, and what disposition has been made of the same, and such records shall be continued during the minority of each child: Provided, That when a Proviso. child is adopted, the record of such adopted child may cease at the time of its adoption. Such record shall always be open for To be open to the inspection of the State Board of Corrections and Charities, inspection. or any member or officer of such State board. annual report SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the respective boards of each To make of the corporations named or described in section one of this to board of act, to make or cause to be made, on the thirtieth day of June corrections and of each year, an annual report, which report shall give a full account of the work done by each such corporation, as far as charities. |