Introduction
We have survived the Jesus Fellowship Church in all its forms, and this is another part of our story, we have many names, many faces and many personalities but what unites us as one is a shared experience of the control and abuse suffered over years. This suffering came in many forms; sexual abuse, rape, grooming, beatings, cruelty, slave labour, mind control, child molestation, emotional abuse, bullying, destruction of personality, neglect, spiritual abuse, control, forced marriage, poverty and financial abuse; the list is endless. We believe that the path to justice doesn’t have to be similarly endless or in vain. For evil cannot prosper when good people refuse to remain silent.
Through the work and companionship of this mutually supportive democratic association of, for and by those directly affected through their involvement with the Jesus Fellowship Church, and with all due acknowledgement of the invaluable work of others similarly affected and seeking justice, we will strive to bring peace, restoration and justice in its most appropriate form.
1. Name
The name of the group shall be Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association
2. Aims
The aims of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association:
• To bring together and foster mutual support and understanding for ex members of the Jesus Fellowship Church/Jesus Army within a safe cohort and safe environment.
• To provide access – and advice on access – to professional support and resources with members.
• To seek redress and cause restorative action from, and by the Jesus Fellowship to those affected by their current or historical association with the Jesus Fellowship Church/Jesus Army.
• To seek – or aid the seeking of – financial and legal recompense from the Jesus Fellowship Church as appropriate on a group or individual basis.
• To provide group meetings and activities to further the aims of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors.
• To raise funds by donation as necessary to support the above aims.
3. Membership
Due to the sensitive nature of the association’s subject matter and absolute reliance on a trust environment, acceptance to membership will be necessarily audited and due diligence applied before admission. Notwithstanding:
Membership is open to anyone who:
• Has by parental association, as a consensual adult or otherwise been a member or child of a member (formal or otherwise) of the Jesus Fellowship Church and/or Jesus Fellowship Christian (New Creation) Community.
• Has by invitation to join by a member of the association and accepted that invitation.
• Has made a membership request to the administrators of the association directly or via the association Social media or Website and been accepted.
• Or seeks to support the aims and activities by way of financial or experiential contribution, anonymous or otherwise.
• Supports the aims and objectives of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association
• Has been verified and approved by the membership administrators.
Membership will be entirely of a voluntary nature and will commence immediately upon their membership request being verified by the administration committee or appointed representative.
There will be no annual membership fee, this will be reviewed annually. All monies will be raised by voluntary donation entirely at the discretion of the individual member. While welcomed and valued, donations will not automatically confer membership.
A list of all members and their contact details will be kept by the membership secretary. For the necessary and sole purpose of communicating group activities for the duration of their membership.
3.1. Ceasing to be a member
The Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association is an entirely voluntary organisation and as such members may resign at any time in writing or otherwise by notification to the secretary.
Any member who has not been active or notified the secretary of intention to suspend, terminate or pause active membership for one year will be contacted by the committee, who will then decide whether that member is deemed to have resigned
Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist, or inflammatory remarks including religious intolerance, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the principles of equal opportunities may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the association administrators, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.
4. Equality
The Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.
5. Officers and committee
The business of the association will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary, and not less than four times a year.
The Committee will consist of no less 10 members and be composed of 3 statutory officers which are required as we move forward and may be asked to report association activities, audits and accounts etc to official bodies (charity commission, local government etc). There will also be up to 8 additional committee members drawn from the working group leads. This is to properly reflect and report on the activities of each working group area. It also serves to ensure that the diverse interests of the general membership have as wide a voice as possible and that each working group is properly represented and accountable to the membership. Additional members may be co-opted onto the committee at the discretion of the committee.
The statutory officers’ roles are as follows:
• Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings
• Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers
• Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts
The statutory officers may serve both as the working group lead and statutory officer.
In the spirit of democratic association all committee members will have an equal representative voting share whether a statutory officer or otherwise. As described in section 7 below if a majority vote cannot be achieved an additional single vote will be made from and counted as the majority casting vote of the 3 statutory officers.
In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.
Any committee member not attending a meeting without apology for three months will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign.
The Committee meetings will be open to any member of Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association wishing to attend, who may speak but not vote.
6. Meetings
6.1. Annual General Meetings
An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.
All members will be notified in writing at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.
Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.
The quorum for the AGM will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
At the AGM:
• The Committee will present a report of the work of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association over the year.
• The Committee will present the accounts of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association for the previous year.
• The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected.
• Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.
6.2 Special General Meetings
The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least eight other members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.
The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.
All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post.
The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
6.3 General Meetings
General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 3 months or more often if necessary.
All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post.
The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of the membership or 5 members, whichever is the greater number.
6.4 Committee Meetings
Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary. Committee members must receive notice of meetings at least 7 days before the meeting.
The quorum for Committee meetings is 5 Committee members.
7. Rules of Procedure for meetings
All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If a majority vote cannot be achieved an additional single vote will be made from and counted as the majority casting vote of the 3 statutory officers.
8. Finances
An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer). The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.
Payments may be signed by one signatory with the written or electronically communicated agreement of at least one other signatory.
• For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.
• For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed or electronically agreed by two signatories and held by the treasurer.
Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting. All money raised by or on behalf of the Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.
10. Dissolution
If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.
If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.
Jesus Fellowship Survivors Association 