Scarsdale Congregational Church

Bylaws Articles I-V

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of this Church is The Scarsdale Congregational Church.

The purpose of this Church is to gather in community those who desire to worship God and respond, individually and collectively, to God's purposes for their lives, as made manifest in Holy Scripture and in the life, teachings, death, resurrection, and living presence of Jesus Christ.

ARTICLE III

POLITY

The polity of this Church is congregational and covenantal. Its government is vested in its qualified voters, who reserve to themselves full control in ecclesiastical matters and such control in secular matters as is permitted by civil law. This Church and its members are part of the United Church of Christ, and sustain that relationship in accordance with the denomination's Constitution and Bylaws. Actions by or emanating from the General Synod, the New York State Conference, or the Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ shall be afforded the highest regard, but shall be binding on this Church only upon the affirmative vote of the qualified voters at a corporate meeting.

ARTICLE IV

FAITH AND COVENANT

Section 1. Faith

Members of this Church have the undisputed right to interpret the Word of God according to the dictates of their own consciences. The following Statement, therefore, is an illustration, not a test, of Christian faith for members of this Church:

We believe in God, our Creator and our Sustainer, who is made known to us through Holy Scripture.

In Jesus Christ God has come to us, shared our common lot, and taught us to love one another.

Jesus Christ calls us into the church to be disciples in the service of the human family, to transmit God's commandments from generation to generation, to be baptized as a mark of discipleship and forgiveness of sin, and to share in the Last Supper as a remembrance forever of God's goodness and mercy.

God accepts all people and offers to all people the ever-present comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

Section 2. The Covenant

The Covenant to which members and affiliate members of the Church subscribe expresses the solemn commitment of all members to each other and to this Church:

We are united in striving to know the will of God as taught in Holy Scripture and as made known to us in our lives. We hold it to be the mission of this Church to worship God, to witness to God's love as we find it in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and to labor for the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of human community. Depending, as did those who came before us, upon the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit, we rejoice in the promise of God to redeem the world and to bring us all into a gracious relationship with God, with each other, and with creation itself.

ARTICLE V

SERVICES OF WORSHIP

Services of worship shall be held on Sunday mornings and on other occasions determined by the Ministers and the Worship and Music Committee, and shall be announced in the Church Bulletin. The sacrament of Baptism shall be administered on appropriate occasions determined by the Ministers. The sacrament of Holy Communion shall be offered at services of worship not fewer than five times a year, and on these occasions the loose collection shall be credited to the Deacon's Fund.