Paradise Christian Homeschoolers, Inc.

By-Laws

Article I – Name, Purpose, Location

Section 1.1 – The name of this organization shall be Paradise Christian Homeschoolers, Inc. (PCH).

Section 1.2 – The fiscal year of PCH shall begin on the first day of July and end on the last day of the following June.

Section 1.3 – Mission Statement: PCH is a community of like-minded Christian families who choose to collaborate in their home education journey to draw nearer to Christ.

Section 1.4 – The registered office location of PCH shall be 108 Cardinal Dr. Central City, KY 42330. The organization may have any number of offices at such places as the Steering Committee may determine.

Article II – Statement of Faith

Section 2.1 Statement of Faith

We believe that the Bible, consisting of 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, divinely inspired, free from error in doctrine, fact, and ethic, and inerrant in the original writings, is the Word of God and the only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice.

We believe in one God eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the same in substance, equal in power and glory. We believe that God is the creator of the universe and that all life is created by God.

We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of God the Father, and His personal and physical return in power and glory.

We believe that God created man in His own image but that through sin, man brought upon himself and his posterity not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God; that all human beings by physical birth possess a sinful nature.

We believe that repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God and that God declares righteous those who, through faith in Christ, repent of their sins and confess Him as sovereign Lord.

We believe that the salvation of lost and sinful man is a free gift of God's grace apart from works, based solely upon Christ's vicarious and atoning death, effected by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and received by trusting in Christ's finished work on the cross and that this salvation is eternally secured to all believers.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by Whose indwelling upon salvation the Christian is enabled to live a godly life; that it is incumbent upon every believer to walk worthy of his calling - to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.

We believe in the resurrection of the body of both the saved and the lost - they that are saved to the resurrection of life everlasting and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that it is the parent's responsibility to teach his or her child a biblical worldview and raise him or her in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We believe the primary responsibility for disciplining and discipling a child remains with the parents.

We believe the Bible teaches that all humans are created in the image of God, we hold that all human life is sacred and of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality - We believe that the Bible has given us a true and valid definition of marriage attendant boundaries of sexuality and moral conduct, and the clear Biblical teaching that gender is both sacred and established by God’s design.

1. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as a biological male or female, and a person’s gender cannot be separated from his or her biological sex. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and, therefore, the rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
2. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
3. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other and that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
4. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual or bisexual behavior, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.

Article III – Membership

Section 3.1 – The organization will not have voting members. All decisions will be made by the Steering Committee.

Section 3.2 – The qualifications for (nonvoting) membership (i.e. participation only) will be:

1. Payment of the fees set forth by the Steering Committee.
2. Agreement with the mission statement and statement of faith.
3. Continued compliance with the Policies and Procedures.

Section 3.3 – PCH is a membership organization. Members are required to adhere to the Policy and Procedures of the group. Homeschooling parents or guardians may obtain membership in PCH by remitting annual membership dues and an annual membership form. Members join with the understanding that any PCH-sponsored activity will be in keeping with the group's Statement of Faith.

Article IV – Meetings

Section 4.1 – The date of the regular meetings shall be determined by the Steering Committee who will also set the time and place.

Section 4.2 – Regular meetings of the Steering Committee may be held at such place and time as shall be designated by the standing resolution of the Steering Committee.

Section 4.3 – Special meetings may be called by any Steering Committee member.

Section 4.4 – Notice of all meetings shall be provided to each Steering Committee member, in person, in writing, by phone, text message, email, or other electronic means at least 24 hours before the meeting.

Section 4.5 – Members of the Steering Committee may participate in a meeting via conference telephone or similar communications equipment.

Article V – Steering Committee

Section 5.1 – The business of the organization shall be managed by a Steering Committee comprised of at least Three (3) Steering Committee members. The Steering Committee is responsible for maintaining the overall policy and direction of the organization. The Steering Committee shall delegate responsibility for day-to-day operations to the President, appropriate committees, or other members as needed. Steering Committee members shall receive no compensation (other than reasonable expenses) for their service on the Steering Committee.

Section 5.2 – The Steering Committee shall meet at least four (4) times per year at an agreed-upon time and location.

Section 5.3 – All Steering Committee members shall serve a term of two (2) years, and may serve an indefinite number of terms, as determined by the Steering Committee.

Section 5.4 – Any Steering Committee member may be removed from office without assigning any cause by the vote of the Steering Committee at any meeting of the Steering Committee.

Section 5.5 – Any Director may resign at any time by giving notice to the organization.

Section 5.6 – In the event of a vacancy on the Steering Committee (including situations where the number of Steering Committee members has been deemed necessary to increase), the directors shall fill the vacancy.

Section 5.7 – A quorum must be attended by at least 51% percent of the Steering Committee members before business can be transacted or motions made or passed.

Section 5.8 – The Steering Committee shall hire and fix the compensation of any employees which they in their discretion may determine to be necessary for the conduct of the business of the organization.

Article VI – Officers

Section 6.1 – The officers of the organization shall be President, Vice President, and Secretary. The Steering Committee shall appoint each of these officers. The Steering Committee may also appoint other officers it deems necessary.

Section 6.2 – The Steering Committee shall appoint officers for a term established by the Steering Committee.

Section 6.3 – Any officer may be removed from office without assigning any cause by a majority vote of the Steering Committee at any meeting of the Steering Committee.

Section 6.4 – Officers of the Steering Committee will not be compensated via salary or other benefits for their service as an officer of the Steering Committee.

Section 6.5 –President

The President shall convene regularly scheduled Steering Committee meetings and preside or arrange for other members of the Steering Committee to preside at each meeting.

Section 6.6 – Secretary

The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Steering Committee actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all Steering Committee meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Steering Committee member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.

Article VII – Steering Committee

Section 7.1 - The Steering Committee shall be composed of the three (3) officers of the Steering Committee and other Steering Committee members appointed to the Steering Committee.

Article VIII – Sub-Committees

Section 8.1 – The Steering Committee may create Committees as needed, such as fundraising, public relations, and program Steering Committees. The President shall appoint all committee chairs.

Section 8.2 – No Committee shall have any power to: fill vacancies on the Steering Committee, adopt, amend, or repeal the by-laws, amend or repeal any resolution of the Steering Committee, or act on matters committed by the by-laws or resolution of the Steering Committee to another Committee of the Steering Committee.

Article IX – Indemnification

Section 9.1 – The organization shall indemnify any agent of the organization including Directors, Officers, Staff, and Volunteers who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding, administrative or investigative, as such a person was or is an authorized representative of the organization. This indemnification against expenses, judgments, fines, and amount paid in settlements actually or reasonably incurred by such a representative of the organization is contingent upon the determination that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he/she believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the organization. Concerning any criminal proceeding, indemnified persons shall have had no cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful.

Section 9.2 – To satisfy indemnification obligations the organization may maintain insurance, obtain a letter of credit, act as a self-insurer, create a reserve trust, cash collateral, enter into indemnification agreements, or use any other arrangement whatsoever in such amounts, at such costs, and upon other terms and conditions that the Steering Committee shall deem appropriate.

Section 9.3 – This indemnification shall be made only if the organization is advised by its Steering Committee acting (1) by a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to such action or proceeding upon a finding that, or (2) if a quorum under is not obtainable with due diligence, upon the opinion in writing of legal counsel that, the director or officer has met the foregoing applicable standard of conduct. If the foregoing determination is to be made by the Steering Committee, it may rely, as to all questions of law, on the advice of independent legal counsel.

Article X – Amendments

Section 10.1 – These By-laws may be amended when deemed necessary by a 2/3 majority vote of the Steering Committee. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary and sent along with regular Steering Committee meeting notices.

Article XI - Additional Provisions

Section 11.1 - Upon the dissolution of PCH, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for public purpose.

Section 11.2 - PCH is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and/or scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No part of the net earnings shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof.

Section 11.3 - No substantial part of the activities of PCH shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 11.4 - Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Section 11.5 – Whenever a director or officer has a financial or personal interest in any matter coming before the Steering Committee, the affected person shall a) fully disclose the nature of the interest and b) withdraw from discussion, lobbying, and voting on the matter. Any transaction or vote involving a potential conflict of interest shall be approved only when a majority of disinterested directors determine that it is in the best interest of the corporation to do so. The minutes of meetings at which such votes are taken shall record such disclosure, abstention, and rationale for approval.