SHES
Membership
Last updated in May 1999
by Christopher Haahs
What
Is SHES Membership?
CONGREGATIONAL MEMBERSHIP
"1 Membership. The membership of the assembly shall
be open to any congregation of Spiritual Healers and Earth Stewards which
desires membership, supports that member's prorated share of the contributions
necessary to maintain basic communication between the assembly congregation
membership, and maintains each congregation on the records of the assembly
for so long as such member can support the purposes of the Assembly as
set forth in its Articles of Incorporation.
Purposes
"The purpose of the organization is to be a cooperative
assembly for the mutual assistance of autonomous congregations of Spiritual
Healers and Earth Stewards (hereinafter referred to as SHES) and thereby
to form a vehicle for their communion, deeds and purposes in spiritual
exploration, growth, healing and earth stewardship."
"In carrying out its purposes, the assembly recognizes
the liberty of each individual even while seeking to preserve unity of
all sentient beings through love, cooperation, respect, tolerance and sharing.
While congregations may employ members to counsel, coordinate or facilitate
their activities, they are encouraged to neither bestow or grant any special
membership privileges or rights by reason of any duties, title or professional
designation of any member. To this end membership regulations of the assembly
are abandoned and membership is open to all contributing congregations
which declare themselves to be members. Each congregation manages its affairs
as it pleases except when such management actually threatens the existence
of the Assembly as a whole."
"While the assembly encourages groups not to let matters
of money, property and prestige divert them from their spiritual and stewardship
purposes, it recognizes that each congregation must be fully self supporting
and therefore should avoid exploitation by outside contributions and subsist
on its own voluntary contributions as may be necessary to cover its bare
running expenses and a prudent reserve for contingencies that may arise
in times of need."
"Adding to the health and beauty of the whole earth and
its inhabitants rather than individual monuments to pride and exhibitionism
or to overcome fear more suits the purposes of SHES."
"The assembly should never endorse, finance or lend its
name to any outside enterprise. To this end the congregations should be
encouraged never to endorse, finance, or lend their names to any related
facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, power, property
and prestige divert any of them from their primary purpose."
"The assembly may create organizations, service boards
or committees and recognize persons of merit and ordain ministers to assist,
coordinate and facilitate the activities of congregations and those who
might be or become members of congregations all also being directly responsible
to those they serve recognizing that neither SHES nor the members of SHES
can be dictated to either individually or collectively."
"It is hoped that the Assembly and the SHES shall grow
through attraction rather than promotion. To this end the assembly should
not be drawn into public controversy or ostentation and it encourages its
congregations shun any public controversy and ostentatious displays of
wealth, power or moral or doctrinal superiority."
"The primary purpose of the assembly is to assist the
SHES and all interested humans in tolerating, respecting, recognizing,
opening, preserving and protecting their rights to follow any of the many
pathways, observing mutual respect and peace wherever possible, to spiritual
enlightenment, health, and facilitating their works of earth stewardship."
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