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.”