ALLEGANY COUNTY OUTREACH
CONSTITUTION
Preamble
I. Name
The name of the organization shall be Allegany County Outreach.
II. Purpose
The purpose of Allegany County Outreach is to share the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Towards the attainment of this goal, the students of Houghton College will establish and
maintain bonds of friendship with the residents of Allegany County.
Specifically, the organization will sponsor a Big “Brother”/Big “Sister” Program designed to
bring about relationships between Houghton College students and the children of Allegany
County. This program will include group events and parties as well as one-on-one involvement
of students with their little “brothers” and “sisters.” There will be efforts to make college
facilities and cultural events available to the children of Allegany County, e.g., through
invitations to the children to dine on campus or attend games, plays, religious programs, etc. with
students.
Allegany County Outreach also has the long-range purpose of instituting additional programs
with the intent of blessing the residents of Allegany County; these might include food and
clothes distribution programs and a family counseling service. Allegany County Outreach might
also serve by providing a context within which members of the (non-student) population of
Houghton might become involved in the effort to show Christ’s love to the larger Allegany
community.
III. Statement of Faith
The statement of faith of Allegany County Outreach shall be the Apostle's Creed:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick
and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church, the communion of
saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
Article 1: ORGANIZATION
Section 1: Membership
This organization shall consist of such persons as adhere to the statement of
faith and who are in accord with the purpose of this organization, desiring
to commit themselves to the accomplishment of said purpose.
Section 2: Executive Officers
Clause 1: The executive cabinet of this organization shall consist of the
offices of president, vice-president, secretary, correspondence secretary,
treasurer, chaplain, party coordinator and transport person.
Clause 2: Persons serving on the executive cabinet shall be members of the
sophomore, junior, or senior classes and shall have been a member of
Allegany County Outreach for at least one year.
Clause 3: Persons filling the positions on the executive cabinet shall be
appointed in April by the present executive cabinet. Appointments are
subject to a two-thirds majority vote of approval of the organization present
at a general membership meeting to be held in April. At that time, should
any appointment be considered unsatisfactory to the organization, the floor
will be opened for nominations to the office in question. The voting shall
then take place at a general meeting. (Nominees must fill out an application;
the general cabinet may be notified by email about this process.)
Clause 4: Duties of the executive officers:
1. President
a. To be in charge of the ACO Cabinet meetings and in addition to
have responsibility for setting an agenda.
b. To represent the group, e.g., in relations with the public, in chapel,
etc.
c. To oversee establishment, maintenance and co-ordination of all of the
activities of the organization.
d. To have responsibility for the publication once a semester of a
newsletter consisting of organizational information of interest to the
public.
2. Vice-President
a. To assist the president
b. To train for the presidency (which he/she will assume the
following year)
3. Secretary
a. To maintain a file of all persons currently enrolled in, or affiliated
with, Houghton College who have been involved as chairmen,
workers, entertainers or proctors for any party; to collect all
information pertinent to organizational records and to file such
information with the secretary.
b. To maintain a file of all current Houghton College students who
serve as big “brothers” or “sisters".
c. To be responsible for taking minutes at each meeting.
4. Correspondence Secretary
a. To be responsible for the circulation to the public of information
regarding all activities of the organization; This includes notes to
parents of little “brothers” and “sisters.”
b. To be responsible for the distribution of party information sheets to
each student involved in a party.
c. To be in charge of announcements, e.g., on bulletin boards.
5. Treasurer
a. To be responsible for keeping financial records.
b. To distribute money.
c. To be in charge of petty cash.
6. Chaplain
a. To be responsible for the publication of a prayer letter no less than
twice each semester, the purpose of which shall be to communicate
the needs of particular family(s).
b. To be in charge of matching college students who shall act as big
“brothers and sisters" to Allegany County children.
7. Party Coordinator
a. To be responsible for the establishment of parties once a month
for members of ACO; The previous cabinet will schedule times
for all parties and place them into the Day Planner put out by
Houghton College for the following year.
8. Transport Person
a. To be responsible for organizing and providing transportation for
County children to all parties.
b. To be responsible for providing transportation to students
involved in visitation who have a need for it.
c. To maintain a file of maps for each big brother and sister to find
their families location in the County.
Section 3: General Cabinet
Clause 1: The general cabinet of the organization shall consist of the
executive cabinet, ACO helpers, big “brothers,” and big “sisters.”
Clause 2: Members of the general cabinet shall be appointed by the
executive cabinet, and shall be chosen no later than the first meeting of
October, of the executive cabinet of each new year.
Section 4: Faculty Advisor
Clause 1: The faculty advisor shall be nominated by the executive cabinet
in April and approved by the director of Student Life.
Clause 2: The faculty advisor shall be a non-voting member of the
executive cabinet and attend at least one party a semester.
Article 2: MEETINGS AND VACANCIES
Section 1: The executive cabinet shall meet each week. Special meetings may be called
by the president. The newly appointed executive cabinet shall meet at least
once in April for the purpose of organization. All executive cabinet
members must fulfill at least one office hour a week.
Section 2: The general cabinet shall meet once a month for a party.
Section 3: In the event of the vacancy of the office of president, the vice-president
shall assume the duties of the president. In the event of the vacancy of any
office other than that of the president, the executive cabinet shall appoint a
successor.
Article 3: AMENDMENTS
The constitution may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the organization
present at an executive cabinet meeting.
Article 4: BY-LAWS
The organization may establish such by-laws as are necessary for the execution of
this constitution.