Healing Light Spiritualist Church

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Meeting Minutes for February 16, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:25 Invocation by Rev. Michael Van Ginkle Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser (by phone:) Diane Jackman (by phone:) BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkle Robert Thompson Lucy Porter Bruce Towle Thoy Conroy Sarah Lane The Secretary’s Report: January Newsletter on website, February Newsletter on site Discussion of signs for road side. Cannot put signs within 660 feet of Interstate. Two signs were made for Gallery Readings, one for corner of Route 2 and Rt 143 and one for in front of the church. Signs were put up. Updated membership list sent to board members Mold report came back with an excellent rating for HLSC building Email discussion on the oil tank being half full for new renter and all agreed to put on the lease that it should be half full when/if this renter leaves. Email discussion about having the security deposit for the apartment in a separate account culminated in the decision to find a local credit union who may have free savings accounts without service charges and stipulations. Discussions with Sandra has revealed she will not attend International Week if there are any mediums she does not know. Created the Healing Light Parents’ Support The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Simply email HealingLightEtna@gmail.com . Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: 1-Motion made and seconded to ratify vote taken by email to deposit regularly into savings account. All were in favor. 2-Motion made and seconded to ratify vote taken by email approving Hypnotic Progression Class April 4. All in favor. 3-Motion made and seconded to ratify vote taken by email to reduce rent to $700 plus utilities. All were in favor. Old Business 1-Janet will talk to Paul Carter about cold start for furnace to save money. 2- One more heated step installed on bottom of porch steps. 3- Internet installed. 4- Door knob turned around. 5- Janet applied for tax exempt status. Old Business on hold till spring 1- Make appointment to clean out septic system. 2- Bruce will fumigate in the spring-and spray around the outside Home Defense. New Business 1- Janet Decker will order Mediums Day Signs 10:00 am - 3:00 pm 2- Banking stuff is switched over from Linda to BonnieLee except for credit card. This will be taken care of soon. 3- Membership application from Lucy Porter. Motioned, seconded. All approved. 4- Lucy Porter presented what she would like to do for the children. Lucy has contacted the director of Lilydale’s children’s program. Principles discussion, aura drawing, fun things for kids; the children come to service with their parents and then split off with the director and then return for the end of the service. It will be announced in the newsletter. 5- Child Protective electric plug thingies will be installed in nursery😊 6- Fireproof safe for office. At any given time there can be $400 in the office. Discussion will continue. Maybe one that can be secured to wall or floor. 7- Signs for Mediums’ Day- should be similar to Gallery Readings signs with vinyl lettering on the time and day. 8- Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 9- Decorate with sheers and LED twinkling lights behind the podium to break up the wood wall 10- International Week discussion about Sandra’s request. Discussion will continue. 11- Painting the angel with white paint. 12- Birthday party celebration July 5th YAY HLSC. Benediction by Rev. Janet Decker Adjourned at 1:22pm

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Meeting Minutes for March 15, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:32 Invocation by Bonnielee Mellot Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser (by phone:) Diane Jackman (by phone:) BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkle Guests: Sarah Lane The Secretary’s Report: March Newsletter on website. Events on calendars. Continued correspondence concerning International Week May 17th speaker for church service (from Chesterfield Spiritualist Camp-Piet Nickle will speak on Cora Richmond) Canceled all Laurie’s classes and removed her photo from website. Worked on website to make current newsletters and current minutes easier to locate. The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Simply email HealingLightEtna@gmail.com . Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: none Old Business 1- Child Protective electric plug thingies installed in nursery😊 2- Banking stuff is switched over from Linda to BonnieLee including debit card. 3- Apartment Rental Security deposit to Affinity Savings account will be added at TDBank. 4- Tabled until all together: Fireproof safe for office. At any given time there can be $400 in the office. Discussion will continue. Maybe one that can be secured to wall or floor. 5- Tabled until later: Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 6- Decorate with sheers and LED twinkling lights behind the podium to break up the wood wall- everything has been purchased so waiting to put up on the wall. We agreed to let them do it ! Go Ladies and Gentlemen! 7- Painted the angel with pearlized paint. Lovely. 8- Birthday party celebration July 5th YAY HLSC. Barbeque, table tipping, gallery readings, live music 9- Picked up signs for Mediums’ Day. Not able to put them into hard ground. Old Business on hold till spring 1-Make appointment to clean out septic system. 2-Bruce will fumigate in the spring-and spray around the outside Home Defense. Tabled until fall 2020 1-Janet will talk to Paul Carter about cold start for furnace to save money. New Business 1-New membership application- Christopher Brown- Motion was made and seconded-all were in favor! 2-Discussion on putting in second bathroom adjacent to existing bathroom and replacing existing slow toilet – 36” doorway, handicap (ADA) accessible, 6 panel wood door which matches the existing door– YAY Michael will try to do it over a couple weekends! 3-Discussion on Séance- Tabled as Ava was not present. Visiting mediums scheduled for April may not be able to enter the country. Will re-evaluate regularly. 4-Discussion on International Week: Confirmed Presenters; Graeme (Graham) MacLauren, Colin Hall, Iddi Eiriksson, Victoria Carillo Invited: From Canada: Peter Kendall (confirmed pending Covid-19 status) and Rosy d’Elia (maybe nighttime heart meditation) will let us know when she is done traveling, Joy Sagar and Stephen Adkins both invited from Cassadaga. Lobster Bake Dinner, Thanksgiving Dinner, Spaghetti Dinner, Pizza and Pie 5-Ad for Etna Bicentennial Program – sfter a bit of tweaking send to HLSC board and then to Camp Etna Board 6-Giving Sarah Lane a key to church 7-Covid 19 (aka Coronavirus) Decided to continue to have church services and request people stay away if they are sick. A letter will be sent to congregation. Benediction by Michael Van Ginkle Adjourned at 1:34pm

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Meeting Minutes for May 17, 2020 Virtual Meeting called to order at 1:03pm Invocation by Janet Decker Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman BonnieLee Mellott (absent) Michael Van Ginkle Guests: Sarah Lane The Secretary’s Report: Since the onset of Covid 19 we decided to temporarily discontinue church services and I, Diane, suggested we do virtual church services on Facebook. Since I had the technical knowledge, I set it up and facilitated the first service on March 19. Happy to say we have had facilitators and mediums locally and from the UK doing our church services ever since. I sent out instructions to all who served our church. April and May Newsletters on website. Events came off calendars and more were put back on. Continued correspondence concerning International Week-Iddi canceled as he is not working. Graeme is trying to secure flights. People in Canada are still on hold as are the people in Florida. Secretary paid 3 years domain name (more years raises us in Google search) $44.88 donation Camp Etna Board met and turned down Diane’s offer to pay for a 2 page ad in the Etna Bicentennial Program. Diane paid the ad agency to design a one page ad for the Healing Light Spiritual Center and sent it to the Town of Etna. They are on hold as to whether they will hold their celebration on July 25th. The Treasurer’s Report as of May 1, 2020 is available for members by request. Simply click on this link to email HealingLightEtna@gmail.com . Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: Motion made and seconded to ratify the vote taken via email for the discussion and unanimous decision to temporarily discontinue church services due to Covid 19. All were in favor. Motion made and seconded to ratify the vote taken via email for the suggestion was made to virtual church services through Facebook and the board unanimously gave Diane permission to set it up and do the first service on March 19. All were in favor. 3- Motion made and seconded to ratify the vote taken via email for the discussion to put all projects on hold until further notice. All were in favor. Old Business Apartment Rental Security deposit to Affinity Savings account will be added at TDBank. Will be taken care of when banks open up. Birthday party celebration July 5th YAY HLSC. Barbeque (BBQ person will wear gloves and mask), table tipping, gallery readings, music. Will discuss options as time goes on. Diane ordered 1 gallon of food grade hydrogen peroxide and sent to HLSC so they can make their own disinfectant $77 donation. Should mix and have available-spoke to Sarah Lane about finding out what to mix. Diane has a couple of foaming dispensers and will be in Maine beginning of June. Sarah is going to mix and have it ready for June 7 church service. Decided at March Board Meeting on putting in second bathroom adjacent to existing bathroom and replacing existing slow toilet – 36” doorway, handicap (ADA) accessible, 6 panel wood door which matches the existing door and hot water tank. When the walls for the bathroom are built maybe make the wall ready for plumbing in a sink on the outside of the bathroom wall along with a counter? Decided we would hold off on the new bathroom and the hot water. The disinfectant we will be using is mixed strong and will kill without hot water. Discussion on International Week We believe the 2 week quarantine will be lifted by September so this will not be a concern for International Week. Should we hold the Victorian Séance during International Week? Ava said she would be happy to work on bringing it together with Diane as long as there is a medium. Confirmed Presenters for International Week; Graeme (Graham) MacLauren, Colin Hall, Victoria Carillo Invited: From Canada: Peter Kendall (confirmed pending Covid-19 status) and Rosy d’Elia (maybe nighttime heart meditation) will know when as soon as she does, Joy Sagar and Stephen Adkins both invited from Cassadaga. Lobster Bake Dinner (Sarah) Thanksgiving Dinner, Spaghetti Dinner, Pizza and Pie Night. Monday is the day off for FUN. Old Business on hold ​ 1-Tabled until back together: Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? Spring time 2-Make appointment to clean out septic system. Janet is going to call and schedule. 3-Bruce will fumigate Monday or Tuesday and will spray around the outside Home Defense. Tabled until fall 2020 1-Janet will talk to Paul Carter about cold start for furnace to save money. New Business 1-Should we post and have a sign asking that people wear their masks when entering the building and until they are seated? Majority of board members said No. 2-Take a vote on streaming our live church services. It was decided to announce it at the beginning of the church service and to post a sign as people are entering the chapel that says; We are streaming our church services LIVE. If you have an objection to this please let us know. 3-Open our parent/children’s group up to everyone on Facebook? Yes. All in favor. Done. 4-Discussion on the elections in September; can’t have everyone going out at the same time. Will discuss more as time goes on because everyone seems to be okay with continuing with the exception of Treasurer. We will be looking for a replacement over the summer-have a possibility depending on pandemic. 5-Safety ideas for events. Turn every other chair in chapel and seats far apart during classes. 6-Event suggestions; let’s try Saturday afternoon classes/workshops from 12-5 with a break 12 – 5:00 Saturday, July 11 - Re-claim Your JOY Gene! w/Rosie Deer Heart 12 – 5:00 Saturday July 18 - Buddha Day w/Matthew T MacDonald 1-3:30 Saturday July 25 Foray Into Parallel Lives w/ Janet Decker 12 – 5:00 Saturday - Aug 1 Self Realization Fellowship Day, Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings 7- First Sunday every month is the pot luck Sunday. This will be changed to Bring Your Own Picnic Sunday to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. We will see if we have a good turnout and if so, we will begin doing “Quickies After Church” on the first Sunday every month. If we don’t have any willing mediums or student mediums to give messages we can incorporate some Angel Card Self-reading or Tarot Cards, to give more messages to people who didn’t get them during service while we are eating? Free to the public but the plate is passed. If it goes well and seems like a good idea we will get a sign made. Benediction by Janet Decker Adjourned at 2:07

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Minutes for June 21, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:25pm Invocation by Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkle Guests: Sarah Lane Bruce Towle The Secretary’s Report: Since the onset of Covid 19 we returned to in person church services on June 7, events were changed on Facebook and Google Maps. Parents/Children’s Group made public on Facebook. June Newsletter on website. Home page on website has link to Virtual Services recorded from March 19-May 31. Also, individual links are on our new VIDEO page found under the ABOUT US on dropdown menu. Events came off calendars and more were put back on. Continued correspondence concerning International Week- Graeme is trying to secure flights. Colin Hall has secured flights. Peter Kendall is not coming. Joy Sagar not coming. Stephen Adkins will let me know next week. Rosy D’Elia is coming and will do 45 minute heart meditation each morning. Along with 3 workshops to be announced. Waiting to see if Stephen is coming before I start schedule. Rosalie Deer Heart will be doing a Writing with Soul workshop as well as a JOY workshop with Colin Hall. Colin is contacting a friend in New York to invite him to come and do a workshop with him. Wrote to Victoria Carillo to confirm she still wants to come. Secretary purchased and installed flower bed. $87=$63 on rhododendron and $24 in mulch The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: Motion was made to ratify vote taken via email to have Josh We Know (aka Josh Childers) play music online from 1-2. Moved All were in favor. Old Business Apartment Rental Security deposit to Affinity Savings account will be added at TDBank. Will be taken care of when banks open up. Janet and Bonnie will make an appt at the bank. Birthday party celebration July 5th YAY HLSC. We Are One. Josh playing music from 1-2pm. Suggested food: 2 trays of 36 mixed finger rolls ($46each) Half Sheet marbled cake ($37). Bags of chunk cheese and boxes of crackers, jars of pickles ($25) Informal Gallery Readings- Wandering Mediums, music. Cairn or Rock Sculpture or whatever you want to call it in the flower bed for the July 5th party. People can bring rocks from their land or find one on our 5 acres and we can line up and put them in place during the party. Anything else? Discussion on International Week We believe the 2 week quarantine will not be a concern for International Week. Should we hold the Victorian Séance during International Week? Ava said she would be happy to work on bringing it together with Diane as long as there is a medium. Confirmed Presenters for International Week discussed in Secretary’s Report; Lobster Bake Dinner (Sarah) Tuesday night, Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday night, Spaghetti Dinner on Friday Night, Pizza and Pie Sunday Night. Monday is the day off for FUN. Discussion on streaming virtual church services. List pros and cons of streaming. PROS: Having the videos for people to watch the Inspirational Talk at a later date. CONS: If people are watching on line they are not coming into church. People have to be there and responsible for making it happen. We will table this for now but in the future find someone to help with the videos. Discussion on elections for Members’ Meeting. Will need new Treasurer in fall 2020. Suggestion: 2020 vote: President, Treasurer & Trustee - 2021 vote: Vice President, Secretary & Trustee Nominating Committee Volunteers: Sarah Lane and Bruce Towle Fireproof safe for office – Michael Van Ginkle is going to get prices. Work on finding out what a cold start is for a furnace. Spring time 1-Make appointment to clean out septic system. Janet is going to call and schedule. 2-Bruce fumigated Monday or Tuesday and will spray around the outside Home Defense. Bruce will caulk along the floor under the front window. Tabled until sometime in the future: 1-Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 2-Additional Bathroom (when we build the additional bathroom I suggest we make the wall not adjacent to the other bathroom, with plumbing for a sink and countertop for what could be our kitchen) New Business 1-Memberships to be voted on: MJ Gina Collins All in favor ! 2-Need approval to buy 3 gallons of white exterior paint to start (semi gloss or satin), Approval given! 3-What should we do about the blacktop pieces in the grass? Wheelbarrow arrives on Saturday and Sarah and others will be dumping. Volunteers needed. Diane brought her truck:) 4-Janet is asking for permission to hook up 2 freezers in the garage. One may need to go in a different garage because of electrical draw. 5-Domestic abuse is up in Maine and permission was given to post helpline poster! 6-Thank you to Bruce for weed-whacking, Sarah for mowing and Ken for mowing the back forty and Diane for the flower bed. Benediction by Rev. BonnieLee Mellot Adjourned at 2:00pm

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Minutes for July 19, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:24 Invocation by BonnieLee Mellott Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkle Guests: Sarah Lane Lindy McLaughlin MJ Bruce Towle The Secretary’s Report: Our HLSC website ran out of pages so I tediously combined all of our Board Minutes on one page and it can be found under the ABOUT US tab on the drop-down menu. Also combined all the newsletters and they can still be found under the NEWSLETTTERS tab - all combined into two pages. Hours and days of moving but have freed up 20+ pages for our website. More pages cost more money. Moved $900 into checking from Paypal and notified Treasurer. Propped up Vehicle Storage sign and changed phone number. Will touch up with white paint next time have wet white paint brush. Painted Garage door #1. Lockbox was purchased and put into place inside front entry. Blacktop being piled up by Sarah. Diane moved first load with her truck. Revisited bylaw changes and sent to board members for changes. Will send to members once the board approves the submission and before Annual Members’ Meeting in September. Virtual Event Saturday morning revealed HealingLightEtna.org had expired so renewed that and Secretary paid $13 and set up on domain auto-renewal with name cheap so it doesn’t expire again. Building Committee (Diane) recommends-1-Garage #1 needs flashing or drip edge to save roof. 2-Apartment Ceiling needs repair 3-Approval given to cut bottom shelf of shelf in office. The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: Motion was made to ratify vote to cancel International Week. All were in favor. Motion was made to ratify vote taken to make Janine Collins an Admin to post daily inspirational messages on Facebook. All were in favor. Old Business Apartment Rental Security deposit to Affinity Savings account will be added at TDBank. Will be taken care of when banks open up. Janet and Bonnie will make an appt at the bank. Discussion on elections for Members’ Meeting. 2020 vote: President, Treasurer & Trustee - 2021 vote: Vice President, Secretary & Trustee – Duties of Officers are on the ABOUT US tab on the website in the BYLAWS. Established Nominating Committee Volunteers: Sarah Lane and Bruce Towle Fireproof safe for office – Michael Van Ginkle is going to get prices. Work on finding out what a cold start is for a furnace. Spring time 1-Make appointment to clean out septic system. Janet scheduled, July 28, Frost. 2-Bruce caulked along the floor under the front window. Thank you Bruce. Tabled until sometime in the future: (no need to read these aloud:) 1-Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 2-Additional Bathroom (when we build the additional bathroom, I suggest the plumbing be set up with a tee for supply line and drain line to make it ready for what has become our kitchen area) 3- Discussion on streaming virtual church services. List pros and cons of streaming. PROS: Having the videos for people to watch the Inspirational Talk at a later date. CONS: If people are watching on line they are not coming into church. People have to be there and responsible for making it happen. We will table this for now but in the future find someone to help with the videos. New Business 1) Sarah Lane will handle storage rental contracts, payments and moving vehicles in and out. 2) Janet suggests setting up an online payment system via either PayPal reader or Square (we already have Paypal). She will investigate the expenses involved. 3) Discussion about church decorations. We are looking for a giant Sunflower to hang over stairway. 4) Bonnie would like to help layout an online platform/outline in case we ever need to go back to virtual services. Bonnie has experience and will help whoever does any videos in the future. 5) Suggestion box-will be put in place and suggestions will be read aloud at each board meeting. 6) Painting registers – will be done over time 7) Tall windows need to be washed inside and out. Bruce and Diane will take care of that soon. 8) Bylaw changes – will address at the next meeting 9) Thrift Store? Let’s think about it. Benediction by Michael Adjourned at 1:48pm BYLAW CHANGES The following proposed Bylaw changes are submitted by Diane Jackman, Secretary HLSC Suggested Bylaw Change #1 Article VIII, Section 1: President Old: The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts of HLSC and shall cosign all checks and/or transfers of two hundred (200) dollars or more. New: The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts of HLSC and shall cosign all checks and or transfers as specified in Rules and Regulations. Rationale: The $200 limit is too low. Putting the amount in the Rules and Regulations will allow the Board to increase this amount if necessary. Suggested Bylaw Change #2 Article VIII, Section 1: President: Old: The President must call one (1) annual membership meeting, the date to be chosen by the Board of Directors. New: This would be removed from the President's duties and added to Article VIII: Section 3 - change suggested below. Rationale: Having the Annual Members' Meeting on the same day every year creates consistency. I propose the second Sunday after Labor Day. This corresponds to the same weekend of Camp Etna's Board meeting on Saturday. Many of us are members of both. Suggested Bylaw Change #3 Article VIII: Section 1: Old: The President must call one Annual Membership meeting, the date chosen by the board of directors. Old:Take this out of here completely and where this same thing is said under Article X, MEETINGS Section 3: The Board of Directors will call an Annual Members’ meeting by notifying all members in writing at least fourteen (14) days in advance. New: HLSC will hold its Annual Members' Meeting in September, the second Sunday after Labor Day, after church service. Rationale: Setting the Annual Meeting at the same time every year allows easier planning. Suggested Bylaw Change #4 Article VIII, Section 4: Treasurer Old: The Treasurer shall pay all bills and expenses of HLSC, except any expenses over two hundred (200) dollars that must be approved by the Board with the exception of monthly rent. New: The Treasurer shall pay all normal bills and expenses of HLSC. Amounts and details are specified in the Rules and Regulations. Rationale: The $200 amount is too low. Putting the amount in Rules and Regulations will allow the Board to change the amount if necessary. Suggested Bylaw Change #5 Article IX, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, Part C: Old: A letter of recommendation or demit from another spiritualist church official. New: A letter of recommendation from another spiritualist church official. Rationale: The word "demit" does not belong here. Suggested Bylaw Change #6 Article IX, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, After Part C: Old: Each new adult member shall agree to complete a basic three-part course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism if they have not done so elsewhere. This shall be done within two years of membership registration. New: Each new member is encouraged to complete a basic course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism. This class is offered once each year. Rationale: Someone who wants to be a member of our church is already spiritual and we should recommend they take a course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism, not force them. Suggested Bylaw Change #7 Article X, MEETINGS, Section 1: Old: All meetings of the Board will be conducted according to the following agenda: Call to order Invocation Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment New: Call to order Invocation Roll Call Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment Rationale: Adding Roll Call to agenda of all meetings allows us to keep records of attendance. Suggested Bylaw Change #8 Article X, MEETINGS, Section 2: Old: All membership meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1, with the addition of roll call and elections following the invocation. A President’s report will also be added. New: All Board Meetings, Membership Meetings and Annual Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1. President’s Report and Elections will be done at the Annual Meeting according to the agenda for that meeting. Rationale: All meetings conducted by the Board and the Members should follow the Agenda in our Bylaws and it is good to have a record of who attended. _________________________________________________________ The following is what I came up for Rules and Regulations working with Peter Conroy. It contains some Standard Operating Procedures that the congregation has suggested we institute. I believe the Rules and Regulations should be able to stand alone so 90% of these proposed rules and regs are taken directly from our bylaws currently in place. The text that is already in our bylaws is not highlighted. The new or additional items are highlighted in yellow. Rules and Regulations Conduct of our officers, members and guests shall follow our Mission Statement and Spiritualist Principles as stated in our By-Laws: Mission Statement The mission of The Healing Light Spiritualist Church of Etna, founded October 8, 2004, is to share the gifts of peace, love, healing and respect that come from the light of Spirit. By practicing the principles of Spiritualism, we build community, service, acceptance and charity for all creation. Spiritualist Principles 1. We believe in Infinite Intelligence. 2. We believe that the phenomena of Nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expressions of Infinite Intelligence. 3. We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression, and living in accordance therewith, constitute true religion. 4. We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continues after the change called death. 5. We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism. 6. We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever you would that others do unto you, do you also unto them.” 7. We affirm the moral responsibility of individuals and that we make our own happiness or unhappiness as we obey or disobey Nature’s physical and spiritual laws. 8. We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never closed against any soul here or hereafter. 9. We affirm that the Precepts of Prophecy and Healing are divine attributes proven through mediumship. Allegiance All members of HLSC pledge to abide by the By-Laws and our rules of conduct. All members agree to support HLSC to their chosen degree of participation, talents and assistance. Officers and Trustee Section 1: The elective officers of HLSC shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. They shall each serve a limit of three (3) consecutive Two-year terms. Officers shall assume their positions immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Currently, due to our entirely new board elected in September 2018, the President and Treasurer positions will be elected at the 2020 Annual Members’ Meeting. The Vice President and Secretary positions will be elected at the 2021 Annual Membership Meeting. This will ensure continuity within the board and avoid having four (4) board members changing at the same time. Section 2: There shall be one (1) elective Trustee on the Board of HLSC. The Trustee shall provide advice and assistance to the officers on behalf of HLSC and shall vote on all actions taken by the Board. The Trustee shall serve a limit of three (3) consecutive One-year terms. A Trustee shall assume the position immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 3: Any elected member of the Board of HLSC who missed two (2) unexcused consecutive meetings or a total of three (3) during a term shall be replaced by appointment of the President first, the Vice-President second, or by a majority vote of the Board third. Section 4: The newly elected officers and trustee shall take the following oath: “I (name) having been duly elected (office), do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully perform my duties in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of HLSC until my successor is duly elected and installed.” Section 5: In the absence of availability of other nominees for officers or trustees the currently serving Board or any members may run for another term. Duties of Officers Section 1: President. The President shall preside over all Board meetings of HLSC and all annual membership meetings. The President shall have general supervision over the affairs and officers, requesting reports from those officers as needed and shall give a report at each annual members’ meeting, detailing activities of the office, reviewing the status of the Corporation, and providing recommendations for growth. The President may call special meetings of the Board of Directors be giving adequate notice of seven (7) days to each Board member. The President may vote in case of a tie or when the vote is taken by ballot. The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts and shall cosign any expenses that are not normal business expenses (mortgage, heating, electric, insurances, taxes etc.) of one thousand (1000) dollars or more. This abnormal expense over $1000 will also be approved by the Board. The President shall appoint an assistant to the Secretary or Treasurer, if needed, and shall appoint all committee leaders, and shall be a member of all committees, ex-officio. The President shall sign all certificates and other documents authorized by the Board. The outgoing President shall release all records, documents and reports to the newly elected President immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 2: Vice-President. The Vice-President shall serve in the absence of the President within the boundaries of the President’s responsibilities and authority. The Vice-President shall remain fully informed of the President’s ongoing activities and shall serve in the President’s absence due to death or removal of that officer or at the request of the President. The Vice-President shall assist the President in all duties and responsibilities at the President’s request. The out-going Vice-President shall release all records, documents and reports to the newly elected Vice-President immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 3: Secretary. The Secretary shall receive all membership applications and fees with a receipt provided to the member. This Officer shall transmit a report at each Board meeting and at each annual membership meeting. This Officer shall maintain a file of all Church records, past and present. The outgoing Secretary shall provide the newly elected Officer with all documents within a ten (10) day period. Section 4: Treasurer. The Treasurer shall pay all bills and expenses of HLSC. Any expenses that are not normal business expenses (mortgage, heating, electric, insurances, taxes etc.) over one thousand (1000) dollars must be approved by the Board and co-signed by the President. A duplicate file of all receipts shall be kept. The Treasurer shall be custodian or all funds and securities of HLSC. All monies shall be deposited in a bank chosen by the Board. This Officer shall provide a report of accounts to the Board on a monthly basis, or to the President of the Board as requested, and shall provide a yearly report at each annual membership meeting. This Officer shall notify each member of yearly dues two weeks prior to the due date. An audit of accounts shall be performed prior to each annual membership meeting. Membership may require the Treasurer to be bonded. The Treasurer shall provide any newly elected Officer with all records within ten (10) days of election. Appointment of the HLSC Ministers. The HLSC Board approves and appoints all Ministers (also known as Pastors) who will serve our church. Duties of HLSC Ministers (Pastors) 1. Ministers will plan and conduct church services. 2. Ministers will be available for members in their times of need: A. Provide spiritual guidance B. Perform weddings C. Perform healings D. Perform funerals E. Teaching beliefs 3. Ministers will always conduct themselves as described in conduct section at beginning of Rules and Regulations. Membership Section 1: An adult voting member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. Anyone under the age of eighteen (18) may become a junior member with the permission of a parent or guardian. Section 2: In order to become eligible for HLSC Membership one (1) of the following conditions must be met: A. Three (3) months of attendance. B. Proof of spiritual credentials. C. A letter of recommendation from another spiritualist church official. Each new member is encouraged to complete a basic course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism. This class is offered once each year. New members will be provided a current copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of HLSC. Any adult member wanting to run for office is expected to become fully knowledgeable of the Constitution and By-Laws. Section 3: Membership forms shall be obtained from the Secretary/Treasurer and shall be returned with full payment of the current annual dues. All membership applications shall be approved by the Board. Section 4: All adult members shall have voting rights at each annual membership meeting or any special membership meeting called provided current annual dues have been fully paid. Article X: MEETINGS Section 1: All meetings of the Board will be conducted according to the following agenda: Call to order Invocation Roll Call Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment Section 2: All Membership Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1. Section 3: All Annual Membership Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1 with the addition of elections and a President’s report following the invocation. Section 4: The Board of Directors will call an Annual Members’ meeting by notifying all members in writing at least fourteen (14) days in advance. *Change to: Annual Membership Meeting will be the second Sunday following Labor Day after church service. Section 5: Regular meetings of the Board shall be called by the President with at least a seven (7) day notice to each Board member. Special meetings of the Board or the membership may be called by the President or a majority of the Board to process a particular topic with a ten (10) day written notice given by the President. A Special meeting of the membership may be called by a majority of the members in good standing (dues fully paid) with a fourteen (14) day written notice given to all members. Section 6: A simple majority of the full number of Board members must agree on every act of the Board before any vote can be enacted. Section 7: A quorum for any members’ meeting shall consist of those attending. Fiscal Year The fiscal year for the Corporation of HLSC shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year. Church Collections and the Two Person Rule. Monies collected at church services or related activities are immediately counted by the minister conducting the service and then verified at that time by another minister or appointed HLSC officer. In the event a minister or officer is not present, a patron, who is not related to the servicing minister, may verify. Upon verification the monies will be placed in an envelope and sealed. The counter and verifier will sign their names legibly on the envelope along with the date of the collection. FACEBOOK Upkeep and Entries will be handled by the admins appointed on the Facebook Page account. Currently the President and Secretary are admins. HLSC Newsletter and Other Mailings: The lead pastor oversees mailings to members and parishioners that deal with church related news unrelated to HLSC Board or financial information. All newsletters and related church reporting sent by the pastor are accomplished via email. Such reporting may also be available in hard copy at church services. The pastor, at his/her discretion, may also mail copies of reports to people who do not have access to email. Structure of Church Service: The conduct of church service will be structurally consistent with the criteria set forth below: 1. Greeting 2. Meditation and Healing 3. Inspirational talk 4. Collection 5. Messages from Spirit 6. Exceptions are allowed for special services as ministers see fit. Tax Submissions: Federal and state tax statements are submitted on a quarterly basis by the Treasurer; however, the proposed submissions must be reviewed and approved by the President and Vice President. Weekly Time and Location of Church Service: 10:30am on Sunday at the Healing Light Spiritual Center, 38 Stage Road, Etna, Maine. Full Financial Disclosure to Members The financial report reviewed and approved is always available to members by request.

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Minutes for August 16, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:30 Invocation by Rev. Michael Van Ginkle Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkle Guests: Sarah Lane Bruce Towle Annie Collins Tom Noble Ava Spruce Lindi McLaughlin The Secretary’s Report: Made changes to Proposed Bylaw Changes and proposed Rules and Regulations and sent them to Board Members so they could be approved and sent out to members. Bruce washed windows and I painted front trim on Garage #3, cut off shelf in office and used cutoff portion for shelf in workshop-which is now organized. Repaired bathroom ceiling in apartment. Replaced kitchen faucet in apartment. The Treasurer’s Report Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: none Old Business Apartment Rental Security was deposited to Affinity Savings account at TDBank. Fireproof safe for office – Michael Van Ginkle got prices; 1.3 cubic foot safe $165 bigger is twice as expensive. Safe will be purchased. Motion made and seconded. All were in favor. Work on finding out what a cold start is for a furnace. Janet looked into PayPal Reader or Square. Square costs 10 cents per transaction plus 2.6% and Paypal has no fee per transaction and is 2.7%. Ordered Paypal Reader. Someone will remove Ganesh wall hanging this week. Suggestion box will be created. Tom Noble and Annie Collins will help paint heat registers. Tabled until sometime in the future: (no need to read these aloud:) 1-Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 2-Additional Bathroom (when we build the additional bath room I suggest the plumbing be set up with a tee for supply line and drain line to make it ready for what has become our kitchen area) 3- Discussion on streaming virtual church services. Pros and Cons in previous minutes. New Business Septic system discussion-the pump needs a winter access and the pump may need Basement discussion – moldy and crumbling walls – we have had a very generous gift of an ozone generating machine and de-humidifier for our basement Discussion of Agenda for Annual Meeting- we will prepare committee reports etc. Ava Spruce asked about members renting a room to do readings. Janet will investigate Membership Applications to be voted on. Motions were made and seconded and all were in favor of all memberships. Janice Gerry Tom Noble Annie Collins It was decided to reinstate potluck lunches after church service on first Sunday of the month. 6. We are continuing to discuss the possibility of a Community Thrift Store on the property. 7. A motion was made and seconded and all were in favor to appoint Ava Spruce as a pastor to our church. Benediction by Ava Spruce Adjourned at 1:44pm

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Members’ Meeting Minutes for September 20, 2020 A lovely buffet was enjoyed by everyone. It was agreed, “We all like to eat!” Meeting called to order at 12:43pm Invocation by Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Roll Call Janet Decker Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman BonnieLee Mellott Michael Van Ginkel Guests: MJ, Gina Collins, Lyndi, Ava, Robert, Tom, Annie, Sarah, Andy, Shenoah, Kay and a few who prefer to remain anonymous. The Secretary’s Report: 1st we must approve last year’s minutes: Annual Members’ Meeting Minutes September 22, 2019 Call to order 12:37 Roll Call – taken Guests Additional guests asked to remain anonymous Invocation Janet Decker President’s Report for 2018 and 2019 was read by Janet Decker-copy of it on website under minutes for anyone who would like to read it. Elections there were none as we had all just begun. Treasurer resigned as of end of December 2019 and was replaced by BonnieLee Mellot-thank you! Secretary’s Report Websites serving us well. HealingLightEtna.org was added for ease of locating calendar. Google Maps continues to bring people to our website. PLEASE, go to google and give us a rating. The more people who rate us the higher we will be in the google search engine. Business Card Holder is up and I see there are still empty spots. Anyone can display their card, until it is full. Community Bulletin Board is up. Correspondence- Many letters to us through web site and Facebook thanking us, prayer requests, had some correspondence with an almost presenter who fortunately did not come at all. We learned the importance of vetting our presenters. Our reputation depends upon it. Plowing contract was secured. Committee Reports- Fund Raising Committee – ongoing “Saturdays at the Center” Angels’ Wings – no minimum donation. Raffle- selling tickets Building Committee Report- Everything was done in the building to meet code. Unfinished Business- History Corner- One wall is dedicated to the 9 Spiritualist Churches and Camps in the state of Maine that are active as either year round or summer season. The other wall is of Days Long Gone… New Business- Second Bathroom- Placement directly adjoining existing bathroom 6’ Window Donation-Placement Suggestions-tabled Designated Séance Room Placement Suggestions-tabled Added Rev. Michael Van Ginkel to the rotation list of reverends. Benediction Laurie Xanthos Adjournment 1:49pm Motion was made to approve last year’s Annual Members’ Meeting Minutes. Seconded. All were in favor. Correspondence Mostly prayer requests and additions to newsletter. International and other mediums all wrote they were unable to come to America this summer so we discussed and voted to cancel our International Week 2020. The Treasurer’s Report available to members by request. Discussions about TDS Internet billing, Paypal, etc. Looking for an accountant. One name offered. Committee Reports Fund raising- Raised $417 on Facebook fundraiser. Bottle Drive $45 so far. Discussions ongoing about the possibility of running Bingo, renting facility to other churches, youth organizations and webinars with our local mediums and our far away friends. Raffles are in place right now at the church and at Sonny’s, 226 Water Street, Augusta, Maine. Silent Auction coming up. Children’s events being planned. Building Report- Our building has served us well. We decided not to install the 6 foot windows that were given to us but we are holding onto them for our possible Community Thrift Store or simply to resell for the money. We have noticed some foundation issues in the walls of our basement and we were given the funds to place an ozone generator and humidifier in the basement. They are in place and need to be run periodically to keep moisture levels down. We are marking the blemishes there now to make sure the problem areas do not get any worse. Gutters should be installed in 2021. Diane painted the fronts of all 3 garages. The trim on the sides of the buildings also need to be painted in 2021 (before installing gutters). Storage Rental Report- People are beginning to reserve their spaces. Vehicles in and out on Mondays and Fridays, first come, first serve. Motorcycle storage available in basement. The President’s Report by Rev. Janet Decker HLSC President’s report 2020 The president's report is designed, to sum up how the year has gone so here is the highlights. We have had a steady growth in membership, which I am always pleased to announce. To be exact we have had 20 new members since last September. We planned and carried out events through the winter, many of them were very well attended. Rev. Linda created and facilitated a beautiful Christmas service and afterward we had refreshments and drew the winners of our raffle. The evening was enjoyed by all! It has been my pleasure to ordain 5 of our members. Rev. Michael Van Ginkel, Rev. Bonnielee Mellott, Rev. Gina Collins, Rev. Chris Brown, and Rev. Ava Spruce. Reverend’s Michael, Ava and Gina are now members of our pastoral council and I am grateful they have agreed to serve our church in this way. Thank you. In December Rev. Linda stepped down as treasurer and Rev. Bonnie stepped into the void as interim treasurer. We thank you Bonnie for doing this. It was a huge help! As everyone knows, we had no physical services for 3 months which was very hard on us financially, as it was for most churches and many businesses. None the less, we managed to keep our head above water. During the shutdown, Diane put together an online video platform for virtual church services through Facebook. The videos had great attendance but, unfortunately, brought very little income. We had some very generous donations this year, one of which was designated to purchase an ozone machine and a dehumidifier for the basement. This has made a wonderful difference in our building. Unfortunately, we do have a very damp basement and because of this mold and mildew is growing there. The ozone machine kills virtually everything, mold, mildew, bacteria, and viruses. It does need to be run periodically to keep things "clean." The dehumidifier removes moisture from the basement and therefore makes it more difficult for things like mold and mildew to grow. The donation of these two items is very greatly appreciated. Just this week we had a fabulous coffee maker donated to us for which we are very grateful. This new one is a huge improvement over the old one which poured coffee all over everything. So thank you, thank you! The septic tank was pumped and the septic pump was repaired. We discovered that the clean out's and the opening where the pump is was three feet underground so Rev. Michael brought a barrel which he cut off basically at ground level to use as a riser. This way if there should be a problem with the system during the winter we will be able to access the openings without issue. Thank you, Rev. Michael! The man who plows and sands for us did a nice job last winter and we have secured his services again for this coming winter. Mark is very easy to work with and he is close by which is a blessing. There were some repairs to garage #3 roof which Diane took care of. She also did some scraping and painting on all 3 garages. Also, part of the ceiling came down in the apartment and there was a kitchen faucet issue as well. Thankfully, Diane fixed both of these things. Also, Diane put in a beautiful flower bed for us this year. The flowers are lovely and will be even more so next year. Thanks, Diane! Ken mowed the field which we are grateful for, thank you, Ken, and Sarah has been mowing and trimming the property around our buildings and she is also taking care of storage rentals. Thank you, Sarah! Bruce continued to help out whenever and wherever needed and his help is always greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bruce! Hats off to our wonderful cleaning crew! These ladies have spent countless hours this past year keeping our building not just looking and smelling great but also keeping it safe. With the Covid-19 stuff going on much attention had to be given to keeping things disinfected. Ava, MJ, Gina, and of late Annie and Michele have also joined the crew. Kendra Wescott and Susan Joyce spent some time cleaning as well. With grateful hearts we thank you all for loving our church so much that you consistently give of your time and efforts. Because of COVID, our 3rd International Week had to be canceled. International Week is our biggest income producer, and that income is definitely missed. But also, we miss the presenters, our friends from Scotland, England, and Iceland. Thankfully we did get to see our friend, Victoria Carillo from New York who just last night taught an animal communication class for us. September is a month many of us look forward too because it allows us to visit with our friends near and far. In a normal year, it brings our summer event season to a close with a bang. We will just have to make up for it next year. I need to make mention of two raffles that are going on. Gina began one for our church at her store which is wonderful, and I understand it is doing quite well, and the fundraising committee has begun a raffle here. If someone has something they would like to contribute to our raffle here at the church just talk to someone on the fundraising committee. To everyone who has served our church in any way we are grateful, truly. It takes a village to make things work and we honestly could not do this without you. Today I am lovingly transferring the spiritual leadership of this church into the very capable hands of Rev. Michael. Michael was a terrific ordination student and he is a wonderful pastor, as I knew he would be. He is a natural. I say that not just because he does a nice job leading the services but also because he continues to read and study and grow his spiritual knowledge. I feel very good about having him step into my shoes. It feels right. Last but not least I just want to say that it has been an honor to serve you all, and this church in the capacity of president and lead pastor. I thank you for putting your faith and trust in me. Your faith and trust gave me a platform for growth, it helped me to become a better person. It opened my eyes to what “CAN BE” and made me want to accomplish that for you and for me. Thank you for everything. Respectfully submitted, Rev. Janet Decker Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: 1-Motion was made to ratify the vote taken via email stating that Board Members & Pastors are allowed to do private readings and healings at The Center while donating 25% of proceeds to church. 2-Motion was made to ratify the vote taken via email stating that we will repair septic with a 55 gallon drum and delay the custom made risers for a future date if we find them to be necessary. 3-Motion was made to ratify the vote taken via email to host Victoria Carillo called A-B-C’s of Animal Communication at 7pm on September 19, 2020. 4-Motion was made to ratify the vote taken via email to add Rev. Gina Collins to our pastoral council. Unfinished Business 1-Tom Noble and Annie Collins will help paint heater registers and I am certain they would welcome other volunteers. They will pick a day and let others know when. 2- A few projects we had on our “TO DO” list that have been postponed until we recover from the current situation, perhaps in 2021. a-We plan on putting a split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Perhaps on kid’s room. b-Additional Bathroom- will be situated right next to bathroom number one and we will put a tee in the supply and drain lines to facilitate what has become our kitchen/serving area. However, we are putting in two handrails on either side of the new toilet being installed in our current bathroom. c-Discussion on streaming virtual church services. Pros and Cons in previous minutes. 3-We are continuing to discuss the possibility of a Community Thrift Store in Garage #3. Spring. New Business Bylaw Changes-Diane read, asked for discussions, then motions were made to approve, seconded and voted on; All were in favor. BYLAW CHANGES The following proposed Bylaw changes are submitted by Diane Jackman, Secretary HLSC Suggested Bylaw Change #1 Article VIII, Section 1: President Old: The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts of HLSC and shall cosign all checks and/or transfers of two hundred (200) dollars or more. New: The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts of HLSC and shall cosign all checks and or transfers as specified in Rules and Regulations. Rationale: The $200 limit is too low. Putting the amount in the Rules and Regulations will allow the Board to increase this amount if necessary. Suggested Bylaw Change #2 Article VIII, Section 1: President: Old: The President must call one (1) annual membership meeting, the date to be chosen by the Board of Directors. New: This would be removed from the President's duties and added to Article VIII: Section 3 - change suggested below. Rationale: Having the Annual Members' Meeting on the same day every year creates consistency. I proposed the second Sunday after Labor Day, which is the day it is set for this year, 2020. Suggested Bylaw Change #3 Article VIII: Section 1: Old: The President must call one Annual Membership meeting, the date chosen by the board of directors. Old:Take this out of here completely and where this same thing is said under Article X, MEETINGS Section 3: The Board of Directors will call an Annual Members’ meeting by notifying all members in writing at least fourteen (14) days in advance. New: HLSC will hold its Annual Members' Meeting in September, the second Sunday after Labor Day, after church service. Rationale: Setting the Annual Meeting at the same time every year allows easier planning. Suggested Bylaw Change #4 Article VIII, Section 4: Treasurer Old: The Treasurer shall pay all bills and expenses of HLSC, except any expenses over two hundred (200) dollars that must be approved by the Board with the exception of monthly rent. New: The Treasurer shall pay all normal bills and expenses of HLSC. Amounts and details are specified in the Rules and Regulations. Rationale: The $200 amount is too low. Putting the amount in Rules and Regulations will allow the Board to change the amount if necessary. Suggested Bylaw Change #5 Article IX, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, Part B Old: Proof of spiritual credentials New: Remove this requirement Rationale: An individual applying for membership does not need any spiritual credentials. Suggested Bylaw Change #6 Article IX, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, Part C: Old: A letter of recommendation or demit from another spiritualist church official. New: A letter of recommendation from another spiritualist church official. Rationale: The word "demit" does not belong here. Suggested Bylaw Change #7 Article IX, MEMBERSHIP, Section 2, After Part C: Old: Each new adult member shall agree to complete a basic three-part course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism if they have not done so elsewhere. This shall be done within two years of membership registration. New: Each new member is encouraged to complete a basic course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism. This class is offered once each year. Rationale: Someone who wants to be a member of our church is already spiritual and we should recommend they take a course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism, not force them. Suggested Bylaw Change #8 Article X, MEETINGS, Section 1: Old: All meetings of the Board will be conducted according to the following agenda: Call to order Invocation Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment New: Call to order Invocation Roll Call Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment Rationale: Adding Roll Call to agenda of all meetings allows us to keep records of attendance. Suggested Bylaw Change #9 Article X, MEETINGS, Section 2: Old: All membership meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1, with the addition of roll call and elections following the invocation. A President’s report will also be added. New: All Board Meetings, Membership Meetings and Annual Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1. President’s Report and Elections will be done at the Annual Meeting according to the agenda for that meeting. Rationale: All meetings conducted by the Board and the Members should follow the Agenda in our Bylaws and it is good to have a record of who attended. _________________________________________________________ The following is what I came up for Rules and Regulations. It contains some Standard Operating Procedures that the congregation has suggested we institute. I believe the Rules and Regulations should be able to stand alone so 90% of these proposed rules and regs are taken directly from our bylaws currently in place. The text that is already in our bylaws is not highlighted. The new or additional items are highlighted in yellow. Members were sent the Rules and Regulations for review and were asked to discuss, a motion was made to accept them, seconded and voted on. All were in favor. Rules and Regulations Conduct of our ministers, officers, members and guests shall follow our Mission Statement and Spiritualist Principles as stated in our By-Laws: Mission Statement The mission of The Healing Light Spiritualist Church of Etna, founded October 8, 2004, is to share the gifts of peace, love, healing and respect that come from the light of Spirit. By practicing the principles of Spiritualism we build community, service, acceptance and charity for all creation. Spiritualist Principles 1. We believe in Infinite Intelligence. 2. We believe that the phenomena of Nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expressions of Infinite Intelligence. 3. We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression, and living in accordance therewith, constitute true religion. 4. We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continues after the change called death. 5. We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism. 6. We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule: “Whatsoever you would that others do unto you, do you also unto them.” 7. We affirm the moral responsibility of individuals and that we make our own happiness or unhappiness as we obey or disobey Nature’s physical and spiritual laws. 8. We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never closed against any soul here or hereafter. 9. We affirm that the Precepts of Prophecy and Healing are divine attributes proven through mediumship. Allegiance All members of HLSC pledge to abide by the By-Laws and our rules of conduct. All members agree to support HLSC to their chosen degree of participation, talents and assistance. Officers and Trustee Section 1: The elective officers of HLSC shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. They shall each serve a limit of three (3) consecutive Two-year terms. Officers shall assume their positions immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Currently, due to our entirely new board elected in September 2018, the President and Treasurer positions will be elected at the 2020 Annual Members’ Meeting. The Vice President and Secretary positions will be elected at the 2021 Annual Membership Meeting. This will ensure continuity within the board and avoid having four (4) board members changing at the same time. Section 2: There shall be one (1) elective Trustee on the Board of HLSC. The Trustee shall provide advice and assistance to the officers on behalf of HLSC and shall vote on all actions taken by the Board. The Trustee shall serve a limit of three (3) consecutive One-year terms. A Trustee shall assume the position immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 3: Any elected member of the Board of HLSC who missed two (2) unexcused consecutive meetings or a total of three (3) during a term shall be replaced by appointment of the President first, the Vice-President second, or by a majority vote of the Board third. Section 4: The newly elected officers and trustee shall take the following oath: “I (name) having been duly elected (office), do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully perform my duties in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of HLSC until my successor is duly elected and installed.” Section 5: In the absence of availability of other nominees for officers or trustees the currently serving Board or any members may run for another term. Duties of Officers Section 1: President. The President shall preside over all Board meetings of HLSC and all annual membership meetings. The President shall have general supervision over the affairs and officers, requesting reports from those officers as needed and shall give a report at each annual members’ meeting, detailing activities of the office, reviewing the status of the Corporation, and providing recommendations for growth. The President may call special meetings of the Board of Directors be giving adequate notice of seven (7) days to each Board member. The President may vote in case of a tie or when the vote is taken by ballot. The President shall be cosigner on all bank accounts and shall cosign any expenses that are not normal business expenses (mortgage, heating, electric, insurances, taxes etc.) of one thousand (1000) dollars or more. This abnormal expense over $1000 will also be approved by the Board. The President shall appoint an assistant to the Secretary or Treasurer, if needed, and shall appoint all committee leaders, and shall be a member of all committees, ex-officio. The President shall sign all certificates and other documents authorized by the Board. The outgoing President shall release all records, documents and reports to the newly elected President immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 2: Vice-President. The Vice-President shall serve in the absence of the President within the boundaries of the President’s responsibilities and authority. The Vice-President shall remain fully informed of the President’s ongoing activities and shall serve in the President’s absence due to death or removal of that officer or at the request of the President. The Vice-President shall assist the President in all duties and responsibilities at the President’s request. The out-going Vice-President shall release all records, documents and reports to the newly elected Vice-President immediately following the annual members’ meeting. Section 3: Secretary. The Secretary shall receive all membership applications and fees with a receipt provided to the member. This Officer shall transmit a report at each Board meeting and at each annual membership meeting. This Officer shall maintain a file of all Church records, past and present. The outgoing Secretary shall provide the newly elected Officer with all documents within a ten (10) day period. Section 4: Treasurer. The Treasurer shall pay all bills and expenses of HLSC. Any expenses that are not normal business expenses (mortgage, heating, electric, insurances, taxes etc.) over one thousand (1000) dollars must be approved by the Board and co-signed by the President. A duplicate file of all receipts shall be kept. The Treasurer shall be custodian or all funds and securities of HLSC. All monies shall be deposited in a bank chosen by the Board. This Officer shall provide a report of accounts to the Board on a monthly basis, or to the President of the Board as requested, and shall provide a yearly report at each annual membership meeting. This Officer shall notify each member of yearly dues two weeks prior to the due date. An audit of accounts shall be performed prior to each annual membership meeting. Membership may require the Treasurer to be bonded. The Treasurer shall provide any newly elected Officer with all records within ten (10) days of election. Appointment of the HLSC Ministers. The HLSC Board approves and appoints all Ministers (also known as Pastors) who will serve our church. Duties of HLSC Ministers (Pastors) 1. Ministers will plan and conduct church services. 2. Ministers will be available for members in their times of need: A. Provide spiritual guidance B. Perform weddings C. Perform healings D. Perform funerals E. Teaching beliefs 3. Ministers will always conduct themselves as described in conduct section at beginning of Rules and Regulations. Membership Section 1: An adult voting member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. Anyone under the age of eighteen (18) may become a junior member with the written permission of a parent or guardian. Section 2: In order to become eligible for HLSC Membership one (1) of the following conditions must be met: A. Three (3) months of attendance. B. A letter of recommendation from another spiritualist church official. Each new member is encouraged to complete a basic course in the Philosophy of Spiritualism. This class is offered once each year. New members will be provided a current copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of HLSC. Any adult member wanting to run for office is expected to become fully knowledgeable of the Constitution and By-Laws. Section 3: Membership forms shall be obtained from the Secretary/Treasurer and shall be returned with full payment of the current annual dues. All membership applications shall be approved by the Board. Section 4: All adult members shall have voting rights at each annual membership meeting or any special membership meeting called provided current annual dues have been fully paid. Article X: MEETINGS Section 1: All meetings of the Board will be conducted according to the following agenda: Call to order Invocation Roll Call Secretary/Treasurer Report Correspondence Committee Reports Unfinished Business New Business Benediction Adjournment Section 2: All Membership Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1. Section 3: All Annual Membership Meetings will follow the agenda in Section 1 with the addition of elections and a President’s report following the invocation. Section 4: Annual Membership Meeting will be the second Sunday following Labor Day after church service. President will announce the date and time of the Annual Members’ Meeting at least thirty (30) days before the meeting. Section 5: Regular meetings of the Board shall be called by the President with at least a seven (7) day notice to each Board member. Special meetings of the Board or the membership may be called by the President or a majority of the Board to process a particular topic with a ten (10) day written notice given by the President. A Special meeting of the membership may be called by a majority of the members in good standing (dues fully paid) with a fourteen (14) day written notice given to all members. Section 6: A simple majority of the full number of Board members must agree on every act of the Board before any vote can be enacted. Section 7: A quorum for any members’ meeting shall consist of those attending. Fiscal Year The fiscal year for the Corporation of HLSC shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of each year. Church Collections and the Two Person Rule. Monies collected at church services or related activities are immediately counted by the minister conducting the service and then verified at that time by another minister or appointed HLSC officer. In the event a minister or officer is not present, a patron, who is not related to the servicing minister, may verify. Upon verification the monies will be placed in an envelope and sealed. The counter and verifier will sign their names legibly on the envelope along with the date of the collection. FACEBOOK Upkeep and Entries will be handled by the admins appointed on the Facebook Page account. Currently the President and Secretary are admins. HLSC Newsletter and Other Mailings: A person approved by the Board of Directors will oversee mailings to members and parishioners that deal with church related news unrelated to HLSC Board or financial information. All newsletters and related church reporting sent by the pastor are accomplished via email. Such reporting may also be available in hard copy at church services. The pastor, at his/her discretion, may also mail copies of reports to people who do not have access to email. Structure of Church Service: The conduct of church service will be structurally consistent with the criteria set forth below: 1. Greeting 2. Meditation and Healing 3. Inspirational talk 4. Collection 5. Messages from Spirit 6. Exceptions are allowed for special services as ministers see fit. 7. The last Sunday of the month is the Healing and Message Circle. This service omits the Inspirational talk and allows anyone present to give messages as time allows. Changes to Church Service: The lead pastor must be included in discussions the board has regarding anything which will affect church services, church-related activities, and/or the spiritual practices of the church. All Major Changes to Church Activities: Any major changes regarding church services and church activities must be brought before the membership. Classes and Events: All proposed classes and events will be brought to the board for approval. Tax Submissions: Federal and state tax statements are submitted when required by the Treasurer. These proposed submissions must be reviewed and approved by the President and Vice President. Weekly Time and Location of Church Service: 10:30am on Sunday at the Healing Light Spiritual Center, 38 Stage Road, Etna, Maine. Full Financial Disclosure to Members The financial report reviewed and approved is always available to members by request. ​ Second Roll Call (As Secretary I cast 1 vote for _______ for the position of ________.) President: Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Treasurer: Rev. Ava Spruce Trustee: Nominees Tom Noble, Robert Thompson. Robert Thompson is our new Trustee. Swearing in of officers: I, ____________________being duly elected as __________________, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully perform my duties in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of Healing Light Spiritualist Church until my successor is duly elected and installed. Take photos of new board! Discussion and voting in of our new lead pastor; Rev. Michael Van Ginkel who said he is happy to step up and his door, mind and heart is open. Benediction by Rev. Janet Decker. Janet also took a moment to say a final thank you for allowing her to serve the Healing Light Spiritualist Church for the past six years. Adjourned at 2:22pm

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Minutes for October 18, 2020 Meeting called to order at 12:30 Invocation by Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Roll Call Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Janice Nelson Kroesser Diane Jackman (by phone:) Rev. Ava Spruce Robert Thompson Guests: Bruce Towle Wendy Sarah Annie Tom MJ Rev. Gina Collins The Secretary’s Report: 1-Updated Bylaws on website and created and shared essential documents with other board members. 2-Created event and promoted on Facebook. 3-Filed for church charity benefits with Paypal. 4-Ordered Paypal reader to be shipped to 38 Stage Road. 5-Gifted the church a 50” RCA TV Fund Raising report – Annie Collins, chair of the fund raising committee met with the committee and they came up with the following suggestions: 1-Silent Auction at church to be completed before 12/13/2020 2-Ornament Swap 3-Around the World Dinner in January 4-Psychic Craft Fair December 12th 5-Bake sale in December 6-Séance at church 7-Table Tipping November 13th 8-Cookies and bake sale in February The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Ava Spruce gave the treasurer’s report. Our biggest income month ever! WOOHOO! Motions were made to ratify votes taken via email: Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to charge $20/month for heated motorcycle storage. Seconded and all in favor. Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to add wording to Rules and Regs/ Standard Operating Procedures for Annual Membership Elections. Seconded and all in favor. Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to host Matthew MacDonald’s event on Halloween. Seconded and all in favor. Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to accept piano gift from Pam Logue. Seconded. All in favor. Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to spend $20 each week on donuts for after church for the community. Seconded. All in favor. Motion made to ratify vote taken via email to hire FW Mechanic to clean furnace November 9. Seconded. All in favor. Old Business Fireproof safe for office has been purchased and installed. Work on finding out what a cold start is for a furnace-we don’t think it applies but going to ask new furnace service people about it. Suggestion box has been created it just needs to be mounted. Tabled until sometime in the future: (no need to read these aloud:) 1-Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 2-Additional Bathroom (when we build the additional bathroom I suggest the plumbing be set up with a tee for supply line and drain line to make it ready for what has become our kitchen area) 3- Discussion on streaming virtual church services. Pros and Cons in previous minutes. New Business 1-Sarah Lane would like to create a Mothers’ Support Group on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month from 6:30pm-8pm. It would be open to all Mothers of all ages. If you’re a mom you’re welcome regardless of the age of your child. We will have a weekly topic to discuss. We will decide after a few meeting what topics the Mothers would like to discuss and talk about. The hope is to help Mothers feel a little less alone in the crazy ride we call motherhood. I have a book of 52 calming list and a few of them I think would be good activities for the first few meetings. I will also have a list of ice breaker type topic. (I can make a complete list if the broad would like to see them). It will be a relaxed format group. The cost would be a donation to the church and I would donate my time. I would like to be able to offer tea/coffee/ water and I would supply a light snack. My hope is this could bring in more women in the community from around the center and help provide a place for Mothers in the church community to form stronger connections. Questions were asked about guidelines, waivers for liability, creating a flyer, who will clean up after the group, etc. These were all discussed and we are moving forward slowly so we can cover all bases before beginning anything. 2- Ava Spruce wants to talk about Coffee News. Last year we did about 8 weeks of advertising in the News and maybe had one person come to church because of it. $25/week. Ava will send the secretary all the things she would like to see in the ad. 3-Discussion of IRS letter and security deposit account. Janice researched the tax laws and I have copied the article in its entirety at the end of this agenda but perhaps Janice, with her expertise in tax knowledge, would be able to call and talk to the IRS as it appears we can rent out any buildings as long as we use the income to “fuel the operations of the church.” The research seems clear as long as we “utilize that income in operating the non-profit.” This all began because of the inaccurate name on the deposit account. The treasurer has already responded to the letter. When we need an accountant here is a phone number for an accountant in Bangor. I will verify he is familiar with non-profit 501C3 tax laws: Scott Thomas 207-942-8555 November 13, 2020 Table Tipping Changing oil companies- researching Benediction by Rev. Ava Spruce Adjourned at Research for the discussion of the IRS letter and security deposit account: Can a church own rental property? Churches, like all other nonprofits, can own property and use it for a variety of purposes. ... Churches can operate rental properties and even businesses to generate revenues to fuel operations in keeping with a religious organization. A nonprofit organization is usually tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and may accept tax-free donations. A nonprofit must utilize all revenue to operate the organization. The organization itself cannot generate a profit, but it can rent out real property it owns (for example, physical buildings and structures), receive rental income, and utilize that income in operating the nonprofit. While rental income from real property is generally tax exempt, this rental income may become taxable depending on factors, such as the tenant's activities and whether the nonprofit provides services to the tenant. Types of Activities and Investments There is also a question of whether the rental investment is active or passive. Renting out real estate is generally considered a passive investment, and is thus tax exempt, as the church is merely operating as a landlord. However, providing personal services beyond the rental of space would likely generate taxable income. If the church were to provide resources or staff to the tenant, the rental may be considered an “active" investment because the church would be providing substantial personal services for unrelated activities. (We would be considered passive.) Can a Church Under a Nonprofit Status Have Rental Property Churches and religious organizations are almost always nonprofits organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Because churches operate to serve people's spiritual needs, foster a sense of community and undertake charity, they are tax-exempt and allowed to accept tax-free donations. And while churches are not allowed to turn a profit, they can operate businesses for revenue, including rental properties

Healing Light Spiritualist Church Board Minutes for January 17, 2021 Meeting called to order at 12:37pm Invocation by Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Roll Call Rev. Michael Van Ginkel Janice Nelson Kroesser (absent last minute to take care of emergency.) Diane Jackman (by phone:) Rev. Ava Spruce                        Robert Thompson Guests: Janet Decker Bruce Towle The Secretary’s Report: 1- Created events and promoted on Facebook. 2- Paypal reader set up. 3- Correspondence from Bethany Couture; when she sent her Healing Light Membership dues she mistakenly sent a check for $50 that was meant for ESA to Healing Light. She asked that we credit $20 to her 2022 membership fee and that the extra $30 be considered a donation to the church. We told her that was fine and that we thanked her very much. 4- I am giving notice of my desire to step down as secretary of the Healing Light Spiritualist Church. When I stepped up to volunteer as secretary in 2018 I promised a 3 year commitment and I decided to give our current board, and the membership, plenty of time to replace me. If I am needed, I will serve until the September Members’ Meeting 2021 but not after that. There are already talks of replacements and I understand it will be announced to the membership in the February newsletter. I want to make this clear, I am not leaving the church, simply stepping down from my secretarial duties. I am making notes on how I conduct myself and the business of record keeping and am more than willing to work with whoever comes into this position to ensure a smooth transition. I will also continue to pay for and maintain the HLSC website after I leave office and help whenever I am able around the grounds. It has been an honor to serve the Healing Light Spiritualist Church. 5- The Healing Light Spiritualist Church has been nominated by Psychic Columns as the best Spiritualist Church. Official name of the group is Psychic Columns by Sandra Bell has 15,000 readers. Fund Raising report – Sarah Lane has offered to chair the fund-raising committee. The following ideas are in the works: 1-Raffle Auction until the Sunday before St. Patty’s Day- in the works 2-Around the World Dinner 3-Psychic Craft Fair 4-Table Tipping January 5-Séance at church 6-Cookies and bake sale in February The Treasurer’s Report is available to members by request. Motions needed to ratify votes taken via email: Motion made to ratify and seconded vote taken via email to approve a Table Tipping class on January 29, 2021. All in favor. Motion made to ratify and seconded vote taken via email to order and use a new user-friendly accounting system. All in favor. Old Business 1-    Suggestion box – Any Suggestions? 2-    Thermostat problem has been solved. Tabled until sometime in the future: (no need to read these aloud:) 1-    Door or split door with locks at ramp entrance to kitchen. Do we want split door on kitchen? 2- Additional Bathroom (When we build the additional bathroom. I suggest the plumbing be set up with a tee for supply line and drain line to make it ready for what has become our kitchen area.) 3- Discussion on streaming virtual church services. Pros and Cons in previous minutes. New Business 1-    Ava would like to talk about setting up a coffee/kitchen fund using petty cash. It will include the bottle money. Motion made and seconded and all were in favor. 2-    Need more volunteers to help clean church. 3-    Watching the budget to see if we can install a hot water heater and maybe even the second bathroom. News Our pastors have been adding new songs to the list for church services and the response from the congregation has been extremely positive and enthusiastic. We are reaching out to the members and asking for their suggestions. Benediction by Rev. Ava Spruce Adjourned at 1:00pm