Bylaws

This body shall be known as Come and See…Go and Tell (abbreviated as Come and See), referenced in this document as The Ministry. The mailing address is that of the Diocesan Offices unless other provision is made. It is sufficient to attach an Addendum if the address needs to be modified so this document need not be altered.

Section 1. Cursillo, known as a short course in Christian life, is a ministry of the Episcopal Church under the authority of the Presiding Bishop and Diocesan Bishops. Cursillo is a ministry of clergy and laity within and governed by the Church. The goal of Cursillo is to bring the world to Christ by empowering adult Christian leaders through a specific method that is taught as part of the Episcopal Cursillo Weekend.  The method, an evangelistic tool, enables and encourages Christians to live out their Baptismal Covenant and to change environments for Christ. The real centerpiece of the Cursillo Ministry is the Fourth Day (the rest of one’s life after attending the Weekend). The Weekend is merely a catalyst to inspire and empower Christians to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in the world.

Section 2. Come and See…Go and Tell is the expression of the Cursillo Ministry in the Diocese of Olympia as supported by the Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia.

1. Come and See…Go and Tell follows the basic principles of Cursillo in that Christians are equipped and inspired for the work of ministry and mission. Come and See…Go and Tell/Cursillo, through a short Weekend retreat, offers the opportunity to grow in faith and spirituality.
2. Weekend guests are invited to:
   1. Experience what it means to live out their Baptismal Covenant in daily life;
   2. Discover what it means to be a beloved child of God;
   3. Develop a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus and how they can serve Jesus;
   4. Be radically sent into the world;
   5. Become a part of the continuing community that supports and encourages Christians as they live out their Baptismal Covenant.
3. In summary, guests are invited to
   1. Come: experience God’s unconditional love
   2. See: how God’s healing power and love transform you
   3. Go: live out your Baptismal vows
   4. Tell: the story of your faith

The community shall be composed of all persons in the Diocese of Olympia who have attended a traditional Cursillo or Come and See Weekend.

Section 1: Purpose

Secretariat is the governing board of The Ministry. Secretariat is responsible to the Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia in all matters pertaining to The Ministry. 

Section 2: Responsibilities

The responsibilities of Secretariat include:

• Scheduling Come and See retreat Weekends, including arranging for a facility, selection of Leader and Co-Leader, providing for training of the team, providing for applications, guest selection and communication, providing publicity concerning the Weekend through The Colors and other available media.
•  Additional events (e.g., Prayer & Share) may be arranged throughout the year to sustain the community. Individual members of the Team can schedule these events in coordination with various parishes willing to host.
• Arrange for financial review each year prior to the May meeting. The fiscal year shall be July 1st through June of the following year.
• Encouraging new leaders and providing for training of them
• Being custodian of the funds and property of The Ministry
• Maintaining records
• Maintaining liaison with the Bishop and like ministries/movements
• Updating and maintaining job and training guides
• Maintaining the member database
• Managing the web site
• To speak for/represent The Ministry in any venue

Tasks/Duties to fulfill these responsibilities are specified for each Officer, Clergy person, Coordinator and Manager. See Article V.

Section 3: Membership and Voting 

Secretariat consists of ten persons; two clergy and eight lay members. The term of office shall be three years. Ideally, one third of the members’ terms will expire in a given year. 

Lay members must be Cursillistas and be actively participating in the community. It is desirable that the lay members represent the diversity of the Diocese with a balance of men and women, geographical spread and no two members may be from the same parish/church.

Solicitation for members, including filling vacancies, should use as many communication methods as possible. Vacancies may be filled through selection by the existing Secretariat members with approval of the Bishop. If a term is held for more than two years, whether an original term or filling a vacancy, there should be waiting period of a year before accepting a new appointment. Exception is described below.

The Secretariat may extend a member’s term if doing so benefits The Ministry. To do so, a vote must be taken. The vote shall include a specific end date for the extension, the reason for the extension and shall be approved by two-thirds vote of the members present. Such extension shall apply only to the specific member and shall not be further extended.

Clergy members are appointed by the Bishop based on the recommendation of a current clergy member or voiced approval of the Secretariat.

Officers and Coordinators on the Secretariat are entitled to a single vote.

Section 4: Quorum and Meetings 

Business requires a quorum which is a minimum of 5 members. In times when the Secretariat is not complete, having less than 10 members, the existing members shall vote and record a temporary quorum using an Addendum to these Bylaws.

Meetings will be conducted according to Roberts’ Rules of Order. For the good of the order, an agenda will be published when a meeting time/place or virtual URL is provided.

Confidential matters will be discussed in closed session but otherwise any member of The Ministry may attend a meeting. Closed session does not include nonvoting members. Such discussions will be included in separate documentation and not published but will be available as part of the records of The Ministry.

The Secretariat will hold regular meetings at a time and place agreed upon by a majority of the members. Meetings may be in person or may use virtual means such as Zoom. 

The Secretariat is subject to the rules established by the Diocese regarding doing business via electronic means. At the time of this writing this means that meeting via Zoom (or any such platform) and polling via email for voting are acceptable. Changes to this will be in an Addendum - Electronic Meetings/Voting. 

Minutes must be taken at all meetings and any business done via email must include copies of the email thread.

Time and place of meetings will be announced in the minutes, and minutes will be available to all by posting on the web site, in The Colors or via other means at the discretion of the Secretariat.

Any member of the community may bring a matter before the Secretariat. A member wishing to bring a matter should communicate with the President to make arrangements to appear on the agenda.

The President, or three members agreeing, can call an emergency meeting. A reasonable effort must be made to inform all members of such meeting, and best effort should be made to have it scheduled at least a week in the future. Such meetings may not include extraneous topics but rather must adhere to the purpose for which the meeting was called.

Section 5: Officers, Coordinators and Managers

Officers are elected from the members of Secretariat. Members are a part of Secretariat for three years. Election to specific officer positions is for a single year. Officers may succeed themselves. Elections are held in May, and new officers assume the office immediately following the meeting.

In the event an office becomes vacant mid term, a replacement is elected. Candidates may be from among the members of Secretariat, or a new member for Secretariat may be recruited for the unexpired term.

Officers of the Secretariat are:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

Coordinators:
Coordinators have voice and vote at meetings of Secretariat. They are the members of Secretariat who are not officers, not managers, and not clergy. A person responsible for a particular task may, with approval, assign the task to someone not on Secretariat. Any such person is not considered a member of Secretariat but should be prepared to attend meetings or provide a written report regarding their progress.

Managers:
Managers have voice at meetings but no vote. These positions are not subject to the rules regarding term but an agreement should be reached regarding expectations which will be specified in the minutes and included in Secretariat listings on the web site. It is also critical that procedural documents be maintained so another person can assume these duties should it be necessary.

Manager roles include:

• Web Site Manager

Section 6: Filling specific positions on Secretariat

Officers and Coordinators are established from the members of Secretariat. The President and Vice President are elected from within the lay members of Secretariat by the lay members of Secretariat. The other positions are filled by volunteers from the remaining lay members.

Core duties/responsibilities of Officers are as specified here. Details of the duties/responsibilities will be found in the Policies and Procedures document. 

Coordinators are lay members of Secretariat who are not officers. Assignments are based on skills and interests but must cover all those included in the Policies and Procedures document.

All lists of duties and responsibilities include “other duties as assigned” even if not actually specified.

Section 1: President 

• Manages the activities of the Secretariat
• Plans the agenda of meetings
• Represents Secretariat at all events of The Ministry

Section 2: Vice President 

• Carries out the duties/responsibilities of the President if the President is not capable of performing said duties/responsibilities
• Works closely with the President and Board members to advise him/her on appointments to Secretariat and Leader/Co-Leader for upcoming Weekends

Section 3: Treasurer

• Establishes and maintains the finance records of The Ministry
• Pays the bills of The Ministry
• Prepares reports and presents them to the Secretariat at each regular meeting

Section 4: Secretary

• Prepares Agenda for meetings in consultation with the President
• Takes minutes at all meetings

Section 5: Spiritual Director 

• Represents the Bishop on Secretariat
• Acts as spiritual guide for Secretariat

Section 6: Assistant Spiritual Director

• Acts in the place of the Spiritual Director as needed
• Supports the Spiritual Director as needed

Section 7: Website Manager 

The Website Manager is a nonvoting member of Secretariat. The Website Manager is appointed annually at the June meeting of the Secretariat or whenever the position becomes available. Length of term is agreed on by the Secretariat.

• Maintain the web site of The Ministry
• Works with the Communications Coordinator in keeping published information in The Colors in synchrony with the website and Facebook

Section 8: Database Coordinator 

The Database Coordinator is appointed annually at the June meeting of the Secretariat or whenever the position becomes available. Length of term is agreed on by the Secretariat. The Database Coordinator maintains the database of The Ministry.

Section 9: Office Coordinator

The Office Coordinator is appointed annually at the June meeting of the Secretariat or whenever the position becomes available. Length of term is agreed on by the Secretariat.

• Maintain list of candidates for Weekends in cooperation with the Database Coordinator
• Receive and process applications of guests for the Weekend
• Work with the Treasurer to receive and process funds for the Weekend

Section 10: Music Coordinator

The Music Coordinator is appointed annually at the June meeting of the Secretariat or whenever the position becomes available. Length of term is agreed on by the Secretariat.

• Ensure proper licensing is maintained, submitting bills to Treasurer 
• Serve as a resource for the Weekend Music Lead in cooperation with the Spiritual Directors in order to assure music choices are appropriate.
• Work with Weekend leaders (including those giving Talks) to choose music

Section 11: Duties/Responsibilities shared among other coordinators. General areas are:

1. Training

• Maintain and update Weekend guides
• Works with President, Weekend Leader/Co-Leader to train the Weekend team

1. Fourth Day

• Maintain and update the Fourth Day guide to assist those chairing events
• Work with chair person to arrange all aspects of such events

1. Parish Liaison

Work with Database Coordinator to establish a list of contact persons within the Parishes/Missions

1. Communications/Agape

• Coordinate all aspects of Ministry communications including: The Colors, the website, and the electronic diocesan newsletter Across the Diocese
• Arrange for Grace Notes including pickup and delivery to site
• Communicate with other expressions of Cursillo and Kairos across the nation and around the world

1. Supplies

• Maintain documentation concerning available stock for the retreat Weekend
• Work with team to ensure sufficient materials are available for the weekend and other events

1. Trailer

Maintain the trailer including:

• Working with the Treasurer to maintain insurance for the trailer and pay for State of Washington registration tabs
• Supervise trailer packing and restocking
• Maintain fire extinguisher

1. Site Selection

• Work with other members of Secretariat to arrange facilities for the Weekend
• Work with Bishop’s assistant to coordinate Bishop’s attendance for some portion of the Weekend

Secretariat is responsible for selecting the Leader and Co-Leader for the Weekend and shall work with those chosen to select the team for the Weekend.

The Bylaws can be modified at any meeting of the Secretariat as long as a Quorum is present and two-thirds of the members present approve. The process is to send to all members the modified Bylaws. The document should be sent via email, using postal mail for those who do not have email, so that it is received at least one week before the review and vote is to take place.

An addendum is used to add common use information for items such as sharing tasks. It has been noted that tasks within Secretariat fluctuate depending on the interests and skills of the members. An addendum spells out current practice. An addendum is accepted by a simple majority of those present at any meeting. 

An addendum can also be used to note the change of address for the Ministry and modifications to procedures or other information in the Bylaws especially when a modification is temporary such as a change in quorum when there are less than 12 members.

An addendum attached to these Bylaws is the current Policies & Procedures document.