N.Y. Religious Corporations Law § 20: Corporations for acquiring parsonages for district superintendents and camp-meeting grounds

§ 20. Corporations for acquiring parsonages for district

superintendents and camp-meeting grounds. The district superintendent

and a majority of the district stewards residing within a district

erected by an annual conference of The United Methodist Church, may

become incorporated for the purposes of acquiring, maintaining and

improving real property to be used either as a parsonage for the

district superintendent of such district or as a camp ground for

camp-meeting purposes, or for both of such objects by executing,

acknowledging and filing a certificate stating the name and object of

the corporation to be formed, the name of such annual conference, and of

such district, the names, residences and official relations to such

district of the signers thereof, the number of trustees of such

corporation, which shall be three or some multiple of three not more

than twenty-one, the names of such trustees, designating one-third to

hold office for three years, one-third to hold office for two years, and

one-third to hold office for one year. On filing such certificate the

district superintendent and all the stewards of such district by virtue

of their respective offices, shall be a corporation by the name and for

the purposes therein stated, and the persons therein named shall be the

first trustees thereof. The district superintendent and stewards of any

other adjoining districts, in this or any other state, may become

members of any such corporation, at the time of its formation or any

time thereafter, with the consent of such corporation, which has for its

sole object, or for one of its objects, the acquiring, maintaining and

improving of real property as a camp ground for camp-meeting purposes,

if such district superintendent and a majority of such stewards sign,

acknowledge and cause to be filed in the office of the secretary of

state, a certificate stating such object, the name of such adjoining

district, and the names, residences and official relations to such

district of the signers thereof, with the consent of the original

corporation indorsed thereon.

If such a corporation, which has for its sole object or one of its

objects, the acquisition and maintenance of camp grounds for

camp-meeting purposes, is composed of the district superintendent and

the district stewards of more than one district, the number of such

trustees shall be apportioned equally, as near as may be, between the

different districts, and the district superintendent and district

stewards of such district shall elect the number of trustees so

apportioned to such district, and the remainder, if any, over an equal

division of the trustees, shall be elected by all the members of the

corporation.

A person holding property in trust for the purposes of a parsonage for

the district superintendent of a district, and his successors in office,

or for camp-meeting purposes, for The United Methodist Church, may

convey the same to a corporation formed for the purpose of acquiring

such property within the district in which the property is situated.

Meetings held under the direction of such a corporation upon camp

grounds owned by it shall be deemed religious meetings, within the

provisions of law relating to disturbances of religious meetings.

Whenever such a corporation or any camp ground association owns land

bordering upon any navigable waters, to be used for camp-meeting

purposes only, such corporation or association may regulate or prohibit

the landing of persons or vessels at the wharves, piers or shores upon

such grounds during the holding of religious service thereon.

If the trustees of any such corporation heretofore incorporated have

not been classified, so that the terms of office of one-third of their

number expire each year, the trustees of such corporation shall be

elected annually by the members thereof; but if the trustees of any such

corporation have been so classified, one-third of the total number of

trustees shall be elected annually to hold office for three years. Such

a corporation heretofore incorporated may, by a majority vote, at an

annual meeting, or at a special meeting duly called therefor, determine

to change the number of its trustees to three, or some multiple thereof,

not more than twenty-one. On such determination a majority of the

trustees shall sign, acknowledge and file in the offices where the

original certificate of such corporation is filed, a supplemental

certificate, specifying such reduction or increase; and thereon the

number of trustees shall be the number stated in such certificate. If

the number of trustees is increased, the corporation shall elect, at its

next annual meeting, a sufficient number of trustees to hold office for

one, two and three years, respectively, so that the terms of office of

one-third of the whole number of trustees of such corporation shall

expire at each annual meeting thereafter. If the number is reduced, the

corporation shall thereafter elect at its annual meetings one-third of

the number of trustees specified in such supplemental certificate, but

the trustees in office when such certificate is filed shall continue in

office until the expiration of their terms, respectively.