Adventist Amateur Radio Association International
Menu

Category: Constitution

Constitution Adopted October 1981; Amended 1990, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2020

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Adventist Amateur Radio Association International (AARAI), hereinafter referred to as the Association.

Article II - Purpose

Sec. 1: The purposes of the Association shall be:

  1. To promote the use of amateur radio as a means of communication and fellowship in the Seventh-day Adventist Church community and among friends who choose to participate in the activities of the Association; and
  2. To foster and provide education and training for disaster response and emergency communications, as further described in the Bylaws, Article I.

Sec. 2: The Association is a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Article III - Membership

Sec. 1: Membership in the Association is open to all members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church community, including spouses, children, and friends:

  1. Who currently hold a valid amateur radio operator’s license; or
  2. Who do not currently hold a valid amateur radio license, but who regularly participate in Association activities.
  3. The Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, national origin, gender, religion, or disability.

Sec. 2: All eligible persons may join the Association by submitting their contact information, including name, call sign, e-mail, telephone number, and/or regular mail address to the Association’s secretary/treasurer. Members should always notify the Association of any changes in their contact information.

Sec. 3: There is no annual fee for regular membership, but members are encouraged to support the activities and special projects of the Association, which are listed on the website, by making voluntary donations of funds and/or equipment.

Sec. 4: All registered members may vote on Association activities, which are normally posted on the website, by sending their ballots via e-mail or regular mail to the secretary.

Sec. 5: The Association shall attempt to maintain a list of all known licensed amateur radio operators in the Seventh-day Adventist Church community.

ARTICLE IV – SESSIONS, ELECTIONS AND TERM OF OFFICE

Sec. 1: A general session shall be called every five years to elect new officers in conjunction with the General Conference quinquennial session. Other general sessions of the Association may be called at any time by the Executive Committee. A simple majority vote shall carry any action at the general session, except in the case of dissolution of the Association (see Article VIII). Due to the fact that members live on all world continents a notice shall be published on the Association’s website stating the date, time, amateur radio bands and frequencies on which the session will be conducted. Members who are prevented from participating in a general session by other means may vote by proxy or participate and vote via email, text message, or the Internet.

Sec. 2: The executive officers of the Association shall be a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer. At the end of their term of office the executive officers will automatically become permanent ambassadors of the Association as an expression of appreciation for their service.

Sec. 3: Other officers to be elected could be vice presidents from some of the world divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church where there are significant numbers of Association members. A vice president of the Association could be the president of a local or regional Adventist amateur radio club or association, or some other member elected by the local or regional constituency

Sec. 4: A committee of three or more members shall be elected at each general session to review the Constitution and Bylaws, to consider suggested amendments, and to present its recommendations to the subsequent general session.

Sec. 5: The election of personnel will require a majority vote from the members who are present at the general session in person, or who communicate their votes by other means, including regular mail, e-mail, or other digital communication tool via the Internet, by radio, telephone, text message, etc. If a candidate fails to receive a majority of votes, a run-off election will be held between the top two candidates that received the most votes. A reasonable cut-off date for the voting will be established.

Sec. 6: All elected personnel shall serve a five-year term, in accordance with the format of the General Conference quinquennial sessions.

Sec. 7: Elected personnel may be replaced by the Executive Committee on an interim basis, because of death, incapacity, resignation, official censorship, or apparent lack of leadership interest.  Personnel who are appointed on an interim basis will serve during the remaining time of the five-year term until the regular election at the following quinquennial session.

Article V - Executive committee, officers and their duties

Sec. 1: The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected executive officers of the Association. The Executive Committee shall appoint such individuals and subcommittees as are needed to carry out the goals of the Association, as provided for in the Association Bylaws, Article III. The Executive Committee shall act between sessions in the interest of the Association, and all their formal actions shall be considered standing.

Sec. 2: President:

  1. Preside over all meetings.
  2. Act as chair of the Executive Committee.
  3. Work in the general interests of the Association.
  4. Perform such duties as agreed to by the Executive Committee.
  5. Be the trustee of our AARAI club license K3LJP and archivist of our prior newsletters and historical documents.
  6. Periodically publish via email or other means bulletins and newsletters.

Sec. 3: Vice president:

  1. Serve in place of the president as needed.
  2. Organize and conduct the annual QSO Party.

Sec. 4: Secretary:

  1. Maintain accurate records of all Association meetings and post them for the members to read on the website.
  2. Maintain a directory of members and all known licensed amateur radio operators in the Seventh-day Adventist Church community.
  3. For purposes of redundancy, keep backups of the membership list.
  4. Be responsible for public relations, by publishing periodic articles in denominational periodicals, and as possible placing ads in the union journals.

Sec. 5: Treasurer:

  1. Maintain an accurate record of Association financial transactions.
  2. Receive all funds, deposit them to the Association’s bank account, and disburse according to the budget.
  3. Develop the Association’s budget and present it to the members for approval by their vote.
  4. Render a financial report to the officers once a quarter.
  5. Publish an annual financial summary in the Association’s newsletter.

ARTICLE VI - ASSOCIATION STATUS

Sec. 1: This Association is a Christian nonprofit organization with the purpose of community service and education according to the ideals of amateur radio.   

Sec. 2: Funds received for mission-related and other projects, as well as general Association functions, are mainly derived from donations by members and others who are interested in supporting the work of the Association.

Sec. 3: All time spent in Association activities shall be recognized as freewill contributions by the person rendering the service. Volunteers shall not be paid for any time spent in service on behalf of the Association or for involvement in any of its activities, except for reimbursement of personal expenses incurred at the request of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII – ENACTMENTS AND AMENDMENTS

The members in general session may enact, amend, or repeal Bylaws, and such Bylaws may embrace any provision that is in harmony with the Constitution. This Constitution or its Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of members present at a duly called general session, by regular mail, e-mail, or other digital communication tool via the Internet, by radio, telephone, SMS, etc.

ARTICLE VIII - DISSOLUTION

Sec. 1: The Association may be dissolved only at a duly called general session by a two-thirds majority vote, to be conducted as provided for above.

Sec. 2: If the Association is dissolved all funds will be donated to Adventist World Radio.

Bylaws

 ARTICLE I - PURPOSES

  1. Provide information to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church community about amateur radio as a hobby and as a tool for service.
  2. Facilitate communication, the exchange of information, and general cooperation among members.
  3. Encourage the organization of local clubs, which might encompass a city or an entire region, for fellowship, education, and service to the community.
  4. Provide opportunities for practice in the use of amateur radio for disaster and emergency communications.
  5. Provide communication services in times of disaster, emergency, or unusual communications difficulty, in cooperation with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Adventist Community Services, the Red Cross, and other humanitarian agencies.
  6. Organize and sponsor the Adventist Amateur Radio Network, whose objective shall be to:
    • Encourage fellowship and good will among participants of the network and those who listen.
    • Provide communications for the Seventh-day Adventist community around the world.
    • Organize Bible study groups on the network, in countries where this is permitted.
  7. Maintain an Association website with news and information.
  8. Represent the Association at major events such as the General Conference sessions, Pathfinder Camporees, and other similar events as may be feasible and practical.

ARTICLE II – REGIONAL AND LOCAL CLUBS

Regional and local clubs of Association members shall be encouraged, and their organization assisted by the public relations director. Adventist Amateur Radio Association Europe (AARA Europe) is an example of a suitable regional name, which clearly identifies it as a part of AARA International.

ARTICLE III - SPECIAL APPOINTEES AND COMMITTEES

The Executive Committee shall delegate certain of its responsibilities to special individuals and subcommittees which it shall appoint, including:

  1. Webmaster for the Association’s website.
  2. Public Relations assistants from various geographical areas to support the PR Director’s functions.
  3. Ambassadors-at-large, former officers who continue to represent the Association, and who may provide counsel and support to the current officers.
  4. Network directors.
  5. Special Activities: QSO Party Director, Manager of the Don F. Neufeld Award.
  6. Disaster Preparedness Committee: It is recommended that all members of the Association take training in first aid, disaster preparedness, and other such courses, where available. The members can better contribute to the need for disaster communications by helping in the local area.

ARTICLE IV - NOMINATING COMMITTEE

A committee of three will be selected and a notice published on the Association’s website requesting that those who would be willing to serve in one of the positions send their name to the committee with a biographical sketch. If a member would like to nominate another member for office, he/she must contact the nominee and get his/her permission to enter the name and also get a biographical sketch to send to the committee. The committee would then select names for a ballot to post on the website in preparation for a general session (see the Constitution, Article IV).  

ARTICLE V - ADVENTIST AMATEUR RADIO NETWORK

Sec. 1: The Association shall sponsor the organization and administration of the Adventist Amateur Radio Network, also referred to as the AARN.

Sec. 2: The purposes of the Network shall be:

  1. To develop a fraternal community of Seventh-day Adventist amateur radio operators.
  2. To promote social and spiritual fellowship through roundtable and Bible study net segments, in harmony with the Preamble and Procedures recommended below.
  3. To provide permissible priority, emergency, or disaster communications when the need arises, cooperating whenever possible with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Adventist Community Services, other entities such as the Red Cross, state and federal emergency management agencies, and local amateur radio clubs.
  4. To promote an annual QSO Party, under the direction of a person appointed by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 3: The Network Director shall organize the various network segments and shall supervise the network coordinators.

Sec. 4: Each network segment shall have a chief net control and two alternate net controls.

Sec. 5: Stations checking into a worldwide network segment shall be recognized by the net control station in the following order of priority:

  1. Stations with emergency or priority message traffic;
  2. DX stations;
  3. Mobile stations;
  4. Low power stations; and
  5. Stations with or without regular message traffic by areas.

Sec. 6: All nets are encouraged to use a standard Preamble to call up the net segment. That Preamble shall be one adopted by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 7: Bible study net segments shall have at least a chief net control and one alternate, and shall have a standard Preamble approved by the Executive Committee. Bible study nets shall be open for reasonable free discussion of spiritual themes with an air of receptivity to varied views without an atmosphere of debate. The net control shall maintain cohesion to a series of studies over a period of time to create interest in continued Bible study by the participants.

Sec. 8: Net controls shall be responsible for net discipline in conformity with good amateur radio practice for organized group activity.

Sec. 9: Recommended Preamble and Procedures:

Attention all stations on frequency. This is (first name, call sign) opening the Adventist Amateur Radio (Bible study net, 20-meter net, 15-meter net, etc.). This is a directed net and anyone not participating in the net is asked to please stand by until the net has been closed. *Initial check-ins will be taken by broad regions, and we request that you stand by until your area is called. First, are there any stations with welfare traffic, mobiles, or QRP check-ins? Your call letters only, please.

*For a Bible study net, this part may be replaced by a general invitation and call for check-ins as well as a general description of the purpose, time, format, and daily character of the fellowship and study.

Sec. 10: Recommended Closing:

Our next scheduled net is (day, date, time, frequency). I would like to thank all those who checked in and all those who stood by making this net possible. This is (name, call sign) returning the frequency to normal amateur use. Thank you.

Copyright © 2020 Adventist Amateur Radio Association International. All Rights Reserved.