LOJS ICC By-Laws The Lion of Judah Mission

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The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah Mission, Inc.
a.k.a. The Lion Of Judah Society
Mail: 305A Halsey Street • County of Kings, NY 11216 • Website: www.LOJSociety.Org
Tel.: (641) 715-3900 Ext. 70129# • Fax: (614) 573-0724  • Email: TehetenaG@aol.com
Organization is recognized in the U.S.A. as a NPO under section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS Code.

Office of the Executive Ministry of the Church
HSI Board of Directors

Originally promulgated: April 21, 1997
Updated: May 27, 2012

Concerning the Rastafari Church and Our UCC – Standing By-Laws/ Official Order of Business

Authorization: By authority of the Our [Black] Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to the glory of Our God-Father, the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, H.I.M. Haile Selassie I, the Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia, and based upon the Holy Bible, the “Book of the Seven Seals,” known to us as the Metshaf Q’dus; and also recognized and sanctioned under International Law, since 1948, by Article 18 and Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Attention: All Disciples, Members, Bands, Officers, Ambassadors and Ministers of the Society of His Imperial Majesty, otherwise – LOJ Society.
Re: UCC, Universal Church Code/ Our Updated By-Laws, i.e. Order of Official Business
From: Executive Ministry, HSI Board of Directors, H.H. Ras Iadonis Tafari

Our Standing By-Laws
Section 1. Order of Business
1. Call to Order by the Presiding Ambassadorial Angel/ Minister of local Church
2. Invocation
3. Call of Bands, Officers/ Ministers
4. Remarks by the Presiding Angel/ Minister
5. Reading of Minutes of Previous Meeting! (Press Release)
6. Unfinished Business
7. Communication
8. Applications for local Membership! Appointments to local Ministries
9. Report of Co-Labourers, Units and Special Ministries! (Press Release)
10. Report of Standing Units, Bands, Cmtes and Ministries! (Press Release)
11. Admission of New local Members! Est. of local Ministries
12. Good and Well-Being
13. Fulfillment Remarks
14. Receipts of the Meeting
15. Adjournment/ Prayer

Sec. 2. Monthly Reports. All Units, i.e. Branches, Ministries and Society Houses, i.e. Rastafarian Churches and fellowship Mansions of Rastafari, must send monthly reports, updates and returns to the operational office and/or standing headquarters in their region assigned for such receipts.

Sec. 3. Names and Addresses of All Members, Officers/ Ambassadors and Ministers. The names and addresses of all members, officers and ministers of any and all official bands, ministries and churchical society houses (i.e., mansions) must be filed on the records of the acting office and/or regional headquarters. It is the duty of the unit, band, ministry and/or church society house (mansion) to send this information to the regional office/headquarters within, at least, ten business days from the date of any appointment, assignment or election.

Sec. 4. Time and Place of Regular Meetings. All units, branches, ministries and church houses (mansions) must inform their regional office and/or acting headquarters of their time and place of any regular meetings.

Sec. 5. Oath of Unit, Band and Ministry (Office). Each elected officer, ambassador and/or minister must affirm the following Word of Ministry (Office) before he/she is installed: (Repeat, with the left arm upraised, index finger extended and laying hold on the Holy Bible[1] with the right hand.)

I, (Full Name), say – “Amen, Amen” in His spirit and in Truth, hereby do affirm to uphold, protect and defend the Our Divine Heritage in and through the New Covenant of Christ in His kingly character: The Conquering Lion of The Tribe of Judah, His Imperial Majesty Q’edamawi Haile Selassie, Elect of God, King of King of Ethiopia, through Our [Black] Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I, therefore will, in spirit and in truth, perform faithfully all the duties of my office and the ministry to the best of my ability. So help me Jah: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; El Elohe Israel, the True God of Israel. Amen.

All shall say, “Amen.”

Sec. 6. Admission of New Members (or, Disciple) begins by the saying of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5; Acts 8:37; to be said with the left arm upraised, index finger extended and laying hold on the Holy Bible with the right hand.).

First, the officiating officer/ member shall begin the Opening of the Mouth, by saying the Five Words[2], “beSimme Abb, We-wold, We-menfes Q’dus – In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (in Ethiopic [Ge’ez]; and also in English translation). Upon hearing, the new member then responds by saying, “Ahadu Amlak.”

All shall say, “Amen.”

Each new member shall open their mouth, beginning with the repetition of the utterance of the Shema from Deuteronomy, Chapter 6:4-5; after that is said, the Giver of Word of Witness to the new member, shall pronounce the Priestly utterance, i.e. the next portion of the revelant passage of Deut. 6:6-25. After this is said, the Brother/Sister shall affirm, saying “Amen, Amen.” This Word of Witness is completed by candidate, in the example of the utterance of the Ethiopian Eunuch, declaring the admission of faith contained in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 8, verse 37.  Once said, all whom are present shall say, “Amen.”

Sec. 7. Appointment of Co-workers, Units, Bands, and Church Ministries, i.e. committees. The Presiding Overseer (“Angel of the Church,”) i.e. the Ambassadorial Minister (who may be known as an IndeRasê), must also appoint the co-labourers, units, bands, chairperson and main executive members of all ministries, committees and units, except in cases where provision is made, either in the Holy Bible, or in the Ethiopian World Federation Constitution, if applicable to jurisdiction, for any election of members to a unit, committee or a special ministry.

Sec. 8. Removal of Unit, Co-labourer, Band, Officer/ Minister. The Presiding Angel, or Ambassador, i.e. the Minister-In-Charge (i.e., IndeRasê) has the duty, right and responsibility, both in counsel and with justifiable cause(s), to remove any co-labourer, officer and/or minister from any band, any committee, or any appointive office and/or a ministry. Removal of a member, if necessary, must be judicial, cf. Matthew 18:15-17.

Sec. 9. All members, units, bands, ministries, and any special committees must submit their suggestions, recommendations, findings, and reports to the Executive Ministry of their local Church first for approval, before such suggestions, recommendations, findings and reports will be presented to the general assembly of the Church, Society House and/or local representative body of members, i.e. minyan.

Sec. 10. Application for Charter. All applications for charters, i.e. local Church or other related subsidiary, must be made to the Executive Ministry of The Conquering Lion of The Tribe of Judah Mission, Incorporated, on prescribed any application forms or by such means of communication approved for such. These forms, if applicable, may be obtained from the regional headquarters or acting executives upon request.

Sec. 11. No Member, Unit, Band, Minister or Officer will discuss the internal, or classified, business of The Conquering Lion of The Tribe of Judah Mission, Incorporated (i.e., the LOJ Society) in public, or with any person or such persons who are not active members of the local, regional, national Church, or international outreach ministries.

Sec. 12. Expense of Delegates. Each church or mansion (i.e., society house) and any registered ministry, must bear the expense of its own delegates and special representatives, and should, in case it is found necessary for the executive ministry to send a special delegate(s) to any local representative church body, or society house, that said local church or ministry may be required to pay the expenses of the said delegate(s).

Copyright (c) 2012 Lion of Judah Mission, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Lion of Judah Mission, and the lion-of-Judah logo are service marks, and registered service marks, of the Lion of Judah Embassy and its Ecclesiastical Sovereignty, i.e. the Rastafari Church throughout the world.