Responsibilities and Rights of The D.O. Home
Responsibilities and Rights of The D.O. Home |
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9. DEFINITION OF A D.O. HOME
The DO Home:
A DO Home's minimum size is four voting members. Two conditions applying to this standard are:
1.) If there are members under the age of 18 in the Home, then two of the voting members must be at least 25 years old.--That is, unless the member under 18 is living with his or her parent(s). For example, the two-year-old daughter of a 22-year-old adult couple may live in a Home with other YAs, without any 25-year-olds needing to be present. However, other than small children living with their young parents, if there are not two people in a Home who are at least 25, there shouldn't be members younger than 18.
This condition means that if the Home has 16 or 17-year-old members, then there must be at least two people who are at least 25 years of age. As with the few other restrictions on the 16 and 17-year-old age group, this is mainly for legal reasons. (Please refer to Right of Mobility for details on parental permission necessary for teens joining other Homes, pg.21.)
2.) When pioneering a new Home, a team of two or three voting members can function as a DO Home for their first three months before being required to reach the minimum Home size of four voting members. Allowing this three-month grace period will enhance the Right of Mobility, making it easier for members to launch out to pioneer if they wish. Notice, though, that after three months this team must increase its population to four voting members. A voting member is someone 16 years of age or over who has been in the DO Family for at least six months, so even if this team wins two new disciples, it hasn't increased its population by two voting members since babes are not voting members. So voting members from existing Homes will need to join this new pioneer Home sometime during its first three months of existence for the Home to retain its DO Status.
The Continental Office may grant exceptions to the four-voting-member minimum when they feel a case warrants it
For example, a couple is fulfilling the Charter requirements and generally obeying the "Fundamental Family Rules," but because their children have serious behavioural problems affect other children they live with, others don't wish to live with them. If the Continental Office feels it's warranted for a valid reason, they can allow this couple and their children to live in their own Home without other voting members.
In the rare case of a single parent with children who has a hard time remaining in or finding a Home, the Continental Office can likewise allow him or her to move in with another single parent and function as a DO Home without having the required four voting members. So it would be possible to have a Home of two single mothers with their children, or a single father and single mother with their collective children.
In some instances, two or three voting members may be unable to expand to four voting members in the required time. In that case, they may contact their Continental Office, which has the right to grant them an exemption, either for a specified amount of time or indefinitely, if they feel it is warranted.
Presently a Home may not exceed 35 total live-in members, including adults and children. (The exception to this is a Service Home, which is explained later.) Each Home must have its own utilities, independent of the other Home(s), such as electricity, gas, water, etc. Each Home should be financially independent and must send in the minimum tithe monthly. Also, as pointed out in Required Meetings and Activities, C, page 150, each Home must have its own (separate) Home Council Meetings, childcare meetings, and so forth. As well, each Home must have its own separate mailing address, as outlined in the World Service Reporting and Mailing Rules, A, page 153.
This means that a Home expanding to over 35 (or 45 in the case of a Service Home) is required to split into two separate dwellings.
By stating that the maximum personnel limit of a Home is 35, we are not suggesting that Homes should try to reach this limit. Generally we hope that Homes can keep well below that, somewhere between 20-25, as such smaller Homes are much easier to manage and shepherd. If your Home begins to increase in personnel towards the 30 mark, you might want to consider splitting into two Homes, with perhaps 20 remaining in one and the other 10 moving into a new Home. It might be helpful for the new Home to remain nearby so that you can cooperate together as you continue to build a work in your city.
Another thing to keep in mind when judging the population of your Home is the ratio between the amount of personnel and the available rooms in the house. Dad said, "I want every worker... to have comfortable quarters, and warm comfortable beds..." (ML #301A:49). Your house should be big enough to comfortably house those in the Home. Going down to a smaller Home size does not necessarily mean going to smaller houses. Make sure your house is large enough for your Home population, so that everyone is comfortable and not overcrowded.
Everyone should have a bed in a bedroom. Couples should have their own rooms, singles should at least have a room with other singles. No one should have to sleep on a mattress on the floor unless it's an emergency or your Home is in the early stages of pioneering a work, or it's local custom, like it is in Japan.
Your children need rooms for schooling, you might need an office room, etc.
If members of your Home don't have their own bed and place to put their things, then you either have too many people, or your house is too small for the amount of people you have, and therefore you need to find bigger housing.
Just because your house is not full to the brim doesn't mean that you need to bring in extra personnel to fill it! In fact, we recommend that Homes have an extra room that they can use for a guest room, or a prayer room or nap room.
For the specifics regarding both maximum and minimum Home size, please see the Home Size Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.148).
The word "reside" means "to live in a place permanently or for an extended period." So this clause means that a Home cannot allow someone who is not a DO member to live in their Home permanently or for an extended period of time.
a) The Continental Office may grant exceptions in extraordinary circumstances.
The sub-clause also covers a situation when a Family friend or relative might invite an entire Home to live in his house with him, perhaps while the Home is in transition between moves, or on a special witnessing mission or whatever. A Home may do so for up to 30 days without CRO permission. The CRO may, in extraordinary circumstances, allow a Home to remain longer than 30 days if they feel it is warranted. In such a case the Home is responsible to maintain the security of their DO pubs and other Family materials.
This clause does not cover a DO member visiting relatives. The amount of time a DO member would remain with relatives depends, among other things, on the reason he is visiting them. The timetable for such visits should be agreed upon by the member and his Home prior to the visit. The Home would then continue to report him as a member of their Home on their TRF. If the member does not return by the agreed-upon time, without suitable explanation, the Home would then remove the member from the population stats of the Home.
a) The Continental Office may grant exceptions in extraordinary circumstances.
b) Overnight visitors who are minors must either accompany their parents or guardians or have written permission from a parent or legal guardian.
The Home can allow TRF Supporters and other non-DO Family members, as well as non-Family visitors, to stay in the Home for up to 30 days; beyond that would require CRO permission. Due to legal reasons, any minors who are non-DO who stay overnight without their parents must have written permission from their parent(s) or guardian(s).
Of course, the decision on who is allowed to stay in the Home as a visitor and for how long would be decided by a Home vote after prayerful consideration. Such visitors must not be permitted access to DO pubs.
The next four sections of the Charter list all of the Responsibilities of the DO Home. Any Home that does not fulfil these responsibilities is in jeopardy of being placed on Probationary Notice, and ultimately its members could lose their DO Status.
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10. BASIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE D.O. HOME
The DO Home:
DO Homes, like DO disciples, are expected to obey the "Fundamental Family Rules." The definition of "endeavor" is "to make an earnest attempt." So a DO Home must make a conscientious and concerted effort, an earnest attempt, to obey the "Fundamental Family Rules."
In the "Fundamental Family Rules" it states that rules are to be obeyed at all times by everyone, with exceptions only in rare or unavoidable circumstances. There are times when it might be necessary to disobey a rule, but these should be rare. If a Home is constantly or regularly disobeying the "Fundamental Family Rules," it will be placed on Probationary Notice, and its members will be in jeopardy of losing their DO membership.
Homes must send in their TRF, tithe ($100 minimum) and 1% FAF contribution on time each month, as well as their Home Self-Evaluation Checklist every six months, in accordance with the World Service Reporting and Mailing Rules listed in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.153).
As the Bible and the Letters teach, the Lord expects His people to tithe. In addition to tithing, the Lord indicates that He also expects His children to give offerings above their tithe. Malachi 3:8 says, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." This passage indicates that the Lord not only said His people were robbing Him via the non-payment of their tithes, but also in the non-giving of freewill gifts and offerings when they had the financial capabilities of doing so, and so He wasn't blessing them.
So besides tithing on its cash and monetary income, a DO Home is expected to share of its abundance with World Services. If a Home receives a substantial abundance--for example, a Home member receives an inheritance--they are expected to lay it at the Apostles' feet in accordance with Acts 4:34 and 35. We're not indicating that the Home has to give all of its abundance, but that it shares the abundance. In such a case, World Services' practice has always been to suggest that the person who receives such a windfall use some of it for their personal needs, and/or for their Home and Area needs, and then share as much as possible with World Services so that the whole Family can benefit from the Lord's supply.
It is our belief that when the Lord supplies a large inheritance, gift or other windfall that He is generally giving it not only in answer to the local Home's prayers, but also in answer to the worldwide Family's prayers for finances.--And that He is using the recipient of that gift to help supply the need of the whole work.
Your tithe, according to God's Word, must come to us, your spiritual leadership, your modern Temple, World Services and its many Family Temple ministries. Your gifts above that may also come to us as your investment brokers for the Lord, to put them where we feel they're going to get the best dividends, the best returns, the best interest and accomplish the most, and where it's most needed ... and God will reward you accordingly (ML #928:258).
As explained in the Responsibilities of Individual Members, evangelism is "zealous preaching and dissemination of the Gospel, such as through missionary work." Every Home is expected to witness and preach the Gospel with zeal.
The goals of the Family will be clearly defined and published in an upcoming publication, God willing, so that people will know more specifically the goals which they are expected to work towards.
a) A published World Services' directive which specifically declares the goal.
(or)
b) A Home Referendum of the Homes affected, in accordance with the Election Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.140).
(1) The Continental Office must inform WS Leadership of the outcome of any Home Referendum affecting Continental Areas or countries.
All of the Homes within a Continental Area or a country or a city can have united goals that Homes in that particular Area are expected to attempt to achieve. Such goals must not contravene the Charter or the "Fundamental Family Rules," so they can't take away any of the rights granted under the "Charter of Responsibilities and Rights." There are only two ways such goals can be established:
1.) The first is if WS publishes a directive that declares that the worldwide Family, or a certain Area or city, must attempt to achieve a certain goal. On the rare occasion that World Services might make such a decree, they will publish it in writing, clearly stating that it is a worldwide, Area, country or city goal. In other words, if WS issues such a decree, it will not be ambiguous. No one will be able to erroneously come up to you and say that you "must do such-and-such because it is a WS-declared Area goal" unless such a goal has been clearly stated as such in a written publication.
2.) The second method for establishing such a goal, and the method which will most commonly be used, is through a Home Referendum. The rules governing Home Referendums are listed under the Election Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.140).
This means that other than a WS-established goal, an Area goal cannot be established without a vote of the Homes affected. Once the majority of the Homes in an Area, country or city agree that a measure should become a goal, then all the Homes in the Area, country or city are expected to endeavor to achieve it.
So if an Area wants to have a united project, or a "push," that everyone is expected to participate in, it must first be confirmed in a Home Referendum as an Area goal.
One example would be the 3% donation that many Homes in various Areas donate to the local Common Pot to cover local Area expenses. For the most part, this plan has proven to be very beneficial. Any Continental Area, country or city wishing to continue or to implement such giving to the local Common Pot would need to receive the Homes' agreement through a Home Referendum. In the Home Referendum section of the Election Rules it explains that Home Referendums on financial matters are established only by a two-thirds majority of the Area Homes. So in the case of the donation to the local Common Pot, two-thirds of the Homes must agree before it becomes an Area goal.--Whereas in non-financial matters, such as matters like coordinating witnessing areas within a given metropolitan area, a simple majority is the criterion.
All Continental, Area and country goals other than WS-suggested goals are subject to a vote of confirmation which should be organized every six months, according to the Election Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules."
For details on the dates for Home Teamwork elections, please see the Election Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules."
The voting members of the Home can vote to establish Home Regulations which they feel are necessary for the functioning of their Home. Examples of Home Regulations could include the Home schedule, inside/outside shoes, usage of certain equipment in the Home, etc. There are numerous Letters and other pubs that give guidance on all aspects of Family life that the Home may want to implement by making them Home Regulations.
Once such matters have been discussed and voted in by a majority vote of the Home's voting members, such Home Regulations must be adhered to by the Home members. (A Home does, of course, have the right to modify or drop such Home Regulations at any time, if the majority of the Home agrees.) A list of the Home's Regulations should be kept in the Home library for reference.
Please refer to the Required Meetings and Activities section of the "Fundamental Family Rules" for what is required in the way of meetings and activities (pg.149). As you will notice, these meetings and activities have been derived from the DTR requirements.
Homes within a city, country or Continental Area are expected to work in harmony with each other. It is inevitable that there will occasionally be problems between Homes which will need to be worked out, but when there are, it is expected that they will be prayerfully, lovingly and unselfishly resolved between the Homes involved. If necessary, arbitration of problems may need to involve the VS or CRO. In some Areas, the Homes might decide, or the Area Office may suggest, that the Homes arrange Action Committee Meetings, or set up City Councils, to help the Homes work in harmony and cooperation with one another.
In order to coordinate their witnessing, provisioning and other activities, every DO Home that resides in a city with more than one DO Home is required to send a representative to each City Council meeting which is held. Preferably these meetings should be held monthly, but are required at least quarterly.
We trust you'll appreciate the fellowship that these City Council meetings offer, and that just being able to pray together, sing a few songs together, share some positive, uplifting testimonies and how-to's, as well as relax together and have a time to chat with others in the area will be very beneficial, even if no business matters and city coordination are discussed in the initial meeting or two held in a city where the City Council is just starting off.
The customs and mores of society vary from country to country, so something that is acceptable in one country may not be acceptable in another. Homes therefore need to be sensitive to the customs and values of the country in which they reside, and should try not to engage in activities that are considered offensive. By engaging in unacceptable behavior, a Home's actions could reflect negatively on the other Homes in the city, country or Continental Area, or the Family in general. In such a case, a Home would be expected to refrain from the activity, or face appropriate discipline from the VS or CRO. Depending on the offense, the discipline may range from an admonition to the Home to being placed on Probationary Notice.
(or:)
The Continental Office may give prior authorization to specific spokespersons to conduct media interviews and/or write rebuttals or press releases without first informing or counseling with the Continental Office, on the understanding that the spokesperson will first counsel with specified Area Officers.
Dealing with the media can be a very tricky and precarious matter, and it can have serious repercussions if mishandled. This clause is included to ensure that Homes counsel with their CROs before becoming involved in any major media interaction. This includes any media which will affect the whole country (thus "national") or other countries (thus "international") or any other "major media interviews." It covers media outreach that is conducted in the name of the Family or in the name of a local work that is known as the Family. (For example, the 21st Century School, the official name of the HCS, is well known to be the Family.)
If the media interview is a local affair--for example, if the local newspaper wants to do an article on your Home's "Consider the Poor" outreach--this would not fall under the definition of "national, international or major," and therefore would not require the Home to seek prior counsel and approval from the Continental Office. (If, however, you live in a major city, and the "local newspaper" is published nationally, then you would need to check with your Continental Office before granting the interview, since such an article could have national ramifications.)
If a major or national newspaper wants to do a two-page spread about the Family, it would be considered a major article and thus would have to be counseled about with your Continental Office.
If the local TV station wants to film your children's singing group, it would be fine for the Home to go ahead with it as a local decision, but if a national or international TV or radio station was requesting permission to film a documentary or TV show or movie, then it would have to be counseled about beforehand.
There are times when national or international interviews must be given on the spot. An example of this was when the Argentina raids took place and the press immediately began banging on the door of the Media Home in England, wanting their response. There was no time for the media spokesmen there to get permission from the CRO to speak to the media; they had to go on the attack right away. To cover such situations, there is a provision allowing the CROs to appoint specific media spokespersons who are authorized to speak to major media outlets without first consulting the CRO. However, this advance authorization does not cover undertaking the filming of documentaries or movies, or major, in-depth magazine or newspaper articles, or writing or collaborating with those writing books about the Family, without first consulting with the CROs.
We have attempted to outline situations where there is sufficient time to consider counseling about such media decisions. However, in a case of extreme emergency when there isn't time, such as your Home being raided as were the Homes in Australia, France and Argentina, you would probably need to immediately speak to the press without awaiting CRO approval. If such is the case, you should proceed as you feel led of the Lord, and inform your CRO as soon as possible afterwards.
Under non-emergency conditions, if a major media outlet representative were to arrive at your door for an interview, and your CRO has not appointed anyone in your Home who is authorized to speak with the major media without first checking with the CRO, then your response to them should be to politely direct the inquirer to the main media spokesperson for the country, much like an employee of a company would if questioned about their company. (This would not be the case if your Home had just been raided, as outlined above.) It is advised that each Home have a phone number where the main media spokesperson for the country or Area can be reached. If you give the phone number of the media spokesperson to someone, you should inform your media spokesperson as soon as possible.
As a Family member, you represent the Family to those to whom you witness and minister. However, when it comes to legal agreements involving the Family, only those authorized to represent the Family in legal matters have the authority to act. Such authority must be granted, in writing, by the CRO after consultation with WS Leadership.
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11. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE D.O. HOME: REGARDING CHILDREN AND PARENTS
Many of the items listed in this section are somewhat repetitive of the earlier sections which deal with the rights of children and parents, this time as applying to the Home itself. As such, the same basic explanations apply, so we did not repeat them under this section.
Since the children and parents have certain individual rights granted them under the Charter, it becomes the Home's responsibility to work toward fulfilling those rights.
The DO Home:
Our children are a precious gift from the Lord and we must do all we can to ensure that they are well cared-for in every possible way. While it is ultimately the parents' responsibility to make sure their children develop properly, the Home's population is collectively responsible for the same. It is the Home's responsibility to schedule the time, and provide the resources and personnel, to provide the means for its children's spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical development.
Obviously, a Home can only provide personnel as available within the Home. If they don't have enough Home members to help properly care for and teach their children, they should try to get extra personnel. If their schedule doesn't allow for enough Word or school time, then they should revamp their schedule. If they don't have enough resources and materials for their education, then they should likewise pray, discuss and attempt to find ways to get whatever is needed. Advertising the need in the CRO want ads could be helpful.
As stated in the Rights of the Children, children are entitled to an adequate education; thus the Home is responsible to provide it by whatever means is available to them. Generally Homes will home school their children, which we have found to be the best method for schooling. However, there may be situations where it's not possible to do so, or the Home doesn't feel it has qualified personnel, in which case the parents and the Home could decide to get a private tutor or place the children in an outside secular or religious school. The decision to do so belongs to the parents, but the Home must be in agreement, in accordance with the Home Life Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules." If the Home is not in agreement, the parents, of course, can use their Right of Mobility to remedy the situation.
The Home is also responsible to fulfil the following conditions, all of which have been explained in earlier sections dealing with the rights of the children and parents.
See Child Progress Report in Appendix B, which can be used for this purpose.
As mentioned earlier in the Charter, our single parents are faced with more difficulties in raising their children than couples are. Added to this, they can sometimes be tempted to feel that they and their children are a burden to the Home. With the enactment of this Charter, many single parents may fear that they will be voted out of, or not be accepted into Homes, because they may be considered a weight to the Home.
Many single parents already feel that they must almost do "double duty" by working extra hard in order to prove to the Home that they are a blessing. This, coupled with the fact that they must be both mother and father to their children, can be very taxing on them.
We must all recognize the difficulties and challenges that our single parents face and do all we can to help. We should put ourselves in their shoes and try to be loving and understanding of their and their children's needs, and our love should be "in deed and in truth" (1John 3:18). We need to "bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2).
Members of the Home individually and collectively are responsible to help supply the single parents in the Home with additional help in the care and raising of their children. All of the children in your Home are your children, because they are Family children. Every child needs a daddy and mommy, and if they don't have one, the Home and its members are responsible to help provide their needs. They might want to arrange for the single parent to team up with another single or a couple in a parenting teamwork so the single parent would have regular help with and counsel about their children.
Our Homes need to take into account that our single parents face a special challenge in the care of their children, and if any of our single parents are not able to carry the same weight in a Home as a married couple, or single person without children, the Home should be loving, compassionate and understanding.
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12. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE D.O. HOME: REGARDING FINANCIAL MATTERS
The DO Home:
It is mandatory that our DO Homes be financially stable, and stay free of debt by living within their income. The Home should operate within a budget agreed upon by its voting members, and endeavor to meet its financial obligations.
"By whatever legal means necessary" means that if some people need to get secular jobs in order to fulfil this clause, it is allowed. In the Home Life Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules," you'll find stipulations that must be followed regarding taking jobs (pg.130). Also, if you live on a mission field where it is illegal to hold a regular job without a work permit, then you should obtain one.
The financial management of a Home is a major factor in its management. Each Home should decide upon a monthly budget and work to operate within that budget, which should include upcoming expenses such as medical costs for the birth of a baby, visa trips, legal expenses such as passport renewals, etc., so that such anticipated expenses don't end up contributing to the Home getting into debt through poor management.
The Home must pay its debts and stay current on its payments on any outstanding loans, such as a Home Loan, or a Service Center or PPC credit. Sub-clauses 1 and 2 differentiate between what is a debt and what is a liability. Throughout the Charter both terms are used. The explanation of the difference between debts and liabilities is found in point B of the section Rights of the Individual: Within the Home (pg.16).
If a Home is in debt, meaning that it has unpaid bills for two months in a row, it will automatically be put on Probationary Notice by the Continental Office.
There are other Financial Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" which need to be followed as well. (See pg.145.)
a) A Home may, by a two-thirds majority, free a departing member from all, or some of, his portion of the Home's debt and/or liabilities providing the remaining Home members assume his portion.
This is explained in point A.3. of the Right of Mobility.
If your Home is going to close, the voting members must ensure that all its bills and liabilities are paid. If the time comes for the Home to close and all the bills aren't paid yet, then each member must assume the responsibility to pay for their portion of the Home's debts and liabilities. (See more on this in sections C and D of Rights of the DO Home, pg.60, and also see Closing Home Form in Appendix B.)
All financial matters must be voted on and decided by a two-thirds majority of the Home's voting members who are 18 years of age and older. This differs from most other Home matters not having to do with finances, which are decided upon by a simple majority. If the Home has debts or takes on liabilities, such as a Home Loan, these belong to the Home as a whole. A portion of that amount only becomes the individual's personal debt or liability when a member, 18 years of age or older, decides to leave the Home, or the Home closes before all of the debt or liability is paid.
The following scenario should give a general idea of the way a Home's finances would work. A certain Home has 14 voting members 18 years of age or older. The Business Teamworker proposes a monthly budget to the Home, which they pray about and discuss, then make some modifications and vote to approve. Of the 14 voting members, eight of them are on outreach regularly, while the other six take care of the children and other Home duties. The eight outreachers are the ones who normally bring in the funds for the Home, since the six on childcare and Home duties don't have as much opportunity to witness, although they do go out at least their two hours per week. However, the six that stay behind make it possible for the outreachers to do their work because they take care of the children and other essential Home duties throughout the day.
If for some reason the Home went $1,400 into debt, or took out a Home Loan for that amount, it would be owed by the Home, and the outreachers would probably step up their fundraising activities to pay this amount off. The Business Teamworker would not say, "Everyone is now responsible to pay off $100 each, so you six childcare people must figure how you're going to pay your $100!" The debt would be the Home's debt collectively, and it would be up to the Home to figure out how to pay it.
If, however, a bit later one of the childcare workers decided that she wanted to move Homes and gave her 30-day notice, then she would become responsible to pay her portion of the Home's debt or liability, which in this case would be $100, before departing. And she would need to be given time off from her childcare duties in order to raise these funds. If the Home felt that they would rather have her continue to take care of the children during her last 30 days in the Home, they could vote that she does not need to pay her debt or liability, but that the Home and its remaining voting members will assume it.
We hope this helps explain the concept that debts or liabilities belong to the Home, and a single member is only responsible to pay his portion if he leaves the Home or the Home closes.
Rather than necessitating the Home meet together every time the rent or other regular monthly bills are due, the Home may decide to have the Home Teamwork pay specified regular monthly bills each month without having to get monthly approval via a vote of the Home.
Likewise, the Home may agree to authorize the Home Teamwork to spend a specific amount of funds without having to seek prior approval of the Home. For example, the Home could authorize the Home Teamwork to spend, or give permission for others to spend, up to a certain amount, say $200. If they did, the Teamworker would be authorized to allow the provisioner or shopper to buy something costing up to $200 if the provisioner discovers a real bargain while out. The Teamworker would not have to ask the Home, since the cost of the item is under the $200 limit the Home has set. If the amount to be spent was over $200, they would have to ask the Home about it first.
The Home may likewise vote to allow the Teamwork to authorize the spending of set amounts of the Home's budget; so if the Home has budgeted $100 for home improvements, the Home Teamwork can authorize the spending of that amount for that purpose, but would need to get Home approval before spending over that amount.
There may be other cases where the Home decides that someone else besides the Home Teamwork might be allowed to spend a set amount, such as the Home's shopper. They may authorize him to spend $100 in the event he decides to buy some item the Home has been looking for, etc.
These two preceding sub-clauses are not meant to imply that you must do these things; they are included to let you know that you can do them if you choose to. Whether or not you give the Teamwork this authority, and the amounts you set, are completely up to you. The Home's finances belong to the Home and its members, and it's up to you to collectively decide how they will be managed.
As explained earlier, each voting member is entitled to know, and it is the Home's responsibility to disclose, the complete financial state of the Home.
It's up to the Home to decide how often and in what way this information is to be disclosed. It is the Home Teamwork's responsibility, and they must disclose this information at least one time per month. Please understand that once a month is not the recommended amount of times, it's the minimum.
Any member, 18 years or older, who is seriously considering joining another Home has the right to know what his portion of that Home's debt and liabilities amounts to, as part of the criterion for making his decision. The Home is not expected to reveal any other specifics of their Home's financial matters to the inquiring member.
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13. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE D.O. HOME: REGARDING THE WELFARE OF ITS MEMBERS
The DO Home:
a) The assembly may be subdivided into groups.
Our Homes must faithfully allot time for united reading, prayer and praise. Each Home should organize its schedule so the adults and teens can gather together and have a feeding meeting, based around prayer and reading the Word together. Time and length of these devotional meetings may be determined by the Home, but must occur at least four times per week. These meetings might be morning devotions, vespers, or evening united reading times in which new MLs are read. The time of day and the length of the period you are together is decided by a two-thirds majority.
The Home may decide that it's better for different age groups to have all or some of their united Word time together. For example, if there are a number of teens in the Home, it may be decided that the teens should have a separate devotional time geared toward their needs. There may be times when devotional meetings might include almost everyone in the Home; others might just be for voting members. It is up to the Home and the Teamwork to decide on these matters. It is not mandatory that all new WS publications, including GNs, be read unitedly unless stated on the publication. The Teamworkers may decide that it would be beneficial for a new pub to be read unitedly, and in such a case the united reading should occur within three or four days of receipt of the mailing.
Four times per week is not the recommended amount, it's only the minimum amount. If your Home gathers together less than this, you are violating the Charter and your Home is in jeopardy of being put on Probationary Notice.
Beside the need for the Home's members to gather together for united reading, every member also needs personal Word time. The Home must allot time for its members to have this private reading time. Of course, it is up to the individual to use this Word time wisely. The four hours per week of personal Word time is not the recommended amount, it is the minimum.
A well-organized Home library is a vital part of the Home. If the library is either non-existent or is so disorganized that it's almost impossible to find the reading material that you're looking for, then the Home members will be discouraged from getting into the Word, and will suffer spiritually.
It is the Home's responsibility to attempt to gather the Family publications necessary for as complete a set of pubs as available, both in English, and where needed, in their local language, for their Home library, and to keep them available and in order. As much as possible, the CROs and Area Shepherds should assist the Homes in this endeavor.
Having more than one library per Home for larger Homes is advisable, allowing easier access to reading material. Also, if the Home should ever divide into two Homes, each Home would have a library available.
When a WS mailing arrives in the Home, the list of titles must be posted for all to see. The contents of the mailing should be immediately made available to the Home members, appropriate to the age of the members and in accordance with the Classifications of Family Membership and Literature in the "Fundamental Family Rules," which outlines who is permitted to read what literature (pg.161). For example, new members are not permitted to read the DO publications until they have finished the Babes Basic Course.
Contents of the mailing that the Teamwork intends to read unitedly with the Home do not need to be made immediately available, but they should be read unitedly with the Home within three or four days of the arrival of the mailing, and made available thereafter.
Each voting member is entitled to a regular day off from their Home duties. The ideal is one day off each week. If this is not always possible, then they must have at least one day off within every 14-day period. It will be a united Home decision of how often, which days, whether they get a full 24 hours, or just during working hours, whether Family Day will count (since taking care of a number of children for a full day may not be considered much of a day off), etc.
Many of our younger teens, 14 and 15 years old, may also need a day off just like the voting members, especially if they are involved in ministries in the Home.
In order to do their best, it is imperative that our hard-working Family members have sufficient time for rest and refilling.
Our Homes need to maintain a good physical standard. If a Home is in harmony with, and conforms to the goals and rules of the Family, they should be able to maintain a good standard. Homes that do not maintain a clean, safe and healthy environment, as with any of the other responsibilities of a DO Home, are in jeopardy of being placed on Probationary Notice by their Area Office.
Please refer to Food and Drink Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" for more on this subject (pg.125).
If a Home member is sick, it is the Home's responsibility to support them physically and spiritually and supply the needed prayer and care. If they need medical attention, it should be made available. If they're in the hospital, Home members should visit regularly.
If a member is physically weaker, impaired, pregnant or has special physical needs, which would include nursing mothers and elderly members, the Home should not only meet their medical needs, but endeavor to meet their dietary and therapeutic needs, and be understanding of their need for extra rest and/or a lighter workload.
The Home is also responsible to help meet its members' needs for prenatal, dental and eye check-ups, and any resultant dental work or eyeglasses needed, by provisioning or whatever means necessary.
In the case of emergency medical needs, some of the Home's HER fund may be used, in accordance with the Financial Rules of the "Fundamental Family Rules." However, since there is plenty of advance notice for births, the Home should set aside funds in advance to cover the cost, as well as any other predetermined medical expenses.
The Home is responsible to do what it can to ensure that every member in the Home is getting sufficient exercise and fresh air. According to the Get-Out Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.127):
1.) Each member over the age of 18 must get out a minimum of four times per week,
2.) Each member under 18 must get out a minimum of five times per week.
Members should strive to have get-out every day, but are mandated to do so at least the stipulated amount each week. Some people might get sufficient exercise and fresh air during the course of their daily work. For example, a handyman who works outside may get sufficient exercise and fresh air and therefore is not required to have a formal get-out.
It's important that every member, regardless of age, gets sufficient exercise and fresh air, which for most people requires a good get-out. Whereas for others, like a witnesser who may get plenty of exercise and fresh air throughout the day, it would not be necessary for them to have an official get-out on those days. The witnesser would need get-out if he didn't get sufficient fresh air and exercise when out that day.
The Home is responsible to operate in such a way that its members can abide by the Charter and the "Fundamental Family Rules."
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14. RIGHTS OF THE D.O. HOME
The DO Home has the right to:
The Home is free to decide its main vision and thrust: What its main ministry or ministries will be, and specifically what goals it will attempt to reach. For example, Home members may decide their main ministry is primarily "Consider the Poor" or "Youth Outreach" or a "Prison Ministry" or "Tool Distribution," or perhaps a combination of different ministries. Such a decision is completely up to the Home.
The Home members collectively choose the way the Home operates. They decide upon its procedures, and determine its Home Regulations, providing they operate within the broad guidelines established in this Charter and the "Fundamental Family Rules," and they are endeavoring to reach the goals of the Family and/or the Area. (The only Homes that will not have this and a few other specified Home rights are Service Homes, and Homes in Sensitive Countries, which are covered later in the Charter.)
Where a Home decides to live is up to its members. They can move anywhere within their present city, or to another city in the same country, simply by giving the Continental Office and appropriate Area Office a 30-day notice. Before informing the landlord of their intent to move, they may want to inform their Area Office, as they may know of others looking for a house. They should also inform the Family member who signed the contract if he or she is not presently in the Home, and fulfil their legal obligations to the landlord.
If your Home is moving within the same city and has found a house in or near a neighborhood that already has a Home situated there, it would be wise and loving to consult with the existing Home and/or City Council as to whether or not it is agreeable to have two Homes in such close proximity, as it may not be the best for the local work.
If the city they want to move to already has a DO Home, they will have to follow the proper procedure outlined in Procedures for Opening a Home in a City that Already Has a DO Home, pg.99.
A Home may choose to close or disband. In doing so, they must notify their Continental and Area Office. (See Closing Home Form in Appendix B.) This is merely notification, not seeking approval to do so, as the decision to close belongs to the Home.
As in the above situation, before informing the landlord of their intent to move they may want to inform their Area Office, as the Office may know of others looking for a house. When deciding to close a Home, the Home members should take into account their legal obligations to their landlord.
The Home must also hold a meeting to disclose the status of its finances. If they have debts or liabilities they must pay them, in accordance with the following guidelines.
If some members need to get a job to raise the funds to pay off their debts, liabilities or expenses, they may do so. The rules governing employment are covered in Home Life Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules" (pg.130).
Common sense would dictate that the Home would first of all use whatever finances it has available, above what it is going to cost for them to operate for the remaining time the Home is open, towards paying their bills and/or debts.
a) The communal assets chosen to be liquidated are determined by a two-thirds majority.
If the Home doesn't have the cash assets available to pay its debts or liabilities, and/or is not able to generate income through any other means, they should liquidate--which means to convert into cash by selling--their communal assets. Communal assets are any assets that belong to the entire Home, such as furniture, video equipment, pots and pans, perhaps some vehicles, etc.
This doesn't mean that everyone's Walkman or guitar should necessarily be sold. Determination of which communal assets should be sold should be made through prayer, discussion and voting.
When faced with the necessity of having to sell communal assets, it should be done with a great deal of prayer and consideration for and by all concerned. If, for example, the Home was using a trailer which was given to a couple in the Home by their parents, which the couple may have been planning on using for their family to hit the road, the Home might decide that it would be better to let the couple keep the trailer and try to raise the needed funds by some other means. On the other hand, if the couple had not intended to live out of it, it might be decided to sell it to pay the bills. If your Home has a difficult time deciding such matters you may seek counsel from your Area Office.
Of course, some of the goods in your Home may not belong to the Home, but are Area assets, such as a vehicle that may have been purchased or provisioned by another Home or the Area provisioners. These goods must be returned or passed on to another Home for their continued use by the Area.
b) HER funds must be returned to the Continental Office, in accordance with the Financial Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules."
c) Any other World Service-issued funds must be handled according to instructions given by WS for the particular funds involved.
The HER funds must be returned to the Continental Office, as these cannot be used to pay bills. Any other WS funds which may have been allotted to the Home, such as Tool funds, must be handled according to the instructions given by WS. (For more on this, see Financial Rules in the "Fundamental Family Rules," pg.145.)
d) If the Home has a financial surplus or other assets, it may decide, by a two-thirds majority, how to apportion it. If a decision cannot be reached, it must be equally apportioned to all voting members.
If the closing Home has a financial surplus, the Home should decide how to apportion it. When deciding this, they should take into account the financial needs of the Home members. A family with six children may have a greater need than a single person. A single mom with children might be given more than a couple with children. It will need to be prayerfully decided upon with love and understanding. If an agreement can't be reached by a two-thirds majority, then the surplus must be equally divided between all voting members.
a) A member's failure to pay their portion of the Home loan within 90 days will result in the loss of their DO membership until repayment is made. The Continental Office may extend the 90-day period when warranted.
There may be situations where the Home is obligated to disband before all of its debts and liabilities are paid. For example, the owner of the house may give the Home 30 days notice because he is selling the house. This would mean that the Home would have to close even though some debts and liabilities are unpaid. In such a case, after the Home has attempted to pay off whatever debts and liabilities they are able to in the available time period, they must take out a Home Loan from the CRO, if available, to pay off the rest. Hopefully, following all the steps in point C. will make it possible to pay off most of the debts and liabilities so the amount of the Home Loan will be small. The amount available for the Home Loan will depend on the amount of funds the CROs have in their Home Loan funds, and the details and amounts will have to be worked out between the Home and the CRO. (See Home Loan Grant form in Appendix B.)
The amount of the Home Loan taken out for this purpose is then to be divided by the voting members (those 18 and over) as their personal liability, which they will need to pay off within 90 days. If it is not paid within 90 days, the member will be moved to TRF Supporter Status until the debt is paid.
The CRO may lengthen the 90-day period if they feel it is warranted, especially in hardship cases, or when someone has been attempting to repay the loan, but has not been able to meet the full amount within the allotted 90-day period. This would especially pertain to large families who, for example, needed to travel a long distance to their new Home, or single parents who may have had a more difficult time getting out to raise the needed funds, and so forth.
If a member is moving into an existing Home, the Home can vote to assume the incoming member's debt in accordance with the Right of Mobility, section D.5.
The Home must also designate a person (or persons) to take care of all of the old Home's business, so that all the loose ends get tied up, and they must report their progress to the appropriate VS. If it requires that someone actually stay behind to take care of such business, then two people should stay, in accordance with the two-by-two rule.
a) The receiving Home's Officers must verify the potential member's DO Status. They may also ask the incoming member or the appropriate Officers for additional information.
The decision to accept new personnel into a Home is to be made by the Home's voting members. A Home can't be required to take in personnel that it doesn't want.
The Home Teamwork of the receiving Home must verify the potential incoming member's DO Status. They can also seek information about the new member if they desire, either by informing the new member that they would like particular information about him and assigning him to ask his present Shepherd to write the receiving Home, or asking the potential new member's Shepherds directly. They can also ask the VS or CRO about the new person if they feel this is necessary to make their decision (See Guidelines for Member Evaluation Form in Appendix B.); but most important is that they ask the Lord. When trying to decide such an important matter as whether or not to accept a new member into the Home, it is recommended that the Home pray and ask the Lord for His direction and Will.
a) At least two voting members unitedly propose to the Home's Officers that a member should be asked to leave the Home. The matter should be discussed with the Home's Officers to determine whether it should be brought up for discussion in a Home Council Meeting and voted on.
b) If after discussion with the Home Officers the proposing members still feel it's necessary to ask the member to leave the Home, then the matter must be brought before the Home Council. In such a case, the Home Officers must privately inform the member in question that the matter is going before the Home Council.
c) The Home Officers notify all voting members that the matter will be discussed and voted upon in a Home Council Meeting.
d) In that Home Council meeting, the member whose Home membership is in question is free to present the reasons why he feels he should retain his Home membership.
(1) The member is free to give his 30-day notice to leave the Home if he so desires.
a) Give the member 30 days to leave the Home.
Just as the Home has the right to accept new members into it, they have the right and authority to vote members out. Hopefully this scenario would be rare, but since it might happen, it is necessary to cover it in the Charter.
A person might be voted out of the Home if deemed incompatible by the Home's voting members, but the individual may still be fulfilling the Responsibilities of the Individual Member. This is different than recommending someone for TRF Supporter Status, covered later in point 4. If someone is simply voted out of a Home, he does not lose his DO Status.
To vote someone out, two members must first agree that the person should not be part of the Home and they then present it to the Teamwork, who must inform the member and the Home that this suggestion will be brought up in a Home Council Meeting. During the Home Council Meeting the member is free to present his feelings on the matter. The voting members would then vote on the matter, probably by secret ballot.
At any time before the Home Council Meeting, the member may instead decide to give his 30-day notice. In such a case it would then be unnecessary to bring the matter up at the Home Council Meeting, since the member has already made the decision to leave.
If a member has been voted out of the Home, the Home must also:
b) Notify the Area and Continental Office of its decision within three days of the vote, specifying the reason for its decision.
c) Forgive the member his responsibility for any portion of the Home's debts or liabilities.
d) Allow sufficient time for the member to engage in fundraising activities on a regular basis for the purpose of raising a reasonable amount of finances to facilitate his move to another Home, or the setting up of his own Home. "Reasonable amount" is determined by a two-thirds majority.
(1) If the member is engaged in fundraising activities for the purpose of his departure from the Home, at least 50% of the net income he generates is to be used to facilitate his move to another Home or the setting up of a new Home.
(or:)
e) Supply the member whose Home membership has been revoked with a reasonable amount of financial assistance to help towards his move to another Home, or towards the starting of a new Home. "Reasonable amount" is determined by a two-thirds majority.
So, in summary, if the Home does vote to withdraw someone's Home membership, the above stipulations must be met:
1.) The decision must be made by a two-thirds majority in a Home Council Meeting, during which the member must be able to present his side of the matter in question.
2.) If the decision is taken that the member should leave the Home, the person must be given 30 days to leave, during which time he can work on raising funds. The person is also released from any obligation to pay any portion of the Home's debts or liabilities.
3.) Within three days of giving the notice to the person concerning his departure, the Home must notify the VS and the CRO of the decision, giving the reasons why they're voting the person out.
If the CRO or VS feel that the decision by the Home is unfair or unloving, they can attempt to persuade them so from the Word. For example, if a Home votes out someone merely because they feel that person or family is a financial burden, the CRO or VS can talk to the Home and try to get them to reconsider. However, if the Home members still decide to stand by their decision to vote the person or family out, in spite of what the CRO or VS says, they have the right to do so.
Revoking someone's Home membership is quite a drastic step, especially for the person involved, so as compensation the outgoing member will be freed from their portion of the Home's debts and liabilities.
Also, during the 30 days the outgoing member(s) remains in the Home, the Home must allow the member(s) enough time for fundraising to facilitate his move to the next Home. If this member(s) has children, the Home is, of course, expected to help take care of the children while the member engages in these fundraising activities.
If two-thirds of a Home's voting members feel that one of its members deserves to be moved to TRF Supporter Status, it may make that recommendation. In such a case the Home must follow the Procedures for Moving a DO Member to TRF Supporter Status (pg.107).