2023 New York Laws › RCO - Religious Corporations › Article 2 - General Provisions › 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.