I. Volunteer Membership for Health Care Co-op Development:

Volunteers who have a desire to provide medical care and assistance to those who are poor and needy are welcomed by TBT. All service offered out of love for others is gladly accepted. There are no restrictions on volunteers other than a loving heart and a teachable spirit.

For those who would like to formally become part of TBT the application process is below (Please note that TBT is not a denomination and does not propose to replace or even supplement an individuals relationship with their home church. It is an association of like minded believers in Christ’s work and message who feel called by God to address the needs of the poor and needy.

II. Applications for Membership.

A. To make application to join TBT each prospective member will complete an application for membership and submit the application to the Board of Trustees.
B. Each applicant will then be interviewed personally by the Membership Committee and a report of that interview and the recommendation of the Membership Committee will be given to the Board prior to the final decision of the Board to accept or deny membership to the applicant.
C. The Board of Trustees will consider the application during the next business meeting. The Board will then respond with a written response detailing their decision and any pertinent factors that were influential in that decision.

III. TBT’s “Corporate Culture” includes the following values. These are expected of all members.

A. Members are to seek peace among members and in their interactions with others. Non-violence is to be promoted in all settings.
B. Love is to be fostered among members and with others outside the community. This is a positive commitment to protect and help other people, seeking to preserve their lives and help them gain their happiness.
C. Truth is to be the standard of communication. The truth should be spoken both within the community and with all those with whom we come in contact.
D. Tolerance is expected of all members. No member of the TBT community is perfect, nor are other people in the world perfect. Consequently, if we are to avoid fighting and war we must be tolerant. Tolerance does not mean that the TBT community and its members do not actively oppose wrongful and destructive acts of its members or others. Rather it means we treat one another with grace.
E. Cooperation is a practical virtue that allows the members to live peacefully, economically and independently in a world where it is difficult for individuals and families who are alone to sustain their lives in a healthy, joyful way.
F. The majority of the time people do not murder, steal, lie, rape, covet things or people, curse others, nor do anything they know will harm other people or their property. The community expects its members to behave as most people do. If a member commits these offenses and is not repentant, then the officers of TBT have the right to expel the member.

IV. The Board of Trustees shall establish a health committee to direct the activities of the developing health community.

A. The Health Committee will consist of eight members not including the Physician and Nurse Practitioner.
B. A goal will be to have both clergy and laypeople represented on the health committee.
C. The health committee will be charged with strategic planning, fund raising and the commissioning of task forces to meet local needs.

IV. Faith

A. The community follows the teaching of Christ as recorded in the New Testament and regards Faith as a gift from God given to the faithful at different times.
B. The statements of belief agreed to by The Church as expressed in the apostle’s creed are those of the TBT community as well.
C. We also agree with and support the Peace and Justice Commitment of the Iona Community, which they have written as follows:
We believe:

* that the Gospel commands us to seek peace founded on justice and that costly reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel.
* that work for justice, peace and an equitable society is a matter of extreme urgency.
* that God has given us partnership as stewards of creation and that we have a responsibility to live in a right relationship with the whole of God’s creation.
* that, handled with integrity, creation can provide for the needs of all, but not for the greed which leads to injustice and inequality, and endangers life on earth.
* that everyone should have the quality and dignity of a full life that comes from adequate physical, social, and political opportunity, without oppression of hunger, injustice and fear.
* that social and political action leading to justice for all people and encouraged by prayer and discussion is a vital work of the church at all levels.
* that the use or threatened use of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is theologically and morally indefensible and that opposition to their existence is an imperative of the Christian faith.
As members and family groups we will:
* engage in forms of political witness and action, prayerfully and thoughtfully, to promote just and peaceful social, political and economic structures.
* work for policies of renunciation of all weapons of mass destruction and for the encouragement of other nations individually and collectively, to do the same.
* support and promote research and education into nonviolent ways of achieving justice, peace and a sustainable global society.
* work for reconciliation within and among nations by international sharing and exchange of experience and people, with particular concern for politically and economically oppressed nations.

D. Finally, we meditate and pray on God’s Word and we think that real work includes the works of mercy:
Corporal works,

1. Clothe the naked
2. Bury the dead
3. Visit the sick
4. Feed the hungry
5. Give drink to the thirsty
6. Shelter the homeless
7. Ransom captives

Spiritual works,

1. Pray for the dead
2. Instruct the ignorant
3. Comfort the sorrowful
4. Counsel the doubtful
5. Forgive injuries
6. Admonish sinners
7. Bears wrongs patiently

The Community as it is now named and governed

Names of the Organization:

Legal Name under which we have had tax exemption since 1995;

The Order of Love Peace Truth Tolerance and Co-operation,

DBAs;

TBT( Tomorrow’s Bread Today)
TBT Co-op Clinics

Rules of Participation

I Eligible Members are adults age 19+

II Members support each other through their labors in the businesses owned by the Organization

III Surpluses created by the businesses are used by the Organization to improve the lives of their members and the communities in which they reside.

IV Pre-existing ownership of property is retained by the joining member, but the use of that property, it’s cost and maintenance expense is taken over by the Organization to the extent that it is needed to support the individual member and his of her dependent children or parents. The determination of level of financial need to support the individual member is made by the Trustees and is a written into the membership agreement. Any property that is newly acquired by the organization for use by the member after the membership starts is the property of the Organization. If a member leaves the organization for any reason then he or she may take with them any property held prior to their becoming members in it’s then depreciated or improved condition.

V Any property which the organization does not accept in the membership agreement must be dealt with by the member in whatever way the individual member sees fit, but the disposition of the property shall not take either labor or material or money from the organization.

VI Membership is Individual so that not everyone residing in the same household needs to be a member. However, the obligations for support of the individual members by the Organization is limited to that individual’s proportional share of the living expenses in the household in which he or she resides. As an example, if one person in a household of two adults joins the Organization then 50% of the living expenses that are deemed by the Trustees to be within the Organization’s normal budget will be paid by the Organization and 50% covered by the non-member party in the household.

VII The Organization has a common fund from which all member expenses are paid and into which all income from business operations are deposited. The categories of necessary expenses for each of the members is as follows:

A Food
B Shelter
C Transportation
D Clothes
E Education
F Health Care
G Recreation
H Taxes
I Property Maintenance
J Utilities
K Communications
L Charity

There are limits to the expenditures in each category stated above as determined by the Trustees and as approved in the Budget by a majority vote of the members.

VIII Debts of members shall be limited to those obligations that were accepted by the Organization at the time of the membership agreement. No new individual debt of any kind is acceptable as a responsibility of the Organization. The accepted prior debt of the member shall be liquidated by the organization as soon as possible after membership begins.

IX There are no salaries or any kind of employer/employee relationship between the member and the organization. The Organization will, however, pay the social security taxes for each member so as to establish their eligibly for Social Security benefits and Medicare.

X Salaries, fees, commissions, bonuses, and income listed in the membership agreement shall be assigned to the Organization and deposited into the common fund.

XI All members are equal and each is given a discretionary account into which funds are deposited from which he of she may pay for recreational and charity expenses. The amount of that deposit is determined by the Trustees as listed in the budget that is approved by members in a vote of the majority.

XII An election of trustees for two year periods is held in even years and is overseen by the current Trustees.

XIII Trustees are elected or removed by a ¾ vote of the members.

XIV The current businesses of the organization are as follows:

A Salaries for Contract Management for Linked IPAs
B Nurse Practitioner exams for HMOs
C Salaries and fees for management of the Co-op clinics

There are specific committees to deal with the jobs and duties of the organization in the management of its businesses and in the fulfillment of its obligations to members:

A Finance and Budget
B Labor
C Housing and Food
D Transportation
E Membership and Planning
F Education and Dependent Care
G Maintenance