February 11, 2023

ARTICLE 1—CLUB

Section 1—The Club shall be known and hailed as the Cobb County Masonic Low Twelve Club and will include all Lodges holding membership in the Cobb County Masonic Convention.

Section 2—The purpose of the Club shall be to render financial aid and assistance to the beneficiary and/or beneficiaries upon the death of a member.

ARTICLE 2—MEMBERSHIP

Section 1—Effective April 1, 2019, the initial fee for membership shall be sixteen dollars ($16.00); ten dollars ($10.00) for initiation fee and six dollars ($6.00) for four (4) advance assessments.  Additional assessments may be paid if so desired.

Section 2—Eligibility for membership shall mean that a Master Mason, applying for such, be in good health.  Any question of eligibility shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 3—All Master Masons in good standing with any Masonic Lodge in the Cobb County Masonic Convention or any Master Mason residing in Cobb County who is in good standing with a regular lodge that is recognized by the Grand Lodge of Georgia Free and Accepted Masons are eligible for membership

Section 4—Any member suspended or expelled from his Lodge shall automatically be suspended from this Club and forfeit all claims and fees.

Section 5—If any member moves his residence from the Club's jurisdiction, he may remain a member as long as his assessments are paid promptly.  Once suspended, he cannot be reinstated.

ARTICLE 3—ASSESSMENTS

Section 1—Effective April 1, 2019, an assessment in the amount of $1.50 shall be levied against each member upon the death of a member, said assessment to be paid to the Secretary.  The assessment shall be distributed as follows: $1.00 to be held in a beneficiary account and paid out as required and $0.50 to be held in the operational account and used for operation expenses and for the Secretary and Treasurer fees.

Section 2—Notice of assessments due shall be mailed to all members who are behind in their assessments on a quarterly basis (March, June, September, and December).  In the event any member fails to pay any assessment within thirty (30) days of notification such member shall be automatically suspended.  A semi-annual report (June and December) shall be sent to all members of the Club, Lodge Secretaries in the Club jurisdiction, and the Secretary of the Cobb County Convention.  Members are encouraged to send at least fifteen dollars ($15.00) or more for advance assessment payments to save postage and handling.

Section 3—Any member suspended from membership for non-payment of assessments may be reinstated upon payment of  assessments due at time of suspension plus a ten dollar ($10.00) reinstatement fee and six dollars ($6.00) for four (4) advance assessments.

Section 4—All assessments sent to the Secretary shall be by check or money order made payable to the Cobb County Masonic Low Twelve Club.  All cash mailed will be at the member's risk.

Section 5—It will be the duty of the member to notify the Secretary of any change of address, Lodge affiliation, beneficiary, telephone number or e-mail.  The Club cannot be responsible for a member not receiving his mail if the member has not notified the Secretary of the change of address.

ARTICLE 4—MEETINGS

Section 1—There will be two (2) regular meetings of the Club each year.  The Annual Meeting shall be held in February and the second meeting in July.

Section 2—At the Annual Meeting, officers for the ensuing year shall be elected.

Section 3—Special meetings may be held each year, at the discretion of the President or in his absence or disability, by the Vice-President. Said officer shall specify the purpose of the meeting.

ARTICLE 5—OFFICERS

Section 1-The officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer and Chaplain and will serve as the BOARD OF DIRECTORS, which will be a sovereign body and have full responsibility for carrying out all policies and financial operations of the Club in accordance with its By-Laws. The President will be the Chairman of The Board of Directors. All requests made to the Board of Directors will be conveyed in writing to the Board Chairman who will reply in a reasonable time.

Section 2—The President shall preside over all meetings, appoint all committees, and perform all other duties necessary in properly administering the affairs of the Club.

Section 3—The Vice-President shall assist the President in the execution of his duties and, in the absence or disability of the President, perform the President's duties.

Section 4—The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep a record of the activities of the club, Collect all assessments, keep accurate accounting of the funds received, maintain the club's bank and investment accounts, pay out benefits claims, and pay all operational and other expenses incurred by the club, maintain a current membership database, send out notices of meetings and assessments, and give a complete report of the Club’s activities and financial status at each meeting.

Section 5 --The Chaplain shall perform all public duties of religious nature pertaining to the Club.

Section 6—The President will request in writing to each elected Worshipful Master in January of each year whose Lodge is represented in the Club to appoint a member of his Lodge who is an active member of and interested in the success of the Club to be Ambassador. The Ambassador of each Lodge represented in our Club and the Board of Directors will meet as scheduled by the Chairman of the Board.

Section 7—The Secretary/Treasurer fees, payable at the end of the fiscal year, shall be Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00).

ARTICLE 5A—COMMITTEES

Membership

Finance

Audit

By-Laws

ARTICLE 6—BENEFITS

Section 1—Upon receipt of a notice of the death of a member of the Club, the Secretary shall notify the Treasurer with information regarding the member's status at date of death. The Treasurer shall pay to the beneficiary and/or beneficiaries of the deceased member a sum equal to one dollar ($1.00) for each member in good standing at the time of death, ten dollars ($10.00) for each full year of membership in the Club, and any assessments he may have accumulated in the treasury.   If at the time of death a member of the Club has a negative assessment balance, his beneficiary and/or beneficiaries will receive a sum equal to one dollar ($1.00) for each member in good standing at the time of death less one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) for every negative assessment in his account.  They also will receive the ten dollars ($10.00) per year of membership.   Said payment shall be made as soon as possible. 

Section 2—A member in good standing as used in Section 1 of this Article shall mean the same as in Article 2, but with the added meaning of not being subject to suspension by having one or more assessments delinquent for thirty (30) days after notification.

Section 3—All checks drawn on the account of the Cobb County Masonic Low Twelve Club shall be signed by two of the following three Club officers; Treasurer, President, Vice President.

ARTICLE 7—AMENDMENTS

Section 1—These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a majority of the members present.

AMENDED:  April 22, 2006

                October 21, 2006

                February 9, 2008

                May 1, 2010

               February 9, 2019

                July 20, 2019

                February 11, 2023