21-A - Corporations for acquiring lands for parsonage or camp-meeting purposes for the Free Methodist denomination.
§ 21-a. Corporations for acquiring lands for parsonage or camp-meeting purposes for the Free Methodist denomination. The district elder and a majority of the stewards residing in the district elder's district, elected by an annual conference of the Free Methodist Church denomination, may become incorporated, for the purpose of acquiring, maintaining and improving real property, to be used for the purpose of a district elder's parsonage or for camp-meeting purposes, or for both such purposes, by acknowledging and filing a certificate, stating the name and object of the corporation, the name of such annual conference, and of such district elder's district, the names, residences and official relations to such district of the signers thereof, the number of trustees of said incorporation, which shall be three, or some multiple of three, not to exceed twelve, 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 elder 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 as trustees shall be the first trustees thereof. A person holding property in trust for the purpose of a parsonage for the district elder of the district, or for camp meeting purposes, and his successors in office, for the Free Methodist church denomination, may convey the same to a corporation organized for this purpose of acquiring property within the district in which such property is situated. Meetings held under the direction of such corporation, upon camp grounds owned by such corporation, shall be deemed to be religious meetings, within the provisions of the law relating to the disturbance of religious meetings. When such corporation or camp ground association owns land bordering on 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 ground during the holding of religious services thereon.