To provide for the incorporation of The Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod.
[1 June 1951]
(Format changes—E.R. 2 of 2022)
This Ordinance may be cited as the Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod, Incorporation Ordinance.
In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires—
Chairman and Vice-Chairman (主席及副主席) means respectively the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Synod elected in accordance with the constitution; constitution (章程) means the rules or regulations governing the Synod for the time being in force together with any amendments thereto made from time to time in accordance with such rules or regulations; Synod Committee (區董會) means the members of the Synod Committee duly elected in accordance with the constitution and including the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Synod and having the power of management and control of the affairs of the Synod in accordance with the constitution; The Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod (中華基督敎禮賢會香港區會) or the Hong Kong Synod (香港區會) or the Synod (區會) means the representatives, pastors and preachers of such Chinese Rhenish Churches in Hong Kong and the representatives of educational and charitable organizations established by the Synod as are or shall be members of the Synod in accordance with the constitution.Whenever any person is appointed to the office of Chairman and whenever any person is appointed to the office of Vice-Chairman such persons shall, within three weeks after their respective appointments or within such further time as may be allowed by the Chief Secretary for Administration, furnish to the Chief Secretary for Administration satisfactory evidence of their respective appointments.
A notification in the Gazette under the hand of the Chief Secretary for Administration that such evidence has been furnished to the Chief Secretary for Administration by such persons shall be conclusive evidence of such appointments. (Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)
(Amended L.N. 226 of 1976; L.N. 242 of 1994; L.N. 362 of 1997)
A certificate under the hand of the Chairman, or in his absence from Hong Kong of the Vice-Chairman— (Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)
that any person therein named is a member of the Synod; or
that any rules or regulations annexed to such certificate are the constitution,
shall be accepted for all purposes as sufficient proof of the fact that such person is a member of the Synod, or that the constitution was duly made and is in force.
The Synod shall be a body corporate under the name of “The Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod”, hereinafter referred to as the corporation.
The corporation by the name aforesaid shall have perpetual succession, and shall and may sue and be sued in all courts in Hong Kong, and shall and may have and use a common seal, and may break, change, alter, and make anew the said seal as to the corporation may seem fit. (Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)
The corporation shall have the power to acquire, accept leases of, purchase, take, hold and enjoy any lands, buildings, messuages or tenements of what nature or kind soever and wheresoever situate in Hong Kong, and also to invest moneys upon mortgages of any lands, buildings, messuages or tenements, or upon the mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares or securities of any corporation or company, and also to purchase, acquire and possess goods and chattels of what nature and kind soever. (Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)
The corporation shall further have power by deed under its seal to grant, sell, convey, assign, surrender, exchange, partition, yield up, mortgage, demise, reassign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any lands, buildings, messuages, tenements, mortgages, debentures, stocks, funds, shares or securities, or goods and chattels which are vested in or belong to the corporation, upon such terms as to the corporation may seem fit.
All deeds, documents and other instruments requiring the seal of the corporation shall be sealed therewith in the presence of the Chairman, or in his absence from Hong Kong, of the Vice-Chairman, and shall also be signed by the Chairman, or by the Vice-Chairman. The seal shall be kept in the custody of the Chairman, or in his absence from Hong Kong, in the custody of the Vice-Chairman.
(Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)
All matters of internal management of the Synod, including any amendment of the constitution, shall be settled and carried out in accordance with the constitution.
Nothing in this Ordinance shall affect or be deemed to affect the rights of the Central Authorities or the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Basic Law and other laws, or the rights of any body politic or corporate or of any other persons except such as are mentioned in this Ordinance and those claiming by, from or under them.
(Amended 32 of 1999 s. 3)