TESSON CHAPEL
TRUST DEED INCLUDING DOCTRINAL BASIS
[This document has been prepared from
the original Trust Deed. That Deed, as enrolled in the records of the Royal
Court of Jersey, remains the only correct version for all purposes.]
PREAMBLE
WHEREAS Mr
John Le Breton of 'Haut des Buttes' St. Mary, Jersey, is the owner of a Chapel
known as Tesson Chapel, formerly known as The Rock Chapel, bordering Les Monts
Groberts together with the car park on the East side of the road bordering
Meadow Bank used in connection with the said Chapel, the whole hereinafter
referred to as ‘the Chapel' situate in the Parish of St, Lawrence, having a right
thereto as devisee to the Will of the late Mrs. Hilda Anna Quérée, née Langlois,
widow of Mr. George John Quérée of "Zephyr Lodge" in the Parish of
St. Lawrence, Jersey, the said Will bearing date the 26th day of July 1964 and
registered in the Rolls of the Royal Court of Jersey by an Act of the Royal
Court dated 1st June, 1970.
In
the said Will the said Mr. John Le Breton is called erroneously "John
Philip" Le Breton.
The
Chapel was purchased by Mr. Philippe Sorsoleil Langlois by contract passed in
the Royal Court on the 10th day of October, 1925 from the Attorney of Mrs.
Elsie Mary Pellier wife of Charles Hugh Harris Pitts (Reference Book 396 Folio
160.)
The
said Mrs, Hilda Anna Quérée inherited the Chapel by the Deed of Partition of
the Real Estate of the late Mr. Philippe Sorsoleil Langlois, her father, passed
in the Royal Court of Jersey dated the 16th day of September 1933 (Reference
Book 418 Folio 78).
The
Chapel has been used for many years as a Meeting Place for Evangelical
Christians in the form of an Undenominational Meeting of persons of a like mind
believing the Bible to be the Word of God and the New Testament as a guide in
matters of faith and practice joined together in the worship of God and in
witness to their fellow men.
The
said Mr. John Le Breton is of the opinion that the interests of the aforesaid
Undenominational Fellowship in the present and in the future will be best
served if the Chapel be held by Trustees and that Trustees should be appointed
under the Provisions of the "Loi (1862) Sur Los Tenures en Fideicommis et
Incorporation d'Associations" which provides in Article 1 that it shall be
lawful to take and hold immoveable estate in the Island in the name of Trustees
Upon Trust subject to the disposition of the Law to serve the purposes of
religious worship.
NOW THEREFORE this Deed Witnesseth:-
THAT the following
persons have been named and have agreed to serve as the original nine Trustees:
-
TRUSTEES:
1. Name:John Le Breton
Address: Haut des Buttes
Occupation: Farmer
2. Name:Philip Godel Le Moignan
Address:Cardiff House, St. Peters,
Occupation:Retired Banker.
3. Name:David Carnegie
Address:Les Crochenoles, St.Ouens
Occupation: Senior
Lecturer (London Bible College)
4. Name: Philip
Bichard Coutanche
Address:Elmdale St. Lawrence
Occupation: Farmer.
5. Name: John
Philip Poch
Address: Cossipore, Millbrook, St.
Lawrence.
Occupation:Aliens' Officer.
6. Name: Arthur Victor Bisson
Address: Northdale, St. Lawrence.
Occupation: Builder.
7. Name:Kenneth John Le Breton
Address: Haut des Buttes, St. Mary.
Occupation: Gardener.
8. Name: Stephen
Le Feuvre Hotton
Address: Les Cypres , St. Lawrence
Occupation: Haulage Contractor.
9. Name: Robin Langlois Coutanche
Address: Maison de Haut, Ville Emphrie, St. Lawrence.
Occupation: Haulage Contractor.
TO
WHOM the said Mr.
John Le Breton will convey the Chapel and the car park in perpetuity and for
this purpose will appear before the Royal Court when requested so to do and
convey to the said Trustees, or to a special Attorney nominated by them for
this purpose, in accordance with the laws and customs of the Island of Jersey,
TO HOLD the said property and car park and preserve and maintain the same for
the purposes of the Trust in perpetuity.
NOW THEREFORE the above mentioned Trustees by their
signatures hereto DECLARE that subject to and with the approval of Her
Majesty's Attorney General for Jersey and of the Royal Court of Jersey, they
intend to lodge this document in the Rolls of the Royal Court together with the
draft contract of' conveyance attached hereto both of which shall form the
documents intended to be enrolled in the Records of the Royal Court of Jersey
in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the above Law.
THE Trustees (which expression during the
continuance of the Trust shall include new and Continuing Trustees) will hold
the premises Upon Trust subject and according to the following rules and
provisions: -
PROVISIONS
1.
That
the Chapel and Rooms appertaining thereto shall not be used for any other
purpose than the holding of gatherings of Christians for Worship and gatherings
related thereto.
2.
The Trustees shall have special power at any
meeting called for that purpose of which seven days' notice in writing shall
have been given to exclude, forbid or prevent any person or persons from
preaching, expounding the Scriptures, or holding any religious meetings
whatever upon the premises.
3.
That
all matters of dispute and difference of opinion arising in the carrying on the
work of' the Chapel shall be referred to the Trustees and that their decision
shall be final.
4.
That
as a Christian Fellowship meeting together on an Undenominational Basis, the
setting forth of Denominational or Sectarian teaching shall be precluded.
5.
That
the Fellowship or Membership shall consist only of those who are able to
subscribe to the Doctrinal basis hereinafter set forth and that from these
alone shall there be appointed officers or workers within the Fellowship for
the furtherance of its objects.
6.
That
nevertheless there shall be a welcome given to all who desire to attend the
Public Meetings arranged and any such visitors being Christian and desiring to
have closer association with the Fellowship may express their desire to become
Members and their request considered by the Trustees or duly appointed Elders with
a view thereto.
7.
That
the following Evangelical Doctrines of Christianity form the basis of the
Fellowship at Tesson Chapel and that all who desire to enter upon Membership
shall be required to subscribe thereto.
DOCTRINAL
BASIS
(a) the plenary
inspiration of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and their final authority
and sufficiency in all matters pertaining to faith and conduct;
(b) one God, eternally
existing in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — sovereign, holy and
loving;
(c) the Lord Jesus
Christ as true God and true Man; His deity, incarnation, virgin birth and
physical resurrection;
(d) the work of Jesus
Christ in His life and death as Representative and Substiture
[sic - Substitute]; His atonement for
sin whereby He secured righteousness, forgiveness and eternal life for all who
are united to Him by Faith;
(e) the ascension of
the Lord Jesus Christ, His session and intercession at the throne of God. His
coming again personally and visibly in glory and power;
(f) the
Holy Spirit's deity and personality and His essential work in conviction,
regeneration and sanctification;
(g) the creation of man
in the image of God, his sin and fall, the consequences of which passed to all
humanity, resulting in the guilt, sinful nature and punishment of all men;
(h) the personality of
Satan, his opposition to God and His purposes and his corruption and enslavement
of man;
(i)
that salvation is solely by the Grace of God, accomplished by God the Son and
applied by God the Holy Spirit. It is appropriated by faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ and includes regeneration, justification, sanctification and final
glorification;
(j) the bodily
resurrection of the just and the unjust, the one to eternal life and the other
to eternal punishment;
(k) the one holy, universal
Church which is the Body of Christ and to which all true believers belong.
RULES
The
administration of Trust shall be by rules as contained and agreed in the
Schedule to these presents: -
CESSATION
Upon the cessation of
the holding of gatherings of Christians for worship and gatherings related
thereto upon the Church premises or if the Trustees shall be reduced to less
than three then UPON TRUST to sell the said Chapel and convert the property
into cash to hold the proceeds of such sale and conversion Upon Trust for the
following alternatives: -
For
the benefit in the absolute discretion of the surviving Trustee or Trustees of
work similar to the religious work of Tesson Chapel in any part of the Island
in such manner and in such proportions as the surviving Trustee or Trustees
shall think fit.
Upon
failure of this alternative then in the absolute discretion of the surviving
Trustee or Trustees for the benefit of such evangelical work in this Island in
such manner and in such proportions as the said surviving Trustee or Trustees
shall think fit, bearing in mind the faithfulness of such work to the doctrine
of the Evangelical Church.
The
onus of deciding at which point the work of the Chapel shall have ceased shall
be on the Trustees or the majority of the surviving Trustees at a meeting
specially convened for this purpose of which seven days' notice shall have been
given in writing to each of the surviving Trustee and the decision shall have
been made by the majority of those Trustees present at the meeting.
In
case of equality in the number of votes the Chairman of the Meeting shall have
a casting vote.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF the
Trustees of Tesson Chapel Trust have hereunto subscribed their hands to this
Trust Deed for Tesson Chapel Trust at Jersey this first day of March in the
year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one.
SIGNED
by the within named: -
SIGNATURES
1.John
Le Breton
2.Philip Godel Le Moignan
3.David
Carnegie
4.Philip
Bichard Coutanche
5.John
Philip Poch
6.Arthur Victor Bisson
7.Kenneth John Le Breton
8.Stephen Le Feuvre Hotton
RULES
THE SCHEDULE HERETO
1. The Trustees will maintain and keep
the property in good repair and decoration during the term of the Trust.
2. The Trustees will keep the property
insured against the dangers of fire, storm and tempest and all other risks
deemed necessary.
3. The Trustees will elect from among
themselves a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The signature of the Treasurer
and either of the other two will be sufficient for all monetary matters.
4. The Trustees will meet from time to
time as they judge fit for all matters concerning the Trust but not less than
once a year.
5. The Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary
will have authority at all times for and in the name of the said Trust, to
settle all minor matters of an urgent nature immediately. All such maters [sic] to be minuted and endorsed at the
next meeting of the said Trust.
6. At all meetings of the Trust one half in number
or more Trustees personally present will form a quorum and the decision of a
simple majority of Trustees present will be obligatory and binding with regard
to all business which will have been brought before them. In case of equality
of votes the Chairman of the particular meeting at which the vote is taken
shall have an additional and casting vote.
7. Every year the Trustees will hold an
Annual Meeting at which they will present a written report on the work
undertaken throughout the year a statement of accounts and a balance shoot for
the said year. At this meeting they will elect a Chairman, Treasurer and
Secretary and appoint an auditor who shall not be a trustee for the coming
year. They will discuss all other business properly brought before the meeting
duly proposed and seconded.
8. All Annual Meetings and all other
meetings of the Trust will be called by means of a letter sent through the post
to each of the Trustees at least two weeks before a meeting to his home address or his
last known address in this Island or delivered by hand and the said letter will
state the time,
place and date of meeting and, in general, the business to be discussed.
9.
If
any Trustees depart from the doctrines set out in Tesson Chapel Trust Deed
Doctrinal Basis or should be censored by the other Trustees (he will be
informed by letter) as being unfit to continue in the office of Trustee by
reason of such a departure, or for reasons of immorality, mental incapability,
continued absence from meetings of the Trustees without reasonable excuse for a
period of at least one year, bankruptcy, insolvency or permanent absence from
the Island of Jersey [words deleted by
unanimous decision of the Trustees 13 April 2018 – ‘or attains the age of
eighty years’] then the said Trustee will cease, ipso facto, to be a
trustee of the Trust.
10. It will be possible for any one Trustee
to resign from the said office by giving or sending through the post a month's
notice in writing to this effect to the other Trustees, or to the Chairman of
the Trustees, provided that after such a resignation there remain at least
three Trustees.
11. Any replacements or nominations for additional
Trustees shall be elected to the Trust by the Trustees, by a simple majority,
at a properly constituted meeting of the Trustees in which meeting in case of
equality of votes the Chairman will have an additional or casting vote.
12. These rules may be amended altogether
or substituted in whole or in part from time to time by any meeting of the
Trustees specially convened for that purpose of which seven days’ notice in writing
has boon given and by a simple majority of Trustees present at the meeting in accordance
with Rule 6 of these Rules.
13. All Vacancies on the Trust shall be replaced
as soon as possible. If the number of Trustees be reduced to three these must
immediately appoint sufficient new Trustees so that the number of Trustees
never falls less than five who are prepared to hold office and support the
Doctrinal basis herein set out and such new Trustee or Trustees shall forthwith
be registered in the Royal Court in accordance with the provisions of Article 4
of the aforesaid Law.