Community Facility Use at Yates

This policy was adopted by Yates Baptist Church in a formal business meeting and is included in the Yates Baptist Church Policy Manual. In any conflict between this policy and the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, those governing documents control.

Yates Baptist Church (Yates) is blessed to have facilities, including both buildings and grounds that can be used to support church and community activities. As a Christian church Yates has a desire to serve as an outreach to the community and be a cooperative partner with other like-minded organizations. Yates provides its facilities to support church and community activities that extend or complement its missions and ministries.

1. Users must complete the Yates User Agreement and Liability Waiver and secure appropriate approvals prior to use. All non-member organizations/individuals requesting facility usage will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance with Yates Baptist Church as “Additional Insured.” For the purposes of this policy, Watchcare members of Yates are considered members.
2. Activities must support or complement the mission and ministries of Yates Baptist Church. No activities may conflict with Yates Baptist Church’s accepted tenets of Christian faith and practice as defined in the Yates Baptist Church Bylaws.
3. Facilities are available only to non-profit organizations and individuals. Commercial or for-profit activities are strictly prohibited.
4. Facilities may not be used for partisan political campaign events, substantial lobbying, or any other activity inconsistent with the church’s 501(c)(3) status or the purposes stated in the Articles of Incorporation.
5. Approval for use does not imply church endorsement of an organization or its positions. Groups may not advertise in a way that implies church endorsement.
6. Smoking and vaping (including all e-cigarettes and vapor products) and the use of tobacco products are strictly prohibited inside all buildings and must be kept at least 25 feet away from all building entrances. The use of recreational alcohol, illegal drugs, or other recreational intoxicants is strictly prohibited everywhere on church property, including all outdoor grounds and parking lots.
7. Users must follow all local laws and ordinances, including noise restrictions.
8. Users are responsible for all set-up of the contracted space. Users must fully restore facilities to their pre-use condition (clean, orderly, and original seating configuration) immediately after the event.
9. Any event involving children, youth, or Sonshine adults must comply with the Yates Safe Sanctuary Policy, the Safe Sanctuary Procedure Manual, and applicable North Carolina child-protection laws. Outside organizations may not provide childcare in church facilities without a written agreement approved by church leadership that meets Safe Sanctuary-equivalent standards.

1. Yates may collect rental fees, damage deposits, and maintenance fees for facilities and equipment use prior to facility use. Fees and deposits must be paid prior to usage per the Facilities and Equipment Rates Schedule unless specifically waived by the Deacon Chair and Church Treasurer. Any waiver of fees will be reported to the church body in the next regular business meeting following the waiver.
2. The master Facilities and Equipment Rates Schedule is recommended by the Finance Committee and approved by the congregation. It may be updated through the same process without requiring amendment of this policy.
3. Yates will return the applicant’s damage deposit within two weeks after the event if the facility is left in pre-use condition, as determined by the House and Grounds Committee. Failure to clean or restore the space may result in forfeiture of the deposit.
4. Yates will not collect any form of payment, including cash, checks, or electronic transfers for event admittance or any activity associated with the event.

In the event that multiple requests are made for the same space, date, and time, the following criteria will be used to determine priority:

1. First priority is for congregational programs of Yates, including committee meetings, ministry teams, and member needs (including wedding and funeral services).
2. Second priority is to eligible non-profit groups affiliated with Yates through its mission or members (e.g., Scouts).
3. Third priority is to the general community and other eligible organizations on a first-come, first-served basis.
4. Municipal and civic uses — including but not limited to election polling, emergency evacuation, and school reunification — are accommodated as an expression of community service, subject to any applicable legal or governmental requirements, and do not displace congregational or ministry priority uses.

Note: Non-member individuals and organizations may not reserve facilities more than nine months in advance of the requested event date.

Yates reserves the right to change or cancel reservations due to emergencies. A full refund can be requested if changes are unacceptable to the renter. Users who cancel within five days of their reserved event may forfeit their damage deposit if expenses have been incurred by Yates to accommodate the reservation. Reimbursement will be determined by the chair of House and Grounds based on actual costs to Yates.