October 2004 Plumbline, Walden Lodge No. 274
Words From The East:
Hello Brethren! How good and how pleasant it was to be together at our September meeting!
We had a great meeting. For starters, Brother Chick Davis, SD, volunteered his wife, Sandi, to cook a wonderful Italian dish for us, which she did exceedingly well. With the assistance of Brother Chris Grantham, JW, and our Stewards, they served a fine meal including salad, fresh baked bread, and several types of cake. Brother Chick took home one of the three enormous casseroles to freeze and bring back again for the planned Second Degree in October. The other two had been devoured.
The meeting itself had a full itinerary. First, we received Right Worshipful Brother Tom McConnell, DDGM for an official visit, and he made several important announcements about Grand Lodge and District activities. Those activities are listed on the Grand Lodge website and will also be noted in the upcoming Grand Lodge “Masonic Light” newsletter.
Next, while our First Degree Candidate continued to wait, we conducted the usual Lodge business.
Finally, Brother Chris Grantham, JW, presided during the degree, and everything went very well. Afterwards, some Brothers, who should know, said it was one of the best they had ever seen. My congratulations to the entire degree team! I personally want to thank Right Worshipful Brother Jay Adam Pearson, PDDGM, for his presentation of the lecture. It was particularly enlightening.
As I mentioned in the last Plumb Line, we are going to do something a little different for our upcoming October 7th regular communication. The other officers and I are going to try to call as many of you as possible to invite you personally to attend that meeting. Over the past several years we have averaged about 25 to 30 Walden Lodge members present at each regular communication, but we want to have 70 to 75 members present together in October! We want you to come! Even if you have not attended in several years, won’t you plan to be with us on that particular evening? I would be glad to receive you. A wheelchair ramp has been installed at the back door, and the meeting will be in the downstairs lodge room to make it as convenient as possible for all to attend. The program will be short so you can get home early.
We will have the annual awards presentation during our November regular communication. It is always a pleasure to recognize those brothers who have reached membership milestones as well as those brothers who have distinguished themselves. We will be notifying you to receive your award.
Annual officer election and installation lead the agenda for our December regular communication.
The Christmas party committee chaired by Art Strandemo, PM, is ready to begin planning another fun event for the entire family. Please be ready to give some suggestions and to offer your assistance in making it the best one yet. We will set the date soon.
I look forward to speaking with some of you by phone and being with the Brethren in October.
Sincerely,
W. Kirby Burnett, WM
Greetings from the West – Let us meet upon the
level
Brethren:
We hope to see you all at the upcoming communication. Communication? As a newly made Mason, I thought that word a bit odd. Why not just call it a meeting? Well, it is certainly acceptable to do so, but as I continue my journey in freemasonry, I try to increase my understanding in masonry by listening to those with more knowledge and also reading from reliable sources. The Masonic Service Association (Silver Spring, Maryland) has many publications that I’ve found helpful. In one such publication it is stated that in Old English “communication” was “to common” or to share with others. In a Masonic lodge it means to gather in a communication. My brothers, as you know, a lodge communication is not “just a meeting”, but a “gathering of men with a common purpose, governed by a common idea, believing in a common ideal”. How exciting for like minded men to gather, fellowship and do the work of the lodge.
If the above be true, our Masonic Communications have the potential to be very special indeed. The next time we are together, let us celebrate and thank the G. A. O. T. U. that we are so blessed to be able to meet upon the level.
My brothers, Worshipful Brother Kirby Burnett mentioned in his article that we are hoping for a large turnout in October. If you haven’t been to a communication in a while, please make it a goal to meet with your brethren in October. If you don’t have transportation, please let someone know. The officers’ telephone numbers are included in the Plumbline and their e-mail addresses are included on the lodge website.
Lastly, if you haven’t visited our Walden website, please pay a visit. As webmaster, I appreciate your comments and feedback in order to make the website more useful for the Craft. The website was moved earlier this year and can be found at: http://www.mastermason.com/walden274
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike
Fraternally and sincerely,
Mel Sinclair, Senior Warden
Tidings from the South:
Greetings Brothers,
We had a great turn out for the combined business meeting and First Degree. The degree work went off very well, thanks to the hard work put in by the degree team. I would like to thank the brothers once again for their hard work and job well done.
If you have never heard RW Brother Pearson give the first-degree lecture, you have missed a great lecture.
Walden Lodge lost a fine Past Master in September. I will miss Worshipful Brother Al Geddie, and I offer my condolences to his family.
Brothers, the Square and Compass club will hold it’s next regularly scheduled meeting at Walden Lodge on the 13th of October. We will have dinner at 6:30, followed by the meeting at 7:30.
I look forward to seeing you in the lodge.
Sincerely, and fraternally
Chris Grantham
Junior Warden