NEWS FROM THE MASTER
Dear Brethren, Ladies & Friends Of Golden Rule Lodge:
How time flies! We’re already into the second quarter of the year, and it seems like Installation was only yesterday. We’ve already had some good events, and the Officers and I have a lot more things planned which we hope you will like.
Last month we reinstituted dinners before Stated Meeting with a St Patrick’s dinner with SJ #10. We had over 25 Brothers and family show up, and a great time was had by all! So – we are doing it again this month with a Hawaiian Luau theme.See the Jr Warden’s column for more details. Call Bro John Cahill NOW and make your reservation!
On Feb 28 we had our quarterly Blood Drive at the San Jose Red Cross. 8 Brothers showed up to give the “Gift of Life.” Our next one is May 23. See the article elsewhere in the GAUGE. Please call Wors Bob Ahrens and reserve your spot NOW!!
On Saturday, March 21, we held our Annual Pancake Breakfast and Kids ID Fund Raiser for Edenvale Elementary School. Bro Terry Trumbull coordinated the event as he has so capably done for the last many years. THANK YOU, Bro Terry!! We had over a dozen Brothers show up to help, and raised over $1500 for Edenvale’s “Adopt a College” program. We also signed up over forty kids for the Kids ID. THANK YOU to everyone who came out to help and support this cause!!
On March 30 we Passed Bro ROBERTO ROBLES to the Degree of Fellowcraft. It was a great night with many Brothers in attendance. We also had special num-nums after the Degree, which were enjoyed by all. We have two more 2nd Degrees lined up for April. PLEASE come down to Lodge and support your Brothers and the Officers as we Pass these two fine Brothers to Fellowcraft!
At our April Stated Meeting, we will have the honor of our Annual Visitation by our Inspector, Wors Dennis Anastole. Wors Dennis has been a staunch supporter of Golden Rule Lodge for many years, and we look forward to having him with us.
On a more somber note, in March our Sr Warden, Bro Andrew Fowler, tendered his resignation as
SW, citing conflict with his work duties and family obligations. I respectfully accepted his resignation, and I and the entire Lodge THANK HIM for his years of service to Golden Rule Lodge! This now leaves us with a major hole in our Officer Line, which must be filled immediately! Per CMC, when an elected Officer position becomes vacant, the Lodge must hold Elections to elect a new Officer. This we will be doing at the April Stated Meeting. If there is any Master Mason in the Lodge who is qualified and proficient to assume the Office of Sr Warden, and interested in being nominated to fill the SW Office, please contact me immediately so your name can be put on the nomination ballot.
We will also accept nominations from the floor that night. Since our Inspector will be present at our Stated Meeting, we will Nominate, Elect and Install our new Senior Warden that night. I ask ALL Master Masons of Golden Rule Lodge to attend our April Stated Meeting, if within the length of your cable tow, to partake in this important task.
Looking ahead – Would you like to have a FUN, FAMILY EVENING for FREE?! Come to the Pizza Feast and Magic Show on Thursday, April 16, in the Red Lodge and Dining Room at the Masonic Center. This is a Family Night sponsored by SJ Lodge #10, Friendship and Golden Rule Lodges. There is an ‘all you can eat’ pizza feast at 6:30pm, followed by a family themed Magic Show at 7:30. And – it’s FREE!! But PLEASE- make reservations with Jason Barnett at: jason210ksa@yahoo.com, so we make sure we have enough pizza. Thanks!
OTHER NEWS
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ANOTHER WONDERFUL MASONIC GET TOGETHER
First, let me thank Wors Joe Campbell for hosting our Mar Get Together! Wors Joe has hosted MANY great Get Togethers over the last several years, and this one was no exception, providing his beautiful and shaded back yard, The Festal Table was augmented by many tasty treats and beverages brought by other Brothers. About 25 Brothers and Guests were in attendance, and a good time was had by all! The conversation was good & stimulating and the topics were many and varied. Good Food, Good Talk and Good Fellowship – what more could you want?! Thanks again to Wors Joe for your fraternal hospitality!
That said -- the 4th Masonic Get Together of 2015 is scheduled for Sunday, Apr 19, from 1-6 (?) pm, and will again be hosted by Wors Max Mora! Wors Max has a nice, large, 3 tiered backyard with a shaded patio – just perfect for our Get Togethers. He and Barbara are wonderful hosts, and we’ve had some great gatherings there in the past. This one will be no exception, I am sure. Be sure to bring some food or drink to put on the festal table, however humble. A little something from everyone soon becomes a table overflowing with the bounty of all! Please attend this Get Together, join in Fellowship with your Brothers and thank Wors Max for his great hospitality! We hope to see MANY of you there!!
Going ahead, here are the upcoming dates: May 17 – Host: Bro Jason Hawkinson-Praeter June 28 – Host: Bro JR McGovert
July 19 or 26 – Host Needed August 16 or 23 – Host Needed
I will say again – for the many of you who have not attended one of these Get Togethers, it is a great way to meet Brothers and spend a wonderful time together. Please join us for an afternoon of Fun and Fellowship.
Fraternally,
Hank Vlcek
Master
NEWS FROM THE WEST
(No article this month)
NEWS FROM THE SOUTH
Brethren,
Join us for a Luau Feast at 6:30 p.m. just before the April 6th Stated Meeting Dinner. Entrees include your choice of Pork and/or Salmon plus all the sides to set off the feast. Cost per person -$10. Feel free to dress Hawaiian Style and get in the Island Paradise mood. This could be a great chance to bring that friend of yours who is interested in Masonry to join us for a social gathering and give him a chance to meet some brothers and ask any questions he may have. Bring your wife/partner and make a point of seeking out someone you don't know all that well and join them for dinner. We will be sharing this feast with our Brothers in San Jose Lodge #10 so you can join in and provide the Fellowship and Brotherhood.
It's time to plan for the Summer Picnic - so let me know how you plan to participate, Potluck dish? BBQ?
Specialty, etc. Games?
Would you be interested in joining a group of brothers for an overnight trip to the wine country? a National Park? a camping weekend? etc. Let me know if you would participate in organizing something like this.
Other Stuff about the Junior Warden's duties that you may find interesting.
My Jewel of Office is the Plumb, which is a stonemason's instrument, used for ascertaining the alignment of a vertical surface, and part of my duties are to encourage upright
behavior among Masons and discourage intemperance or overindulgence.
The Junior Warden of a Masonic Lodge is the third in command of the Lodge. The Junior Warden sits in the South (symbolic of the position of the sun at midday) and I am responsible for the Brethren while the Lodge is at ease or refreshment.
My position is similar to a Second Vice- President. The Junior Warden, too, may open the lodge if the Master and Sr Warden are unable to attend the meeting.
It is the Junior Warden's duty to arrange meals for the lodge.
I am fortunate to have the great assistance of Brothers Rich Howell, Tim Hennessy, Oscar Arguello and Tony Sherwood, and with the help and suggestions of many others - to plan refreshing activities for the Lodge. Let me know if you want to help. Hence this Luau Feast, the picnic, and more to come.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Luau on April 6th.
John Cahill
Junior Warden