FROM THE MASTER'S DESK
February was a very busy month for Golden Rule Lodge. On Feb 8 we Initiated Bro. Garrett Burrow into the Body of Freemasonry & conferred upon him the Degree of Entered Apprentice. The Officers then spent the evening of Feb 15 practic-ing the 3rd Degree Ritual, because of 2 upcoming Third Degrees. On Feb 22, we had the pleasure of Raising Bro Jason McDonald to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason. We had a good turnout of Brothers, and it was a wonderful night. Then, on Feb 29, we had the pleasure of Raising another Brother to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason - Bro Roberto Robles. It was also a wonderful night with many Brothers in attendance. Please make sure to congratulate our 2 newest Master Masons when you next see them!
The next 2 months promise to be very busy and exciting ones. At our March Stated Meeting we will be welcoming our Inspector, Wor Hercules Valdez for his Annual Official visit to our Lodge. He will be bringing news of various things going on at Grand Lodge, and it should be a very informative night. In addition, we will be balloting upon a Candidate, something all of you want to be there for!
WE have THREE – count ‘em, THREE! – Degrees in March! On Mar 14 Bro Johnny Roberson will be Passed to the Degree of Fellow Craft, as well as Bro Lyle Eddlemon on Mar 28. In between, we will be Initiating Mr Rick Qui on Mar 21 and making him our newest Entered Apprentice Mason. This will make EIGHT Degrees conferred in the first 3 months of the year! Quite an accomplishment for our Officers, and I thank them all again for their dedication and hard work!! And, of course, special thanks to our Officers Coach, Wors Art Pasquinelli for his help in making our Ritual some of the best!
Our Annual Pancake Breakfast to raise funds for Edenvale Elementary School’s Adopt a College program will be on Sat, Mar 19, from 8am – 11am. We need help with setting up, serving, cleaning and being there to meet and great everyone. You don’t have to stay the whole time – an hour or so would be great! This is 1 of our major community outreaches of the year, and we REALLY want to have a good showing. Please be at our March Stated Meeting to hear more & volunteer to help!
Looking ahead to April, we have some big events coming up. First, we will be having TWO more Degrees on Apr 11 and 25. Plan to be there! Then, on April 18, we will be honoring Worshipful TOM BAKER for his 50 Years in Masonry and conferring upon him the Golden Veterans Award and 50 Year Pin. So very few Masons ever attain this achievement. Please come and help us as we honor and congratulate Wors Tom!!
Two last things to look forward to in April. The Annual MASONIC FAMILY NIGHT with Pizza, a Magic Show and Ice Cream Social, will be Thurs, Apr 14, from 6-8:30pm, at the Masonic Center. This is open to ALL Brothers, Families and Friends, and always has a big attendance. More details next month. Then, on Apr 20, Officials from Grand Lodge will be making a visitation to our own Edenvale School that we support. There will be more information presented at the Stated Meeting.
Fraternally, Hank Vlcek – Master
FROM THE WEST
Learn those lessons from your EA degree well and be prepared to apply them at any time.
Here’s a story about a distressed but unworthy person who never got as far as the EA degree.
What officer position in the lodge did the Hangman have in this story?
A man had been convicted of murder and was about to be hanged.
Just before the death sentence was about to be carried out, the hangman asked the man if he had any last words.
"Yes" came his reply, "I hate Masons!"
"Why do you hate Masons?" asked the hangman.
"The man I killed was a Mason," explained the murderer,
"the sheriff who hunted me down was a Mason,
the Prosecutor who tried my case was a Mason,
the Judge who presided at the trial was a Mason,
and all of the men on the jury who found me guilty and said I should be hanged were Masons!"
"Is that all?" asked the hangman.
"Yes" replied the convicted murder.
"Then you will advance one step with your left foot......" T_h_i_s_ _m_o_n_t_h_’s_ _M_a_s_o_n_i_c_ _p_u_z_z_l_e_: Using the 47th Problem of Euclid. A house roof is 7 feet high at the ridge and 48 feet from front wall to back wall. The ridge is in the middle and runs parallel to the front and back walls of the house. What is the distance from the gutter at one side of the roof over the ridge to the gutter at the other side? Bring your written answer and give it to me at the stated meeting, March 7th.
Respectfully Submitted, John Cahill – Senior Warden
FROM THE SOUTH
Dear Brothers,
As the year progresses, I want to urge those who have not been to lodge in a while to come back. Are you worried you might not remember everything for a certain degree? No need!!! We are here for you. We can hold an event called a rusty trowel to go over everything and fill in the gaps. Is that something you would like to see? If you are busy with life and work and Monday nights are a hassle for you right now, send me an email, check in, we miss you. We want to hear from you. What can we do to bring you back into lodge? We have a whole new batch of new Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts who are looking for you to show up, guide them, tell us your experiences and why you became a member of Golden Rule Lodge. Come see our ritual, we will make you proud.
As promised we have scheduled the first ever Lodge Management Certification Program in Northern California. Golden Rule Lodge #479 will host the event. Wednesday, May 11th at 6:30pm, 2500 Masonic Drive. (Blue Room) We need your support to make this event a great success. Membership Experience is the name of the course that will be taught by a Grand Lodge Representative. $15.00 at the door is the cost. The money will go to Grand Lodge.
What's in it for you? The Lodge Management Certification Program (LMCP) offers cutting-edgetools, training, and guidance to address the unique management and administrative responsibilities of today's lodges. Both current lodge leaders and members interested in future leadership opportunities are encouraged to participate. Once you complete this training you will be certified. For those reading this via email https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lodge-management-certification-member-experience-tickets-21236319403?aff=efbnreg is the link to register. More to come!!!
Lee Brooks, Junior Warden, Golden Rule #479.