November & December 2008
I start my final message to you as Master of this Lodge with a sincere “Thank You” for the privilege of serving you as your Master for this Masonic year. The support that each of you gave me in the discharge of those duties has been greatly appreciated. However, the success of any lodge belongs to Brothers, not the Master.
We have seriously discussed the light that we seek as Masons and how best to obtain it, including through messages contained in our Trestleboards. We know that the light contained in masonry has been spread by many Masons, some renowned and some who will forever remain unknown. The small gem of masonic light that I have included in this Trestleboard comes from one of those unknown Masons. However, the experiences of this masonic year have convinced me that the truth contained therein is worthy of our serious contemplation.
"A Lodge is not held together with steel bands, but with silken ties of brotherhood, woven of interest, friendliness, good times and wholesome fraternal intercourse.”
As expressed by that unknown Mason above, it is my hope that Union Lodge continues to grow in that brotherhood that binds us together and in our charitable undertakings and community service, that work which distinguishes us as Masons. We have had good a masonic year in that regard, thus far. I look forward, with your continued aid and assistance, to completing the work remaining this year, especially the raising of two new Master Masons to the craft.
As you Master, I have done my best to live up to the oath and obligations that I took at the altar during my installation. As a past Master, I look forward to joining a group of which I will be honored to be part, and I pledge to all of you my continued efforts in helping Union Lodge to reach even higher heights of brotherhood and service in the future.
Fraternally.
Larry
September & October 2008
Dear Brothers,
I want to thank everyone who helped make the first half of 2008, such a success: A new web site that has drawn craft wide praise, an excellent Master Mason and Entered Apprentice Degree, a memorable Gold Token Night, our first ever Memorial Day Parade, great support of the Wheel Chair Olympics and ARC Walk-A-Thon, with donations of over $2,000.00 raised, our annual fellowship dinner at Sir John's and another outstanding Lodge picnic - THANK YOU BROTHERS.
As we look forward to the next half of this Masonic year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the value of one Brother. That one Brother is you. Each one of you are import to the life of Union Lodge, your Blue Lodge, and to the promotion of the craft within the walls of our Lodge. You have a part to play in making Union Lodge a true Brotherhood where the essentials of Masonry are learned, practiced and passed on. For Union Lodge to be all that it can be, the Lodge needs you to be consistently present at its communications and functions sharing your Masonic knowledge and spreading your fellowship. Your presence encourages others to be faithful to the work of the Lodge. What a joy it is to be among Brother Masons working to achieve its high calling.
Simply being present at regular communications, the conferring of degrees, annual events and special events, speaks loudly about your love of the ideals and principles upon which Masonry rests, about your respect and affection for your Brothers in the Lodge and about your commitment to the obligations that we all took at the Altar. On the other hand, your absence at such times serves to diminish and weaken the Lodge.
President William Howard Taft, a “Mason at Sight”, in speaking of Masonry spoke of the importance of the social side of man in the cultivation of the Masonic principles which we share as Masons. He expressed it this way, "Masonry aims at the promotion of morality and higher living by the cultivation of the social side of man, the rousing in him of the instincts of charity and the love of his kind. It rests surely on the foundation of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God."
Brothers, we have some exciting opportunities ahead of us in the second half of this Masonic year. Come listen and engage with Right Worshipful Brian Napier of Philo Lodge when he presents us with his view of "Masonic Ritual, Masonic Obligations, The Master and What Masonry Means” at our October 6, 2008 Communication. Reserve your place now for our October 11, 2008 trip to the magnificent temple that houses the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania followed by lunch and fellowship at the famous Maggiano's "Little Italy" in Philadelphia. It is up to each one of us to make Union Lodge all that it can be by taking an active part in the life and work of your Lodge.
Travel well and I hope to see you in the Lodge.
Fraternally,
Larry
May & June 2008
Dear Brothers,
It is my distinct honor and pleasure to present to you the new visual image of Union Lodge No. 19 of Free and Accepted Masons. Our new image is coordinated with our redesigned website and lodge business cards. Instrumental in creating our new visual image were Junior Warden Gordie Barrett and Brother Scott Arnold. Your Worshipful Master, Lodge Secretary and Brother Alan Gerner supported them in their work.
In this day and age, it is essential to attracting new members to the Fraternity, and in particular to Union Lodge, that an appealing and professional image is presented to the public. I hope that you will agree with me that our new Trestle board and coordinated website is a significant step forward in that regard for Union Lodge.
However, a new visual image for Union Lodge, like the Entered Apprentice Degree, is but the vestibule of change required for us to grow and continue strong. The lifeblood of every lodge, and the Fraternity as a whole, are its members. Without their dedication and devotion, there is no vitality within any lodge. As a lodge, we need to take those steps that will serve to strengthen our existing brethren and to attract new members.
For now, I want to focus on two areas where we can do a better job as a lodge in order to secure our future. Those two areas are (1) new members and (2) community involvement. It appears to me that these two areas of focus are in fact related. As I viewed the membership rolls of Union Lodge, one thing that struck me was the small number of active Brothers with a North Brunswick street address - the community in which the lodge is located. There can be no question that within the community of North Brunswick there reside many more men who possess the high qualities of Masonry and who would seek to affiliate with us if they knew about us. With our new visual image in place, there is no better time to make our lodge more relevant to the community in which it is located. I believe the benefits of an improved focus on the North Brunswick community will be many fold. We have developed a strong nucleus of Brothers upon which to build and within which new members will find the brotherly love that I have experienced since joining the lodge.
I will be asking you to join me in spreading the good news of Free Masonry to the North Brunswick Community by becoming more visible and active in that community. We should be working on creating a new and improved image, not only visually in our communications, but also in our service to the community of which we are a part. While we must always be vigilant in guarding the West Gate, we must also make the location of that gate known, so that worthy men, and worthy men only, know where to knock.
The first step in this new visibility is our participation in the New Brunswick Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 26, 2008. I am asking all of my Brothers to mark this date on your calendar and plan to come out and march in support of Masonry and our lodge.
Travel well and I hope to see you at the parade and in the Lodge.
Fraternally,
Larry
March & April 2008
Dear Brothers,
I want to thank everyone who helped make our Master Mason Degree on February 4, 2008, such a success -- THANK YOU BROTHERS.
As you may know, the Grand Lodge has issued new procedures to be followed when bringing a Candidate into the craft. One of the main objectives of these new procedures is Masonic education. We will be talking more about these new procedures as we bring new candidates into our lodge. However, for now, I want to focus on the new booklets that have been prepared for each of our fraternity's Degrees. These new booklets are simply “chock” full of Masonic light presented in a very educational manner. The color graphics add to the experience of reading and absorbing the light dispensed by these booklets. We will now be explaining to the Candidate all of the Masonic significance of what he experienced in his Degree. He will be getting a true Masonic education.
For example, I am sure that our more informed Brothers are aware of the three Main Rights of a Master Mason. However, for those less informed and still learning, they are, (1)Masonic Relief, (2)Masonic Visitation and (3)The Right of Burial. In PART V of the new Master Mason booklet (See page 25) these rights, as well as some others, are clearly set forth and explained. PART V of the booklet goes on in logical fashion to outline “The Responsiblities of a Master Mason”, which reading I will leave for you. These booklets appear to be valuable reading, even for the more informed Master Mason.
If you would like a copy of the booklets, please let me, or our Lodge Secretary know. The Lodge will be pleased to e-mail you a copy of these booklets in order that we all may become better informed Masons. Travel well and I hope to see you in the lodge.
Fraternally,
Larry
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