| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on September 2, 2008 |
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Brethren -
Wow - have we been busy or what?
First I’d like to thank all who actively participate in our many events and hope that your summer has been as much fun as mine.
As promised, photos from the joint picnic between the Lodge and Eastern Star are included on page 6. Bill and I BBQ’d ourselves silly and no one went away hungry. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. On August 9th, we dedicated the elevator with a Lodge hosted dinner. Kermit Williams cut the ribbon and elevator rides were continuous. The bubbly flowed freely and it was a truly memorable event.
On August 18th, Tom Dobrov became our newest Fellow Craft. I was out of town attending a family wedding, but word has it that Tom Ellison gave a wonderful Middle Chamber Lecture. Officer’s Coach Ernie Castillo reports that Tom is hard at work on his proficiency and we may be raising him to the sublime degree of Master Mason in the very near future.
September’s Stated Meeting is a week late as Monday the first is the Labor Day Holiday. Please be sure to attend and get your reservations to Bill Malmstrom ASAP for the dinner. As I will be on vacation, Bob Rowan will be filling in for me in the East.
At the end of the month, the Grand Lodge Annual Communication will be held in San Francisco the weekend of September 26-28. Please make it a point to attend as there are many items of legislation to be presented for our consideration and action. The event starts Friday at 1PM with the installation of the new Grand Lodge Officers completing the weekend on Sunday.
And speaking of 3rd degrees, the remaining Mondays this month will be practices for the Lodge’s qualification for that degree. I will be contacting many of you soon to assist the officers in completing this requirement for next year. This is our last hurdle to complete in order for the 2009 Installation of Officers to go according to schedule. So come to practice, have fun and help out. If any of you are wondering about our annual Roll Call Meeting usually held in September, it’s been changed. It will be held in conjunction with our Stated Meeting and Election of Officers on November 3rd. That way we hope to see as many of you as possible and make it easier for the out-of-towners to attend. Remember this is a mandatory call-out event, so be sure to attend.
That’s all from the East. I‘ll see you all when I get back from vacation.
Jim Gable - Master
My Brothers,
Reading Brother Benjamin Franklin again recently and came across a quotation worthy of sharing:
“Masonic labor is purely a labor of love. He who seeks to draw wages in gold or silver will be disappointed. The wages of a Mason are earned and paid in their dealings with one another: sympathy that begets sympathy, kindness begets kindness, helpfulness begets helpfulness, and these are the wages of a Mason.”
How prophetic, the knowledge and character of Brother Franklin and how universal the tenants of our craft. Daily, I find myself examining the labors of Brother Masons and their earnings within our fraternity. Think about it!
If you want any “Masonic Treasures” you can certainly find them evident in their dealings with one another. Conversely, you can also find Brothers who seek to draw wages in gold or silver.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Bob Rowan, PM
Senior Warden
I wasn’t planning to write an article this month when the Master reminded me what I had promised him. I had told him I was going to write an article on participation. It is now 8:30 PM on Monday night and I am home. Why? Mondays are LODGE NIGHT. RIGHT? Well to a few of us yes. To too many it’s just Monday. There was a practice tonight. Advance station practice. The ones that were there were those that had already advanced. Those that needed the practice were not there.
Remember the old saying “What if we had a war and no one came”. Well, what if we have a Lodge and no one came. We need members that will get in line and advance to the East if our Lodge is going to continue. There are a few of us that have been there, done that and are still doing it.
“Participate” To take part. “Participation” the act of participating, The state of being related to a larger whole. The last few Lodge events were not very well attended by lodge members. The lodge picnic had a better showing of Eastern Star members than lodge members. The elevator ribbon cutting and dinner had more tenants and Eastern Star than members. (both of these events were free). The showing at the last couple of degrees had almost no sideliners. I remember when there were at least fifteen to twenty sideliners for degrees. When the candidate gets initiated, passed and raised and all he sees are the officers you wonder what he thinks, “Is that all there is in this lodge, just officers and one or two members.
We use to have forty for dinner on stated meeting, now if we have twenty to twenty five we are lucky.
Think about it brethren, Is our LODGE worth participating in to keep it alive.
Bill Malmstrom, PM
Junior Warden
Remember to donate to the 2009 Masonic Student Assistance Program Program today!!
The Lodge will match each contribution you make.
The 2009 Masonic Student Assistance Program or MSAP is a vital link to help schools educate teachers and staff in dealing with ‘at risk’ children. To better provide for this program, Los Altos Lodge will match individual member’s contributions, dollar for dollar, to a maximum total of $500. So make out a check to the Lodge and mark that it’s for the MASP Program in the memo block. Your donation is tax deductible and you will receive a receipt from Grand Lodge to honor your generosity.
Lodge Life Membership Discounts
Now that we have revised the Membership Dues structure, there’s no better time to get your LIFE MEMBERSHIP and Save $$ MONEY $$.
Here’s how it works: The new dues structure will take effect on January 1, 2009, increasing your dues by $6.00 for the 2009 year. If you get your Life Membership by December 31, 2008, we will credit your 2008 dues toward your Life Membership and the Life Membership will be calculated at the 2008 rate!! Take a look below at the savings!!!
So don’t delay. Get your Life Membership today. Save yourself Big Bucks, and never have to remember to pay your dues again.
Col. A: Age at the time Life Membership is purchased Col. B: Life Membership if purchased by 12/31/08 (this year) Col. C: Life Membership if purchased after 12/31/08 (after this year)* Col. D: YOUR SAVINGS!! A B C* D 49 or younger $800 $966 $166 50 to 54 $720 $874 $154 55 to 59 $640 $782 $142 60 to 64 $520 $644 $124 65 and Over $440 $506 $66[* Based on the proposed 2009 Per Capita Tax of $31.00]
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