Saturday, June 8, 2013



Summer?  Almost!

Really?


We’ve already had days near 90, high winds, drenching rains, and nights in the 40’s.  What great diversity, unless you sell sunglasses or pool memberships.

Our last meeting prior to our summer break helped set the schedule for this fall.  We have a new candidate scheduled (EA on 9-18-13), a dinner (also on 9-18-13), and have a series of EA and MM practices to prepare us for the coming year. 

This leads us to the meat of our post – the calendar of upcoming events.  We have two categories this time.  The first is our customary listings.  The second is the list of dates for the Deputy Grand Master Rollout Program.  More on that below.


June 9, 2013.           Ohio Masonic Home Day, in Springfield, OH.  Program details are available at http://freemason.com// .

June 28, 2013.         Ohio Special Olympics opening ceremonies at the Jesse Owens Sports Complex at the OSU campus in Columbus. 

July 4, 2013.             Masonic celebration at Put-In-Bay.  This is a family oriented activity.  Full details are available at http://www.freemason.com/

September 4, 2013.                        First meeting of the fall.

September 7, 2013.                        Annual Meeting of the 15th Masonic District.  Held at Oliver #447 at 9am.  This meeting establishes the dates and events for the coming year, and is open to all members.

September 15, 2013.          15th District Awards Night.  Held at the Plaza Inn, Mt. Victory, at 6pm, hosted by LaRue #463.

September 18, 2013.          Dinner at 6:30pm.  Meeting at 7:30pm, with conferring of the EA degree.

November 9, 2013.             15th District Secretary Meeting.  Held at Mt. Gilead #206 at 9am.  Attendance is not restricted to Lodge Secretaries.

December 7, 2013.             15th District Past Master’s Convocation.  Held at East Liberty #247 at 9am.


Our next calendar section occurs annually.  Although not a required function, it provides valuable insight into the philosophies and activities which will be supported by the Grand Lodge during the coming year.  The program is repeated at locations throughout the state to improve accessibility and encourage attendance.  This next section is borrowed from the Grand Lodge of Ohio web site:

Deputy Grand Master to rollout Programs for 2013-2014 Masonic Year

Deputy Grand Master Norman J. Mick will hold 10 regional meetings this summer to rollout programs for the 2013-2014.  These meetings will be held in conjunction with the Grand Lodge Committee on Education and Information.

Brothers interested in their lodges as well as Lodge Officers should plan to attend one of the regional meetings.  Business casual will be the appropriate attire.

  1. Saturday, June 15, at 10:00 am, Montgomery Lodge No. 94, Host, 7790 Cooper Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
  2. Friday, June 21, at 7:30 pm, Scioto Lodge No. 6, Host, 57 E. Main Street, Chillicothe, Ohio
  3. Saturday, June 22, at 10:00 am, Morning Dawn Lodge No. 7, Host, 307 Third Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio
  4. Saturday, June 29, at 10:00 am, Hiram Lodge No. 18, Host, 51 W. Williams Street, Delaware, Ohio
  5. Friday, July 12, at 7:30 pm, Ohio Masonic Home, Host, 2655 W. National Road, Springfield, Ohio
  6. Saturday, July 13, at 10:00 am, Findlay Lodge No. 227, Host, 303 Osborn Road, Findlay, Ohio
  7. Saturday, July 27, at 10:00 am, Mansfield Lodge No. 35, Host, 1250 Middle Bellville Road, Mansfield, Ohio 
  8. Saturday, August 17, at 10:00 am, Quarry Lodge No. 382, Host, 366 Eastland Road, Berea, Ohio
  9. Saturday, August 24, at 10:00 am, Guernsey Lodge No. 66, Host, 730 Wheeling Avenue, Cambridge, Ohio 
  10. Saturday, August 24, at 3:00 pm, American Union Lodge No. 1, Host, 308 Front Street, Marietta, Ohio

We like to leave you with a reminder on the Pay It Forward program implemented by the Grand Lodge.  It formalizes an old activity, assisting others to join the fraternity, but expands the scope significantly.  The content below further explains the program, and is borrowed from the Grand Lodge site:

Pay it Forward Program gives the Gift of Freemasonry


The Pay It Forward program allows a person to donate up to $150 towards the initiation fee of a specifically named individual to be used at any Ohio Lodge or to donate up to $150 to a specific lodge, which can use it for any future petitioner.
For example, the program will allow a Mason to donate towards the future initiation fee of his nephew, who would be able to petition any Ohio lodge with the amount his uncle’s donation going towards the initiation fee, or a Mason may donate to benefit a specific lodge, which will choose which future petitioner should benefit from the gift.
The Process
An individual donates up to $150 through a local lodge and completes the Pay it Forward form, specifying either a specific future petitioner or a specific lodge. The lodge immediately forwards the donation and form to the Grand Secretary. The Grand Secretary will issue to the donor a Pay It Forward certificate in the name of the specified future petitioner or a certificate to the specified lodge for the unnamed future petitioner. Upon notification of the death of the donor or at any other time at the request of the donor, the Grand Secretary will send a letter and a copy of the certificate to the individual named on the certificate, notifying him of the wishes of the donor.
“The Pay It Forward program simply formalizes a very old custom,” explained Grand Master Easterling. My father paid for my initiation fee when I joined National Lodge, and towards the end of his life, he gave me an hundred dollar bill to keep for my brother. I carried that bill in my wallet until he expressed an interest to join. I am very excited that this program has been created, allowing more individuals to benefit”


This has been a long post, but the information is too valuable not to share.  Until the next time,

Have a great summer!

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