We Passed!
OK, for those who are
wondering, our 2014 MM Inspection was a success. On January 18th we were privileged
to confer the MM degree on our most recent candidate. RWB Charles Buck, DDGM, had many favorable
things to say following the degree work, Lecture, and Charge. WB Matt Pollock, DEO, added his congratulations to our Lodge Education Officer for his fine
work throughout the year. Best of all,
our candidate received a quality degree presentation.
While we would love to claim
that we “did this all on our own”, the opposite is true. Assistance came from many directions. Some of our own members stepped outside of
their comfort zones, and zip codes, to assume speaking parts. Several current officers shifted positions to
cover the absences of others. Some
non-speaking roles were covered by our regular visitors. To fill out the remainder, RWB Charles Wood
recruited visiting brethren on the spot.
We were overwhelmed by the positive response.
Closing the chapter on this
event would be premature without mentioning our dining arrangements. Dinner was catered by Coonie’s Place, a local establishment known for quality food. From comments received from our visitors, in
person as well as on Face Book, they didn’t disappoint. In addition, the wife of our SW contributed
an assortment of cookies. Next time we
will probably have to plan on a larger number for dinner.
As we shift our focus away
from our 2014 Inspection, we have information to share, and several dates to
put on your calendar.
Each year the Grand Master
has multiple programs to recognize and reward those across the State who
represent the qualities of leadership, character, and commitment, which are
prized by the Masonic fraternity. Two of
these are the Grand Master’s Excellence in Youth Award, and the Community
Service Award. Both offer an opportunity
to recognize individuals, both young and old(er), without reference to Masonic
affiliation.
Each community has excellent
candidates to recommend for these awards, and over the years we have nominated
many from our community. What part can
you play in this? Tell us of the ones
you know! Give us the contact
information, and the reason you feel they would make an excellent
recommendation. We can take it from
there. The deadline for submission to the DDGM is March 14th. The process takes some time, and needs final
approval of the Lodge, so if you let us know in the next couple weeks, we
should have everything submitted in time.
Here are the significant
dates we know at this time:
April 5, 2014 Grand Master’s One Day Class, held at Marion #70, starting at 8am. Helpers for each of the degrees are being
solicited. Contact the DDGMs to express
an interest.
April 10, 2014 EA Inspection at East
Liberty #247. The Grand Master will be attending, so get
your dinner reservations in early.
April 25, 2014 15th District, Grand Master’s
Reception, held at Bellefontaine #209.
July 18, 2014 Deputy
Grand Master’s Rollout Program, held at Palestine 158, starting at 7:30pm.
That’s all we know for now. Stay warm, and we’ll
See you
in Lodge!
.
