Welcome to Summer!

 

OK, it isn’t really summer – yet.  But the weather has made a serious turn from winter to feeling like summer.  So consider this just trying to keep up with the times.

Many things have occurred since we last updated the web site.  To list them all would probably break the internet, but there are some that are very deserving. 

To be clear, COVID-19 is still the elephant in the room.  Almost everything we consider “normal” has been impacted.  Meetings and gatherings were the most obvious, with everyone wondering “Who is that masked man?”  You don’t have to be a Lone Ranger fan to understand that reference.  More disruptive has been the frequent schedule adjustments required by outside forces. 

The best example of schedule adjustments was our EA Inspection.  Originally scheduled for March 20, it was rescheduled to March 17^th.  Due to additional circumstances it was moved to April 14^th, then April 21^st, and finally to April 28^th.  One side issue was that due to the multiple dates some of our officers were unavailable when the actual event occurred.  Thankfully we were blessed with spontaneous offers of assistance. 

Future events are still impacted by the virus and the changing levels of restrictions.  As example, the Ohio Masonic Home Day has been cancelled for 2021, as have the Ohio Special Olympics.  We are hoping that autumn will see us return to a schedule and activity levels that feel more customary.

To expand on that thought, we adhere to the thought that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer.  No, we aren’t seaside shop owners courting tourists, although that doesn’t sound so bad.  Instead, we are a community closely tied to agricultural pursuits.  One of the byproducts of that reality is a membership unlikely to attend meetings during this period. 

We finished the month of May with two active candidates.  Not a bad conclusion to a transitional month, considering the possibilities.  “What comes next?” you ask.  Well, we have answers, but first an explanation.

Masonic Lodges are not permitted to cancel meetings.  This is similar in thought to the unofficial Post Office motto: 

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds

The exception in our case is that we don’t have appointed rounds, only appointed days and times.  When conditions make travel or attendance unsafe, uncomfortable, or inconvenient, we advise members to attend to their necessary vocations and welfare.  “What does this mean to me?”  It means that if you arrive for a Lodge meeting before September 1^st, you will most likely be alone – unless you brought a friend.

 

As always, there are many items on the calendar.  The last of the Inspections has been held for the year, so we are able to concentrate on lighter news and events:

May 31, 2021            Memorial Day. 

Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

 

July 4, 2021              Independence Day.  Celebrate the birth of a nation! 

As of this date, 245 years and counting.

 

September 1, 2021             First meeting of the fall.  FC degree anticipated.

 

September 6, 2021 Labor Day.  Although many view this as the unofficial “last day of summer”, it was created to celebrate those who do the heavy lifting that keeps our country going.  Whether you are firing up that grill, or muttering under your breath about traffic, don’t lose sight of the effort and dedication it takes to provide us the comforts we enjoy.

 

October 8-9, 2021          La Rue’s “Oorang Bang”, otherwise known as La Rue’s Village Festival.  Activities include a duck race on the Scioto River, music, food, and a parade.  It’s the kind of thing only a small town can do right.

 

October 11, 2021       Columbus Day. 

 

November 3, 2021             Annual Meeting.

In addition to the normal business of the Lodge, this is the meeting where we elect Officers for the coming year.  Come and make your voice heard!

 

November 11, 2021            Veterans Day. 

This is the day to celebrate those who have placed their lives on the line for the freedoms we love. Don't take the opportunity just to thank a Veteran. Do take the opportunity to thank all the Veterans you encounter, whether in person or via social media. It will mean more to them than words can describe.

 

That’s all we know for now, although we anticipate the calendar filling with additional listings as the COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.  Until then, take care of yourself, and we’ll see you in the fall.

Pizza Dinner, FC degree, EA Inspection Results, New Dues Procedures

 

Greetings!

 

It has taken a few days to recover from our EA Inspection.  The good news was three-fold. 

- RWB Matt Pollock, DDGM, described our degree work as “great”, and reported that our paperwork was in order. 

- RWB Steve Markley, District Advisor, praised us for overcoming the many challenges we have faced. 

- WB Don Broadwater, DEO, noted that we have an excellent Education program, guided by an imaginative LEO.

 

Some of the challenges we anticipated.  A new location, unfamiliar surroundings, and more things in storage containers than most Lodges own each presented unique challenges.  The various virus cautions and restrictions have been inconvenient, but we learned how to operate within the guidelines.  Other challenges were not anticipated.  Our SW and JW had to work, and our SD was in the hospital.  As one might expect, other Brothers stepped up to assist.  The result was that our candidate was treated to an excellent degree experience.  Not the way we would have drawn it up, but in this situation it was the result that counted most.

Courtesy of the Grand Secretary, we have received news that changes are coming to the annual dues process.

The past several years have seen a national trend toward using credit or debit cards more often for purchases.  Due to the COVID-19 situation, this trend became even more pronounced with the desire for cash-less transactions.  Lodges attempted to embrace that trend, as more and more members don’t carry cash or have checkbooks.  Smaller Lodges, like ours, quickly learned that the processing fees to pay annual dues via a card would be a significant additional expense.  Grand Lodge is stepping in to make the dues process both simpler and cheaper for everyone.

This year annual dues notices will be sent by Grand Lodge rather than the individual Lodge.  These will be sent by the communication method marked as your preference in the Grandview system.  For example, those who are marked for preferring email or text notifications will receive their dues notices that way.  Those who have marked USPS mail as their preference will receive their notice by mail.  All of these methods of notification will have the option of paying by credit or debit card.  This obviously includes annual dues, but also includes contributions to the Ohio Masonic Home, donations to the Lodge, or any other listing customarily found on your dues notice. 

The exact mechanism for directing payments to the appropriate Lodge is being fine-tuned.  It is our guess that it may resemble the process used to provide per diem payments for attendance at the Grand Lodge Annual Communication.  For our part, we are excited to be able to offer alternatives for taking care of your dues.

For those who do not yet have a Grandview account, it is easy to set up.  Using the link to the left on our web site (http://larue463.blogspot.com/ ), click on Grand View System Access.  On the next screen click on Member Registration.  That will lead you to a screen which requests your Lodge number (as in La Rue 463), membership number (found on your plastic dues card), and last name.  The site will verify your membership, then lead you through the rest of the registration process.  FYI – You will be asked to provide a password to access your account in the future.

After registering with Grandview you will be able to make adjustments to your contact information and preferences, read Lodge notices and meeting minutes, and a host of other things.

We are excited about this new process, and hope you find it more convenient than what we’ve used in the past.  As always, should you have any questions about this process, or anything else, give us a call or send us an email.  If we don’t know the answer we’ll try to find it for you.

 

Before closing, we have some reminders.

Wednesday, May 19, we will be having pizza before our Stated Meeting.  Pizza will be available at 6:30pm, with the meeting starting at 7:30pm.  At this time we are anticipating a FC degree, depending on the progress of our candidate.

 - Due to Ohio restrictions regarding the COVID-19 virus, the 2021 Masonic Home Day has been cancelled.  They are hopeful the event can be reintroduced in 2022.

 - The Grand Lodge of Ohio has been informed that the 2021 Special Olympics Ohio State Games have been cancelled for 2021.

 

 

As additional information becomes available it will be posted.

See you in Lodge!