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Robert Burns Lodge Happenings 2008 On this page, your humble webmaster will attempt to relate what has most recently happened in our Lodge. Mostly these will be items from recent meetings, but occasionally other items will appear here. I hope these notes will help to keep my brethren current on happenings in the Lodge, and entice you to come to our next event. If you are interested in what went on at past meetings, check out our Happenings 2006 or Happenings 2007 11 December: At WB John Hart's home, a handful of the officers of Robert Burns assembled to discuss the business of the lodge. WB John discussed his plan to demand a higher standard of performance of his officers, in ritual and other work. He also mentioned his plan to place an announcements board on the wall outside the meeting room, and having the announcements portion of the meeting eliminated. It is his goal to shorten the "business" portion of the meeting, and then move more quickly to refreshment. The goals and leadership for a moving committee was discussed. Bro. Mark Goldberg and Bro. Bill Ferguson discussed the possibility of being co-chairs, or of one of them being the nominal chair, and sharing the work of the search for a new home. The committee is charged with reporting on the prospects of a new meeting place by the April stated meeting. The Junior Warden presented a plan for changes to the scholarship program, of which he is the chairman. WB John said that pending his and the Senior Warden's review, the plan should be presented to the Lodge for a vote at the next stated meeting, January sixth. The proposed rules can be reviewed here.  6
December: This morning, WB John Hart was installed as Master of
Robert Burns 243. The wardens for 2008-09 also were installed, Jim
G. Hamlin, and Matt Appel. The ceremony went quite well, with VWB
Boyd McPherson, DDGM #2, installing the elected officers, and WB Jim
Larson installing the appointed officers, except the Senior and Junior
Stewards, who will be installed at a later meeting. WB Steve
Wandel, the outgoing master, was presented with a Past Master's apron as
well. Following the ceremony at the EMC, a buffet brunch was held.
We wish WB John a successful year. See the program
here.
At the stated meeting, 2 of our EA brothers and 1 FC attended, along with 24 Master Masons, all of whom are Brothers at Robert Burns. Notably, VWB Bob Nygren was in attendance, along with WB Walt Moody, now Master of Peninsular #95, and his Senior Warden, Bro. Paul Schamp. It was good to see some Brothers on the sidelines that had not been in lodge in a long time. With WB John Sutton sitting in as Junior Deacon, we opened on the Third Degree, and Bro. John Hart led Bro. Wes Moody in an excellent long-form posting lecture. He is to be congratulated for his performance. WB Jim Larson, Secretary, read some correspondence, including a thank-you letter from WB Walt Moody and his team who assembled supplies and money for the troops in Iraq and the shoe program. We paid the usual bills. It was announced that the next Bikes-for-Books presentation will be 19 December at 1:30 at Discovery Elementary. The special meeting planed for 16 December has been canceled. The Sno-King building group is to meet on Thursday. Bro. Jim Hamlin, JW, distributed a sheet with proposed changes to the scholarship program. It is anticipated that there will be a vote on these or other changes at the January meeting. Anyone with any questions is encouraged to contact the Junior Warden. WB Bob Wallinger of the Finance Committee reported on the changes to the reports discussed below. The largest single event of the night was
the vote on moving our meeting place to the
Edmonds Masonic Temple. The motion
failed, getting less than 50% of the vote, after a great number of
impassioned statements, including bemoaning the loss of Alderwood Manor,
whether or not the current Temple Board of the
EMC will improve
the facility, that where we currently meet is not that bad as it does
not have a dirt floor, whether or not our concordant bodies would be
effected by such a move, the potential monetary cost of moving, etc.
Other alternatives advanced include us improving the
EMC and
withholding our rent to pay for the cost of the improvement, hiring a
lawyer to change our lease agreement with our current landlord, and
moving to Snohomish.
Finally, WB Steve Wandel gave a farewell to the Lodge at his final meeting as Master. He got a standing ovation for his service to the Lodge. 20 November: The Worshipful Master-elect, Bro. John Hart, hosted his first officer meeting at his home. He stated his goals for the year, advanced his plans for the next few meetings, and hosted a heated discussion on our potential move to Edmonds. Bro. John's goals for 2008-09 are: 1) Enforcing a membership retention plan, including having mentors selected for candidates and ensuring that people who suggest new initiates and have them petition are invested in their growth in Masonry. 2) Making sure that Robert Burns is relevant in today's society, including more public works of charity. 3) Having more fellowship and other fun activities, to including camping trips, hunting and fishing expeditions, poker nights, etc. 4) making more of an effort to make sure that the Brothers attend the meetings of Robert Burns. 5) Having more fundraisers and improving the financial picture for the Lodge. To these ends, he has asked Bro. Bill Ferguson to head a Charity Committee to evaluate suggested donations and suggest appropriate giving to the Lodge for a vote. Also, this Committee will be tasked with finding other activities that the Lodge can participate in, such as hosting charity events and starting new ones, such as fundraisers, and other ideas that do not necessarily require a financial contribution from Robert Burns. Any contributions to any group outside of Robert Burns will need to be brought to the committee for review and approval before they will be voted on in Lodge. This will result in a significant delay, which will remove some of the emotion from these decisions. WB Steve Wandel will continue to head the Bikes-for-Books program. There will be a canned food drive, and Brothers are encouraged to bring their donations to the December stated meeting. The budget for 2008-09 will be the same as the 2007-08 budget, and should be voted on by the membership at the January stated meeting. The Treasurer's report will no longer regularly include the details of the building fund, which will only be brought up at the meetings on a semi-annual basis. There may be two Brothers proving up at the December meeting, one on the Third and one on the First Degree. We may also be balloting on a new candidate, Mr. Steven Manning, if the Investigation Committee can meet with him in time. There may thus be either a First or Second Degree the evening of 16 December, depending on these events. The last part of the meeting was taken up with a heated discussion on the upcoming vote on the move. One Brother was obviously dead-set against it, and another could not have been more for moving. The others in attendance were somewhere in the middle. Some of the reasons given for not moving (the reasons for moving have been covered elsewhere on this page, and in WB Steve Wandel's letter) include the general feeling that "something has been lost" each time we move, including contact with other Lodges and Brothers. Also there is a feeling that we have not done enough to improve the place we currently meet, including further harassing the Temple Board, taking official action if necessary. The idea of hiring a lawyer to review future leases was advanced. Also there was a discussion of investing a significant portion of our building fund into the EMC. The most forcefully advanced objection was that by moving at the end of one Master's term and into another's that in effect the current Worshipful Master is forcing the next into the move, which will absorb all of his resources and hamstring the year he has planned, discussed above. Also, there was considerable mention of us being an Everett based lodge now and that we should put down our roots there. At least one Brother believes that the trip to Edmonds is too long for the Brothers. Your humble webmaster must now put in his own thought that it is the obligation of every Brother who has any opinion whatsoever, for or against, to attend the meeting on the 2nd of December to vote on the by-laws change and have his voice heard. WM Steve has said that he will make the opinion of any Brother who sends him an e-mail or written response known, but the Masonic Code clearly states that only the votes of those Master Masons present will count for the final decision.
There were 24 Brothers in attendance, in addition to WB Pat, Bro. Bob Dearborn and three brothers who are members of the statewide organization of DeMolay came out, Bro. William Hart, State Master Councilor and Marshall of Franklin #5, Bro. King Traub, State Senior Councilor and Junior Deacon of Port Angeles #69, and Bro. Michael Sawyer, State Junior Councilor and member of Alki #152. Bro. Josh's Father, Bro. Jim G. Hamlin, presented him with his first Masonic lapel pin, and movingly presented him with the ring that had been Bro. Jim's grandfather's, which had been passed to him by his father, Bro. Jim L. Hamlin, when he was raised. WB Pat Marlatt announced that his son will be raised to the Third Degree by Alpha #212 on the evening of the 19th of November at the EMC. Also, WB Walt Moody will be installed as master of Peninsular #95 on Saturday the 22nd at 2PM. 17 November: The Finance Committee met to discuss the way that the lodge finances, especially the building fund, were invested, and how the Treasurer's report is presented during the stated meetings. It was decided that some of the money currently in cash at our broker will be moved to CDs. Also, the Treasurer's report will be abbreviated to reduce confusion in the way the accounts are presented at Lodge. It was also recommended that the Worshipful Master form a Charity Committee so the frequent requests that the Lodge receives for donations can be responded to in a logical, consistent, budgeted manner, rather than the current haphazard way.4 November: 20 Brothers of Robert Burns attended this meeting, as well as 4 visitors, including SW Donald Hogan, JW Roy Brooks, and Bro. Tyler Fox, all of Damascus Lodge #199. These three Brothers unfortunately were in attendance in an effort to take the Travelling Master for District 2, which they did. Also visiting Robert Burns for the first time was Bro. Kelly Sprute of Olympia Lodge #1, who has recently moved to the Everett area. All four of these Brothers were a great help in counting the ballots for our elections this evening, and we thank them for their efforts. 4 Past Masters of Robert Burns were in attendance, and were honored for their continuing service. Elected at this meeting to serve in 2008-09 were Bros. John Hart to serve as Worshipful Master, Jim Hamlin for Senior Warden, Matthew Appel for Junior Warden, John Friesen for Treasurer, and WB Jim Larson as Secretary. An open installation will be held at 10 AM on 6 December, 2008. WB Jim Larson announced that Bro. Leo Lindbloom and Bro. Daly Richardson had passed away in October. A moment of silence was held in their honor. The service for Bro. Daly has already occurred, it was not known if or when a service will be held for Bro. Leo. We all mourn their passing. The Secretary also reported that he has received the majority of the dues for 2008, however there are still a few outstanding. He is having particular difficulty contacting Walter Koepp. The investigation committee for Mr. Steven Manning was unable to meet with him, but expects to report for the December stated meeting. The usual bills were paid, and it was announced that there will be a presentation in the Bikes for Books program in the last week of November or first week of December. WM Steve will try to keep us abreast of developments in this area, and has volunteered to continue to run the program next year. WM Steve also was elected to be president of the District 8 SLOC next year. No progress has been reported in the efforts to find a building. The Finance Committee will meet to discuss the disposition of our investments. WB Pat Marlatt's son will be Raised to the Third Degree on 19 Nov at the EMC as part of a 7PM meeting of Alpha #212. We will be visiting Camanio Lodge #19 on 13 November. Dinner is at 6:30, the meeting begins at 7:30. Peninsular #95 will have their open installation 2PM 22 November, when our own WB Walt Moody will be installed as master. There was an approximately 15 minute discussion, during which many Brothers spoke about the possibility of moving from the EMC to the Edmonds Temple. The lodge approved in a vote of 15-3 to send a letter to the Brothers of Robert Burns that at the 2 December meeting there will be a discussion and subsequent vote on the move, with a possible by-laws change vote on the 6th of January. The main reasons given for moving were the grossly unsatisfactory condition of our Lodge room, the complete lack of usable kitchen and dining areas, the ever-increasing rent, and most importantly, the complete inability of the Temple Board to follow through on any of their commitments to improve the room or the building. The Temple board has previously forbidden us to improve the space ourselves, but still does not perform basic actions such as cleaning the room. We have offered to hang the new doors for the lodge room, only to be told not to. New heating and cooling units have been repeatedly promised, but never materialized, etc. The members also voted unanimously to give money to WB Walt Moody's project to give shoes and toiletries to underprivileged children at the Challenger Elementary School. 27 October: Your humble webmaster arrived late to the officer meeting held this evening. Apparently he missed a quite animated discussion about the Lodge potentially moving from the EMC to the Edmonds Temple. Also extensively discussed was potential alterations to the Lodge scholarship program. Bro. Jim Hamlin is going to propose in Lodge that we expand the pool of eligible students. Most likely it will be expanded from being limited to members of T. H. Little DeMolay, Bethel #24 and Rainbow Assembly #55 to include all youth groups in Masonic Districts 2 and 8 as well as the children of Brothers of Lodges in these Districts. Please contact him if you have some input. Our most-likely-to-be-elected incoming Master, John Hart, also put forth some guidelines for the lodge under his tenure. This includes the principal officers wearing tuxedos and the officer meetings moving to the second Thursday. WM Steve said he intends to ask the Finance Committee to meet to ensure that the Lodge assets are protected in the current financial crisis. Bro. Jim Hamlin also announced that T. H. Little DeMolay will be combining their meetings with the Bellevue chapter, as both groups have gotten quite small. Meetings will still be held at Ashler Lodge #121. 21 October: 15 Brothers attended this evening's First Degree for Sidney Wyeth and Laurence Mensing, including RWB G. Santy Lascano. Bro. Jim Hamlin did an excellent job conferring, as usual, and RWB Santy was outstanding in his delivery of the lecture. Following the degree work, RWB Santy spoke briefly, primarily about the reconstitution of Grand Mound Lodge #3. This Lodge will be reconstituted as a historical lodge, and any Brother in Washington can join as a life member for $50. The officers will all be Past Grand Masters. For more information, please click here. 7 October: 15 Brothers attended step-up night, all members of Robert Burns. Business was conducted on the First Degree. In addition to the line officers each moving up a chair, WB Jim Larson was not available to sit in the Secretary's chair, so Bro. Jim Moran performed the duties of Secretary. Overall the ritual went well, with no more than the usual hiccups. Shortly before the meeting, Bro. Josh Hamlin did an excellent job proving up on the Second Degree in committee. Bro. Jim led us through the paying of the usual bills, and balloting on the petition of Laurence Mensing of Mountlake Terrace. His petition was granted, and a date for the First Degree for he and Sidney Wyeth will be held on 21 October. A petition was read from Mr. Steven E. Manning of Tulalip. An investigation committee was appointed and is expected to report by the November stated meeting. Bro. Wes Moody signed the by-laws and paid his dues, and is now officially a member of the Lodge. For some unknown reason, it seemed that this evening many Brothers needed to enter and exit the Lodge. The Junior Deacon stand-in got a lot of exercise going back and forth to the door. 16 September: 22 Brothers attended the Raising of Bro. Wes Moody to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. Attendees included visitors from Peninsular #95 and two Past Grand Masters, MWB Carl Smith and MWB Chuck McQuery. The degree was conferred by WB Steve Wandel, with WB Ernie McCasland and WB Jim Larson assisting later. Bro. Matt Appel delivered the lecture, and Bro. Jack Harris the Charge. We welcome Bro. Wes to the Third Degree, and give him a hearty congratulations. 2 September: 25 Brothers attended the stated meeting, which was conducted on the 2nd Degree. We had three visitors, including WB Ken Lane, Master of Esoterika #316, and a member of his lodge, Bro. John Garrity. Also, Bob Dearborn, Junior Deacon of Peninsular #95. A moment of silence was held for WB Don Heins, PM of Robert Burns, who passed away in late August. It was also announced that Bro. Leo Lindbloom is ailing with cancer, but is expected to make a full recovery. Bro. Ed Kellison is still recovering from his operation, but will hopefully return home next week. Bro. David Haley attended this meeting,
his first as a Master Mason, after being Thank-you notes were read from the Job's Daughters and Rainbow girls for our sponsorship of their groups. The one from the Everett Bethel of IOJD was particularly poignant. Numerous bills were discussed and paid, including money to sponsor T. H. Little DeMolay and to buy supplies for Bikes-for-Books. We will investigate how much it will cost to give T. H. Little new candleholders. The Finance Committee will likely be meeting in the next couple of weeks to discuss our current finance options, as the new Temple will likely not be built soon. Bro. Wes Moody completed his proving up on the Second Degree. We are planning on Raising him on the 18th of September. A petition was read for Mr. Lawrence Joseph Mensing of Mountlake Terrace. A committee was appointed to investigate him before the next meeting. The Worshipful Master thanked the over 20 Brothers and friends of Robert Burns for helping with the CHIP booth at the Evergreen State Fair. WM Steve is looking for some Brothers to man up a bowling team, to play starting this Sunday every week at 6PM. Contact him if you are interested. WM Steve will not be able to attend the October meeting, so it will be step-up night. In November, in addition to voting on new officers for 2009, we will likely be voting on broadening the pool of students eligible to receive our scholarships. Bro. Paul Schamp informed the lodge that the Alderwood Assembly of Rainbow needs another Mason to serve on their board. Please contact him if you are interested. 24 June: 16 brothers, including a visitor, WB Greg Brown, SW of Everett #137 attended the Second Degree conferral for Bro. Josh Hamlin and Victor Sletten. SW John Hart conferred the degree, with WB Jim Larson giving the lecture; both did an excellent job. 17 June: This evening Brad Nagel was initiated into our Fraternity. The degree was conferred by JW Jim Hamlin, in excellent style as usual. WB Bob Wallinger gave the lecture, and was impressive in his recitation. 3 June: 23 Brothers attended our stated meeting, including 2 visitors from Ashler Lodge #121, JW Richard Beers and SW Ron Swasey. Their attendance was especially appreciated during the discussion of the Grand Lodge resolutions, when Bro. Richard demonstrated more than a passing understanding of the content and background of the resolutions. Also present were 6 Past Masters of Robert Burns. The lodge passed a motion to allow the bills to be paid over the summer, and briefly discussed some financial matters. We also discussed upcoming events, including the visit of the Grand Master to Everett Valley of Scottish Rite on 12 September, and the potential for a bowling league team. Bro. Ed Kellison also included a brief discussion of a potential trip to Surrey, B. C. to see some events. Bro. Josh Hamlin proved up on the First Degree in excellent form. He did an excellent job of reciting the obligation, and even corrected his "coach" when some mistakes were made. Well done, Josh! His Second Degree has been scheduled for 7PM on Tuesday, the 24th of June. The Senior Deacon will be arranging the degree, please contact him if you wish to participate. Bro. Viktor Sletten may also be given the Second Degree that evening. We also voted to initiate into Masonry Mr. Brad Nagel and Mr. Sidney Wyeth. Their petitions were read at the 6 May meeting. The First Degree will be on Tuesday, the 17th of June. The Junior Deacon will be arranging that degree. Please contact him if you can fill in a part. The Lodge will man the CHIP booth at the Evergreen State Fair on the 29th of August. Please contact the Worshipful Master if you wish to volunteer. We have also been told that the Job's Daughters and DeMolay will be assisting us that day. Finally, shortly before the meeting closed, WB Steve Morgan gave an impassioned plea for us to assist the youth groups. He emphasized the importance of these groups in forming the next generation of Masons, and urged us all to help the Job's Daughters, Rainbow Girls, and DeMolay however we can. 27 May: This evening, 18 Brothers attended the passing of Wes Moody to the Second Degree. Attendees included VWB Bob Nygren, DDGM #2, and WB Walt Moody, who acted as Senior Warden for the ritual. SW John Hart conferred the degree very well. We congratulate Bro. Wes and look forward to his being Raised to the Third Degree. 6 May: 25 Brothers attended our Past Masters' night, including 10 PM's from Robt. Burns. WM Steve Wandel led a brief ceremony honoring our past masters for all of their service to our Fraternity and our Lodge. We all are proud of their contributions and thank them for their service. The Lodge dealt with several financial matters, including rolling over the Scholarship CD, with some of the recent interest being held in a more liquid account for use over the coming year. We also approved the purchasing of a 1/3 page announcement in the IOJD Grand Bethel program, and a 1/4 of a page in the Rainbow Grand Assembly program. 2 petitions were read for the degrees, from Mr. Brad Nagel and Mr. Sidney Wyeth. They will hopefully be voted on at the June meeting, before we go dark. WB Steve Wandel announced that he is considering buying new candlesticks for use by T. H. Little DeMolay. They were seeking materials or sponsorship to construct some themselves, but we may construct them ourselves, or have a friend of the Lodge do the work, and simply present the finished product to the young men of T. H. Little. It was announced that Robert Burns will man the CHIP booth at the Evergreen State Fair Friday, 29 August, all day (10AM-11PM). WB Steve Wandel announced that he will seek the support of Bethel 24 and possibly 50 of the IOJD to aid us in manning the booth. Also, T. H. Little will be asked if they wish to help. There were no new significant developments in the efforts of the Sno-King building association. WB Walt Moody did announce that the money approved at the 1 April meeting had been diverted for another use. He and some other brothers used some of the money raised to purchase supplies for some students at Challenger Elementary School in the Mukilteo school district. This included the purchase of clothes, toiletries, and shoes for some students. 29 April: This evening we initiated Bro. Viktor Sletten into our lodge. The ritual, led by JW Jim Hamlin, went very well. It was followed by Bro. Wes Moody proving up on the First Degree in excellent form. 4 April: Today we made our first presentation in the Lodge Bikes-for-Books program. Please check that page for details. 1 April: At our April Fool's meeting (which was, alas, completely devoid of pranks), 20 Brothers were present, including VWB Boyd McPherson, DDGM #8. At his official visit, he closed the meeting with wide-ranging comments on our Lodge and affairs in the District, which were well-received by the Brothers attending. Also we were visited by WB George Fischer, Master of Arlington Lodge #129. The meeting was opened by a reading of members who were entitled to receive their 25- and 50-year pins. Unfortunately, none of those brothers were able to attend for a ceremony, but two letters from them were read aloud to the lodge. WB Jim Larson reported on reorganization of the Masonic Service Bureau of WA. They are getting rid of their available medical equipment, because it was largely unused and expensive to store and maintain. The Bureau will now mainly concentrate on acting as an intermediary between Masons and others able to help them, and providing funeral services. WM Steve Wandel stated that the Finance Committee may have to be re-animated to discuss the disposition of the money set aside for a new building. As discussed below, the Sno-King Building Assoc. report was not hopeful for using the money soon for a new facility. The Lodge approved the petition of Mr. Viktor Sleten to receive the Degrees of Masonry. A First Degree is to be arranged by the Senior Deacon for 7PM on 29 April; no dinner will be served. Please contact him to participate. The Worshipful master discussed briefly writing the scholarship application and rules to permit members of any of the 3 youth organizations to apply instead of the current restriction to T. H. Little, Bethel 50 and Assembly 55, to increase the likelihood of our actually giving away scholarships. He also suggested a committee be formed to contemplate a new home, permanent or otherwise, for the Lodge. T. H. Little will be going to convention this year, approximately 6 strong. They may soon be seeking donations to make new candleholders capable of holding real candles instead of battery-operated ones. The lodge approved a donation of cash to help WB Walt Moody and WB Ernie McCasland to ship a care package to a Brother in Afghanistan with the Army. VWB Boyd spoke of many issues during his response, many of which are listed above. He also spoke about the Proficiency in Lodge Management program, long range planning for the Lodge, and the importance of attending Grand Lodge and the Wardens' Conference. Also, he mentioned (and your humble webmaster heartily seconds this sentiment) the excellent quality of the dinner our Stewards provided for the meeting. On 25 April the Grand Master will be visiting Centennial Lodge #25 for his official visit to the district. Dinner will begin at 6:30. Please contact VWB Boyd if you wish to attend, and plan to bring a donation (preferably monetary, but new, unwrapped toys will be accepted) for Toys-for-Tots. 27 March: Although your humble webmaster was unable to attend, he has gotten a report from the Sno-King Building Assoc. meeting. There was a presentation by the architect firm that the Assoc. hired to study the feasibility of building a new Temple/commercial building. Unfortunately, it appears that the 3 Lodges that make up the Assoc. do not currently have enough money to build the facility that was planned. The retail space available in that building would not be sufficient, even at an unlikely 100% occupancy rate, to cover the anticipated payments on the loan required. The Assoc. discussed other options briefly, including purchasing an already built structure and leasing a space for the 3 lodges. For instance, if the Assoc. leased a commercial space similar to what Robert Burns had before moving to the EMC, we could likely afford 1/3 of the former payment. Also, the Nile Shrine has an unused Lodge Room that could be used. Another factor that significantly reduces the effectiveness of the Assoc. is the need to get buy in from all three lodges and Grand Lodge for any plan requiring a significant investment. This time delay hamstrings their ability to enter into a contract in a timely manner to buy or lease a space. 24 March: 9 officers of Robert Burns attended the officer meeting at the EMC. We discussed upcoming events, including the cancellation of the wives' breakfast on the 19th, and the postponement of the District 8 officer competition. Also discussed were the upcoming visit of the District Deputy and progress at the Sno-King Building Assoc. There will be more to report on the latter soon, as the Association meets Thursday with the architect. Immediately following the meeting, we went to a special meeting of Everett #137, where they initiated the youngest brother in the history of their lodge. The ceremony went quite well, and the brothers of Everett Lodge are to be saluted on the quality of their work. 4 March: 26 Brothers were in attendance at our stated meeting for March. This includes 3 Grand Lodge Team Members, our own VWB Bob Nygren and VWB Norm Watts, and WB Sam Roberts. Also, WB Ian Borden, PM of Rabboni Lodge AF&AM of Massachusetts was a visitor to our humble meeting. Ian moved here and visited our Lodge for the first of what will hopefully be many times. WB Sam Roberts did an excellent presentation on "Freemasonry 101". Despite some technical difficulties with the visual portion, he more than carried the interest of the Lodge and received a standing ovation for his efforts. The lodge voted to sponsor a table at the Rainbow Grand Worthy Advisor visitation. Also, WB Steve Wandel announced that he had purchased the first 2 bikes for the Bikes-for-Books program, to be presented the morning of 4 April. The WB Secretary read a petition for the degrees from Mr. Viktor Slettin of Lynnwood. An investigation committee was appointed to meet with him. There was no progress to report on the Sno-King Building Assoc. WB Don Heins is still ailing. We all pray for his recovery. 19 February: Counting one visiting Past Grand Master, MWB Carl Smith, and one visiting Master, WB Wayne Betts, 29 Brothers attended the initiation of John Ferrante and Westen Moody, son of WB Walt Moody. We conducted 2 initiation ceremonies, with one lecture following. Bro. Jim Hamlin did an excellent job as installing Master, and WB Bob Wallinger delivered the lecture in with his usual amazing accuracy. As the organizer of the degree, your humble webmaster would wish to thank all of those who participated in the degree; it went extremely well. It was especially rewarding to see so many brothers in attendance that evening. It was also excellent to note that we now have a clock in the Lodge room. 5 February: At DeMolay Night, 3 members of that order and 19 Brothers of Robert Burns attended Lodge. The young men of DeMolay presented the rose lecture, which was very well received and performed. Letters were read from Bro. Mike Taylor, who has moved to San Diego for his new post and thanked the Brothers of Robert Burns for his time with us. Also, Bob Curtis sent an update. His wife is facing cancer, and he expressed his love for her and for their time together. WB Jim Larson was re-nominated to serve on the Masonic Service Bureau, and we elected to pay our dues to that organization. WB Steve Wandel announced that he would be seeking money from Grand Lodge to sponsor the Bikes-for-Books program. The Finance Committee was instructed to meet to further analyze the monetary and security assets of the Lodge and what to do with them. The family of WB Bill Wright sent a small collection of excellent old books on Masonry which were admired by the brothers in attendance. We intend to place them in the EMC library until we find our final new home. 22 January: The stated meeting at the EMC this evening went quite well. 19 brothers were in attendance, including WB Richard "Whitey" White (formerly a member of Robert Burns, past master of Ashler #121), and Bro. Edward Graham and Tim Gipe, EA's from Ashler. The 15 Brothers eligible to vote participated in the election of Mr. John Ferrante of Lynnwood to receive the degrees of Masonry. The First Degree may be held on the 19th of February, please check our Schedule for updates. Also read was the petition of Mr. Weston Moody, son of WB Walt Moody, to receive the degrees. A committee consisting of WB John Sutton, WB Bob Nygren and Bro. Matt Appel was appointed to investigate. A letter was read from Grand Lodge to watch out for a scam, not mentioned in the scam area of their website, involving the order of "Creeping Serpents," or "Snakes" that is not a Masonic order endorsed by Grand Lodge. The Building Committee reported that the Temple Board expects to decide by 1 March if they will purchase an old or erect a new building. They expect to have the feasibility study by their architectural firm by then. Bro. Ed Kellison is looking for Brothers interested in beginning a bowling group. Bro. Gene McFarland's wife, Joyce, had a small heart attack and was briefly hospitalized, and is now home and tired but recovering. WB Steve closed the Lodge of Sorrow for 2007 and opened the Lodge of Sorrow for 2008. The Bikes for Books program is now underway, and updates can be seen at our new web page just for that program. The first presentation may be on 17 March. Again, please check our Schedule. The lodge voted to sponsor SW John Hart and SD Matt Appel to go to the Warden's Conference in Yakima in April. WB Steve discussed his plan for the sale of Robert Burns shirts and District 8 calendars; shirts should be available by the March meeting. VWB Bob Nygren said he has District 2 calendars available now, although District 8 has not yet delivered theirs to us. The Worshipful Master also appointed a "Reorganization Committee" to sort through the storage room at the EMC and determine what material should be displayed in our area of the building. Also, they will seek pictures for possible use by the Lynnwood Historical Commission. The presentation by T. H. Little DeMolay at the February stated meeting was briefly discussed, as was the health of the chapter and our sponsorship thereof, and our obligation to help them however we could. We also discussed that each chapter of DeMolay has its own EIN and is a 501(c)(3) corporation, so donations to the chapter are tax-deductible. (See your tax advisor for details and restrictions, don't take the word of this website for it.) 8 January: This evening there was a lightly attended officer meeting at WB Steve's house. We discussed several items, but were unable to make any major decisions without the other main brothers in attendance. WB Steve will have blue polo-style shirts with a square and compass and the lodge name embroidered on the breast for sale for $20 each. Please contact him if you wish to have one. He also will have 25 District 8 calendars available for $5 each. Robert Burns will be manning the Smokey Point rest stop as part of the fundraiser for the District 8 SLOC on the 20th of Jan. from 5PM to Midnight. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Bro. John Hart, Senior Warden. Centennial Lodge #24 will host a Robert Burns night on the 19th of January at 1PM. And at our meeting on 22 January, we will host Bethel 24 of Job's Daughters for dinner and a presentation at the stated meeting. WB Bob Wallinger could use some assistance, as his usual cohort will not be available that evening. WB Steve said that he will be meeting on the 9th in the afternoon with the principal of Discovery Elementary School in the Mukilteo School District about beginning the long-awaited Bikes-for-Books program there. [ed. note: the meeting has since successfully taken place, and he is happy to report that we are a go. The first presentation will likely be in mid March.] We expect to ballot on one new candidate at the January meeting on the 22nd, and possibly read another petition. We also discussed the progress on the new building, and options as to how it will be pursued. At this point, the building that was earlier available but then off the market is available again. The Temple Board is looking into having it re-zoned, and purchasing it. 4 January: Today a daughter, Ashley, was born to Bro. Bill Ferguson and his wife, Heidi. Congratulations! |
