December 2008 Trestleboard Robert Burns #243

I would like to thank everyone who could make the installation on the 6^th of December. It went very well. The installing team did a very fine job. There were over 70 Brothers and guests in attendance. My thanks to the WM and Brothers of Dunbar Lodge #118 AF&AM of BC and Yukon for braving the border crossing and attending.

I am honored to be sitting in the East; WB Steve Wandel set the bar high with his lodge work and degrees. I have learned many things from him and I will use those lessons to build upon and continue the fine work of Masons at Robert Burns Lodge.

There are many challenges facing us in 2009; I am concerned how the economy is impacting brothers on fixed incomes and those who lost their jobs.

My agenda includes an increased involvement with the community, activities that promote fellowship, fund raisers for our charities, the Lodge and the concordant bodies. I would like to see the members of Robert Burns perform the Rusty Nail degree.

The Bikes-for-Books program started by WB Wandel is a great start and will continue under his leadership.

“Always aim high, shoot for that target, if you miss the mark, reload, correct for the error and shoot again. Repeat as necessary.” John D. Hart Jr. (2008)

As we approach the end of the year and look forward to the new, it is time to reflect and renew; look at our successes and at what we could have done better.

As I have traveled from the South to the West, I look back and see many good intentions left by the wayside. I guess it is human nature to think about what we could/should/would have done but we should focus on our many successes. Our Lodge brought in a number of new Masons, we are now one of the few Lodges that are able to do the degrees using only Robert Burns brothers and no one in the officer line are Past Masters. These are a few measures of the health of a Lodge and we are healthy.

But we must not become complacent. Just because our bodies might be healthy today, we must continue to keep and develop healthy habits. Our Lodge must do the same. We need to not just think about today but about how our actions (or lack thereof) will affect our Lodge next month, next year and in a decade. The Fraternity has lasted hundreds of years by not resting on our accomplishments. We need to remember what we have done and think about the future.

It was good to see so several Brothers at the meeting on the second of December that I had not seen in quite some time. We as a group need to figure out how to keep people interested and coming to our meetings. The other officers and I would be very interested to hear input from the Brothers of Robert Burns on what would keep them involved.

The discussion of the by-laws change was spirited, and hopefully the decision not to change meeting locations will work out in the long term to be the best for the Lodge as a whole. The installation on the following Saturday also was an opportunity to connect with some Brothers, and the ceremony and following brunch were a great chance to see our Brothers and their families.

We are looking forward to voting on a formal plan for the scholarship program on January sixth. Hopefully we will get at least as much constructive input for that vote as we did for the by-laws change. January will be Worshipful Master John Hart’s first meeting as master, and I encourage everyone to attend; the more Brothers we can have laboring together, the better we will be as a Lodge.

As Junior Warden, in addition to the scholarship program, I am charged with planning visitations to other lodges and bodies. I will soon have a plan available for when we intend to visit other groups. Tentatively, I have planned for one visitation a month, including visitations to the two youth groups Robert Burns sponsors and some Lodges in District Eight and District Two.

Also, I would like to direct your attention to our website, robertburns243.org. It has a great deal of information, including copies of our current and past Trestleboards, the schedule of upcoming events, updates on our Bikes-for-Books and scholarships programs, and a running description of what has happened recently in our Lodge. If you would like to receive e-mail notification of when the Trestleboard is available on the website instead of paper copies, please inform me or any other officer of the lodge. I can be reached via e-mail at juniorwarden@robertburns243.org.

Finally, I would like to say a personal thanks to WB Steve Wandel, who served as Master last year. I believe he did an excellent job as Master. I can only hope that if the Brothers of Robert Burns elect me to sit in the East that I do as well.

"Our earnest prayer is that God will graciously vouchsafe prosperity, happiness, and peace to all our neighbors, and like blessings to all the peoples and powers of earth."