February 2008 Trestleboard Robert Burns #243

Brethren,

I’ve got to say that Robert Burns lodge is alive and well and what a great time to be a Mason! It’s been a great month so far with a very nice Valentine’s Day Dinner with our ladies. There were only 16 of us but it was good food, great fellowship, and lots of great conversation.

Then on Feb 19th we conferred the First Degree on our two newest members of Robert Burns, Westen Moody and John Ferrante. A special thanks goes out to Bro. James G. Hamlin and his degree team for two outstanding First degrees back to back. Bro. Jim and Bro. Matt Appel as Senior Deacon, performed two flawless degrees. The conferral was well attended, with nearly 30 brethren present. I think that WB Walt Moody might have had something to do with the attendance since a lot of Everett Valley Scottish Rite members were on the sidelines.

The Meeting overall took nearly 3 hours and for that I apologize, and would like to explain why we did the degrees separately. It is my opinion that the First Degree conferred on new members should be a personal and positive experience, one that leaves a lasting impression on the candidate and insures that he will be excited to return and complete the degrees. That personal touch is somewhat lost when the degree is done with more then one candidate. Also, the first candidate then gets to see immediately the degree that he just took, and both candidates go away with a strong positive experience. With a lot of Lodges struggling to gain membership, it is my hope that the extra time to do it right by this Lodge will pay big dividends with increased membership, participation, and a sense that we care. Robert Burns continues to have a reputation and takes great pride in doing ritual work well. The Officers of Robert Burns are committed to getting better each and every time.

Now, on a lighter note, let’s have a little fun with some more questions from the Lodge proficiency test.

4. The lodge by-laws may contain certain residence requirements for election or appointment to a lodge office.

True False Ref: __________________

5. The Worshipful Master and Wardens cannot resign from office.

True False Ref: __________________

6. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Senior Warden, the Grand Master has the authority to grant a dispensation for a special election to fill that vacancy.

True False Ref: __________________

Have your answers at the next Stated meeting and we’ll go over them together……

What is evolution…? Is it a means whereby one generation must completely die out before the next can establish itself and flourish? If that is truly the case, our species is probably doomed to extinction! Generally, one generation of Homo-sapiens would rather “die” then let some new or progressive generation replace it. Our desire to preserve our own past is only matched by our will to resist the enviable future.

Ask yourself this: why do we spend so much time and effort researching our history, only to ignore the lessons taught there? Are we looking for clues from the past that might help us avoid repeating the same mistakes? You probably already know the answer!

Only by learning from the mistakes and triumphs of our ancestors do we have any hope of establishing a better future.

Let us happily pass on both lessons to the next generation so they can end the cycle of mistakes and embrace successes to evolve for the future.

Brethren,

District 8 has started a learning program called The Excellent Lodge Leader. Our first session brought up the issue of values; what are the "values" of Freemasonry and then what are the "values" of our Lodge. (No they did not give the answers) Many of us have gone through exercises at our regular vocation that made similar examinations. Why is defining our values important?

My opinion:

* If the values of our Lodge are in conflict with a Brother's values, that Brother may not stick around very long.

* If we do not conduct ourselves in accordance with our values, we may be viewed as hypocrites.

* Defining our values helps set our goals and this, I believe, is one of the keys to making our Lodge grow.

Once we have set our goals (or long range plans), we have something to work towards which gives purpose to any man.

Please let me know what you think about the core values of Freemasonry and the values of Robert Burns Lodge.

"The humblest Citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of Error."