Brothers: (September-December 2011 Trestleboard as a PDF)

Columbia Lodge No. 25 will join many New England Masonic Lodges and Organizations with a Community Open House on October 15. The goal is to help the public gain a better understanding of the fraternity, its history, and why Freemasonry has been the common denominator of so many great men throughout our country’s history. Brothers David Söderberg and Mike Hudson are recruiting Freemasons to be on hand to give tours of our building. Show your pride in your Lodge and volunteer.

On April 4, JW David Wills, Organist David Söderberg (for our SW) and I represented Columbia Lodge No. 25 at the Grand Lodge Communication in Cromwell. We made our report of the proceedings on April 6. Many brothers attended the Sixth District Blue Lodge Council on March 29 and listened to Charles Billmeyer’s presentation on the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Above right are pictured BLC VP Jim Hammitt, Brother Bilmeyer and BLC President Don Wills. Columbia Lodge will host the Blue Lodge Council’s 324th Meeting on September 29.

Cookout Awards
The Cookout on June 15 was both an opportunity to receive wages as a Fellowcraft and to contribute to the Masonic Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Program. The proceeds from the Cookout went to this program. Richard Denno, the Chairman of the committee gave a talk on the program. Wages received were 35 year service pins by Frank "Marty" Reichenback and Keith Carlough. Brother Leonard Barker received his 50 year service pin from GSD Don Dean. Our 2011 Community Service recipient Cynthia and her husband, Jim Ellison, were present.

Fraternal Thought
Walk beside me and be my friends. We each have our own path to follow in life; a path that is there to offer us the lessons we are here to learn. We are each on our own path and we must make our own decisions. I am your friend. As true friends we need to walk beside each other through life. I do not know what is best for you, nor you for me. Only we can make our choices and reap the rewards and consequences of them. What we get to do as friends is trust that each of us is doing the very best we know how and that each, too, is surfacing the lessons we need to learn and grow. Walk beside me and be my friends. I ask for your help, so please give me your hand and I will do my very best to not only listen to you but to hear. And I hope that you will do the same for me.

In the second quarter, we raised two Master Masons (Vinnie Quast and Tom Cordier) and initiated an Entered Apprentice (Juan Diaz) on Inspection Night.

Becoming the father of a church Elder in June, it was brought home to me the similarity of our fraternity to a church as well as the rewards of love. The sharing of brotherly love is as joyous as sharing the love within a congregation or a family. My joy in my daughter Erin becoming an Elder would not have been as great if I was not present at the Ordination. Such joy is the wages of a loving and attendant father. Be a present brother to share the joy of our fraternity. Examine our calendar and resolve to be at many of our events.

We have a busy four months coming up, with Fellowcraft Degrees on September 21st and November 16th, and an Entered Apprentice Degree on October 19 and a Master Mason Degree on December 21st. We will host the Blue Lodge Council’s 324th Meeting on September 29. The 6h Annual Wine Tasting is on October 1st. The Installation of 2012 Officers will be in the early afternoon on December 17th. I hope to see many of you brothers, especially those that don’t make it to lodge regularly, coming out and visiting with us and enjoying the Masonic fellowship that is available to you.

Fraternally,
Brother Arnie