State of the Lodge

My brothers! We’re doing great. We’ve got several candidates waiting to receive their degrees. Please feel free to attend, we don’t need to cover parts, but you know that feeling of the lights suddenly coming on and the side lines have lots of people there… that’s what we want. If you’re not sure of where to start and just want to start coming back. Please reach out to me at WesternStarLodge21@gmail.com. We’ll set up a time (likely just before a meeting) and we’ll review what you need to know to get you through the meeting.

We’ve been doing a monthly dining club for several years, it’s an evening having a meal with several brothers and their families enjoying brotherhood and friendship. We focus on restaurants that are not big chains. Everyone pays for their own meal. It is a night that exemplifies what the brotherhood our order is made up of.

We try to have at least one social event per month. Ranging from hockey games to wine tours. Keep your eye on the calendar for the next event.

We meet just about every Wednesday, though only 1 Wednesday a month is a stated meeting the others are either degrees or education nights. Our last education night was a lecture about the known validated history of FreeMasonry. We enjoyed a meal, learning about what is known (and not speculated) about where we came from.

Financially our Lodge is doing great. One of the things we may discuss this year is lowering the dues. We also need to fix in our bylaws our fees for annual dues, we have a discrepancy between what is written and what is published. We’ve also had a suggestion for a retention / membership program where a member who is active for one year will get an endowed membership. One the same subject a member should never be suspended for not paying their dues because of finances. IF you are having financial difficulties and cannot pay your dues, reach out to us.

Lastly Brothers… thank you! You’ve given me a wonderful opportunity to stand in the East and guide and lead this lodge. What has my Lodge given me? An incredible improvement in my public speaking – which has improved my work life. An amazing increase in my organizational abilities – which has improved my work and home life. Improvisational skills to be able to speak at the drop of a hat, which has made my boss recognize me as a leader amongst my peers. While these abilities have certainly improved me financially. The best thing our Lodge has given me is amazing friendships. Men from all different walks of life, who enriched my life with their own. Thank you all!

As a parting note, this past year we lost several members. I’d like to recognize Gary Brant and Randy Emrich. Both Past Masters who continued to carry their working tools for the Lodge well after their year was done in the East. I was asked recently when do you understand all of the little details in FreeMasonry… and I answered you never will. The key is to keep learning. These two men, Gary and Randy, continued to learn and share what they learned from the sidelines. Please keep them and their families in your prayers.

~dave