We are starting something new at our Lodge.  From now on, every Thursday at 6pm we will have Catechism practice.  This will give us the opportunity to practice and learn at least two nights per week.  Any Brother wishing to learn the catechisms or to teach others are encouraged to attend.  We can all use practice.

Our first Thursday practice is tonight, so please bring your Cipher books and spend some time with us if you can.

I would like the thank the newly elected District Deputy Grand Master and his traveling party representing the 22nd District for their visit and presentation.  I will be posting more information about the individual programs as the Brothers return and give us more detail.

The Grand Master’s charity this year is The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory which specializes in experimental cardiology, genetics and stem cell research.  They have made many scientific advances in the field of medicine and will continue to do so with our help.  The First Ladies charity is to refurbish the Auditorium of the Masonic Home of Florida.

The Grand Master’s message outlines many changes in the coming year.

Brethren,

“MASONS ALWAYS RISE TO THE OCCASION”

Thank you for the honor and Privilege you have bestowed upon me by allowing me to serve you as your Grand Master. I also want to thank you for your foresight in electing our Grand Lodge Officers. To the Grand Lodge Officers thank you for your undying devotion to our Fraternity.

We have recently concluded our 181st Annual Grand Communication, and are entering into a time like never before. We are experiencing the best exposure our Fraternity has ever enjoyed. We are in the spotlight with all the movies, books and television documentaries that are very positive. We are having a great influx of young men who are not only curious about our great Fraternity but, they also want to attain the knowledge we have to offer mankind.

Are we ready to accept this great and wonderful challenge? Have we examined our infrastructure to see if we are ready? Do we have the right Catechism Instructors, Mentors and Masonic Education Committees in place in our Lodges?  Are we ready to SEIZE THE MOMENT?

My Brothers “MASONS ALWAYS RISE TO THE OCCASION”!!!

The Grand Master’s Charity for this year will be The Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, otherwise known as the MMRL. To name a few of the MMRL’s achievements, it has “discovered or unraveled the mechanisms of the majority of known cardiac arrhythmias” and its “research has played an important role in the implementation of devices like the pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator” and the automatic external defibrillator. Furthermore, “MMRL continues to play a major, and in some cases a pivotal role, in the development of heart medications.” “MMRL scientists were instrumental in providing the first direct evidence linking Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to abnormal heart rhythms.” They have recently begun an exciting new aspect of stem cell research by growing heart tissue from human DNA cells in a Petri dish, so that healthy heart tissue may be implanted back into the patient. The MMRL is on the cutting edge of scientific research, and it is wholly involved with cardiac research. Heart disease is still the Number 1 killer in America. Brethren the MMRL, has been our Flagship Charity since 1997. Let’s get behind this charity and make it our Landmark, and as identifiable as the Shriner’s Hospitals.

Brethren, we have much to accomplish, I feel certain we can and will attain all of our goals. However, no one can do this alone. I’m asking for your help and assistance.

It starts with one man in one Lodge, that leads to two men in two Lodges and it will grow to the District, Zone and State levels. Let us, all of us, commit to resurrecting our Fraternity to the heights it has enjoyed in the past.
Let us commit to PERFECTION and shoot for PERFECTION, because if we don’t shoot for PERFECTION we will settle for less than mediocrity, and that my Brothers is not acceptable for ANY MASON!!

We need not be the one’s who ask “what happened!”, or those who ask “what’s happening!”

BUT THE ONES WHO SAY “WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!”

My Brothers “MASONS ALWAYS RISE TO THE OCCASION”!!!

Respectfully and Fraternally,

J. Dick Martinez
Grand Master

We will be practicing for an upcoming Fellowcraft degree in the coming weeks, so please come if you have a part or want to learn a part.

On May 29th we will be holding a Spaghetti Dinner & Yard Sale Fundraiser, please check the Fundraisers page for more details.

The lodge will be dark on May 31st.  There will be no Family Night Dinner this month due to Memorial Day.

Due to a change in their account structure, the message board hosted by Ning has been deleted.  I will try to find a better more permanent and useful forum software for us to use.

I hope everyone can make it out to our Family Night Dinner tonight.

We’re doing something special this week – deep fried turkey – so I hope everyone can come out, bring their family and friends and have a nice evening with us.

Zone 6 School of Instruction and Memorial Lodge are being held tomorrow, Saturday, March 20th.

We will be having a Master Mason Degree Practice on Tuesday, March 22nd. Please come if have a part and are able to make it.

Also, the last Monday this month will be a family night. If all goes according to plan we will be having deep fried turkey. Everyone is welcome, bring you friends and loved ones.

This coming Monday, March 15, we will be having practice for the first half of the Master Mason Degree – which will be held on Tuesday, April 20.

Please attend if you are participating or care to watch.

I would like to thank everyone that came to our Yard Sale & BBQ over the weekend, it was a big success.  Special thanks to Brothers Miller, Whidden, Robinson and anyone else that helped out in the kitchen or outside running the yard sale.  We hope our next event will be just as successful, if not more so.

We welcome all Brothers and anyone interested in some down home barbecue chicken and pork with all the sides to come pay us a visit this Saturday, March 6th.

We will have many items outside set up for the Yard Sale.  Lots of electronic equipment, toys, household items, books.

Food will be served from 11am to 3pm.  Tickets are $8 dollars.

We will be serving BBQ Chicken, Wild Pork, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw and Dessert.  Coffee and Tea will be served.  Sodas are available for 50 cents.

Bring your appetite for food and fellowship!

The Entered Apprentice Degree scheduled for February 15th has been rescheduled to March 1st so that we can include both of our recent petitions.

Added a Menu page so that everyone can see what we will be having each week.  If you have any suggestions about meals, please sign up and post at our message board.