Dispensation Granted Monday, January 31, 1820
Chartered Tuesday, December 12, 1820
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MEDINA LODGE NO. 58, F. & A. M.
Dispensation Granted Monday, January 31, 1820
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ELECTED OFFICERS Master Lloyd G. Egbert (330) 225-5883 Sr. Warden William Carl Thompson (330) 723-7310 Jr. Warden Roger A. Thomas (330) 722-7169 Treasurer Dennis L. Lawson (330) 225-2868 Secretary Vaughn H. Cover (419) 853-0048 Sr. Deacon Theodore E. Thomas (330) 225-6643 Jr. Deacon Fred H. Justice 330-722-6005 Tyler Bob J. Askew (330) 225-8444 Trustees Edgar L. Harris David S. Kurtz Larry B. Donovan
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TRESTLEBOARD
October 2002
News From the East
Brethren:
Fall has arrived and with Fall comes some of Mother Nature's best work. I encourage you to take time to enjoy this beautiful season. We know what follows, that four letter word that begins with "s" - SNOW!
For those Line Officers who are attending the Grand Lodge Communication in Toledo on October 18th and 19 you will find it to be very rewarding and educational. Hopefully, those attending have all ready made arrangements.
It's time to officially welcome our twenty-two "youngest" Master Masons raised at the Grand Master's One-Day class: Kenneth R. Livingstone, Justin F. Taylor, Stephen K. Beckwith. Kevin E. Askew, Timothy J. Kneisel, George N. Cereshko, Donald G. Moll, James A. Kiefer, Wayne A. Lawson, Jeffery L. Palmateer, Rodion J. Russin, John D. Daniels, James H. Kirkpatrick, Jason L. Goodwin, Gino Surace, Barton R. Mersey, John Vojtus, Jason M. Aberegg, Scott E. Buell, Brian L. Tolliver, James T. Kurtz, and Bobby J. Askew, Jr. Some of these Brethren you may know and some you may not. Please make every effort to get acquainted with them and make them feel welcomed as a Brother of Medina Lodge No. 58. I am happy to announce that three of these Brethren have shown an interest in receiving the degrees the old fashioned way and are currently going through the degree work.
Brethren, we will be putting on the Master Mason Degree in October and are in need of members for the Fellow Craft Team. Speaking and non-speaking parts are available. If you have an interest, please contact our Fellow Craft Team Captain, WB Dave Kurtz, at 330-667-2983 or myself at 330-225-5883.
WB Dave Kurtz is attempting to organize a clambake. Please contact Dave or myself, if you are interested.
Remember to check the Trestleboard for upcoming events in October.
I would like to suggest that you read the article "I'm the Guy" beginning on page two of this Trestleboard. It could be anyone of us.
See you in Lodge,
Lloyd
News from the Southeast Corner
Annual Dues Increased
At the June 13, 2002 Stated Meeting a motion to increase Annual Dues, Affiliation Fees, and Restoration Fees from $45.00 each to $50.00 each was duly made and seconded. The motion was tabled, by WM Egbert, for voting at the September 12th Stated Meeting. In recognition that current income is insufficient to maintain the Lodge, the Brethren voted unanimously to approve the motion. The increase is effective as of October 1, 2002.
Furniture & Fixtures
At their September 12, 2002 Stated meeting, Medina Lodge voted to approve a motion to prohibit the removal from the premises of any personal property (tables, chairs, books, etc.) belonging to the Lodge or to the Temple Company for any reason other than for authorized Masonic functions. The motion was precipitated by several past events but more especially the recent removal of a number of dinning room tables. The tables were removed without permission being sought. The removal left the DeMolay with an insufficient number of tables for their scheduled function. The good news is that after the alarm was sounded the tables reappeared in the nick of time. The bad news is that no one admits to having removed them.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
STATED MEETINGS
Thursday, October 10th, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 24th, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 14th, 7:30 p.m. – Annual Meeting
Thursday, December 12th, 7:30 p.m.
SPECIAL MEETINGS
Master Mason Degree (First Section) - Thursday, October 3rd, 7:00 p.m.
Master Mason Degree (Second Section) - Thursday, October 31st, 7:00 p.m.
Installation of Officers - Saturday, November 16th, 7:00 p.m.
Awards Night - Thursday, November 21st, 7:00 p.m.
SPECIAL EVENTS
SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFASTS
Saturday, September 28th, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, October 26th, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Medina Masonic Temple Dining Hall
I'M THE GUY
I'm the guy who asked to join your organization. I'm the guy who paid his dues to join. I'm the guy who stood up in front of you and promised to be faithful and loyal.
I'm the guy who came to your meetings and no one paid any attention to. I tried several times to be friendly to some of the fellows, but they all had their own buddies to talk to and sit next to.
I attended several meetings but my presence was virtually unnoticed. I hoped very much that someone would have asked me to take part in a fund-raising project or something, but when I volunteered my efforts were not recognized.
I missed a few meetings after joining because I was sick and couldn't be there. No one asked me at the next meeting where I had been. I guess it didn't matter very much to others whether I was there or not.
The next meeting I decided to stay at home and watch TV. The following meeting I attended, no one asked me where I was when the last meeting was held.
You might say I'm a good guy, a good family man who holds a responsible job, loves his community and his country.
You know who else I am? I'm the guy who never came back.
I think back on how the heads of the organization and the members were discussing why the organization was losing members and I am bemused to think that they spend so much time looking for new members when I was there all the time.
All they needed to do was make me feel needed, wanted....., welcomed.
Masonic Principles Revisited
Are the principles on which Freemasonry is founded still relevant today and more importantly are they relevant to the future? First let us establish what Freemasonry is and what better way than to take the accepted definition of ‘a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’. It is a movement whose members are joined together in an association based on brotherly love, relief and truth. These are the principal tenets of Freemasonry. Derived from these tenets are the virtues of faith, hope and charity - all supported on the three great pillars of wisdom, strength and beauty.
There are many other principles and virtues, but it would be of no advantage to examine them at this time as they are derived from the four sets of three. Every Mason is familiar with these words but, unfortunately, familiarity often means that the definitions are forgotten. These words were probably penned in the early eighteenth century and more than likely taken from much earlier sources. Since then, time has moved on and as English is a dynamic living language, new words are added as knowledge increases while older and redundant words are dropped and again other words change meaning, some radically and some by degrees.
Have the words used in the description of Freemasonry altered in meaning? Are they still relevant today or, more importantly, for tomorrow? Have the concepts behind them changed? To answer these questions it is necessary to examine the meanings of these words. Consider the first set of three words in the definition, which are ‘morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’. With regard to morality, it can be seen that all societies have a view of what is the correct way of life for both individuals and society, thus distinguishing between right and wrong. The first moral laws were evolved for the protection of the community. In the course of evolution they became systematic and codified on the basis of custom, for example the Ten Commandments. The object of the code was to secure coherence in the group so that the members would act effectively. Morality needs the strong arm of the law, say in the form of the police and judiciary, to make itself effective and the codes were enforced with relentless severity, bolstered by taboos and religious sanctions. External authority also strengthens the non-legal virtues such as chastity, truthfulness, kindness, benevolence and so on.
Morality continues to evolve and each generation must solve its moral problems in its own way. The circumstances of the modern world have brought new moral dilemmas in such areas as euthanasia, abortion, birth control, medicine, human rights, the role of women, divorce and so on. With regard to individuals, there is admitted to be such a power in the mind as conscience which warns the person when they are doing wrong and to a certain extent, a force to make the person do right. Conscience grows and needs to be trained and nurtured by precept, example and experience and often reinforced by religious sanctions, the force of public opinion, social approbation and reprobation, and with systematic punishment before it can be really effective in controlling conduct. For example, a child is trained in the concept of right and wrong by, amongst other things, punishment, encouragement, rewards, example, criticism and guidance.
There are variations in conscience among nations and among individuals in each nation. In the West, emphasis appears to be shifting away from social morals to individual morals resulting in a ‘pick-and-mix’ morality. The morality of Freemasonry requires Masons to deal justly with others, not to defraud, cheat or wrong them of their just dues and rights. A Mason is therefore particularly bound never to act against the dictates of his conscience.
The teaching of morals by allegory is a time-honored technique still relevant, though members new to the Craft may not be familiar with it. Allegory is a story that can be read on two levels, firstly as a surface narrative and secondly at a deeper level which is moralistic. It is the embodiment of a train of thought in a visible form by means of images and thus involves a transfer of meaning with a number of correspondences with the real world. For example, the whole of the third degree is allegorical for behind the story of the central character lies the foundation of the philosophy of Freemasonry.
The Triangle
"The triangle with its three sides has played a great part in the traditions of Asia, in the philosophy of Plato, in Christianity; indeed in all religions and all mysteries. It has ever been regarded as the image of the Supreme Being. Neither the line nor two lines can represent a perfect geometrical figure. But three lines, by their juncture, form a triangle, the first, the primal perfect figure. This is one reason why it serves to symbolize the Eternal who, infinitely perfect in His nature, is as the creator, the first being, consequently the first perfection. There are three essential degrees in Masonry, three secret words of three syllables each. There are three grand masters. There are three principal officers of a lodge. This continual reproduction of the number three, of which I have given only a few instances, is not accidental nor without profound meaning. The same is to be found in all the ancient mysteries." (M.W.G.M. Melvin M. Johnson, Roxbury, Mass., 1916)
