Join with me Brothers in welcoming our newest Brothers into Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5. Pictured in the front row from left to right are Brother Shamez Babvani, Brother Jeff Ammend and Brother Elic Llewellyn. In the back row to the left of Past Master Harris is Brother Jason Groski and to the right Brother Joe Amos. Brother Joe Amos started his degree work last year but the Marine Corps had other plans for him. He returned to us in late November and joined the current class for the Master Mason’s Degree in January 2007. Brother Elic Llewellyn came to us through the one day class January 20 and actually participated in the presentation of the Master Mason’s Degree in our lodge on January 27 as a craftsmen. That’s what I call getting involved quickly. Brother Shamez as most of you know is part owner of George’s on Plato (formerly Awada’s). These new Brothers received their aprons from our Worshipful Master in Lodge on February 8, 2007. We are all anxious to see where their Masonic travels take them as they grow in our Lodge.
Welcome Brothers from all the members of Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5
Hello Brothers. I want to announce the plans we have made to hold a joint Table Lodge for the purpose of raising funds for the Partners For Life, Masonic Cancer Center Fund campaign. The Masters and Wardens of the three lodges that meet in our building, Macalister, Montgomery and Ancient Landmark, have agreed to join forces and sponsor a joint Table Lodge on Thursday night March 29, 2007 beginning at 6pm. This will be a closed lodge for Brother Masons only. As a traditional Table Lodge, there will be seven toasts dispersed through the coarse of an exceptional meal, concluding with a keynote address from the head table. We have invited MWB Eric Neetenbeek, Chief Operating Officer of Minnesota Masonic Charities to be our keynote speaker for this event.
Because this is a fundraising event for the Partners For Life campaign, we wanted the ticket price to be within the reach of any of our Brothers. However, we also want to encourage every Brother to, "Contribute as liberally as he can do without inconvenience to himself", therefore we are asking for a minimum donation of $15.00 per ticket, and any who can afford to donate more please do so. The three lodges have agreed to split the expenses of this event, so that 100% of the proceeds will go to the Partners For Life fund, and be matched by Minnesota Masonic Charities, so your donations will be doubled. For any of our Brothers who have asked for our lodge to do more charitable activities, this is your opportunity to take part. I urge all of the Brothers to come out for this special charitable and most Masonic event.
I'll see you in Lodge.
Todd Henderson, Master 2007
As I think about what I have to offer our Lodge, it occurs to me that I should be applying what I have learned conducting my business, to what can apply to improve our Lodge. How can I make good men just a little bit better or happier. To take our current customers, you, and give you some extra benefit.
My major goal for the year is to establish a Masonic Outreach program. It is an attempt to gather more information from our members and to gather more activity from our members. That is, you.
I am going to ask each Lodge Officer to contact 29 members of the Lodge with the purpose of finding out what is going on in their daily life. I would also like to them to invite you to a social event or to a Lodge meeting. Attendance for social events as well as Lodge meetings is slowly and steadily increasing, but we have nearly 300 members, so we have more that I would like to see participate.
The other goal I would like to achieve when talking to you is to ask if you could recommend one, two or three people that you would think would be good Masons to the Lodge Officer calling. The Lodge Officers will see to it that the person recommended will receive information defining what some of the advantages and benefits of Masonry could be to them. Your Lodge could benefit with having additional members and the friend could benefit from belonging to your Lodge. It could be a son, grandson, neighbor, friend, etc. Please think about this.
In April the Scottish Rite will be having a BBQ dinner at 200 Plato for the purpose of introducing friends to Masonry. We would like to have many friends attend alongside us, the Lodge Officers.
Well, there are lots of people to meet and stories to be heard. Everyone has a great story, I would like to hear yours.
Hope to see you soon,
Alan Peterson, Sr. Warden
By Bro. James McKenna, Junior Warden
[From Micro Stories by James McKenna, 2007]
One morning, an old fox came across a young fox hiding in the bushes and intently spying on the henhouse of a local farmer.
"Good morning, son," whispered the old fox. "I see you have your eye on some fine breakfast."
"Yes," said the young fox, "but I don't know how to get one of those plump chickens. With all of that wire fencing and the gate closed, I don't know how to get in. I can't even reach the latch."
"Getting in is easy," replied the old fox. "You just have to be yourself, follow your nature, and rely on your natural talents."
"What do you mean?"
"Be foxy! You know, be sly, very sly. You have to be foxier and more cunning than everyone else."
"I see. Could you teach me?"
"I could," said the old fox, raising an eyebrow, "but you'll have to do exactly what I say."
"I will," said the young fox, scratching his head and looking at a couple of plump hens that just came out of the henhouse. "I promise to do exactly what you say."
"Fine, son, now this is what you have to do." The old fox whispered his instructions to his eager protégé. "Do you understand, son?"
"Yes."
"Then go to it, kid."
The old fox watched as the young fox stealthily scurried across the barnyard to the gate of the henhouse. He watched as his new student nudged a small wooden box over to the gate, climbed on top of it, and began to unlatch the gate with his nose.
"This is easy," smiled the young fox, pushing the gate open. He continued to smile when suddenly he was knocked from the box. He looked up from the ground and saw that it was the farmer's wife striking him with a broom. She struck him over and over, again and again, screaming obscenities, and chasing him all around the barnyard. In the confusion, from the corner of his eye, he could see the old fox running into the bushes with a fat hen under his arm.
After finally, but barely, escaping the wrath of the farmer's wife, he caught up to the old fox. Clearly, he had just finished his breakfast and was brushing feathers from his coat.
"Hello, son," smiled the old fox. "How did it go?"
"You know how it went! I'm going to be sore for a week. That was some plan that you came up with. What did I do wrong?"
"Two things," said the old fox.
"What's that," said the young fox, licking his wounds.
"First, I told you that you had to be foxier than everyone else."
"Yes, so."
"So, you allowed me to be foxier than you. After all, I wound up with the chicken, right?"
"What else did I do wrong?" grimaced the young fox.
"Well, I told you that you had to follow your nature, which you totally disregarded."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," smiled the old fox, "when you were in the barnyard, instead of acting like a fox, you were acting just like a hockey puck, being knock about and all by that broom. Actually, if the truth be known, you were really quite good at it, son. But, then again, there's more of a future in being a fox than a hockey puck, I would imagine."
"Hmm . . . what else?"
"Sorry, son, today's lesson is over. If you want another lesson, why don't we meet back here tomorrow, say around lunchtime?" The young fox's mouth dropped open as he limped away shaking his head in disbelief at how gullible he was.
Moral: When someone earns his living by stealth and deceit, do not expect them to suddenly change their ways and not take advantage of you.
Fraternally,
James McKenna, Junior Warden
As Free and Accepted Masons we glibly assert that we are taught to make use of the tools of masonry for more noble and glorious purposes than our operant ancestors. Mark Wickstrom, an operant mason made a presentation to the Royal Arch Chapter outlining the lengthy and rigorous courses of study he pursued to become a master stone carving mason. His presentation reinforced my growing certainty that much of the mystery surrounding the appeal of operant masonry to the young intellectuals who became the first free and accepted masons is grounded in our loss of wonder at the accomplishments of the craft. We need to remember that the wonders of the ancient world were triumphs of masonry. The Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and, the only man made object visible from the moon, the Great Wall of China.
Imagine living in a time when the most marvelous thing you had ever seen was a cathedral that literally dwarfed everything in sight. Imagine standing under tons of stone hundreds of feet above you hanging as if by magic over a vast open space. Imagine watching a master carve intricate vines and ornaments transforming a rough piece of granite into the ornate and strikingly beautiful finial for the top of a flying buttress. Now imagine the intricate system of booms and pulleys and wenches that transport this intricately carved piece of art to its resting point 200 or more feet above. Mark while working on restoration on the cathedral in Rimes, France remarked on the extra care his colleague was putting in details that would rest so high no one could see them. His co worker replied they would be closer to God so they had to be the most perfect he could achieve.
Imagine living in a time when neither you or anyone you know would be allowed to gather together socially with out written permits issued by the church and your lord. Imagine seeing craftsmen who by the value of their skill and knowledge were allowed to travel and gather freely of their own volition. Imagine a time when you and all your family were the property of the local ruler and counted as no more and maybe much less than a farm animal. But masons were legally entitled to their wages and owned their own tools. Imagine the status of masons who could control their own lives as well as the execution of wondrous building projects in a time when no one you know is allowed to control even them selves.
The building of that house not made with hands that is our own character and the improvement of our stature as masons with out guile is a laudable task, but those of our ranks who leave a legacy for the improvement of our craft and world as impressive as those of our operant brothers are few indeed. the key to our task is also a word which derives from the stone carvers of old. The word is sincere. Ancient craftsmen advertised their sculptures as sin cere without wax meaning no flaws had been filled in and hidden with a mixture of wax and stone dust. An artist who would not settle for the mere appearance of perfection was able to produce a product that was sincere.
Fraternally,
Austin Harris, PM
LEO
Everything seems fairly quiet in the Lodge office. Dues continue to come in but at a much slower rate that the beginning of the year. I would like to thank all who have paid their dues for 2007 and encourage those of you who have not, don’t let this get ahead of you. I will be sending a reminder to all those who have not paid their 2007 dues in the next couple of weeks. Please take care of this matter as soon as possible. If you receive a reminder notice and have paid you dues, please disregard the notice.
We continue to receive interest and inquiries into joining our lodge. Our numbers are growing and this is looking like a banner year for the roster. However, remember that numbers on rosters do an organization no good if they are only numbers. We need active, participating members to keep our fraternity alive and working.
With our heightened interest in the building there is much all of us can do to help out in some way. Please step forward and let the Worshipful Master know you are willing to help in any way you can. It will be appreciated by all.
Fraternally,
Bruce L. Sherman, PM
Secretary
Carmel Chapter has been really busy in January and February. We meet the first and third Thursday of the month. Our first meeting in January we had a stated meeting. The first Saturday of January some of us attended the Ancient Landmark installation at their kind invitation. The second Thursday of January we served a dinner before the Ancient Landmark regular meeting. The third Thursday of January we honored the Associate Matrons, Associate Patrons, Conductress' and Associate Conductress' of the other chapters in the area. It is traditional for Eastern Star members to visit each others chapters and we welcome all members from anywhere. The Grand Associate Matron, Helen Johnson, requested that we keep it casual and we had what she called a slipper night. The gals wore sweatshirts, skirts and slippers, and the guys wore sweatshirts, pants and of course their most stylish "slippers". The first meeting in February was an official visit from our Grand Family. This was a celebration of our winter carnival time so we wore our scarves and mittens and our Martha, Veon Kulbitski, gave a parody of the crowning of the King and Queen of the Snows for the Worthy Grand Matron, Barb Nordaune, and the Worthy Grand Patron, Jim Foster.
Our Worthy Matron, Kathy Parent and Jean Breuer and I found time to attend a special benefit for the son-in-law of one of our past Grand Matrons. He had recently returned from Iraq and will be in the hospital for approximately two years while he is having many surgeries and will be fitted for prosthesis for both legs. The benefit was arranged mostly by his friends that he grew up with but it was highly publicized so many people from the area came to support him and his family.
Three of our members passed away during this period and we were requested to do an Eastern Star service for two of them. We are looking forward to serving a dinner before the stated Ancient Landmark meeting on February 8. Our next meeting is on February 15 and it will be a Valentine party.
As the Master of ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5, I want to welcome you to Ancient Landmark’s newsletter. As our relationship grows it is my sincere hope that we will see more of your Chapter activities and news in what will surely become our newsletter. This is just the beginning and I see great potential in the very near future.
We, at Ancient Landmark Lodge are very excited about our new relationship and we are looking forward to the many activities we can participate in together.
I encourage you to ask questing if you have any and let us know what your goals and vision are as I’m sure we will do the same. I know there are many questions as this new relationship begins. Let’s make a commitment to ask those questions and by doing so establish a strong line of communication between us.
For now, I bid all our sisters in Masonry welcome and look forward to a bright future working together for the good of our order.
Sincerely,
Todd Henderson, Master
