I am writing this after another nice day on the King Solomon golf circuit(?) - if not in weather, then in the spirit of the event. Despite the occasional rain, St. John's had 16 representatives who played at the charity classic. Nobody had a hole-in-one, so the Buick SUV remains parked safely in Auburn. Thank you SW Terry for all your hard work in organizing this event on the St. John's end. Can we expect a petition soon from the Mayor of Auburn? It is hard to believe that June is almost here and with it Grand Lodge in Spokane. The one hundred forty-fifth annual communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge F.& A. M. of Washington will convene Thursday, June 13, 2002, in Spokane, Washington, at the Doubletree Hotel. I would like to thank VWB David Campbell for his years of service as our District Deputy. Dave continues to be active, and of course is an elected trustee at St. John's Lodge. The most amazing thing, to me, is he does this all without the benefit of the Internet! The weekend following Grand Lodge is the Fremont Fair. This event will be the focus of our largest advertising for the year. We, as Masons, do not proselytize, but we can advertise! Alerting young men of our existence and good work in the community is an important part of our labors. So why not plan a trip to the fair and join our officers for an hour or two at the Masonic information booth? We have joined together with Daylight Lodge to sponsor this activity. Our booth will be near one of the bandstands and there is a rumor that a famous race car driver (and PM) may show up on Sunday with his champion race car decorated with Masonic logos (pending GL approval). The hours on both days are 11am - 6 pm. David Israel, our Junior Steward, will be the crew chief on Saturday, and I will be organizing Sunday. If you can, let David or me know what hours you might be available to help work the booth. If not, just stop by and say hello. Please join us at the next Stated meeting when we will see a special presentation on the Middle East by our own Treasurer, Joseph DuWors. As many of you know, Joseph made a scholarly journey to Egypt, Israel and its surroundings last year. Joe is working on his degree in Eastern Studies at the University of Washington. Since this area is always in the News, come learn more about its historical underpinnings. See you there! In an aggressive new step by members of St. John's No. 9, our Lodge will be represented at the annual Fremont Fair, June 22 and 23. Volunteers from the Lodge will be working alongside members of Daylight Lodge No. 232 to answer questions and distribute information to members of the public who will be visiting the Fair. Each year, 250,000 visit this popular two-day festivity. The Fremont Fair is a celebratory community event which features local crafts, music, and food. The Fair is a non-profit fund-raiser with all proceeds going to the Fremont Public Association (FPA). The FPA is a community service organization providing services and housing to the homeless, homecare and hospice services to those disabled, ill and aging, clothing exchanges, food banks and job referral services. The Fair is situated along the north side of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Fremont. It will open at 10:30am each day, and will close at 8pm Saturday and 6pm Sunday. The Fair will have 350 craft and import booths, as well as many food booths and non-profit information booths, such as ours. The "Fremont Solstice Parade" will be held Saturday at 12:00 noon. Entertainment stages, street performers, and a Kid's Art and Recreation area will be among the highlights of the event. The booth will be located near a music stage sponsored by Daylight Lodge. Permission has been requested of our Grand Master to allow Past Master Jeff Lane's drag racing car to be displayed at the Fair decorated with our Lodge name and the Square & Compasses. Volunteers from our Lodge are requested to assist the officers in promoting Freemasonry to those attending the Fair.
Our June 5 meeting will be preceded by a presentation on the Middle East by Bro. Joe DuWors. In July, we will have a fun-filled evening when our Stated Communication of July 10 will be focused on welcoming our "snow birds" and other members who have not been to Lodge for quite a while. Billed as "Herb's Night," we will be wearing Hawaiian shirts or other summer casual wear and enjoying a relaxed evening of business and entertainment. Bring the ladies! Recognition and honor to our student scholarship winners will precede our August meeting. We will meet the students and their parents at dinner and find out a little about their plans for next year. Bro. Jim Wold has been appointed to fill the office of Marshal, and will be installed at our next meeting. He replaces Bro. Bernie Yperman, who will be taking a more active role in Diamond Lodge No. 83 near his home in Maple Valley. Bros. Frank Anthony and Kenneth Wehl were raised to Master Masons last month. Bro. Tom Martinson of Vancouver, BC, has affiliated with St. John's. Whereas, it is the expressed interest of the members of St. John's Lodge No. 9 to publish the history of this Lodge to its current date following that concluded by Volume I of the Laban Wheeler edition, and Whereas, preparation has been underway for three years in the gathering and writing of this history, and Whereas, the initial cost estimate for this year's budget was based on 750 copies of 200 pages each, and the final version will be closer to 230 pages, and Whereas the Board of Trustees continues to recommend that 750 copies be printed, Therefore be it Resolved that the 2002 budget for final publication of 750 copies of the History of St. John's Lodge No. 9 Volume II be increased by $5,500 to $23,000. Sometime between 1450 and 1455, the Gutenberg Bible - the first complete Bible to be printed - was given to the world. No other book has had so great an influence on the Craft. The heart of all Masonic Lodges is the Great Light in Masonry - the Holy Bible. In every recognized Lodge the world over, it lies open upon the Altar whenever a Lodge is open. In this country it is usually open at the 133rd Psalm in the Entered Apprentice Degree, the 7th chapter of Amos in the FC Degree, and the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Master Mason Degree. The Holy Bible is the rule and guide of Masonic faith and practice. The degrees of Masonry are based upon the building of King Solomon's Temple and upon Biblical history. Quotations from the Book of Books occur throughout the ritual. Characters from the Bible are a part of Masonic degrees. Without the Bible there would be no Freemasonry as we know it. For (over) two hundred years the Great Light has been the center of the Lodge. From it has emanated that light by which Masons see the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Its teachings are the Masonic teachings. The spirit of Masonry, in which all men stand upon an exact equality and are valued for their internal, not their external qualifications, comes from these sacred pages. Eight to ten members of St. John's Lodge No. 9 will travel to Spokane to attend the 145th annual communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge F.& A. M. of Washington. The meeting will formally open at 10am, Thursday, June 13, 2002, in Spokane, Washington, at the Doubletree Hotel. Seventeen resolutions will be presented and one carried over from the previous year. One candidate has stepped forward for the Office of Junior Grand Warden, and one for Grand Secretary. A Fellowship Dinner and speaker will be held Thursday evening. Elections will take place Friday and new Grand Officers installed Friday evening. Our own Past Master Ken Lane, Jr. will be installed as Grand Sword Bearer. The Grand proceedings will close Saturday by noon.
Worshipful Master Skip Albertson 360 867-0139 alberts@ocean.washington.edu Secretary Jim Russell 206 623-0261 stjohns9@msn.com Webmaster Charlie Tupper webmaster@seattlemasons.org twenty-first century | |||||||||||||||||||
