June 2006 Stated Communication

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June Stated Communication
Pictures by WB Darrel Womack
Report written with aid from the Stated Meeting Minutes

RWB Gale Kenney, our newly elected and installed Junior Grand Warden, RWB Wayne Smith, our new Deputy Grand Master, along with a host of members and other visitors and guests met at 6:15 for our monthly dinner and Stated Communication. This was to be a full meeting night and there was much to accomplish.

Steve (Steve's Expresso and Cafe) served us excellent Steak Dinners with all the trimmings this month. WM Mark Campbell announced that the steaks were in honor of his father's birthday (VWB David Campbell) which was on the first of June.

		Immediately following dinner Detective Mark Hanf, a twenty-five year veteran of law enforcement, and twenty-two years with the Seattle Police Department, presented an interesting Power Point program showing the work of the Seattle Police Department's Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) Unit.
He has been an investigator in the Special Assault Unit, Domestic Violence Unit, Robbery Unit, and the Homicide & Assault Unit. He is currently an investigator in the CSI Unit. Throughout his career, he has gained both the experience and specialty training in the processing of various types of major crime scenes. In the Spring of 2004, he was tasked with the formation of the Seattle CSI Unit, which is now a permanent entity within the department.

WBro. Jack Davis thanked the brethren for their financial assistance to repair a couple of roofs at the Royal Arch Park in Maple Valley. He showed some slides of the shelters, each displaying a large wooden sign acknowledging the contribution of St. John's Lodge No. 9, and invited the brethren to make use of the facility.

Guests were then excused and the members and visitors went up to the lodgeroom where WM Mark Campbell opened Lodge on the Master Mason Degree.

The National Sojourners opened the meeting with a beautiful and inspiring program entitled "Building the American Flag." WBro. Chester Olszta, RWBro. Wayne Smith and VWBro. Don Campbell, members of the Sojourners, presented a brief history of our American Flag, recited a poetic description of the flag, and called upon the brethren to join them in pledging allegiance to our national banner.
The Master later presented the Sojourners with a check in appreciation of their efforts.

The usual business of the Lodge was then quickly taken care of and introductions were made. The WM welcomed RWB Wayne Smith, Deputy Grand Master and offered him a seat in the East.

The Master declared the lodge "off session," and invited Mrs. Dorothy Moffat and Mrs. Chester Olszta to join the brethren in a ceremony to honor WBro. David Moffat on achieving fifty years in Freemasonry. The Master and Wardens honored WBro. Moffat in a special ceremony, followed by a presentation of a certificate signed by the Grand Master.
Mrs. Moffat attached a 50 year pin to our brother's sweater. Several brothers from Langley Lodge No. 218, WBro. Moffat's other lodge, were also in attendance to witness the occasion.

Following the ladies' dismissal, the lodge was purged and declared to be "on session."

The Master reported on the recent annual communication of Grand Lodge, held June 8-10 at Ocean Shores:

Our two resolutions sponsored by St. John's passed nearly unanimously. The first, a resolution to allow electronic communication (email) as an alternate means to notify members of pending bylaw changes, was passed by at least a 90% majority. The second, correcting an error made in
a Code printing back in 1913, restores the right of at least four lodges (including St. John's) to continue their incorporated status if they have maintained that status continuously since at least 1893.

We had two brothers from our lodge running for Junior Grand Warden. With four throwing their hats into the ring, our brother VW Gale Kenney was elected on the second round of balloting.

Alba Lodge No. 315 and Esoterika Lodge No. 316 were approved in their requests for charters as new lodges in this jurisdiction. St. John's was the sponsoring mother lodge to Esoterika. Esoterika will be constituted as a lodge Saturday, July 15.

We acted on a resolution to include all elected and appointed lodge officers to have voting rights at Grand Lodge. As this needed a 90% majority for approval, it failed to pass, but received a majority vote and will be carried over to next year, where it will "only" require a 2/3 vote for passage. Most of the voting delegates from St. John's for the past many years have voted to include more active Master Masons in the Grand Lodge voting process.

We had 23 members of our lodge representing 10 different lodges attending Grand Lodge. 13 were voting delegates from St. John's.

Our web site was one of a few which were given special recognition for its clarity and interest. The Master showed the brethren a plaque presented to the lodge on the evening of the installation of Grand Officers, issued to honor our pillar of progress in technology. He thanked WBro. Charles Tupper for his efforts as our Webmaster for the past few years.

WBro. Skip Albertson reported that the scholarship committee is completing its work and will be sending letters of congratulations out to several recipients soon. They will be invited, with their families, to join us for dinner at our August 16 stated communication.

Bro. Jim Wold announced that the lodge brethren will again host a teen feed in the University District, this year at the University Congregational Church on Thursday, July 20. He asked for volunteers, with the following brothers present responding: WBros. Charles Tupper (Karen), Darrel Womack, Ken Lane Sr. (Darlene), Hans Wehl (Sharon), Terry Grove; Bros. Jason Leehan, Chris Carney, Jim Wold. Others will be invited to assist, as well.

Bro. Chris Carney invited the brethren to assist in bringing Mr. Derrick Tan to light as an Entered Apprentice Mason, next Wednesday, June 28. A practice will be held on Monday, June 26. Both practice and degree will open at 7pm.

WBro. Ken Lane reported that the St. John's Little League team has done well, completing its season at 11 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. It completed its playoff season and league championship with a win over Lane's Hardware Floors.

VWBro. David Campbell requested that the lodge support a youth committee request to assist the girls of Rainbow Assembly No. 18. It was m/s/p to send funds to Rainbow Assembly No. 18 to assist the girls to attend the 2006 Grand Assembly.

The Master announced that he had granted the Master's Charity for June to a needy brother.

David Campbell (6/1/26), Helmuth Svoboda (6/9/39), Ken Lane, Jr. (6/10/60), Jeff Lane (6/14/61), Mark Campbell (6/25/70), Ashley Brinkley (6/26/52) were honored with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" to celebrate their achieving one more year in their journey through life.

Seattle Police CSI Unit Resolution

The Board of Trustees presented a request that $13,000 be granted outside our charities budget to support a package of needs by the Seattle Police Department Crime Scene Investigations Unit. WBros. Bill Collison and Ken Lane, Sr. recently toured the CSI unit, which is about two years old in its attachment to the SPD. Detective Mark Hanf presented a program on the CSI Unit during dinner this evening. WBro. Collison, offering that as we are victims to a declining stock market, has agreed to hold this request to within the existing charities budget. He presented the following resolution:

Whereas a Crime Scene Investigation unit has been recently created to enhance the services of the Seattle Police Department and

Whereas our community will benefit when crime scenes are professionally handled, documented, preserved and analyzed which will improve the likelihood that cases will survive any legal challenges presented in court and

Whereas the ability for the Seattle Police CSI to effectively perform its assignments are restricted by the reality of city budget restraints and

Whereas it is the desire of St. John's Lodge No. 9 to assist our community and to do so in such a way that casts a favorable light on the Masonic fraternity, such as was done on behalf of the Seattle Fire Department in 2001,

Therefore be it resolved that $13,000 be granted to the Seattle Police Department Crime Scenes Investigation(CSI) Unit for enriched operational enhancements.

WBro. Collison spoke to the merits of the resolution request. Opposition was expressed by Bro. David Flood, who stressed that this request was not a good fit in our approach to charities, and that it did not address our ideals to make good men better. WBro. Helmuth Svoboda expressed that this does not address what he sees as a need to solve many issues related to police in our community. Bro. Jim Wold saw this contribution as in conflict with his desire and that of others to focus our charity on young people.

The motion was defeated sizably.

The Greenwood Temple Board has identified a need to remodel the downstairs bathrooms. A water leak problem has also been discovered which has affected the stucco on the southeast corner of the building. . WBro. Hans Wehl m/s/p that St. John's Lodge No. 9 contribute funds toward the costs of remodeling the downstairs bathrooms, and to recommend that the project meet the ADA guidelines if possible.

The brethren were reminded of the following dates of interest:
June 24 (10am-4pm): Greenwood Classic Car and Rod Show
June 28 (7pm): Entered Apprentice Degree
July 7-9: Family campout at Granite Falls Masonic Park - Canceled
July 7-9: Square & Compass Jamboree at Wenatchee County Park (Texas Hold-um Friday; golf Saturday)
July 15: Constitution & Installation Esoterika Lodge No. 316 (Greenwood)
July 19 (6:15pm) 7:30pm: St. John's 9 (dinner) Stated Herb's Night
July 20: Teen Feed
August 13 (11am): Lodge picnic at Nile (Sunday)
September 16 (6pm): St. John's Lodge No. 9 146th Anniversary Celebration (College Club)

RWBro. Wayne Smith, Deputy Grand Master, was invited to close lodge. He extended his appreciation to be invited to share in our evening programming, and said that the Grand Master was paying a "surprise hospitality visit" in Sumner this evening. It will be the practice this year, when possible, for elected members of the Grand Lodge to drop in on a lodge unannounced to observe the work of the lodges. He encouraged the brothers to purchase copies of the Grand Master's pin, the proceeds going to the Masonic youth groups.

The minutes of this communication were read and approved in short form. There being no further business to come before this Lodge of Master Masons, the Deputy Grand Master closed the Lodge in due and ancient form at 9:23 p.m., peace and harmony prevailing.