Trestleboard – June 2018

Greeting from the East

What happened in May 2018?  The Brethren continued to support our Youth Groups, again your Master, Brothers and families attended Job’s Daughter, Rainbow for Girls and DeMolay meetings in May. Please come and support these fine youth organizations. They surprise and delight at every meeting!
At our Stated Meeting Dinner, two Consuelo Lodge Scholarships were awarded to deserving graduating Escondido High School Seniors. I am happy to report one our own Rainbow for Girls, Sophia Shhadeh, currently serving as Worthy Advisor (WA) of the Rainbow for Girls Golden Arch # 239 received one of Consuelo’s scholarship, and Senior Jasmine Citlalli Covarrubias received the other scholarship. Both of these young ladies are academic superstars and well engaged in masonic and/or community activities. Thank you to Junior Warden Tracy Reynolds for successfully managing the 2018 Scholarship program – Good Job.

The May Stated Meeting was a busy meeting for all in attendance.  Wor. Jeff Hertig was officially installed as the 2018 Senior Deacon. Congratulation Wor. SD Hertig. The installing Team was Wor. Douglas as installing Officer and Wor. Inspector Tom Handell as Master of Ceremonies.   Brother Patrick Scoggins delivered his first-degree proficiency. He was examined by Wor. Pete Laggatta.

The Lodge was called to refreshment to allow Mrs. Karla Middleton to enter and present to the Brethren the design concepts, cost, and schedule for upgrading and beautifying the lodge room. The briefing and presentation was well received by the Brethren.  Of the three concepts presented, Option 1, featuring the Classical Armstrong Ledges tile, was universally acknowledged as the best option, and perhaps the only option.  Although the concepts presented were focused on installing a grid system ceiling, the selected tiles, new lighting, new speaker system, and better air flow distribution from the current heating/cooling systems; many Brothers strongly expressed to me the idea, “As long as we are doing the ceiling, why not do a complete upgrade and include painting the walls and installing new carpet within the Lodge room and anti-room.”  We hear you Brothers.

Child ID was again very successful at the Escondido YMCA. IDs made for 85 Children during the three-hour event.  Thanks to Wor. Mike and MahrKay Byers, Brothers Dan Proffitt, Vance Johnson, John Boyle for their participation. We have been invited by the City of San Marcos to also perform Child ID services at their four Evening in the Park Movie Nights this summer. Should be fun and a great family event.
An Officer’s School of Instruction (OSI) was hosted by Santa Maria Lodge No. 580 in Ramona. The topic for instruction was the 2nd degree:  Middle chamber lecture, full form close (ritual), staircase, middle chamber, & charge discussion.  All Instruction was conducted under the watchful eye of our 911 District Inspector Wor. Tom Handell.

What to look for in June 2018:

    1. On Saturday, 9 June 2018, Consuelo Officers and Brethren will make our annual trip to the Masonic Home in Covina to perform a second degree. All Fellowcrafts and Master Masons are invited for the degree and lunch. It is always a fun and interesting trip. Please contact Wor. Pete Laggatta for reservation for the free lunch. The food is excellent!
    1. At the June Stated Meeting Dinner Consuelo Lodge will be honoring our Widows. In addition, we have a widow turning 102 years old to receive special honor. Please attend to show our love and respect for our widows.
  1. At the June Stated Meeting, Monday,11 June 2018, the Lodge room update committee will present their final recommended best design proposal, including painting of the walls and installation of new carpet in the Lodge room and anti-room, the funding plan, Grand Lodge approval plan, and construction schedule for approval of the Brethren.

Finally, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2018 occurs on Monday, May 28. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season. Be respectful, be safe and honor our fallen Brethren. Semper Fi!

From the West

Truth in Humor and Making a Change for the Future

The Worshipful Master of our Lodge found a bottle with a Genie in it. In accordance with custom, the Genie offered to grant him a wish.

“OK,” said the WM, “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I hate to fly. So my wish is for you to build a bridge so I can drive to Hawaii.”

“I can’t do that!!!” exclaimed the Genie. “Don’t you know that’s impossible? No Genie could do that. It’s too far, the water is too deep, it’s just totally beyond anybody’s power. You will have to make another wish.”
“OK,” said the Master. “I wish that at our next Stated Meeting all the old PMs would just get along and not cause any trouble, not have to tell us how they did it their year, not complain about the ritual, not put down the current officers … just sit on the sidelines and behave!”
“Hmmmmm,” said the Genie. “Do you want that bridge with 2 lanes or 4??”

I’ve printed this joke before as part of the “hidden” section of the Trestleboards in the days past, but this joke still stays with me, not only because I have  good memory, but because there is some truth to it.

It’s the sentiments of the past masters in the joke that I hear are true in some lodges.  Granted I don’t hear that too often in Consuelo, but it does make me think about that attitude of different members and how that attitude can stagnate a lodge.
It’s time to start thinking about the future of Consuelo and thinking about how we can improve it. There are 3 thoughts of change that are in my head at the moment.

    1. There is the top down approach.Should the Master just make the decisions and do things blindly and not really concern himself with the thoughts of the lodge and its members.
    1. There is the bottom up approach. Ideas are thrown at the Master from different members that are personally satisfying but may not have a group consensus.
  1. Finally, there is the group approach where everyone from the Master to all its members discuss what they would like to see happen with the lodge and what would make the Masonry interesting to them.

I am a leader and I love to set up different people to do their tasks, but I am in the thick of it with a

s many brothers as I can.  My attitude is one that I prefer to be with the group and working together on figuring out the problems that exist than it is to either just dictate the changes that I want, or just come up with a solution that may satisfy just one or two brothers.  I prefer to work with the consensus of the lodge to some extent.

This is our lodge. I may be getting ready for my year, but I need the member’s support, ideas, and voices to make Consuelo better.  I am still planning on sending out a survey soon, and I will be looking for input from the members.

We have to work together or at least figure out what makes Masonry interesting or how to make it even more involved for everyone.  I will be reaching out through email because that is the best way to communicate in the digital age.

I can make my own mind up if need be, but if you want your voice heard, then you need to think for yourself and consider what you want to get out of Masonry. Do you want more learning?  Do you want more camaraderie? Do you want better food after degrees?  Do you want to participate in some fashion?

My brothers, I will be looking for ideas to plan for the future, and I will be discussing how we need to evolve in the coming months.

Also, one final thought, if any brother is interested in getting into the officer’s line, then please express yourself at one of our meetings and talk to me about what you want and what your expectations are for the future.

Thank you.

From the South

We are Masons
The following is a compilation and paraphrasing of many Masonic web sites, in U.S. jurisdictions, that were the result of searching for Masonic trestle board . It is not the entirety of what I found but contains some of the common threads that Lodges have offered on their web sites for public viewing. When I first started my Masonic adventure, little did I realize how strong my bonds would be for my Brothers, some that I know well and some I have not yet met.

First: A Masonic trestle board is a design board for the master workman (Architect) to draw his plans and designs upon to give the workmen an outline of the work to be performed.  In today’s terms, we might call it a blueprint. It is believed that Hiram’s trestleboard was a piece of wood covered with wax. He would draw the plans for the work to be accomplished each day and, at the end of each day, scrape off the wax and cover the board with a fresh coat of wax to ready it for the next day’s use.

When I delved into each site I noticed that there are commonalities that align with many of the things that I have learned in our lodge, as well as many that I have not yet discovered. Following are common thoughts…

We were bourne in iniquity, in the days long ago, when man first dreamed of God. We are not a religion though we are bound by a belief in a Supreme Being. We are a fraternal organization that encourages morality and charity and studies philosophy.

We are committed to learning. In our hearts there is wisdom, strength and courage for those who ask. By signs and symbols we learn, and then teach, the lessons of life and death and the relationship of man with God and of man with his fellow man. We strive for truth. It is one of the first lessons we learn in Masonry. We learn how to cope with the truth while keeping our passions within due bounds. . We, as Freemasons, are a society dedicated to free thinking and freedom of all kinds.

We are free men, tenacious of our liberties and alert to lurking danger. We are committed to bear the responsibilities due to God, our neighbors and our selves. We use our tools to find ways to assist orphans, Widows and relieve the pain of the old and destitute.

We strive for beauty and symmetry in all we do and work to develop the tools which we will use to smooth the rough and superfluous parts of our being. We acknowledge the importance of time, that it can be measured, and that it is our most valuable asset and to use it wisely.

Our arms are open to all good men and true, of good report, who may seek us of their own free will and accord and share our belief in a Supreme Being and an afterlife. Masonry is a place where you can be sure every man is a true and trustworthy friend and brother.

I encourage all our Brothers to check out the California Grand Lodge web site at first opportunity. It contains an incredible amount of resources and is well worth the time spent. The web address is: https://freemason.org/index.htm

Third Degree Anniversary

52 Arlie Bergman
1 John Boyle
7 Guy Chandler
12 Avery Crespin
14 Robert Hardaway
3 John Harms
20 John Kennedy
22 James Lobb
64 Norton Locke
19 Stuart Morpeth
31 Shawn Proffitt
19 John Sargent
9 Timothy Sheets
4 Kenneth St. Clair
2 Nathan Van Assen
16 Steven Walker
41 Ervin Zenski
June Birthdays!!
06/01 Dean Natwick
06/02 Donald Heath
06/02 Michael Johnson
06/04 Jeffrey Powell
06/06 Neil Parker
06/07 Stephen Allen
06/08 Robert Harrell
06/09 Frederick Zustak
06/10 Stanley Shoemaker
06/10 William Uhland
06/11 Steven Mc Curry
06/13 Rafael Guayasamin
06/13 Allen Kohl
06/14 Lindon Lewis
06/14 Charles Nicholls
06/16 Robert Thompson
06/18 Kevin Coughlin
06/18 Charles Mayberg
06/18 Dana Rayburn
06/21 Gary Weisfeld
06/28 Sherwin Aquino
06/29 James Lewis
06/29 Maxime Ouellette

Consuelo’s 2018 Scholarship Winners

Bro. Tracy Reynolds made the introductions and the congratulations to the 2018 Scholarship Awardees.

Miss Sophia Shhadeh (on the left of Bro. Reynolds), and Miss Jasmine Covarrubias (on the right) received the awards to help with the college education.

Congratulations from Consuelo #325!

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