From THe East

Brethren,
It is hard to believe October is already upon us! What happened to summer?

I recently received a communication from a brother member of the lodge concerning the formatting and style of the request for contributions to the building fund. In short, he said it looked amateur and unprofessional, and proceeded to provide suggestions for improvement. After looking into it more closely, I couldn’t agree with him more, so I want to apologize to all of the brethren for sending a shoddy letter. This was my responsibility and I should have been more attentive. The meaning of the letter was understood, however, as evidenced by the receipt of charitable contributions from several brethren! To those who have contributed, or are about to, thank you for your generous financial support of the lodge at a time of need. To those of you who would like to contribute, but are not able, it is understood that you should contribute only without material injury to yourself. If mailing a check or bringing one to lodge proves to be too much trouble, you can donate directly to the lodge electronically right here on this website by clicking here. If you do choose to donate to the building fund through that online link, simply type in “Building Fund” after clicking on the option to donate in honor of someone.

I love a challenge! Right now our lodge is challenged to meet financial obligations yearly based on receipts, that is, unless various measures are implemented. This includes withholding financial charitable contributions without direct funding support through fundraising, finding a way to mow our own lawn and saving the expenses, and doing our own repairs at cost when possible. An example of this was when we had a clogged grease trap at our kitchen sink. A number of plumbers had already attempted repairs to no avail, and the option was beginning to look like we would have to remove the sink and cabinets, jack hammer the trap and a section of drain, and replace the affected areas, all at expenses in the thousands. A recent EA of ours found a third alternative, providing us with a safe and reliable drain at cost, or $100! Thanks to him, and thanks to all of our brethren who love a challenge, providing their time and talents on a regular basis. There are some new bees in the hive, and I am hearing the buzz!

If you have not been to the lodge for a while, come and visit. We are there every Thursday, working, practicing, conferring degrees and having special events. You are encouraged to come and feel the buzz.

Until next time, be well, and let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Fraternally,
Mark Brickhouse, WM

From the Secretary’s Desk

Greetings Brethren,

This year is going by fast. Summer has ended. The kids are back in school. In just a few short weeks we will be celebrating Halloween. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Christmas is not too far away. During all this time our lodge has made some headway in membership. Last month we had two of our EA’s passed to the degree of Fellowcraft. By the time you get this newsletter, we will have several new EA’s. When you are at lodge next time be sure to greet our newest members and let them know that they are welcome. We will also have a new EA by the time you receive this newsletter.
The Building Fund campaign that we are in the middle of is coming along very well. The response by the membership has been outstanding. If you have not pledged an amount to the Building Fund as of yet, I hope that you will do so in the near future.
Later this month the dues notices for 2017 will be going out. The dues for 2017 were recently increased to $100. Please get your dues in as quickly as possible when you receive the notice. If you are interested in obtaining an Endowed Membership, that too has been increased to $1000 as of January 1, 2017. Just contact me at secretary@wacomasonic.org or call me at 254-772-1801 and I will get the proper paperwork to you. For those of you who are Endowed Members, 50 year plus, or Life Members you will receive your dues card when the notices go out.
On Sunday, October 23rd starting at 2PM we will be holding an open house at Waco 92 per instructions of our Most Worshipful Grand Master. Please tell your family and friends to come by and see what we are all about. It will last until 4PM. Waco 92 has a very interesting history, and we should be proud to let our community know what we do and how we helped in the development of our great city. All the lodges in the State of Texas will be doing this. I would encourage you to also visit the other lodges in town and see what they are doing.
If you have not been to lodge lately, this is my invitation for you to return to the fold.

Fraternally yours,

Tom Waden, Secretary