December Newsletter
“Of These, the Greatest is Charity“
Greetings, brethren. December is already upon us, and this is arguably our busiest season! We are ringing the bells this Saturday, December 3rd, which is a long standing tradition. At the time of this writing, there are still slots from 4PM to 8PM. Anyone who is able to ring a bell are encouraged to take a turn.
We are conferring an EA December 1st; all who can attend are encouraged to do so. During our stated meeting December 8th, we will be presenting the Golden Trowel to Brother Brett Carroll, and will also be presenting the Community Builder Award. There will be several non-member guests, so let’s try to outnumber them!
On December 17th, we will be delivering poinsettias to our Masonic widows, another longstanding tradition that is fully worthwhile. Again, your participation is highly encouraged. Beyond the season, we will again be running the snack bar at the Grand Lodge in January. It will be a great time to meet brethren from all over the state and parts beyond, and besides, we need all of the help we can get!
As you pass through the holiday season, I urge you to remember those who are less fortunate, and assist them as much as you can without material injury to yourself. There are plenty of possibilities, both within and beyond the lodge, to be Masons in deed as well as words. During this season, we have a better than average opportunity to practice charity, which is one of our principal tenets.
Until next time, be well!
Fraternally,
Mark Brickhouse, WM
From the Secretary’s Desk
Greetings Brethren,
I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving behind us we now go into the holiday season. Christmas is just around the corner. Families will be travelling to and from to visit friends and family. It is my sincere wish that everyone have a safe and joyful Christmas season.
With the holidays in full gear now, Waco 92 has several events on the agenda for the month of December. Our first event is the Salvation Army Bell Ringing that we will participate in on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at the Walmart in Hewitt. We start ringing at 10am and go through 8pm. If you have not already signed up and would like to participate please call me a 254-772-0655 or 254-214-0311. Our second event that we have planned is the poinsettia delivery to our Waco area widows. We will meet at the lodge on Saturday morning December 17th at 10am. The more members we have shown up to help the quicker we can get it done.
Congratulations to our newest Master Mason, Br. John Michael Gillaspy, Jr. Brother Gillaspy was raised on Saturday, November 19th. He also presented to our lodge a new Waco 92 lodge flag which we hope to fly at our next stated meeting on Thursday, December 8th.
This year our Golden Trowel Award is being presented to Br. Brett Carroll. Br. Carroll is a Past Master of Waco 92 and also a Past DDGM of Masonic District 61-C. Join with me in congratulating Br. Carroll in this prestigious award. It will be presented to him at our December stated meeting. We will also be presenting the Community Builder Award to Dr. Elton E. Stuckly, Jr. from TSTC. This award is presented to a deserving person in our community who has served the community in an outstanding way. This award will also be presented before our stated meeting in December. Please join us if you can in honoring these two well deserved gentlemen.
Don’t forget that Grand Lodge will be holding their Annual Communication in January 19-21st of 2017. We will again be manning the coffee shop. The pre-registration has passed, so if you plan on going, you will need to register when you get to Grand Lodge.
Lodge dues are coming in at a tremendous rate. Hopefully we will have all the dues done by the end of December or the middle of January. If you have not sent in your dues for 2017, please do so today. Just a reminder that the dues have increased to $100.00.
Hope to see everyone in lodge. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Fraternally,
Tom Waden, Secretary
