TRESTLE BOARD

February 2014
Vol. VIII Issue II

LEESBURG LODGE No. 58

FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS OF FLORIDA 200 Richey Road Leesburg, Florida 34748 Phone: 352-787-5696
Chartered January 15th, 1868

Meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of Each Month at 7:00pm

Officers for 2013

Worshipful Master Senior Warden Junior Warden Treasurer Secretary Senior Deacon Junior Deacon Senior Steward Junior Steward Tyler Chaplain Marshal Organist Lodge Instructor Lodge Historian Librarian WMJohn Haas (Tina) 360-9114 Bro. Ron Glover..874-9504 WJim Campbell (Becky) ......552-7996 WLarry Duff (Brenda)..874-2164 W Hank DeBerry (Paula)..... 430-0238 Lodge ............................... . 787-5696 Br. Jeff Lamb (Sherri).... .753 -0277 Br. Wayne Reynolds........407-484-0096 Br. Ed Spencer.324-2134 Vacant Br. Richard Follett...406-8831 Vacant WJim Angelos 255-1724 Vacant WHank DeBerry (Paula)...330-7311 R W Joseph T. Price ... 787-0652 W Larry Duff (Brenda).874-2164

Committees for 2014

Board of Relief Chairman WMJohn Haas, Ron Glover, Jeff Lamb Lodge Property Chairman Ron Glover, WDon McIntyre, WJim Angelos, WMJohn Finance - Investments & Budget Chairman Ron Glover, RW Ken Graves, WTom Russell, WLarry Duff, WMJohn Haas Vigilance Chairman WJim Campbell, WBob Browning, Jeff Lamb, Charity & Scholarships Chairman Wayne Reynolds, Sec. WHank DeBerry, Ed Spencer

Trestle Board WHank DeBerry (Paula).. 330-7311 Trestle Board Printing Leesburg Printing .. 787-3348

Living Past Masters

Charles Porter 1959 G. Kiser Hardaway 1964 Jack Holloway 1968 RWRay Richardson 1969* William Ed Davison 1974 Robert H. Smith 1977 RWColin Crews 1980^* H. C. Connell 1985 RWTheodore Jansen 1986* RWJoseph T. Price 1987* Michael Dozier 1988 John H. Meier V 1989 Jay A. Frizzell, Jr. 1992 Raleigh Sorenson 1993/1994 Don Barfield 1996 Tom Russell 1997/1998/2002 Mervyn Harris 1999 RWKenneth Graves 2000* RH Thomas E. Beach 2001 Robert H. Browning 2003/2004 RWDennis Ricker 2005/2007^* Roland P. Gibson 2006 Bill Green 2008 Richard Ecott 2009 Donald McIntyre, Sr. 2010 Randall Jesmok 2011 Larry Duff 2012 Jim Angelos 2013

Affiliated Past Masters

Carl Anzelmo Henry DeBerry MWJoseph Brearley Jack Delauter Robert C. Gleckler Robert Kennedy Clifford Moore Frank Peregrin Glenn A. Reynolds*^ Edwin Robbins Robert L. Welch Forest Case* Wayne Parks Fred Lint Raymond D Trudeau John R. Haas Gary Towne Jim Campbell ^ Past District Instructor * Past DDGM

Education Chairman WHank DeBerry, Ron Glover, Jeff Lamb Lodge Mentors Chairman WLarry Duff, WHank DeBerry, all Past Masters Catechism Chairman WDon McIntyre, Sr., WBob Browning, Jeff Lamb Petitions Investigation Chairman WMHaas, WLarry Duff, W Hank DeBerry Investigations Interviews WM John Haas will appoint as needed Funeral Chairman WJim Angelos, WBob Browning, Ed Spencer Activities & Awards Chairman WM John Haas, Ron Glover, Jeff Lamb Officers meet at 6:00pm, first stated meeting, Committee Chairman meet the second meeting of each month for business and planning.

18th Masonic District

DDGM District Instructor RW Ed Lisle RH Alan Heist 352-669-8909 407-718-5841
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LIGHT FROM THE EAST WM John Haas

HOW DID SHE GET THE SIGN?

Brethren, I've had an interest in the Civil War for many years and in my readings I often find strange stories about Masons in the war. Here is one of the strangest I've come across. In August of 1861 a company of the 1st Iowa Regiment was guarding a railroad bridge at Mozeille Mills in Missouri. Shortly after setting up camp, a mule wandered into their camp. Attached to the mule was a letter written in a womans handwriting that said: The Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed on the first Friday before the full moon. The Captain realized that they would be attacked that night. As they were forewarned, they were attacked that night but were able to drive the enemy off and then followed them to a farm house. In order to divert attention, the enemy set fire to the house. In the confusion all but three were able to escape. These three were captured and sentenced to die. One of the prisoners, a young boy about 16 with an Irish brogue, pleaded for his life, but his pleas were ignored by the troops. Then a girl of about 18 burst onto the scene exclaiming: Oh Soldiers, Oh Holy Mother, Gentlemen, for the love of Jesus, do not kill him. He is innocent, he is my bother. She then grabbed the boy and protected him from the troopers who wanted to execute him. She was torn from her brother and taken a short distance away. When she was able to look back, she saw he was blindfolded, she again broke away from holders. She once again threw her arms around her brother and tore the blindfold away. In the ensuing struggle to get her away again, one of the Iowans coat sleeve was torn and a Masonic pin was found pinned to his shirt. She suddenly calmed down and in a confident tone said: Soldiers, let me make one more effort for my brother. The troopers were so startled at the transformation they let her go. She once again went to her brother, turned to them, took three steps forward and gave the Grand Hailing Sign of a Master Mason. The Masons among the Iowans were startled. The Captain called a meeting of the officers and a few minutes later he announced, due to the distress and interference of the woman, the execution would be postponed until nine the next morning. The Masons took the woman to the Captain's quarters where they examined her and found she possessed all the secrets of a Master Mason. She told the officers her father had been a Master of a Lodge in Ireland, and she had passed all the Degrees of Masonry, but declined to say how or when she became a Master Mason. The next morning, she and her brother were found to be missing.

Chaplins Corner Brothers, once again the bell has tolled for one of our Brothers and called him to his Celestial reward above. The Great Architect of the Universe called Brother John Joseph Patsche on December 21, 2013. He was 93 years young at his passing and a twenty-five year Mason of Leesburg Lodge. His daughter notified the Lodge on January 16, 2014 and stated that no services were requested. He was interred in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Brothers, as you are aware I am sure, that we are losing more of our Brothers each and every day. It is imperative that you as a Master Mason let your loved ones know if you desire to have a Masonic Service. Write it down Brothers and place it in a spot where someone is sure to find it on your passing. Put it in your will that you wish a service by your Brothers and your Brothers will be there to honor you and send you on your way to Glory. If we are not asked for, then we cannot perform this service for you. Many times, the grief stricken loved ones are too upset to make this plan for you so you need to plan ahead. We will all go to that Great Lodge one of these days and hopefully we will be sent there with the help of our Brothers. Remember our Masonic Home in your will Brothers and help keep it the beautiful place it is. See the pictures of your Officers at the Masonic Home this month. It sure was fun!
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From the West

Hello again Brothers. We have one month of this year in the books as January has come and gone already and it was a pretty successful month in my opinion. We had two enjoyable meetings, nothing broke down, which is always a plus, and we had a great trip to the Masonic Home in St. Petersburg on the 19th. Brothers if you have never gone to the Masonic Home I encourage you to go. It is a great eye opening experience and really lets you see where your donations go. It is such a wonderful facility with outstanding people operating the home on all levels. It was also good to see so many of our brothers there from Leesburg. We had the largest representation of any lodge in the state there and it did not go unnoticed. Brothers if you haven't been to a meeting in a while I encourage you to come. We have some exciting things going on this year and some minor changes that are going to be incorporated in the Saturday breakfasts and fellowship before our scheduled communications which you'll be able to learn more about from our Junior Warden. I'd also like to let everybody know that Brother Jeff Lamb has rescheduled the roadside cleanup to Saturday, February the 8th. As usual we'll meet at 08:00 at the lodge. We had a good turnout last time and actually outnumbered the scouts! Let's continue to show our support and help out the Boy Scouts. In closing I'd also like to thank all the Brothers for their input, advice, and offers of assistance so far this year. The support has been wonderful and I'm looking forward to serving as best I can and I appreciate the input and take the advice to heart. Let's have another good month this February. Looking forward to seeing everybody at the meetings.

From the Secretarys Desk Happy Valentines to all the ladies out there! I hope this finds all the Brothers well in this New Year. We have completed the first month and nothing is Broke so the Junior Past Master can relax for a few. Brothers, I hope you are all receiving the email version of the Trestle Board or at least passing it on to other Brothers who might not have a computer. It would be nice if we could go back to the old printed version that was in color and had so many pictures and nice pages full of articles, but the reality is that we can not do that with the Budget we have set for ourselves. It is cost prohibitive to even think of going back to the old way. So as you know, we have gone to a largely email Trestle Board. Oh, we will still mail out a flyer to the Brothers but even that has a cost that is steadily increasing. Our last bill for the Trestle Board was over $250.00 and that is for only two pages folded in half. Almost half of that cost is for postage! Brothers, email is FREE! All it cost is my time and the time of the Brothers who write the articles for you. Ask your friends if they have an email address that we can send the Trestle Board to. I promise you that it will only be used for the Trestle Board and notices from the Lodge. As you all have been told, the Grand Lodge is going paperless in the next two years, so get a jump on that now and avoid the rush to get signed up. As long as we are sending out the Trestle Board by mail we will continue to need sponsors so if you wish to sponsor the Trestle Board for the year 2014, please send me a check for $20 and I will get your names on the Sponsor List in this Trestle Board. On a very happy note, your Lodge officers took a trip with their ladies down to the Masonic Home of Florida to visit the home and have lunch with the residents. We were given a great tour of the facility by Wanda and then attended the Board of Trustees meeting. We were also pleased to include the DDGM, RW Ed Lisle in our party. We met many of the residents while there and I can say with out a doubt it is the BEST place of its kind in the USA! This is our Masonic Home and we can be very proud of the work they do there for our Brothers and their wives and widows. It is a good drive down there Brothers but I would like to encourage ALL members of our Lodge to try and get down to see this wonderful place on Coffee Pot Bayou. The residents are always happy to see us and you will get a good feeling inside knowing how they are well cared for. Until next time Brothers! W Hank DeBerry

Bro. Ron Glover

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The Treasure Chest

First, I would like to thank the Brethren for the opportunity to continue to serve our Lodge as Treasurer for 2014. The officers of a Lodge have been elected, appointed and installed for 2014; they have been selected to serve the Lodge because of their particular talents. Some are more gifted in certain areas than others but all possess one very important characteristic, that of DEVOTION TO DUTY. Their devotion to the duties of the office they hold should be matched by the Brethren who comprise the membership of the Lodge. When a man accepts an office in a Masonic Lodge he is saying to the Brethren of his Lodge that he has committed himself to Masonry and to the complete fulfillment of his office. The Brethren response should be of support, assistance and participation with/of the officers and their programs towards the achievement of the greater good of Masonry. As an officer he should, prior to acceptance of an office, study the charges which will be made to him at his installation. He should also recognize that he will have to make certain sacrifices as the job of an officer is not a "one or two'' night a month obligation. There is a great deal of planning, studying, and attending involved in each of the offices. If he is not prepared to make these sacrifices then he is not being fair to his Lodge Brothers or to himself by accepting the office. The Brethren who comprise the Lodge also should recognize that they too have made commitments to attend Lodge and labor towards the greater good of Masonry. Our officers work with enthusiasm, not only at his own particular job in the Lodge, but assisting all other officers in the performance of their duties. The Brethren by virtue of their membership and the obligations they have taken have also committed themselves to Masonry and each other who is the Lodge. The term Lodge, to me, is the Brethren membership; the location of our meetings and activities is the Lodge Building. Lets make 2014 a great year, relight the enthusiasm within us and set Leesburg Masonry on a path of renewed fraternal Brotherhood. Financially, Thank You, to the many Brothers who have paid the 2014 dues, made voluntary contributions to the Building Fund and Masonic Home Fund. Timely payment of dues allows the officers to plan the financial needs of the Lodge throughout the entire year; we know then how much money we have to pay our normal expenses and can plan accordingly. As of January 10th, 2014 we have 58 Brethren who have not paid their 2014 dues, this is unrealized monies of $5,800.00, of that $4,988.00 would be applied toward operating expenses and $812.00 due as per capita tax. Unrealized monies, the voluntary Masonic Home (LYPMGC) contributions is $642.40, of which $423.40, from the 58 Brothers who have not paid the 2014 dues and an additional $219.00 by Brothers who have paid their 2014 dues. Unrealized monies towards the voluntary Building Fund (new this year) contributions is $2,175.00 of which $1,450.00 from the 58 Brothers who have not paid the 2014 dues and an additional $725.00 by Brothers who have paid their 2014 dues. My Brothers, if you have not paid your 2014 dues, please help us with our financial planning and do so. There are new officers, new kitchen crew, new plans on the trestle board and an exciting year ahead, with your help, look for activity announcements and we hope to see you at those functions and our stated communication meetings. Respectfully and Fraternally; Larry Duff, PM

From the South

WJim Campbell

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES . February

Feb 1 - First Saturday Breakfast 8:00 - 10:00 AM Feb 3 - Boy Scout Troop 1 Meeting - 7:00 PM Feb 3 - DeMolay Mtg - Eustis Lodge - 7:00 PM Feb 4 - Stated Communication - 7:00 PM Feb 4 - DDGM Official visit- Leesburg - 7:00 PM Feb 6 - OES Meeting - 7:30 PM Feb 8 - Highway Cleanup w/Boy Scouts - 8:00 AM Feb 9 - Second Sunday Dinner - 11:30-1:00 PM Feb 10 - Rainbow Assembly - Mt Dora - 7:00 PM Feb 10 - Boy Scout Troop 1 Meeting - 7:00 PM Feb 12 - Open Books- Tavares - 6:30 PM Feb 14 - Happy Valentines Day! Feb 14 - OES Officer Installation - 7:30 PM Feb 17 - Presidents Day Feb 17 - DeMolay Mtg - Eustis Lodge - 7:00 PM Feb 18 - Stated Communication - 7:00 PM Feb 19 - Masters & Wardens - Mt Dora - 7:30 PM Feb 19 - Memorial Lodge - Mt Dora - after M&W Feb 24 - Rainbow Assembly- Mt Dora - 7:00 PM Feb 24 - Boy Scout Troop 1 Meeting - 7:00 PM Feb 26 - School of Instruction - Mt Dora - 7:30 PM Feb 27 - Called Communication EA Degree -7:00pm

Welcome from the South. As the position of one who calls the craft from Labor to Refreshment and Refreshment to Labor it is the responsibility of the Junior Warden to oversee the function of the kitchen and refreshments for the craft. The idea of refreshments as part of the Lodge meeting is an old concept as may be seen in the following summary of an article in the Scottish Rite Journal. As part of Masonic History it appears that the Origin of the premier Grand Lodge of England as written in 1738 contains some interesting facts. There were a number of lodges in London in 1717 that thought they should cement under a Grand Master as the Center of Union and Harmony, vis, the Lodges that met, as they met in various taverns around London. The attraction of food and beverages and taverns provided a public meeting place and was therefore a convenient combination for the early brothers; a meeting place and ready refreshments. There were four of these meeting places- the Goose & Gridiron Ale-house, the Crown Ale-house, the Apple-Tree Tavern, and the Rummer & Grapes Tavern. These older lodges and some old Brothers at a meeting in the Apple -Tree selected the oldest Master Mason and set up the Grand Lodge pro tempore in Due Form. This group revived a quarterly communication and set a date for an Annual Assembly to choose a Grand Master. The Grand Lodge of England was then formed and the first formal meeting was held at the Goose & Gridiron. From there Free and Accepted Masons grew and spread through Britain, Europe and America. From those beginnings the tradition of food and refreshments have been a part of Masonic meetings. The purpose of this tid-bit of history is to remind you that our lodge offers various social times with food and refreshment after stated and called meeting, our First Saturday Breakfasts and Second Sunday Dinners. These are times where our kitchen brothers demonstrate their skills and offer a friendly cost effective function where you as Brothers along with family and friends can socialize. Please join us for stated and called meetings along with the first Saturday and Second Sunday opportunities to meet old friends, make new ones and expand the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons.

ATTENTION!!! Unless absolutely Necessary, Please do not Drive on the grass at the Lodge! It is leaving ruts and the lawn is starting to wash out! Thank You!
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Masonic Education Worksheet

Name(s) of Those Who Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________ Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________ Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________ Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com, hdeberry@embarqmail.com or place them in the slot on the Secretarys door.

Name(s) of Those Who Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________ Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________ Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________ Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com, or place them in the slot in the Secretarys door

Name(s) of Those Who Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________ Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________ Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________ Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com, or place them in the slot in the Secretarys door

Leesburg Announcement Forms

Please Print Clearly

Event:_________________________________________________________ Date (s):__________________________ Time:_________________________ Description/Comments____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ For further information contact:____________________ at ________________ Submitted by:_____________________________________________________

Leesburg Announcement Forms

Please Print Clearly

Event:_________________________________________________________ Date (s):__________________________ Time:_________________________ Description/Comments____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ For further information contact:____________________ at ________________ Submitted by:_____________________________________________________

2014 TRESTLE BOARD SPONSORS

YOUR NAME HERE - INDIVIDUAL OR COUPLE FOR ONLY $20.00 Current year or any part thereof - HELP US KEEP YOU INFORMED! John Dean Jim Angelos Suzanne Mina Richard Follett Hank & Paula DeBerry William & Sharen Aston John & Tina Haas Ed Spencer Larry & Brenda Duff Joe Schlegal Jim & Becky Campbell George A. Brown

If you would like to be a sponsor in 2014, please see the secretary with your donation. Your donations are applied to the monthly mailing costs of the Trestle Board, we need 60 sponsors to cover the yearly mailing costs. Sponsorship is $20.00 for the year or any part thereof. Our Goal for this year is 60 sponsors. Please consider a sponsorship.

"You get out of Masonry only what you put in it."

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HIGH TWELVE Meeting Times & Locations

Hawthorne Masonic High Twelve No. 547 Meets at 11:00 a.m. on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month at Golden Corral, 1720 Citrus Blvd. (Hwy 27/441) Leesburg, FL. Tel: 352728-3911. Tri-County Masonic High Twelve meets 10:30 a.m. 1st Wednesday of each month at La Hacienda Recreation Center, The Villages. Reservations for lunch due by the Thursday before the meeting, call Rita at 750-5561.

RAINBOW ASSEMBLY No. 79 at Mt. Dora

Lets not forget the young Ladies of our local Rainbow Chapter. They need our support. We should also remember they are the future of our Ladies organizations and future leaders in our communities. Meetings are at 7:00pm on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at Mt. Dora Lodge. Know a young Lady who might want to join, you can contact Chapter Mom Debbie Dyer at 407908-6973 or Chapter Dad Warren Shippee at 321689-6661. Attend a meeting and be impressed.

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin- -

Getting people to like you is merely the other side of liking them.
- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale -

18th MASONIC DISTRICT LODGES Stated Communication Meetings

Leesburg No. 58 Umatilla No. 65 Clermont No. 226 Eustis No. 85 Villages No. 394 Tavares No. 234 Wildwood No. 92 Groveland No. 190 Mt. Dora No. 238 1st and 3rd Tuesday 1st and 3rd Monday 1st and 3rd Monday 2nd and 4th Monday 2nd Monday 2nd and 4th Tuesday 2nd and 4th Tuesday 2nd and 4th Thursday 1st and 3rd Thursday

DEMOLAY CHAPTER At Eustis

Lets also not forget the young Men of our local DeMolay Chapter. They also need our support. We should also remember they are the future of Masonry and future leaders in our communities. Meetings are at 7:00pm on the 1 and 3rd Mondays of each month at Eustis Lodge. Know a Man who might want to join, you can contact Granddaddy Philip Paul at 407-8328771. Attend a meeting and be impressed.

Have YOU Traveled Lately?

HELP BY SUPPORTING OUR MASONIC YOUTH

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Scottish Rite www.OcalaSR.com or www.SROrlando.com

Ocala Scottish Rite meets the first Monday of each month, at 7:30pm.at Ocala Scottish Rite Center, 3632 NE 7th Street, Ocala, Fl. Orlando Scottish Rite meets at 1485 Grand Road, Winter Park, Fla. on the 4th Friday of each month, except, November, which is on the third Friday and dark in December, meetings at 7:30pm.

February Birthdays
2/1 2/2 2/3 2/4 2/9 2/12 2/13 2/14 2/15 2/17 2/17 2/18 2/19 2/23 2/24 2/24 2/25 2/27 2/27 2/27 2/28 2/28 James Trucks Wayne Parks Henry Connell Gerald Usher Joe Dillman Theodore Miller Clifford Frazier Leo Blum James Herlong Gordon Hardaway Jr. Robert Hersh Gerald Glover Gregory Jackson Daniel Adams Charles Hurt Daniel Lewis Joseph Warren II William Broadway John Holloway Charles Townsend Pedro Arroyo Ronald Harman

York Rite Bodies

A Continuation of the Blue Lodge www.flgyr.org Ocala York Rite Bodies Meetings at Belleview Lodge No. 95 Ocala Chapter No. 13 - Meets Second Wednesday of January, March, May, September and November beginning at 7:30 PM. Ocala Council No. 22 - R&S Masters - Meets Second Wednesday of February, April, June, October and December beginning at 7:30 PM. Ocala Commandry No. 19 - Knights Templar - Meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM. Lake/Sumter York Rite Bodies - Meetings at Leesburg Lodge 58 Eustis Chapter No. 33, Meets on the first Wednesday at 7:30 PM Golden Triangle Council No. 28Royal & Select Masters Meets first Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Chapter and Council will alternate on who begins first. Triangle Commandery No. 38 Knights TemplarMeets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM, except in July and August.

Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter No. 84

Lady Elizabeth Eldridge PM Worthy Matron W Roland Gibson PPWorthy Patron Lady Paula DeBerry PMSecretary W Robert Welch PGP Treasurer Meetings 1st Thursday of the Month at 7:30 p.m. with the exception of July, August and September. Meets at Leesburg Lodge No. 58. Editors Note: All articles and information must be received by the editor prior to the 23rd of the publishing month for inclusion in the next issue. Articles can be e-mailed to: leesburglodge58@centurylink.net

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BORING OUR MEMBERS TO DEATH By Christopher Hodapp - author of Freemasons for Dummies

Jeffs Comedy Corner

Sit down and chat for about ten minutes with an insurance agent, and let him quote you chapter and verse about the death rate among the World War II generation. Okay, I'll grant you, there's a certain ghoulish aspect to it. I'm bringing it up because, like Scrooge's portentous Spectre, Freemasons have spent the last fifteen years pointing an empty sleeve at the grave, and blaming our declining membership numbers on the fourmillion Masons who were members during our boom years, who have had the very bad timing to pass on to the Celestial Lodge Above in record waves over the last dozen or so years. Once you're sufficiently bored by your insurance guy, give your Grand Secretary a call and ask him how the numbers compare between the death rate of members every year, versus the losses from demits and non-payment of dues. Prepare yourself for a shock. In most jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada, the losses of members from deaths has been statistically tapering off, while the losses due to Freemasons walking away from the fraternity have been rising at an alarming rate. Oh, we're initiating a very healthy dose of new Masons every year all right. But men whom we have initiated, passed and raised are deciding in increasing numbers to say no thanks to what their local lodge offers. Masonic membership rolls are still dropping, but not from natural causes. The truth is, we are boring our members to death. It has long been understood that the Baby Boom generation didn't join the Masons. As a result, there is a five-decade difference between the generation of men who kept Freemasonry alive for us and the men who are now moving into leadership positions throughout the fraternity. At any other time in the history of Freemasonry, each succeeding generation came along approximately in twentyfive year intervals, making changes in their lodges, and in Freemasonry as a whole, to reflect their needs and desires. Masonry has always adapted to serve the societies in which it resided. Until recently. Now, instead of a twenty-five year adjustment in direction, Freemasonry is suffering from fifty years of habit and hardening of the arteries. Not long ago, I visited a lodge that had fallen on hard times - very hard times indeed. At one time, their rolls held the names of more than 1800 members. Today, they are down to 200. That's not an unusual state of affairs for a fraternity that artificially swelled in size after World War II, but for men who see success and failure only in the narrow terms of numerical statistics, it is an emergency of epic proportions. There were members in that lodge who remember those heady days like they were yesterday. They remember the degree nights with 150 Masons on the sidelines. They remember the dances, and the Christmas parties, and the big group trips. They remember the dinners when the dining hall was packed to the rafters, with their kids running up and down the room, while some successful

Dont forget the Super Bowl! Sunday February 2, 2014 Seattle Seahawks Vs Denver Broncos
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(Continued next page )

Boring our Members to Death (Continued from page 12)

member from the civic or business world tried to give a speech. They look on those days fondly, and are bewildered by the fact that no more than eight members show up for the average meeting today. They'd had no candidates in four years, and they literally begged their members to come and participate. No one did. The men who kept that lodge barely alive tried to do things the way they have been done when most of them joined a half century ago. The same eight men met for a meager meal before their monthly meeting. They opened lodge with perfect ritual. They read the minutes and the bills. There was rarely any business, new or old. They closed and fled the building, and were home by 7:30, before prime-time network programming got started for the night. Over the last five years, the same eight members have been trading officers' positions, and they just got tired. They were fed up. So, they decided to merge with another lodge and be done with it. As with any turning point of this magnitude, all 200-plus members had to be notified of the meeting. Only twelve cared enough to show up to vote to euthanize their lodge. They had no fight in them to save their lodge. They wanted to simply slip into the ranks of another, give up their charter and their 140-year history, and vanish from memory. They had killed their own lodge with their own failure to embrace any change, and in fact, many of them were enraged that some brethren from outside of their lodge had come in to try to resurrect them at the eleventh hour and interfere with their plans for a quiet suicide. They didn't do anything to appeal to new members. But neither were they serving their existing ones. They weren't broke. These were children of the Depression. They had almost $200,000 in the bank. So why did they do nothing to interest their aging members? Bus trips to Branson. $100 cruises to the Caribbean. Casino boat trips. Tours to Masonic sites in Britain. Trips to the Holy Land. Catered dinners. Sponsored movie nights. Loads of public awards. Medicare drug program presentations. Estate planning seminars. Computers at lodge to send emails to the grand kids. Power-chair races in the halls. In short, give their existing members a reason to keep coming to lodge, to keep enjoying it, to love it. Neither did they do anything to attract new members. They rent the lodge room in the big downtown Temple building, so like most tenant/landlord relationships, they figured they didn't have to put a dime into the place if they didn't own it. That's somebody else's job. Really? If only they had tried investing in their lodge. Put in new lighting so members could see three feet in front of them. Upholster the sad looking chairs and benches that have the original leather from World War I on them. Tear up the worn and moldy carpet and replace it - maybe with one of the only black and white checked carpets in the U.S. that we talk about in our ritual but almost nobody seems to have. In short, make it look like something worth coming to. Make it look like something worth joining. Then start kicking the members into participating in lodge - not worrying about who was going to be what officer or memorize which part of the ritual. Actually talk about Freemasonry, its history, its symbolism, its philosophy. Actively visit other lodges and help with their degrees. Get members interested in other activities in the building, or volunteering to help some of the community groups that have been meeting there with greater frequency. We talk a big line about charity and helping the community, so let's start giving time, and not just checkbook generosity. And if they still didn't have a full lineup of guys willing to be officers, just sideliners, it wouldn't matter. Because, once the place looked like living inhabitants occasionally might be in the place, and that it was actually a vibrant, active lodge, maybe, just maybe, some of their grandkids might get interested in Freemasonry, because they were seeing Freemasonry in action, instead of Freemasonry inaction. The business author James O'Toole says, "People who do not think well of themselves do not act to change their condition." Even a lodge that only has eight regular attendees has within its active ranks the resources to wake itself up, to do things that make them truly happy to be there, and sometimes to even surprise themselves. Leadership has no age, and there are no limits on imagination. But a lodge has to mean something to its members. It has to remain part of their lives, every day, every week, every month. Because once it's more fun, or less hassle, to stay squeezed comfortably in the LaZBoy, curled up with a remote control, than it is to go to lodge, we have lost them. No one would ever voluntarily join a memorization club, and no one wants to join the oldest, greatest, most legendary fraternal organization in the world, only to be sentenced to a lifetime of cold cut sandwiches made with suspicious meat, generic cola, and monthly meetings of nothing but minute-reading, bill-paying and petulant sniveling over why no one comes to meetings anymore. Be honest with yourself. What rational human being seriously wants to go to the trouble of leaving home to go and listen to someone spend twenty minutes reporting that nothing happened at last month's meeting either? It will be the lodges that provide programming for their active members - whatever their age may be - that will survive and prosper into the future. But those that stubbornly cling to the notion that lodge is no event, that lodge is just one more meeting to be borne, that lodge is that most terrible of things, Ordinary - those are the lodges that will literally bore themselves to death. Those are the lodges that will slip silently away in the night. And the shadows of things that Might Be will have faded into the concrete Reality of a deserted lodge room.
"Ghost of the Future!" Scrooge exclaimed, "I fear you more than any spectre I have seen. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear your company, and do it with a thankful heart." - Source: Knights of the North Masonic Dictionary
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Pictures from around the Lodge

2014 Leesburg Lodge No. 58 Officers

Back Row L-R -- RW Joseph T. Price, W Larry D. Duff, Bro. Ron J. Glover, WM John R. Haas, W James B. Jim Campbell, W Henry T. Hank DeBerry, RW Ed Lisle Front Row L-R -- Bro. Wayne A. Reynolds, W James L. Jim Angelos, Bro. Jeffery A. Jeff Lamb, Bro. William E. Ed Spencer, Bro. Richard C. Follett
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Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Bro. George Brown, W\M\ John Haas, W\ James Smith

WDon McIntyre, Bro. Ron Glover, WMJohn Haas

Miss Janile Ramos gives the Gavel Talk to WM John Haas

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Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Boy Scout Troop 1 - Eagle Project - Troops with their parents and helpers at Trout Lake. Life Scout Nick and his Mom Penny 3rd and 4th from the left.

Hello, my name is Nicholas Brantley. I am 17 and currently go to Leesburg High School. I have been in Scouting for about 7 years. The most important thing that I have learned from Scouts is dedication and teamwork. Over the years, I feel like Scouts has become a part of my family. I just completed my Eagle Scout Project on January 4th 2014. I created and planned out a gopher tortoise habitat at Trout Lake Nature Center, Eustis, FL. Before we went out to TLNC, I had purchased native plants for the habitat to plant and hopefully attract the tortoises to the habitat. I also had dirt donated from the City of Eustis and obtained the logs for the project. All of Troop 1, and my parents, Penny and David Brantley, met at TLNC and met with Lavon, who works for TLNC and started going over the project. We got right to work cleaning up the palm fronds and laying down the logs on the path. I decided to dig miniature trenches for the logs so they wouldn't roll. After that, Lavon showed a couple scouts and I where there were pine needles for us to collect and use for the path. While we were doing that, the other scouts and parents/leaders started digging up the grass roots so when the tortoises try to burrow, they wont have to dig through the roots. We then spread a layer of dirt across the area and patted it down and dug holes with post-hole diggers and planted the native plants. Then we spread another layer of dirt over the habitat to hold the plants in place. And finally, we spread pine needles around the habitat and the path to give it that Natural effect. I am thankful to everyone who came out and supported me with this project. I had a great time doing the project and giving back to the community, Sometimes people don't think of how important nature is to this world, and it feels good to give back to nature and I know the tortoises are going to love it. I plan to get my Eagle Scout rank in the next month and after high school, I plan to go to an IT school to study in the field of Computer Technology.
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Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Trout Lake Environmental Education Center

Getting started early on a Saturday

Nick gets the plants ready and out of the vehicle

Dig! Dig! Dig! Clearing the way for the plants!

Trenching for the logs to prevent rolling.

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Planting the greenery for the tortoises

Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

2014 Leesburg Lodge No. 58 Officers and Ladies L to r: Bro. Ron Glover, S.W.; WLarry Duff , Treas.; Brenda Duff; Tina Haas; W John Haas; DDGM RW Ed Lisle; Bro. Wayne Reynolds, J.D.; W Hank DeBerry, Sec.; Paula DeBerry; Bro. Jeff Lamb, S.D.; Sherri Lamb; Bro. Richard Follett, Tyler; W Jim Angelos, Marshal; Bro. Ed Spencer, S.S.; Suzanne Mina With Appreciation to All those who have contributed to the Masonic Home of Florida Past, Present and Future Which enables us to continue a Tradition of caring Into the next Century Dedicated March 16, 2013
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Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Residents Dining Hall

Dining Hall Food Service Line

Touring with Wanda

Leesburg Officers and Ladies having lunch at the Masonic Home

W. Ron Cottman, Leesburg Lodge Organist, Memorial

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One of several Trees of Life at the Home

Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Jeff and Sherri Lamb at the Masonic Home

Jeff just being Jeff at the Masonic Home

Never show up early to a function unless you like to protem a station for the Grand Marshal. DDGM and I as the Junior Grand Deacon and the Grand Tyler for the 100 year anniversary celebration at Clermont Lodge No. 226.

They gave me a sword and everything!

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Brothers, We wish to congratulate the Worthy Advisor Miss Francheska Aristy and the Officers of Mt Dora Assembly No. 79 on their Installation this past Saturday , January 25, 2014. Also we would like to congratulate Miss Tiffany Hofferberth on being named the Rainbow girl of the year 2013 by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida. These young ladies survive by your contributions and fund raising efforts they come up with, which brings me to the document below. Please take a moment to read the letter and go online and look at what they have to offer. For every purchase, the Rainbow Assembly No. 79 will receive a percentage of the sale. This will help the girls get themselves to Grand Assembly this year, so please give a moment of your time. Thank you Brothers and again, Congratulations Assembly No. 79, you ladies know how to do it right! All of the District 18 Masons are very proud to have you.

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Pictures from around the Lodge Cont.

Mt Dora Rainbow Assembly No. 79 Elected and Appointed Officers and Stations of the First Term 2014

Above - Mom Debbie Dyer and Miss Francheska Aristy Right - Miss Tiffany Hofferberth Outstanding Rainbow of the Year 2013 with DDGM RW Ed Lisle
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SUNDAY DINNER
Leesburg Lodge No. 58 February 9, 2014 Menu
French Onion Soup, Pork Tenderloin or Chicken Cordon Bleau
Baby Baker Potatoes Garden Salad, Rolls Valentines Desserts (Sugar and Sugar-free) Coffee, Iced Tea, Lemonade
$9.00 Adults, under 14 $4.00

11:30 AM until 1:00 PM Please call the Lodge at 787-5696 or sign the guest list in the lobby
and provide the number attending with you,. This ensures enough food is purchased and prepared for all. ALL MASONS, their families and friends are invited to our Monthly Second Sunday Dinners and First Saturday Breakfasts Help support your Blue Lodge, IT IS where all other Masonic Bodies Begin.

Future menu suggestions are always welcome!

Introducing 2014 Chef Crew

W Jim Campbell - Graduate of New Orleans School of Cooking Bro. Wayne Reynolds - Former Chef at Country Club Bro. Ed Spencer - formerly at Benihana Restaurant
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Leesburg Masonic Lodge No. 58 F&AM

PO Box 985 Fruitland Park, Florida 34731

NONPROFIT US Postage PAID Permit#1040 Leesburg,, FL 34748

Celebrating 146 years (1868 2014) in Leesburg, Fla. The Lakefront City

11:30 a.m. TO 1:00 p.m.

Menu items: January 12, 2014

SUNDAY DINNERS

French Onion Soup, Pork Tenderloin or Chicken Cordon Bleau Baby Baker Potatoes, Garden Salad, Rolls, Valentines Desserts (sugared and sugar free), Drinks
$9.00 per person, Children under 14 years of age $4.00

PLEASE call the Lodge at 787-5696, or sign the guest list in the foyer, provide the number of guests attending with you, this ensures enough food is prepared for all. ALL MASONS, their families and friends are invited . Menu suggestions welcomed, just fill out a comment card. Dont forget to call or sign -up!!!

1st Saturday Monthly Coffee Klatch & Breakfast

8:00am to 10:00am
Eggs, Pancakes, Bacon, Sausages (Pattys or Links), Breakfast Potatoes, Grits, Sausage Gravy, Biscuits, Toast, Fruit Cup, Breakfast Pastries, Coffee, Orange Juice $6.00 per person

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