Fraternal greetings from the East
Greetings Brethren. I sincerely hope that all is well with each of you and your families. I don’t get to see you very often, but I do wish you well. We are back at work. A survey was sent out last month and about fifty members, out of two hundred sixty four, have responded. We thank you for your assistance. It would have been nice to receive more responses from local members. The out-of-towners responded very well. The majority of the votes were for the continuation of Far Hills Lodge. You will remember that George L. Marshall Lodge and Rock Moriah Lodge merged to form Far Hills Lodge. We are about five years old and have less attendance than we had when we were two separate lodges.

From the last newsletter, you know that we are having trouble filling the chairs. We did have one brother who has volunteered to help out and become an officer. It really troubles me to see our lodge having these problems. Without your help brethren I don’t see a very bright future for our lodge.

We are trying to put on a Master Mason degree on October 11th and October 25th. One of our officers has been making phone calls trying to get craftsman for these dates; at the writing of this newsletter we are still short of volunteers. We have two fine Fellowcraft candidates who are eager to become Master Masons. These two brethren deserve the same respect and degree work as when you and I were raised.

Won’t you please come out and help our lodge survive. Without YOUR help we cannot. Don’t hesitate to call me if you can step up and become an officer; or just come out to support the lodge from the side lines. Thanks to those of you who have helped and are continuing to help keep the lodge going.

News from The Temple Board
Brethren, we, too, own a television set, but that does not keep me at home on lodge night. I have never yet had one of the characters on television come off the screen and shake my hand. They have never offered me the warm friendship that my lodge brothers do. They have never handed me a cup of coffee or a doughnut. No! Never!

Lodge Secretary
If a Secretary writes a letter, it’s too long. If he sends a postal, it’s too short. If he doesn’t send a notice, he is lazy. If he attends a committee meeting, he is butting in. If he stays away, he is a shirker. If he duns the members for dues, he is insulting. If he fails to collect the dues, he is slipping. If he asks for advice, he is incompetent. If he does not, he is bull-headed. If he writes his reports complete, they are too long. If he condenses them, they are incomplete. If he talks on a subject in Lodge, he is trying to run things. If he remains quiet, he has lost interest in the meeting. Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust; If others won’t do it…The Secretary must!!!!!

Lodge Education Officer
The following is taken from the charge of Ill. Bro. Verdon Skipper to the 33rd Degree Class at the recent Supreme Council Ceremony in DC.

Within the modern day Masonic lingo, we repeatedly hear the terms “call to action”, “membership retention”, “long range goals” and “strategic planning.” Are any of us listening to those words or are we assuming they are for some other Mason to hear? Have we forgotten that our beloved fraternity begins with the contributions and service of the individual man and ends with the achievements and pride of a united brotherhood?

One of our preoccupations in Masonic circles these days is the question of direction or vision for our fraternity and Scottish Rite. Where do you imagine we will be just ten years from now? (Some might wonder if we indeed will even exist).

We hear so often in our ritual that “the time is always now”. We must look carefully at the present state of affairs because it offers us the challenge and opportunity to prepare for our future. The future really is ours to shape. What are we doing about it?
Our Craft is set in ancient traditions carried over to a world that is growing in population, crisis and knowledge. Change is happening so fast that we often find ourselves totally confused by all of the input. My brain is full, how much more information can it process? And yet we live in the “Age of Information” where new knowledge grows exponentially on a daily, and sometimes a minute to minute basis. We have no other option than to adapt to our ever changing world or be left behind.

We must, of necessity, ask ourselves another question, “For whom does our fraternity exist? Its leaders, or its members”? When we look only at ourselves, at our own Masonic accomplishments, we are guilty of limiting our function in the fraternity. If we are unable or unwilling to focus beyond the vain service of self, then we are condemning ourselves to irrelevancy and possibly extinction.

At the feast of the ego, everyone leaves hungry. Resistance to societal realities is tantamount to walling ourselves up behind the tiled doors of a private club, elite, dusty and useless relics of things past, and an organization for study only by future social historians.

Our vision of the future should be two-fold. Working on our vision to preserve our Rite, we should be concerned with the direction in which the whole fraternity is going. As the eminent English author, poet and priest, John Donne reminds us, we are all a part “of the main…because I am involved in mankind.” We are a part of the substantial whole in this world wide fraternity of ours; we cannot be anything but a caring and concerned family member. Our fraternity proclaims itself to be “a fraternity dedicated to extending the Masonic way of life through family moral values in a global society.” Through our degree presentations, our numerous charitable commitments, and our increasing inclusion of families, we hope to make ourselves more relevant and attractive to men of sound moral character who have a right to share in what we have long kept as ours alone.

Our fraternity is doing what it can to focus on membership by asking all kinds of questions at every Masonic gathering. We have reached a point in our history where we must be proactive and no longer reactive if we are to enjoy a Masonic future. The inward must move outward to be in contact with societal changes and the needs and demands of our current and future members.

It is necessarily incumbent upon all of us to strongly support our Symbolic Lodges since they are the source of new members. The energy of the Symbolic Lodge must be transmitted to the Scottish Rite, as well as to all our Appendant Bodies if we will enjoy any kind of future at all.

How many of us actually give thought to replacing ourselves in our Lodges and Valleys with at least one candidate each year? Better yet; how many of us do more than just give it thought?

We must not wait for men to come to us, for if we do we might wait in vain. If we do not go after the men of quality who are looking for fulfillment in there lives, men that have had their interest in our fraternity tweaked by the national attention that has been the recent focus of novels, movies and the media, we have failed our fraternity, our Rite and ourselves. This “Age of Information” is our best tool in reaching and attracting these men.

I ask that when you leave this Supreme Council session that you take these thoughts with you. In your new capacity I suggest that you lead by example:

• be the first to get that petition signed for your Symbolic Lodge
• be the first to get at least one application each year for our beloved Rite
• be the first to be charitable – give according to your financial means. Don’t give until it hurts-give until it feels good!”

Blood Bank Donations
Members, we have a blood bank account set up at the blood center. Just tell them its for the Far Hills Masonic Lodge and we will get credit for each pint of blood donated. Thank you. – Ron Seigla

~ In Memory ~
HAROLD DELMAR DITMER
DOB: 07/17/1910 • DIED: 07/29/2007
EA 03-06-1941 0577 OH • FC 04-04-1941 0577 OH • MM 04-23-1941 0577 OH
0577 04/05/1962 • 0734 05/21/1962 AFF • 0734/0784 08/26/2002
He rests from his labors.

~ In Memory ~
BRO GEORGE BECKMAN HUBLER
DOB: 10/15/1922 • DIED: 09/14/2007
EA 09-08-1969 • FC 09-29-1969 • MM 12-08-1969
734/784 8/26/02
He rests from his labors.

Important Notice
Please note that all correspondence to the lodge should be sent to our Secretary’s home address:
John A. Weyrauch • 4700 Briar Knoll Drive • Kettering, OH 45429
(937) 434-5140 • jaweyrauch@woh.rr.com

Send correspondence for the Worshipful Master to:
Lloyd O. Nickell • 5387 Middlebury Road • Dayton, OH 45432
(937) 253-1239 • lnickell50@sbcglobal.net

Do not send mail to the temple address. There is no mail box; it will be returned to the sender by the USPS.

Fraternal Greetings from the East

Brethren, I hope that this newsletter finds everyone in good health. If you have not been able to attend the meetings lately, you have been missing out on some great fellowship.

Our awards night went well. Thanks to the Brethren who were able to show up for their awards. Our night out with the Ladies at Ryan’s Steak House was enjoyed by all who attended.

We will be conferring a Fellow Craft Degree on two candidates on May 24th. Please come out and support your Lodge.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate RWB Richard L. Coy for being selected as the Scottish Rite honoree for their spring reunion. WB Thomas R. Spettel was the honoree for the York Rite reunion and Grand Masters Class York Rite conferral and WB Bobby G. Campbell is the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masons of Ohio. It is quite an honor to have these Brethren as members of our Lodge. I would also like to thank them for all of their countless hours of dedication to freemasonry.

This month Brethren we will be having two work days at Lodge one on May 5th and the other on May 12th from 9am to around 2pm.

NEWS FROM THE TEMPLE BOARD

At the meeting on April 26th, the Brethren voted unanimously to sell the property that use to be the ball field. Yes, we have a buyer. More later.

Temple work day on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Brethren we can use your help.

From the Lodge Education Officer

So many people embark on projects to make changes in their lives, only to get detoured or bogged down in the numerous other things that are in their lives. These can be physical blocks, such as a cluttered living room or kitchen but they can also be emotional
issues, mental clarity or personal relationships. Here are a few guides to simplifying your life of the obstacles that stand between you and fulfillment of your
vision. (continued from last month)

CLEAN HOUSE. A big part of simplifying is to declutter your physical landscape. Start with one small area like the kitchen counter or junk drawer and finish it in one shot. Focus your energy on this one space; don’t think about the messy garage or bedroom closet. You can even invest extra. into your small project such as putting in a drawer liner or organizing tray. This may encourage you to protect it from future clutter. It’s important to come up with a system as you organize and also to take steps to prevent clutter from even coming into your home.

GET A HEALTHY BODY. While you are getting rid of the junk around your house, examine your eating and health habits and start eliminating the junk there, too. Along with limiting caffeine, sugar and alcohol, look at eliminating junk food, tobacco and any other thing that ages, erodes, clogs up or adds weight to your body and puts your health at risk. It’s also good to update your personal appearance.

CLEAR OUT YOUR DEBT. Stop impulse buying and start paying off your credit cards. Establish a budget and start living within your means. Can you imagine all of the free time you’ll gain when you are not worrying about money?

SIMPLIFY YOUR LANGUAGE. Try to speak honestly and directly with courtesy and kindness. Don’t use whiny and apologetic language to ask for what you want (“I wonder if I could possibly persuade you to…”). Get rid of the swear words, hostile comments and the idea that you must voice your opinion about everything. Throw your judgment of others to the wayside.

LEARN TO SAY “NO.” It was probably one of the first words you ever learned, so why are you having so much difficulty using it now? Use it. It’s your life/your time, your resources and you have the absolute right to use it as you see fit.

LIMIT TRADITION. Tradition is wonderful so long as it doesn’t run your life. If a tradition has lost its meaning or purpose and is just a timewaster, then get rid of it. When anyone says “but we’ve always done it this way,” figure out why. If it no longer makes sense/then feel free to walk away or change it.

MAKE TIME FOR YOU. Time is tight for most of us. Make a decision that you will set aside time that is just for you. Start with 15 minutes a day if that’s all you can find. Lock your door/turn off the phone, or whatever it takes, but it’s important to create a space where you can focus on only you. Meditate, pray, write in a journal or eat an apple. Whatever you want to do with your time, do it.

JOKE FOR THE MONTH

A man had been convicted of murder and was about to be hanged. Just before the sentence was executed, the hangman asked the man if he had any last words. “Yes” came his reply, “I hate Masons!” “Why do you hate Masons?” asked the hangman. “The man I killed was a Mason,” explained the murderer, “the sheriff who hunted me down was a Mason, the Prosecutor who tried my case was a Mason, the Judge who presided at the trial was a Mason, and all of the men on the jury who found me guilty and said I should be hanged were Masons!” “Is that all?” asked the hangman. “Yes” replied the convicted murderer. “Then you will advance one step with your left foot.”

Fraternal Greetings from the East

Greetings Brethren, I hope that all of you are well. March was a very busy month. Lodge inspection, three EA’s, the Grand Master’s Reception and the Grand Master’s Class. Far Hills Lodge had four candidates in the one-day class and over 275 men participated from the Second Masonic District. Over six hundred were in attendance.

It’s been good to see some new faces in Lodge the past few weeks.

Thanks to the brethren for the many new petitions received recently; it sure is nice to have real candidates. Brethren, keep the petitions coming. I would also like to thank all of the special lodge supporters. Are you one yet?

This month we will have a night out with the ladies on April 21st. We are meeting at 6:00 PM at Ryan’s Steak House, 1760 Stroop Road in Kettering. Please call David Brewer at 299-9016 or Lloyd Nickell at 253-1239 to let us know if you and your lady will attend.

News from the Temple Board

There will be a special meeting of the Far Hills Temple Board at the Stated Meeting of the Lodge on April 26, 2007. We will be able to answer all of your questions concerning the sale of the parcel of land at the back of our property. Please take this opportunity to attend. Check the Trestleboard for the scheduled work days. We sure could use your help.

From the Secretary’s Desk

A 50-year service award pin and certificate were presented to BRO. FRANCIS (Frank) W. KIMRY, a member of Triangle Lodge #748 F&AM of Columbus, Ohio, by Secretary Weyrauch on March 23, 2007.

From the LEO

So many people embark on projects to make changes in their lives, only to get detoured or bogged down in the numerous other things that are in their lives. These can be physical blocks, such as a cluttered living room or kitchen but they can also be emotional issues, mental clarity or personal relationships. Here are a few guides to simplifying your life of the obstacles that stand between you and fulfillment of your vision.

Empty Your Brain. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, it can be liberating to empty your brain of your internal “to-do” list and emotional baggage.

Lighten your mental load by writing down or journaling the stuff that is taking up mind space. At this point, you don’t have to take any action on it. The objective is to clear it from your head.

Eliminate Relations That are Sucking the Life Out of You. Limit your time with them and set boundaries around what activities you allow them to engage you in.

Be honest in your evaluation. Who is helping you and who is dragging you down? Who is eating up your time and giving nothing back? Who makes you feel good, supported and energized? Anyone who adds value to your life stays in and everybody else goes away.

Lighten Your Heart. Getting closure on the past and relationships can unburden you of emotional baggage that is weighing down your heart and spirit. Forgive and forget. Let it go. Call that person up or write them a letter you never send, but get over it.

In Memory

WILLIAM HENRY EICHER
Endowed Member
DOB: 02/16/1927 • DIED: 03/23/2007
EA 11-20-1961 • FC 01-08-1962 • MM 02-19-1962
He rests from his labors.

Joke for the Month

A little before Lodge is about to open an old man totters up to the Tyler and says, “I’m here to receive my 2nd degree.” Well, they all look at this guy, who really is older than dirt, and they ask him to explain. “I was entered on July 4, 1922. Now I’m ready for my 2nd degree.”
So they go scurrying for the records, and sure enough, there was his name, entered on July 4, 1922. “Where have you been all these years? What took you so long to be ready for your 2nd?” they asked. He replied, “I was learning to subdue my passions!”

Fraternal Greetings from the East

Greetings Brethren, I hope that you are all well. Our Fellowcraft Inspection went very well. I was really proud of all our officers for their hard work. Brother Jack Harless, SD and Brother Michael Perry, SS did outstanding work with the Lecture and Charge, respectively. All the extra practice that we did paid off. It was n ice to see so many of our Past Masters in Lodge and I thank them for their help before and after the inspection. The dinner before lodge was very good.

We will be doing the EA Degree on march 8, 2007 on one candidate and maybe two EA Degree candidates on March 22, 2007. This is a very busy month with the Grand Masters Reception being held on March 17th and the Grand Master’s Class (one-day) on March 31st.

Thank you to all the brethren who have been busy turning in petitions. This is the way we grow and strengthen the Lodge. Brethren, if you know of a good man and think that he would make a good Mason, don’t be afraid to tell him so, and give him a petition. Then, follow up with him to make sure that he turns it in. Remember our motto to take a good man and make him better.

Something to think about: have you uppdated your will? Do you have a will? Come back to Lodge and support your Officers. I hope to see you soon. Thanks to all who are sending in extra money to help support our Lodge. Check the list. Is your name on it?

News from the Temple Board

The lodge inspection and the York Rite Reunion is over, so now we can get back to work with keeping this building in shape. The new lights have provided the lounge, the dining hall and the kitchen with “more light in masonry” for the knife and fork degree.

If weather permits, we will sponsor a work-day on Saturday, March 24th. Check with the WM if you are interested.

From the Secretary’s Desk

The Lodge books and records have been inspected. The financial records have been reviewed. The ritual work has been validated and the inspection has been passed.

If you are due a service award for 25, 50 or more years of membership, let the secretary or the WM know.

We will also accept donations for the support of the Lodge.

Brethren, keep us posted on address changes and health problems. Your Lodge is here to support you. Let us know your needs.

From the LEO

Fact of the Day: Today marks the death in 1746 of Charles Radclyffe. Radclyffe was a staunch Jacobite and fervent Freemason. He founded the first Masonic lodge in mainland Europe, in Paris, and is said to have originated “Scottish Rite” Freemasonry. he met his end after being arrested in 1745 as he tried to join up with Charles’ invading army. He was beheaded at the Tower of London. Read more Masonic history at www.heritage.scotsman.com.

In Memory

Gerald Beckworth Sanders, Sr.
DOB: 09/05/1913 Died: 02/22/2007
EA 04-11-1966 * FC 05-15-1966 * MM 06-27-1966
40 years a member He rests from his labors

Carl K. Ray
DOB: 04/04/1924 Died: 03/03/2007
EA 01-21-1957 * FC 03-18-1957 * MM 10-07-1957
49 years a member He rests from his labors

Joke for the Month

Q: How many Masons does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: Three. One to screw it in, one to read the minutes from the previous light bulb replacement, and one to sit on the sidelines and complain that this wasn’t the way they used to screw in light bulbs.