February 2009 Lodge #45 Newsletter

The Trestle Board

February 17, 2009 – Lecture Practice Session – 6:00 pm Lodge 45

February 24, 2009 – Fellow Craft Degree – Dinner 6pm; Degree 7pm – Lodge 45

February 12, 2009 – Brownsville Lodge – 2 Entered Apprentice Degrees

February 16, 2009 – School of Instruction at St. John Lodge #322

March 2, 2009 – Master Mason Degree – Lodge #322

March 21, 2009 – Master Mason Degree performed by York Rite team – Lodge #322

March 10, 2009 – Jackson Lodge #45 Stated Meeting – Dinner 6pm; Meeting 7pm.




Deceased Brethren

The last three months have seen four of our brothers admitted to the Celestial Lodge above. Please lend your prayers for their families in remembrance of our departed Brethren.

They will be missed.

James T. Williford
Deceased 12/21/2008
Raised 8/16/1952 Lodge #399


Henry Melford Lester
Deceased 1/09/2009
Raised 09/20/1949 Lodge #45

Michael Luther Hopper, Tiler
Deceased 1/25/2009
Raised 1/20/1979 in Unity Lodge #95

Carl Fincher
Deceased 2/1/2009
Raised – 11/25/1958 Lodge #399



From The East:

Brethren,

I hope you are all having a great start to your new year. This is shaping up to be a wonderful year for our lodge. There are a lot of exciting things happening and I would like to take a few minutes and share them with you.

We are going to be having our first Community Service Project for the year at the end of this month. The lodge is working with the Regional Interfaith Association (RIFA) here in Jackson to provide some needed work for their building and the community. This is an organization that wears many hats. They provide food for the hungry through a soup kitchen, they run an education program to help the homeless to find jobs and housing, and have many other great programs.

As speculative masons we are builders of men but I am excited to see our brethren work in operative masonry as well. We will be building shelving, wheelchair ramps, and several other projects with RIFA throughout the year. As the year moves along we will keep you updated as to what is going on so that you may be a part of this project.

The lodge is beginning a series of “Lecture Evenings” where the brethren will be teaching and giving lectures on particular aspects of freemasonry in which they are passionate and well-versed. This will occur one Tuesday a month. This month we will be having two of our Past Masters teaching a class on learning and teaching the ritual. The Worshipful Master will also be giving a class on the prayers of Freemasonry. If you have a subject you would like to present or would like to learn about please give me a call or email me. My email is jmclemore@alumni.lsu.edu .

One of the brothers in the lodge is putting together an order for some nice polo shirts with the Masonic logo and our lodges name. The price is uncertain at this point but we will be taking orders at the March stated meeting so if you would like to place an order please come out to the lodge on March 10th.

I am excited about serving you and serving our lodge. If you ever need a ride to lodge just give me a call a day or two in advance and I will do my best to find you one. I hope and pray that you will have a blessed month and I look forward to seeing you at the lodge.

Fraternally Yours,
Jeff McLemore