Master’s Letter | August 2010
I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer, wherever this newsletter finds you. For those of us living in Ann Arbor, we’ve seen the end of this year’s Top of the Park season and the Arts Festival, but there are still many more local festivals and events to enjoy before summer is over. At AAF 262 we have two social events this month – our annual lodge picnic and regular Master’s Table night. As the lodge is dark, I hope I’ll see many of you there.
The July 7 MM degree proved to be a hot one. My car thermometer read 96 F. Still, we had a great turnout and a festive night despite our lack of A.C. We had a night of informal attire (Hawaiian shirts and shorts preferred) and a tropic inspired meal to make light of weather. Several guests were present, including the new Grand Lecturer. Congratulations again to our three newest Master Masons.
August 8 is the first ever “Tri Lodge Picnic,” that being AAF 262, Golden Rule 159, and St. Mary’s No. 4, Prince Hall Masons. The event will take place at 3 p.m. at the Old Picnic Shelter in Gallop Park, Ann Arbor. A reservation is required; details are available on our lodge website or by contacting our JW Clinton Bartholomew.
Solomon’s Temple is one of the most significant symbols in our Craft. We “walk” through it during our degrees and share in one of its legendary, though not historic, events. As Freemasons, we cannot spend enough time contemplating this important element of our work and what it means to each of us as individuals. A recent book, well worth reading on the subject, is William J. Hamblin’s “Solomon’s Temple: Myth and History” (Thames & Hudson 2007). Hamblin moves from a review of early Near Eastern temple architecture, to conjectures about the historic first Jerusalem temple, the history of the Temple Mount, and the significance of KST to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and other groups, including the Freemasons, following the destruction of Herod’s temple in 70 C.E. The book is well laid out and nicely illustrated. It’s a little too big to take to the beach, but it is a great introduction to the subject and well worth the read.
Lastly, keep your eyes open for email notices or trestle board updates concerning our September regular meeting. As you may know, your officers are investigating alternate meeting places to Hathaway’s Hideaway. We may have a trial run coming up at the Pittsfield Grange. We are growing and need more room to do our work. The hope remains that all Ann Arbor Masonry will one day reunite in a single venue. In the meantime, we may have to make do with other cost-effective options while we grow our building fund.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Robert Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS from Our Trestleboard
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August 8, 2010
Tri-Lodge Family Picnic
Gallup Park -
August 25, 2010
Masters Table Dinner - Masons and interested non-masons are welcome! Location TBD
Master’s Table | July Event a Success!
We had a phenomenal night at Joe’s Crab Shack this past Wednesday. We had close to 30 people there, including three new candidates and visiting brothers from as far away as Detroit and Jackson! We are also receiving many requests for plural membership! Clearly we have a great thing going on at AAF262.
Tri-Lodge Picnic | Sunday, August 8
Sunday, August 8, 3:00pm-7:00pm
Join ALL the brothers, friends, and families for a new summertime tradition! This picnic is sponsored and hosted by Ann Arbor’s 3 great lodges:
Ann Arbor-Fraternity # 262 ~ St. Mary’s Lodge # 4 ~ Golden Rule # 159
Food will be provided, games and prizes!
The lodges will be providing a meat entree of roast pork and beef! the rest is POTLUCK. What to bring? If your last name begins with:
A-I Dessert
J-Z Side Dish or Salad
Bring your own beverage and place setting.
We have a permit for adult beverages, so you can bring that too!
Where: Gallup Park, in the “Old Wooden Picnic Shelter” here is a MAP
Please RSVP by email to our JW at: juniorwarden@aaf262.org
There will be a group canoeing on the Huron river before the picnic. Send an email to our WM for more info at: worshipfulmaster@aaf262.org
Warmest Ever Master Mason Degree Night!
On July 7, Ann Arbor 262 conducted what was likely to be its hottest degree night on record. Not factoring for humidity, the temperature was 96 F outside before lodge opened. To make light of our situation, we had a marvelous tropical inspired dinner and conducted our work in shorts and short sleeve shirts. We had a good turn out, including the new Grand Lecturer and three other visiting guests, as we moved on to raise three more Master Masons this year.
Overheated but happy, the new Master Masons and other brothers pose for the camera!
Master’s Letter | July 2010
July is traditionally a “dark” month for our lodge, though like many Masons, I am not keen on that term. Masonry is all about light - 365 days a year! Nor, despite our not having a regular communication, will we be anything like inactive. We will be holding a Master Mason degree on July 7, the first Wednesday of the month. There will also be the regular Master’s Table night out on July 28 at Joe’s Crab Shack, 3020 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor.
Last month we held a joint dinner and speaker night with Golden Rule 159 at the Grotto. It was a fine evening and opportunity for the two lodges to socialize and enjoy some Masonic education. Brothers from Walled Lake No. 528, St. Mary’s No. 4, Prince Hall Masons, and Redeemer Lodge No. 53, Prince Hall Masons were also in attendance. I would like to thank the JWs Clinton Bartholomew and Jim Lakin, PM Rich Wilcox and their assistants for arranging a great meal. I would also like to thank our own PM Justin Krasnoff for his very interesting talk on Freemasons and the Civil War.
I was perusing the Blue Book recently and noticed that the Grand Lodge of Michigan recognizes only three of the so-called “ancient landmarks”: 1) a belief in a Supreme Being; 2) a belief in the immortality of the soul; 3) a volume of Sacred Law is an indispensable part of the furniture of every lodge. The notion of what is or is not “Masonry” is often a matter of heated debate. Both Anderson’s 1723 Constitutions and Dermott’s 1756 Ahiman Rezon state that the obligations, rules, and forms found in medieval stone masons charges constitute “unalterable” landmarks, but neither went so far as to state which ones or how many. It is amusing to reflect that nearly 400 years later, there is still no agreement as to what these documents meant. As many as 40 “time-immemorial” rules have been deemed landmarks over the years. In 1858, Albert Mackay compiled a list of 25 that he considered to be essential; but Mackay’s list held little sway outside of the United States and even here, as in the case of Michigan, it has not been universally acknowledged. Indeed, it seems Michigan had no official opinion on this matter until 1970 when the three above landmarks were officially adopted.
Have I mentioned lately what an amazing lodge we have? I know many of you are not local and its hard to keep up with all we are doing. I’ve been discussing updating our website with SW Brian Cors to include more images and articles about our activities. I’m also hoping that those of you who enjoy Masonic writing may share some of your papers for our site as well to enlighten your fellow brothers and those who visit us online. So do please check out aaf262.org from time to time for updates.
Lastly, please save the date of August 8. We will be helping to host Ann Arbor’s first tri-lodge family picnic with Golden Rule 159 and St. Mary’s Lodge No. 4, Prince Hall Masons. The event will take place in Gallup Park at the “Old Picnic Shelter”. Details will soon follow, but we are hoping to reserve canoes for those that would like to have a paddle before the socializing, food, and fun.
As always, I hope to see you in lodge.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Robert Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS from Our Trestleboard
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July 7, 2010
MM Degree
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
July 28, 2010
Masters Table Dinner
Joe’s Crab Shack | 3020 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor, MI
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August 8, 2010
Tri-Lodge Family Picnic
Gallup Park
