Wednesday May 24th Master’s Table Connor O’Neil’s 7pm 318 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Wednesday May 31st Lodge of Instruction 6pm Dinner 7pm Gavel All officers summoned
Wednesday June 7th Regular Communication Dinner 6pm Gavel 7pm
Wednesday June 21st Master Mason Degree Dinner 6pm Gavel 7pm
Saturday June 24th 3rd Annual Joint St John’s Day Table Lodge 6pm
Sunday July 2nd Independence Day Parade now with more float Briar Wood Mall 9am meet up
Sunday August 26th Lodge Picnic Island Lake Shelter B 11am
Wednesday September 6th Regular Communication Dinner 6pm Gavel 7pm
This will be my last Master’s Letter until September. And Once again I was stuck on what to write about you were going to get a horrible poem I wrote about going dark for the summer, but good news I found inspiration.
Just Two Days Ago on May 17th I and about dozen officer traveled to/invaded Walled Lake 528 for a double EA degree. All were greeted as brothers if not friends and were treated to a good dinner and great degree work. I am happy that many of you got to see the lodge where I learned the chairs. And after talking with a few of you I have some takeaways I want to share.
The first takeaway is literal, a Walled Lake gavel, since we outnumbered their members a gavel was surrendered and is now a travelling gavel, they now have to come to our lodge to win it back. We will set the rules and issue a challenge to Walled Lake at our June regular.
Some of the other things were being somewhat jealous or envious of Walled Lake and their temple, as well as their proficiency with degree work. First let’s talk about their temple. Yes they are lucky in having a temple that has been their home for 100 years. The building was originally a two-room schoolhouse they bought in 1923. The chairs in the South from the old Walled Lake theater. They redid the lodge room back in 2015 where they(me included) put in new carpet, wood paneling in the east, pews in the south and two brazen pillars from the old Commerce temple. All in all an easy place to have dinner and hold meetings and degrees. But if you were to tell them to set up a lodge from scratch I’m willing to bet even their past masters couldn’t do what our stewards do in twice the time. Our lodge has taught me that with ease comes complacency. Our challenges make us stronger and, in some ways, a more cohesive lodge. An officer line that I am truly proud of. Which leads us to their degree work.
I would be lying if I said that their work wasn’t good, but what you may not realize is that The Master is on his second year, the Senior Warden has been as Mason for 40 years, and the Junior Warden a three-time past master of the lodge, even their secretary is a DDI. I was far more impressed with the work of their Stewards I dare say their degree work rivals that of our Stewards Ben and Justin, which says a lot of how impressive I found them. But our degree work is more personal, more connected, and I think more meaningful to the candidate. Our ritual is done with joy not just repetition. I have seen the flair for the dramatic in each of you, that you a preforming rather than just reciting. We know the men we are about to make brothers and we get to know them more with our intender program. Could we be more word perfect sure, but I would rather keep the humanity in our degree work than robotic proficiency.
With that being said. We will hopefully be having a Master Mason degree in September as well. And it is going to be a step up degree for everyone. Dakota be ready to do your first degree.
Sincerely and Fraternally
David VanDerworp WM
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