To all of you who were able to attend the installation of the new officer line, we thank you. It was an event made so much the better by the skills of the installation team: Worshipful Cary Carlson as the Master of Ceremonies; Worshipful Michael Wilson as the Installing Officer; Worshipful Tom Riley as Chaplain; and Worshipful Bill Stanley as Organist. We officers felt especially privileged to be the focus of so much Masonic talent. I would also like to thank Zimms catering and Bethel 247 Job’s Daughters for looking after us so well at dinner, and Nancy Thomas and my daughter Heidi for getting the flowers where they needed to be without drawing blood. And last but not least I want to thank Marion, our retiring  Master and his team of stalwarts for getting the lodge and dining room set up.

We now pitch in to a New Year full of significance for our gentle craft. Three hundred years of good men developing themselves to better repair the world that will be enjoyed by their children and grandchildren.  And so it is a time to reflect on what we are as people, as Freemasons, and members of our Lodge. The New Year resolutions we all make and most likely break pale into insignificance against the obligations we take as Masons:  obligations that bind us to improve ourselves; obligations to our brothers, our families, to society and to God; obligations that force us to dig deep into ourselves and ask whether we are doing the best we can. By these obligations we form a society in which we can all feel “at home” whether we are the high or the low, the rich or the poor, remembering that Masonry unites us all no matter our country, sect, or opinion and causes true friendship to exist among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance. Our Lodge fully reflects these ideals.

And so I challenge all of you who can, to attend the upcoming first and third degrees, and renew with the candidates those obligations you once took kneeling at the altar, and recognize again the seriousness of those promises made perhaps so long ago. Promises that you kept and which have made our lodge such a strong bastion of all that is best in Freemasonry. As we celebrate the initiation of Noah Maier on January 17th and the raising of Brother Terry Killgore on February 18th, come and help our degree teams do the best of which they are capable.

My time in the East is almost up. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to be Master of my lodge this past year. I really appreciate all the support the brothers and wives (and especially my wife) have given to me and the lodge. The bond of brotherhood and friendship is truly amazing.

This year has been filled with many highs and lows. We have lost several brothers who have gone on to the celestial lodge above. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. Our lodge family has been enhanced by the addition of several new members, either by affiliation or new membership. New members always bring a new excitement to the lodge and gives us an opportunity to renew our spirit as we learn, or relearn, the teachings of masonry as taught in our degree ceremonies.

We started the year off, as we always do, with the Annual Crab Feed in January. The event was very successful and enjoyable. It takes a great effort from many of our brothers to put on such an event but that is something that we really enjoy doing. And the crab always tastes better with the deliciously prepared steaks and clam chowder.

The lodge had two traveling degree ceremonies this year – one at the Outdoor Lodge at the Masonic Homes earlier in the year and one at the Historic Masonic Lodge in Columbia in October. We enjoy performing degrees at our lodge but it’s also good to get away sometime and spend time together away from the “office”.

In May, we visited Golden Gate Fields for the annual Kentucky Derby Day at the Races. This is always a great event as we gather with friends, eat lots of good food and watch the ponies race around the track.

It was also my privilege to honor Most Worshipful Alvin J. Weis as he celebrated 50 years in Masonry. The celebration at the Masonic Homes in Union City was very apropos as MW Weis spent more than a decade giving his support and expertise to improve the lives of so many who reside at the Homes.

Additionally, this year the Hiram Award was presented to Brother Michael Weis, the son of the Most Worshipful Alvin Weis. Bro. Michael has supported our lodge several years as an officer and director of the Hall Association.

We have an excellent corps of officers selected to lead us in the coming year. Please plan to join us as we install them December 10.

The annual Sweethearts Holiday Luncheon will take place at the lodge December 17 beginning at 11:30. Please plan to join us for lunch and the singing of Christmas Carols.

We’ve had a very productive and rewarding time over the last several weeks. In late September we initiated Kesten Summers into the lodge. In October we passed Bros. Terry Killgore and Jonathan Groetsch in separate degrees. For Bro. Jonathan’s degree we traveled to the Historic Lodge in Columbia. It was exciting to travel to Columbia and the weather and reception by the Columbia folks could not have been better. If you’ve never been to Columbia it is a neat place to visit.

The Annual Communications was this past weekend in San Francisco. Our lodge was well-represented by the senior officers. I will provide a short synopsis of the proceedings next month.

During the November Stated Meeting we will hold our annual officers’ elections for the ensuing year. Only members in good standing in the lodge will be permitted to vote. The line officers are working on their proficiencies which they must deliver to the Inspector prior to being installed into their respective positions. The Installation Ceremonies will be held December 10, 2014 at 4:30 PM, followed by dinner. Please make reservations and attend.

November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. Take some time to relax with your family and friends and give thanks to our Creator for our wonderful country and all that it affords us. We are truly blessed to live in the USA.

It seems that this summer has come and gone much too quickly. Very soon fall will be upon us and we will once again be looking at the fall foliage. It’s also at this time of year we start thinking about next year’s officers. Our prospective officers for next year have been working diligently on their proficiencies and preparing themselves for their new stations. As is our custom, officers will be filling advance stations for the October Stated Meeting.

I have really enjoyed sitting in the East this year and greatly appreciate all the support afforded me by the brothers and, in many cases, their wives as well. We still have a lot of things to accomplish before my time in the East is up. We have a 1st Degree planned for September 20, a 2nd Degree on October 18 and another 2nd Degree on October 22. The October 22 degree will be conferred at the Historic Lodge in Columbia. There is a lot of history in that part of the country and I’m looking forward to the visit. I’d like to see as many brethren at the degree as possible.

The Hall Association has continued doing a great job of taking care of the building and property. The latest improvements were to have several pine trees removed. They have provided a lot of shade and beauty over the years but it was time to take them down. A couple of them were leaning quite badly and we were afraid they might fall and cause damage.

The 167th Annual Communications this year is schedule for the last few days in October. Think about that – 167 years. That’s a long time. Masonry has meant a great deal to many over the years and is still as relevant today as it was when it began in California.

Time marches on!

Schools are now in session and the Olympics are in full swing. I haven’t had time to watch all that much but I did watch a couple of games that caught my attention. It was heartbreaking to see USA’s Mara Abbott lose the women’s cycling road race in the last few seconds – she went from first to fourth and therefore no medal. Then there was the heart­warming story of the track runners Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and Abbey D’Agostino of the USA lending each other a hand after they both took a spill.

Last week we celebrated our newest Hiram Award winner, Bro. Michael Weis. It was great seeing several of his family members and several of our brothers and other Hiram Award winners present. The salmon dinner provided by Scott and Paula Zimmerman was outstanding.

We have a busy fall in front of us. Our officers are preparing themselves for new positions next year by learning the required proficiencies. Our degree teams are practicing for upcoming degrees. We expect to confer a 1st Degree in September and two 2nd Degrees in October. The 2nd degree for Bro. Terry Killgore is scheduled for October 18 and the 2nd degree for Bro. Jonathan Groetsch is scheduled for October 22 at the Columbia historic lodge. I hope all the brothers can join us for these degrees.

There are a number of social activities coming up. On Saturday, September 17, the Orinda Masonic Lodge is hosting a Masons4Mitts fundraiser from 5 to 9PM. There will be food, fellowship and much more. September 28 is Masonic Night at the home of the San Francisco Giants. This event is in support of our Masons4Mitts program whereby we donate baseball mitts to underprivileged children.

On October 2, the Blackhawk Museum is hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Children’s Education & Transportation Fund. The ticket price includes dinner and admission to the Spirit of the Old West Display. This should be a great evening for a worthy cause.

Lastly, on October 8, the Aahmes Shrine is hosting a Country BBQ and Old Fashioned Barn Dance.

Summer is definitely here now but you wouldn’t have guessed it if you were at our Annual Luau in July. It was a little chilly for the second year in a row. I think everyone had a great time. Our thanks to the many brothers responsible for putting on the event and arranging the excellent food and show.

The 1st Degree for Bro. Terry Killgore at the Outdoor Lodge in Union City was well attended, the weather was perfect and the degree team performed admirably. We truly appreciate all the support and warm welcome given to us by our brothers in Siminoff Lodge.

The June 18 Dinner/Theater night was very enjoyable and entertaining. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at the lodge prepared by Scott and Paula Zimmerman and then we walked across the street to the theater and watched the show Play It Again, Sam.

Please plan to join us August 13 as we present Bro. Michael Weis with the Hiram Award. He is truly deserving of this honor and we are fortunate to have Mike as a member of this lodge. The Hiram Award is presented to a Master Mason who has served the Lodge and the Masonic Fraternity with devotion over and above the ordinary. It is the official recognition of a Brother by his own Lodge for his devoted service, and is intended for the Brother who, year after year, displays his devotion without receiving special recognition or honor. Every Lodge has many such members; they are the living cement that binds our Fraternity into a true Brotherhood. However, each Lodge can only select one recipient for recognition each year. The award consists of a Certificate and a Medallion, which has the Square and Compass and the letter “G” in the center, all of which are encircled with a laurel wreath. Around this are the words “Hiram Award, Dedicated Service.” The back of the medallion has a representation of the seal of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of California.

Lastly, save October 22 on your calendars. We will be conducting a degree at the historic lodge in Columbia, California. You will hear more about this as time gets closer.

At our April Stated Meeting dinner, Worshipful Greg Thompson presented Golden Veterans Awards to Bros. Fred Schachtman and Tommy Thompson. 

At our May Stated Meeting Dinner we were honored to have the Concord Rainbow Assembly join us for dinner and afterwards perform a ceremony in our lodge room. I am very proud of these girls and always appreciate their dedication, poise and graciousness. My wife and I were also able to attend a ceremony by Grand Lodge and Acacia Creek this past Saturday dedicating a lane at the Masonic Homes in Union City. The lane that runs just in front of Acacia Creek was named Job’s Daughters Lane. The Masonic Homes has two other lanes named in honor of DeMolay Boys and Rainbow Girls. We should all invest more of our time and resources in our youth. They are the future of our country and our masonic order.

At our Stated meeting that evening we welcomed a new affiliate, Worshipful Russ Kennedy, past master of the Pleasanton Masonic Lodge No. 321. Welcome Russ!

On May 10, we initiated Mr. Jonathan Groetsch into our lodge by conferring the 1st Degree of Masonry. We welcome Jonathan into our brotherhood and look forward to working with him on his masonic journey.

On May 14, we along with Grand Lodge presented Most Worshipful Alvin Weis his Golden Veterans Award. The ceremony was conducted in Siminoff Daylight Lodge No. 850 located in the Masonic Homes, Union City. The was a most appropriate setting as MW Weis was on the Board of Directors for the Homes for twelve years. The ceremony was attended by brothers from all around the state to honor a man who has meant so much to them personally and for his many contributions to our craft. MW Weis, PGM was Grand Master of Masons in California 1999-2000. We were pleased that his entire family could join us for that momentous occasion and to enjoy the fabulous Hawaiian Luau afterwards. 

We have scheduled a 1st Degree to initiate Mr. Terry Killgore at 9:30 AM, June 11 in the outdoor lodge at the Masonic Homes, Union City. All Entered Apprentice Masons and higher are invited to the degree. We will enjoy a BBQ after the degree.

Lastly, I am pleased to announce that the 2016 Hiram Award for Acalanes Fellowship Lodge No. 480 goes to Bro. Michael Weis. Bro. Michael has been a very active member of our Hall Association for many years and his contributions to our lodge are most appreciated. We will be scheduling a special dinner in his honor in the coming months.

The rains are letting up and it’s getting warmer. Summer will soon be here. This is my favorite time of the year. I think it has to do with new beginnings as we see the flowers, trees and vegetable gardens start to flourish and grow.

I have just returned from a Master and Wardens Retreat along with Junior Warden Michael Roberts, PM. Senior Warden Harry Burt attended an earlier Retreat. They are annual conferences conducted by the Grand Lodge, with the Grand Master and most of the Grand Lodge Officers in attendance. Masters and Wardens from approximately 350 California Lodges participate in these conferences each year. We listened to several lectures and participated in breakout sessions that were designed to inform us of opportunities and strategies for improving our Lodges and making them more productive. I especially appreciated the opportunity to talk with the officers of other Lodges and to gain useful ideas.

We have received two applications for degrees and three applications for affiliation into our lodge this year. On May 10th, beginning at 6:30 PM, we will be conferring the first degree of masonry upon Mr. Jonathan Groetsch in our Lodge. We are excited about the opportunity to accept another brother into our Lodge and the officers are presently honing their ceremonial skills for the event. Brother Larry Strohmeyer was also recently elected to affiliate with our Lodge and we are happy to have him back.

At our last Stated Meeting Dinner, we had the privilege to present the Golden Anniversary award to two of our members, Brothers Fred Schachtman and Tommy Thompson. It was stimulating to see several other brothers who have received this prestigious award in attendance at this event. The presence of Worshipful Otis Simonsen was especially inspiring as he served as Master of our Lodge when Brother Tommy Thompson was raised 50 years ago.   

It is a good thing to be capable and confident in an emergency. I have had to personally respond to an emergency on three separate occasions and am fortunate that I had the necessary training so I could act appropriately. At the end of February we held an emergency response class at the lodge so we would have more trained responders in our lodge.

In the class we learned CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillator) use, and First Aid.  There are now 19 individuals who know how to operate the AED purchased by the Hall Association, which will be installed soon.  If you would like to contribute to the cost of the AED for the lodge, please remit your check to Brad Rupert, the Hall Association Treasurer (Brad Rupert, Treasurer, PO Box 1, Lafayette, CA 94549).

Our lodge officers recently hosted the monthly District Officers School of Instruction (DOSI), where we welcomed the officers of Orinda Lodge and Bay Cities Lodge, who are part of our district. The purpose of these sessions is to help the officers improve their ceremonial skills and to reinforce the lessons we are taught through masonry. It is also a time when we can socialize with our brethren from other lodges. There are inspectors and officers coaches who work with us who have dedicated many hours improving their own skills. I am grateful for the services of our inspector, Worshipful Greg Thompson, PM and our three lodge coaches Wor. Tom Riley, PM, Wor. Michael Roberts, PM and Wor. Gary Sparks, PM.

On May 14, we will celebrate Most Worshipful Alvin Weis PGM’s 50 years in Masonry. PGM Weis has been a role model for many through the years, and has helped us along our masonic journey. It was an honor to have him serve as my coach when I took the degrees of masonry. I encourage you to join us to honor this extraordinary man and his Masonic legacy on May 14 at the Union City Masonic Homes, starting at 4:00 PM. Following the ceremony we will have a Hawaiian Luau. Since space is limited, please let me know no later than April 14 if you will attend (Marion Rogers, 925-596-3312, marion.rogers@comcast.net). Wives and guests are invited.

Masons have a long history of supporting education for our children, and our Grand Master has declared April to be Public Schools Month. On April 22, we will be gathering at Sankofa Academy in Oakland to meet the school staff, tour their facilities and celebrate their contributions to educating our youth. If you would like to join us just let us know. The program begins at 8:15 AM.

What are the benefits of being a Mason? There are many answers to that question and I must confess that I am still learning. One that first comes to mind is the relationships with others that are developed over time. The foundations of Masonry were developed in such a way that if one immerses himself in the teachings and applies them to his daily life, the opportunity is there to grow and experience something beyond measure.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Master of a Lodge. The responsibilities are enormous and the tasks can be somewhat prodigious. At the same time support of the fraternity is awe-inspiring and equal to the task. I recently had the opportunity to attend a Masters and Past Masters Association Conference and it meant a lot to know that support of all the members is there for the asking.

As Master of the Lodge, I’ve taken the opportunity to attend some of the youth orders installations and initiations. I must tell you that Job’s Daughters and Rainbow Girls are most impressive as they demonstrate their memory work, leadership, poise and speaking skills. I encourage all of you to support these and other youth organizations, and also to encourage your children and grandchildren to challenge themselves and get involved.

I thought the Crab Feed held in late January was very enjoyable. Your support of the fraternity and the hard work of our members made for a very successful event. It takes a lot of planning and execution by many people to put on an event of this magnitude. Thank you all for your support and especially to our overall coordinator, Senior Warden Harry Burt.

Last Saturday we held our annual Sweethearts Valentine’s Luncheon. It was great to see so many of you there and we missed those of you who could not attend. We are especially grateful for the support and love given by our Sweethearts throughout the year. Thank you Brother Bob Strohmeyer for your work in making the event successful.

On May 14 we will be celebrating Most Worshipful Alvin Weis’ 50 years in Masonry. Our beloved Brother was Grand Master of Masons for the State of California in the year 2000. The 50th anniversary ceremony will be held at the Masonic Homes in Union City beginning at 4:00 PM, followed by dinner. Please reserve the date on your calendars.