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.

Today I had the honor, along with Worshipful Robert A. L. Whitfield, the funeral master, to deliver the masonic funeral service for a departed brother neither of us had met. He belonged to a lodge in another country. That made no difference; he was a brother whose family asked for our support which we were privileged to provide. Masons support each other.

Work on the lodge is complete and we are pleased with how the building looks with its new dining room windows. The new design also has a trench to keep excess water from entering the building. It will take time to recoup the $60,000 we spent repairing the termite and wood-rot damage. During our first meeting of the year in early January, Senior Warden Harry Burt shared our plan to decorate some of the dining hall columns to recognize past and future monetary contributions to the lodge as a way to begin to recover these funds.

Planning for the annual Crab Feed fundraiser is coming along nicely. We are importing crab from the Washington Area this year. It will be fresh, cleaned, cooked and cracked. We are also preparing homemade clam chowder that we introduced last year. Finally, we are offering perfectly cooked steaks as in the past. Be sure to check out the silent auction items we will offer.

I am pleased to announce that Brother Cary Carlson has affiliated with our lodge. Bro. Carlson is Past Master of Berkeley Lodge No. 363 and Orinda Lodge No. 122. Worshipful Cary is a gentleman and a scholar and we are all happy that he has come over to “The Friendly Lodge”.

The Hall Association has purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the lodge, which will be mounted on the wall in the dining hall just as soon as we have mastered all the California requirements. The AED is a needed addition to our lodge and could potentially save the life of a loved one. If you would like to contribute to the cost of the AED, please send a check to the Acalanes Masonic Hall Association, PO Box 1, Lafayette, CA 94549. We are planning to offer a training session on the AED and a CPR certification class in the near future.

Lastly, we are striving to strengthen our ties to other masonic organizations this year, especially our youth organizations. Be sure to check for opportunities on how you can be involved.

This is an exciting year thus far. We have a great leadership team that is bringing new ideas and lots of enthusiasm to the lodge. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get involved.

Dear Brethren, Sweethearts, and Friends,

It will be my honor and privilege to lead The Friendly Lodge for the ensuing year. Thank you for allowing me the honor by placing your trust in me. The last couple of months for me has been rewarding but somewhat overly busy as we planned Dave Shull’s memorial, Don Hoskin’s Hiram Award ceremony, and then the officers’ installation. If you’ve been a past master, then you know what I’m talking about. The support given to me has been tremendous and that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

I am excited about our lodge as we move into another year. This past year was successful in so many ways, and the lodge building itself is becoming more and more attractive over time. The major rework due to termite and wood rot damage is coming to a conclusion and we are glad of that. We have a very capable line of Officers and I am looking forward to working with them. We have had several potential members visit us over the last couple of months and look forward to the opportunities this may bring. Our already capable coaching team of Wor. Tom Riley and Wor. Michael Roberts has been enhanced by the addition of Wor. Gary Sparks.

Those of us who attended the Officers’ Installation ceremony on December 12 had a wonderful time. The Installing Team performed magnificently – the team consisted of Wor. Robert Whitfield, Installing Officer; Wor. Tony Yuson, Master of Ceremonies, Wor. Christopher Putnam, Installing Organist and Wor. Tom Riley, Installing Chaplain. Wor. Gary Sparks was also in the East as the outgoing Master. The event was attended by a little more than 90 members and guests with a nice dinner afterwards provided by A Tasteful Affair, located in Pleasanton. We were pleased to have the El Cerrito-Albany DeMolay present the flag at the ceremony and to have Bethel No. 247 Job’s Daughters serve at the dinner.

Our annual Acalanes Fellowship Lodge Crab Feed (the best crab feed of the year) is scheduled for the last Saturday in January. That is January 30 for this coming year. It will start at 5:30 with a social and dinner will begin at 6:30. Be sure to save the date — it will be a fun time.

Worshipful Marion P. Rogers

Dear Brethren, Sweethearts and Friends,

The Masonic year is coming to an end, and I find myself looking back at the nice variety of events and activities we have undertaken this year. As is often the case, we couldn’t do everything we wanted to do, and a certain band of termites didn’t help matters. But overall, we’ve had a very successful Masonic year.

Our crab feed last January, and the introduction of Bro. Marion Rogers’ clam chowder, kicked things off with a blast, and was followed by a lovely Sweethearts’ Valentine Luncheon. In the Spring, our Date Night and Dinner Theater was a tremendous success, and it was terrific to watch Bro. Dick Kellogg’s daughter perform in Moon over Buffalo and to meet some of the cast during our dinner. The Aloha spirit fell over all our Brethren and guests during the Summer Luau in the parking lot, with excellent Hawaiian food, beverages and fantastic entertainment. We once again hosted a charity golf tournament, and although the turnout was much lower than expected, we still had a great time and were able to raise money for Raising a Reader.

We welcomed guest speakers from both the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation and the Masonic Outreach Services of Nor. California, and also members of the Masonic youth orders. We discussed the ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry, learned lessons in civility, and celebrated the 80th birthdays of Most Wor. Alvin Weis and Wor. Orren Rupert.

The Lodge also engaged in community outreach this year, participating for the first time in the Moraga Faire and the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival, passing out literature and discussing Masonry and the Lodge with those who stopped by to visit our booths. And, we raised two Brothers to the sublime degree of Master Mason this year.

But the year is not quite over yet. Please join us for the Annual Installation of Officers on December 12th as we welcome Bro. Marion Rogers to the Oriental Chair, and also on December 19th for our Sweethearts Holiday Luncheon as we show our appreciation for the ladies who help to make our work possible.

For my last time as Master, I extend an invitation to all those Masons who have been away from Lodge to return home to Acalanes Fellowship Lodge. No matter how long you have been away, I invite you to renew your relationship with the Fraternity. We are best able to seek Light when the past is united with the present, so that we may all look to the future.

It has been my privilege and my pleasure to serve the Lodge this year, and I thank you for your support and trust. I am certain the Lodge will be in excellent hands next year, and I look forward to what Bro. Rogers has planned for us.

Worshipful Gary D. Sparks