Acalanes Fellowship Lodge is off to a very busy schedule in 2018. Please join me in welcoming our newest Mason to our lodge Brother Reynold Barzaga Dandan who was initiated into the fraternity on Tuesday January 23rd. The annual Acalanes Fellowship Crab Feed Fundraiser was a huge success. It was highly attended with 165 guests and a profit just shy of $10,000 which we will use to fund our lodge activities and charitable programs.
At our February Stated Meeting, our Junior Warden Adam Hanin put on an excellent presentation about the communication process we are using to advertise all upcoming lodge events and activities and the importance of RSVP’ing using the Eventbrite system we have in place. Our communication committee will continue to send out announcements electronically via Eventbrite notifications. The lodge App is another resource you can use to see what’s going on at our lodge. Finally, the Trestleboard is electronically sent monthly and you can opt in for a paper version should you not be comfortable with the electronic version. If you ever want to know what is on the calendar all you have to do is visit our lodge website at http://www.acalanesfellowshiplodge.com and the latest and greatest calendar can be found. This is also a place you can RSVP for all events. As we are not charging any additional fee to register and pay via credit card for all lodge events, we are encouraging pre-payment but will still collect at the door if you prefer.
On Saturday February 17th we had our annual spring Sweethearts Luncheon at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill. A great time was had by all and I encourage you all to not miss the opportunity to bring your sweethearts and significant others to these events. We were also joined by several widows of Brothers who have passed on and as always it was great to see them and find out what they have been up to since we last met. The next Sweethearts luncheon will take place shortly after Installation of Officers in December. More information to follow.
On Tuesday February 27th we held our 1st Lodge Potluck/social of the year. This is simply an opportunity for Brethren/friends and family to come together for a great shared meal, games and sometimes a little Masonic Education. All are welcome, and an RSVP helps so we know how many are bringing salads/entrees/sides and desserts.
The weekend of March 2nd through 4th I will be heading to the Master’s & Warden’s retreat in Monterey with our Senior Warden Bob Strohmeyer and Junior Warden Adam Hanin. This is an excellent opportunity for the three principal officers of our lodge to come together with other Lodge Leaders to share best practices and continue to develop a multi-year leadership lodge plan for 2019 and beyond.
At our upcoming Stated Meeting and Dinner on March 6th the program of interest will revolve around Youth Orders and we will welcome our District Inspector Greg Thompson into our Lodge Room at the Stated Meeting for his annual Official Visit.
On Thursday March 22nd the Lodge Officers will head over to Orinda Lodge for dinner and a visitation. Our lodge officers will be conferring a 1st degree on one of their candidates. If you would like to attend this degree or serve on the degree team, please let me know. All Masons are welcome to attend. Finally, on Wednesday March 28th, Acalanes Fellowship Lodge will be the host location for an Open House/Mixer for the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Light appetizers and beverages will be served, and the event is open to all. More information to follow.
Thank you all for your ongoing support of our lodge, I look forward to seeing you all again soon!