If you are a college student or have children who are in college now is the time to start applying for the Grand Lodge Scholarship. Information is found at the end of this newsletter but you can also go to the Grand Lodge Portal and look under the Charity Tab for Scholarships. Applications will be accepted now through the end of March. Several have asked whether we received their dues. With this new system, you will not get a new Dues card every year as we have in the past. Grand Lodge will only be sending out a new Dues Card about every 5 years. If you pay by credit card, you will get a confirmation. If you pay by check, there may be a slight delay in your check being processed and cashed as we are not meeting as frequently during January.
Quote of the Week:
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”
Hank Aaron
Legendary Major League Baseball player
This pandemic certainly is putting us in a slump and causing trouble. Nearly a year into it and it seems as though we are no better off now than when this all started. The pandemic has touched most of us personally in some fashion. We are meant to be social creatures yet are forced to live an anti-social lifestyle for the most part. Despite all these troubles, keep swinging Brothers. We will get through this and be stronger for it.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 2 – Stated Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting 5:15pm
Dinner 6:00pm (Come with an appetite as your WM has challenged Chef Michael to see who can make the best Bean and Ham Soup)
Stated Meeting 7:00pm
Feb. 9 – Craft Guild (MM Degree Practice
This Week’s Birthdays
Neal Stone (25)
This Week’s Raisings
Leonard Coppola (25), Robert Welling (25), Ronald Spratt (25), J.D. Cash (25), Claud Hayes (26), Gene Snipes (26), Donald Bowsher (27), Fred Kortepeter (27), Robert Ratz (29), John Shinn (29), Larry Howald (30), Donald Morris (30)
Master’s Travels
If anyone is planning to travel or visit another Lodge or has been asked to come assist with a degree, please reach out to me and let me know so we can get a few more Brothers to go and make a visit out of it.
Jan. 28 – Mt Etna #333 (EA Degree). Still looking for 1 more to travel to make this an official visit. WM is driving, all you need to do is ride along. We are meeting at Lodge at 4pm. Let me know if interested.
2021 Grand Lodge F&AM of Indiana Scholarship Information
Brethren,
The Grand Lodge Scholarship applications for 2021 are now available online. The procedure for 2021 is virtually unchanged from last year. There will not be any hard-copy applications sent to lodges. The only way to apply for an application is online. We would appreciate it if you inform your Lodge members about the process. Following are some tidbits for you to share with them.
A Master Mason can apply for his own scholarship. He simply needs to scroll to the bottom of the page and log into his Member Portal account. After he has logged in, there will be an option at the top of the page (in a blue banner) to start his application.
Students who want to apply and are not a Master Mason, must have a sponsor who is their father, stepfather, or grandfather. Those applicants should hover their mouse over the “Charity” option at the top of the page, then click on “Scholarships”. They can scroll down to the “How do you Apply?” section and they will see “click on this link to start an application”. That link will take them to the Scholarship Portal where they will see three different bars on which to click.
The green bars are to “Start a new application”.
The first green bar is used if the applicant needs a sponsor (i.e., their father, stepfather, or grandfather).
The second green bar is used if the applicant is a Master Mason. He will be directed to his Member Portal login page.
The blue bar is used if the student wants to return to complete an application they already started or review an application they have already submitted. They will be required to enter their cell phone number that is associated with the application. They will receive a verification code via text to get to their
To start an application with a sponsor, the student will need the following information:
the lodge membership number of the sponsor;
the last name (only) of the sponsor;
the date of birth of the sponsor; and
the applicant’s cell phone number.
The first three pieces of information will be used to validate that the sponsor is a member in good standing. The cell phone number is to create a unique key for the application record.
It shouldn’t take the applicant long to fill out the application. If the student wants to start the application and go back to it later, they simply need to save their work, and then they can go back later to review their application and submit it. If they go back to review a submitted application or complete an application they started, they will need their cell phone number to get a verification code. There are several built-in checks so the student will not be able to submit the application if certain data is missing. The student will be required to upload her/his latest school transcript before the application can be submitted. If the student is a first-year college student, the transcript should be the latest high school transcript. If the student is a second year (or higher) college student, the transcript should be the latest college transcript.
Students must be enrolled full-time, meaning at least 12 credit hours), and they must be accepted to an Indiana University or College. Scholarships will not be awarded for out-of-state schools.
After the student has submitted her/his application, an automated email should be sent to the Lodge’s Worshipful Master and Secretary to inform them that the application has been submitted. You do not need to reply to that email unless you have concerns about that student receiving an application. You can send your inquiries or concerns to info@iglsb.org.
Thank you for promoting the Grand Lodge scholarship program to your members (and their children, stepchildren, or grandchildren).
As a reminder, everyone should have received their Dues Statement from the Grand Lodge. Just a friendly reminder to get those sent in. If you have not gotten a Dues Statement, please reach out to me and let me know. I will need to verify your address in the Grand Lodge database. If you are having a hardship of some kind, please reach out to me. We can’t assist if you don’t communicate. Also, we are still looking for stories or fond memories any Brethren might have of WB Mark Griffin. Please reach out to our Deacons or myself to share your stories.
Quote of the Week:
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
Christian D. Larson
Author
This is what being in a Brotherhood is about. Masonry takes good men and makes them better. Part of how we do that is to not only believe in ourselves but in each other and keep pushing each other to be better versions of ourselves.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 2 – Stated Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting 5:15pm
Dinner 6:00pm (Come with an appetite as your WM has challenged Chef Michael to see who can make the best Bean and Ham Soup)
Stated Meeting 7:00pm
Feb. 9 – Craft Guild (MM Degree Practice)
This Week’s Birthdays
David Vail Jr. (18), Edward Davidson (23), Harold Roy (24), Neal Stone (25)
This Week’s Raisings
Charles Reinking (18), John Sirbu (20), John Knox (21), William Updike (21), Joe Clymer (22), Nicholas Kirk (22), Kenneth Calvin (23), George Chisler (23), Richard Brewer (24)
Master’s Travels
If anyone is planning to travel or visit another Lodge or has been asked to come assist with a degree, please reach out to me and let me know so we can get a few more Brothers to go and make a visit out of it.
Jan. 19 – Englewood Lodge #715 (MM Degree. WB Andy Hoffman asked to assist. Several officers joining to make official visit)
Jan. 28 – EA Degree (2 choices (Mt Etna #333 & Scott #120) that are about 1 ½ hour drive from Lodge. Would need to leave between 4-4:30. WM has room for 3 comfortably. Let me know if interested. We can leave at half-time if Brothers need to get back.)
As a reminder, due to COVID-19 concerns there will be no degree work performed during the month of January and we will not be meeting as a Lodge. Also as a reminder, everyone should have received their Dues Statement from the Grand Lodge. Just a friendly reminder to get those sent in. Grand Lodge took over this function a few years ago. If you have not gotten a Dues Statement, please reach out to me and let me know. I will need to verify your address in the Grand Lodge database.
This year’s Master Mason class will be dedicated to the memory of Mark L. Griffin, PM. Our Deacons are working to put together a short program about WB Griffin that they will present to the Lodge towards the end of February. We unfortunately do not have any family contact information for him. If anyone would know that or would be willing to share any stories or memories they may have of WB Griffin, please reach out to me or one of our Deacons. We would greatly appreciate the help.
Lastly, if you were unable to attend Founder’s Day this year, which was virtual, don’t worry. The whole program was recorded and can be watched at the below link. I will also see if we can’t make this link available on our website as well. Spoiler Alert, Millersville was awarded as the #1 Lodge in the State of Indiana for 2019 for the second year in a row. Congratulations to WB Robbie Switzer for his leadership to the Lodge that year.
Quote of the Week:
“A great leader has the humility to realize they aren’t going to know it all, but the curiosity to want to know more.”
Scott Mordell Longest serving CEO of YPO
I would really like to replace the word “leader” in this quote to “Mason”. None of us as Masons knows everything or has all the answers even though there are times when some may think they do. We should always strive as Masons to let our curiosity be our guide and let it push us to continue to seek further Light. Although the highest degree you can ever attain is the sublime degree of a Master Mason, this isn’t the end of the journey. So much more awaits you if you just seek it out.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 2 – Stated Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting 5:15pm
Dinner 6:00pm (Come with an appetite as your WM has challenged Chef Michael to see who can make the best Bean and Ham Soup)
Stated Meeting 7:00pm
Jan. Birthdays
Yannick Anegbele (1), Horlston Jean Francois (1), James Reid (1), John Sweezy Jr. (2), Roger Thompson II (3), Paul Barclay (5), Chris Nowak (5), Timothy Goodpaster (7), Philip Young (8), Irvin Larsen (9), Earl Miller (9), Robert Patterson (9), Randall Merle (10), Dylan Shiffler (10), Steve Arnold (11), Kevin Ayers (13), John Hague (14), Richard Lucht (14), Fred Schwomeyer (14), Robert Dake (16), Bruce Frazer (16), David Vail Jr. (18), Edward Davidson (23), Harold Roy (24), Neal Stone (25)
Jan. Raisings
Philip Booher (5), David Wilkins (5), Lee Langlotz (9), Kenneth Brooks (10), Matthew Allread (13), Timothy Harris (14), Timothee Hammond (17), Charles Reinking (18), John Sirbu (20), John Knox (21), William Updike (21), Joe Clymer (22), Nicholas Kirk (22), Kenneth Calvin (23), George Chisler (23), Richard Brewer (24), Leonard Coppola (25), Robert Welling (25), Ronald Spratt (25), J.D. Cash (25), Claud Hayes (26), Gene Snipes (26), Donald Bowsher (27), Fred Kortepeter (27), Robert Ratz (29), John Shinn (29), Larry Howald (30), Donald Morris (30)
The New Year is upon us. It’s time to start all those New Year’s resolutions that the majority of us all break by February. Unfortunately, COVID has followed us into the New Year as well but with the vaccine we pray the end is soon in sight. We are still being precautionary at Lodge as we wait and see how things develop after the Holidays and family gatherings. The plan/hope is to resume doing degree work starting in February. We ask for your patience as we take a ‘better safe than sorry approach’. Per Grand Lodge we still have to hold our Stated Meetings and conduct the business of the Lodge.
Quote of the Week:
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
Alan Watts
Writer
Well we certainly have seen a great deal of change in our lives over the past year. Family gatherings, going to out to dinner or the movies, shopping and even work all saw a great deal of changes. It seems that no matter where you looked, our lives were being turned upside down. Many had to adjust and learn to work from home. Face masks and hand sanitizer became a daily part of our lives. Face to Face meetings were replaced with online meeting software. All across retail stores you see markings of where to stand in order to keep proper social distancing. The list goes on and on. We have all been affected by COVID and the societal changes. Everything has changed yet, Freemasonry, not withstanding, has still survived. Hold fast to the tenets of Freemasonry and your bonds of Brotherhood my Brothers and join the dance.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Jan. 5 – Stated Meeting
Executive Committee Meeting 5:15pm
Dinner 6:00pm
Stated Meeting 7:00pm
Jan. Birthdays – Yannick Anegbele (1), Horlston Jean Francois (1), James Reid (1), John Sweezy Jr. (2), Roger Thompson II (3), Paul Barclay (5), Chris Nowak (5), Timothy Goodpaster (7), Philip Young (8), Irvin Larsen (9), Earl Miller (9), Robert Patterson (9), Randall Merle (10), Dylan Shiffler (10), Steve Arnold (11), Kevin Ayers (13), John Hague (14), Richard Lucht (14), Fred Schwomeyer (14), Robert Dake (16), Bruce Frazer (16), David Vail Jr. (18), Edward Davidson (23), Harold Roy (24), Neal Stone (25)
Jan. Raisings – Philip Booher (5), David Wilkins (5), Lee Langlotz (9), Kenneth Brooks (10), Matthew Allread (13), Timothy Harris (14), Timothee Hammond (17), Charles Reinking (18), John Sirbu (20), John Knox (21), William Updike (21), Joe Clymer (22), Nicholas Kirk (22), Kenneth Calvin (23), George Chisler (23), Richard Brewer (24), Leonard Coppola (25), Robert Welling (25), Ronald Spratt (25), J.D. Cash (25), Claud Hayes (26), Gene Snipes (26), Donald Bowsher (27), Fred Kortepeter (27), Robert Ratz (29), John Shinn (29), Larry Howald (30), Donald Morris (30)
Recent Comments