by David Levine
Millersville Lodge 126 February 22, 2021
Dear Brethren,
Despite the weather we had the previous day, we had a really good turnout last Tuesday. We also had Brothers from 3 separate Lodges present as well. For those who were there, they were treated to a really great meal of Jambalaya as well as to our Junior Warden Charles knocking it out of the park putting on his first live Entered Apprentice Degree. It was very evident all the time and practice he put in previous to prepare for the evening. The icing on the cake is that we took two ordinary men and made them Masons. Come join us this Tuesday as we raise a Brother to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
Shout out to our Senior Warden (BOOOO!!) DJ Wood for his efforts to clear the snow from the front walk and steps. Thanks to his efforts and the warmer, sunny days we had over this weekend, the front entrance is free of ice and snow and will be open once again for Brothers to enter that way into the building should they choose to do so. Efforts were also undertaken to clear the ice/buildup at the entrance to the parking lot.
We have found ourselves with an opening in the Officer line. Our Senior Steward Fred has informed us that life events just won’t allow him the time to be at Lodge on a regular basis. With that said, we will be moving Les Meyer from Junior to Senior Steward. If you have an interest in serving the Lodge, let myself or one of the Wardens know of your interest. We also invite you to come to Craft Guild nights to learn more as well. Learning ritual can seem daunting at first but I can assure you that the Officers we have currently are dedicated in making sure each of us succeeds. Each and every one is more than willing to help a person learn and improve.
This year we will be dedicating our Master Mason class to the memory of WB Mark L Griffin. Our Senior Deacon, David Levine, will be making a presentation on our March Stated Meeting. We are also working on having some rocks glasses designed that will be given to each new Master Mason as well as will be available for purchase. We have learned that due to supply issues, we won’t have the rocks glasses until sometime in April. I can assure you they are indeed worth the wait. More information to come so be sure to mark your calendar so you can help us to remember this very dedicated Brother.
Last but not least, calling all sportsmen; there is a fundraiser shotgun shoot being held at Sugar Creek on Saturday, April 17th. This is open to anyone; they do not have to be a Mason and it is a good opportunity to bring someone who may be interested in Masonry. Contact WB Michael Kinder if you are interested in this event and/or are in need of a team.
Quote of the Week:
“Competence will allow you to rise, but character will allow you to thrive.”
Gen. Bernard Banks
Retired Brigadier General, United States Army
I am sure we have all heard of a person who is referred to as book smart but has other short comings. It isn’t enough to be competent or book smart. That is one of the great things about Masonry. Its teachings are designed to improve the character of a man. We hear that word mentioned often; “In the character of…”. “in your new character…” Masonry gives us the tools but it is up to us to apply them to our lives in order to effect change in our character. Don’t just be book smart on what you learned in your degrees or from reading your Monitor.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 23 – MM Degree (William Shuffleberger)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
Mar. 2 – Stated Meeting
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Dedication of year to Memory of Mark L Griffin 6:30pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
Mar. 9 – MM Degree (Ryan Featherston)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
Mar. 16 – FC Degree (Horlston Francois)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
This Week’s Birthdays
Michael Moffatt (22), Michael Dollinger (23)
This Week’s Raisings
Mack Hunter (22), Stephen Clymer (23), Raymond Ratliff, Jr. (23), James Wottring (24), Phil Sheingold (24), William Murchie (25), Nicholas Shinn (25), Craig Craft (25), Gene Alderson (26), Robert Patterson (26), Roger Shoemake (26), Jerry Stevens (26), Thomas Roberge (26), Michael Edwards (27), Michael Stilabower (27), Adam Arnold (28), Mark Elliot (28), Bruce Jones, PM (28), Denny Young (28)
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. Below is the travel opportunities site I go to. If you see anything there that interests you make sure to let me know. This is also a great opportunity for Mentors to take their mentees to see some extra degree work to aid in their learning.
Feb 25 – FC Degree at Pentalpha Lodge #564 7:00pm
Mar 27 – Englewood Lodge #715 – Rededication 10:00am
http://masoniccalendar.blogspot.com/
Brian Bates
Worshipful Master
Millersville Lodge #126
Mobile: 260-615-8013
Email: tazmanfw@gmail.com
by David Levine
Millersville Lodge 126 February 15, 2021
4990 Kessler Blvd E Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Dear Brethren,
Brothers it is an exciting time at Millersville. We are starting to get things rolling and this week
sees our return to putting on Degrees once again. It has been a long time and we really want to thank
everyone for their patience as we worked through this terrible pandemic. This Tuesday will be a
Double EA Degree as Converse Lodge #601 has asked if they can put one of their candidates through
our Degree as well. It is awesome that we are able to do this for them as well as our being able to
travel around and assist other Lodges with their degrees. It really gives you a sense of pride as a
Mason to see Brothers and Lodges coming together to do the work. I know we have some nasty
weather forecast for Monday and into Tuesday morning. I am hopeful that the roads and our parking
lot will be plowed and cleared by Tuesday evening. If we have to cancel due to the weather, we will
send an announcement. If you don’t hear anything, then we are still meeting. If in doubt, give me a
call and ask.
Last week also saw the return of Masonic Education to the Lodge. We had a very well
delivered presentation on Brotherly Unity (Psalm 133) by WB Randy Seipel, Junior Grand Deacon. We
streamed the event through Facebook Live so it is recorded in case you missed it. Here is the link to
watch it and you don’t need to have a Facebook account to view it.
https://www.facebook.com/MillersvilleLodge/videos/507603733556438
Going forward, we will be having Masonic education on Craft Guild nights which are scheduled for the
4th Tuesday of the month. Next up will be WB Carson Smith with a presentation on Rosslyn Chapel on
March 23rd. If you have a presentation you would like to give or have ideas of what you would like a
presentation on, please get with our Education Committee Chairman, WB Martin McAfee. He is also
looking for other Brothers who have a passion for Masonic Education to assist him in this great and
good work. I would love to see two or three more Brothers step up to help him.
This year we will be dedicating our Master Mason class to the memory of WB Mark L Griffin.
Our Senior Deacon, David Levine, will be making a presentation on our Stated Meeting night. We are
also working on having some rocks glasses designed that will be given to each new Master Mason as
well as will be available for purchase. More information to come so be sure to mark your calendar so
you can help us to remember this very dedicated Brother.
Last but not least, calling all sportsmen. There is a fundraiser shotgun shoot being held at
Sugar Creek on Saturday, April 17th. Please see the attached flyer for more information. This is open
to anyone; they do not have to be a Mason and it is a good opportunity to bring someone who may
be interested in Masonry. Contact WB Michael Kinder if you are interested in this event and/or are in
need of a team.
Quote of the Week:
“My father said there were two kinds of people in the world:
givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers
sleep better.”
Marlo Thomas
Actress
One constant thing you hear around Masonry no matter where you go is that you will
get way more out of Masonry than you put into it. When you give of your time, your talents,
your Brotherly Love, Your friendship, your passions, etc, you will always get back much more
than you could ever imagine. I don’t just mean giving of your dues either. That is all good and
well, but you also have to give of yourself. Has it been awhile since you have been in Lodge?
Has it been awhile since you gave of yourself to some Lodge project or function? To make
Masonry successful we need all of you. Come back to Lodge and let us show you that the
reward you will get in return is much more than you put in. Not quite sure just how to get
involved; just ask. The more help your officers have the more that can be accomplished.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 16 – Double EA Degree (Seth Meyer) & 1 Candidate from Converse Lodge #601
– Dinner 6:00pm
– Lodge 7:00pm
Feb. 23 – MM Degree (William Shuffleberger)
– Dinner 6:00pm
– Lodge 7:00pm
Mar. 2 – Stated Meeting
– Dinner 6:00pm
– Dedication of year to Memory of Mark L Griffin 6:30pm
– Lodge 7:00pm
This Week’s Birthdays
Wayne Buckallew (16), Harold Pendleton, PM (16), Albert Hall (17), Donald Weiler (17), John
Wertz (17), Dennis Hicks (18), Matthew Martin (20), Mark Price, PM (20)
This Week’s Raisings
David (DJ) Wood (17), Alvin Slont (17), John Rehfus (18), Bernard Wurger (18), Stephen Brown
(18), Donald Maxey (19), Andrew Koluch (19), Emmanuel FahnBulleh (19), Henry Fahnbulleh
(19), Gregory Hendricks (20), Philip Roberts (21), Michael Dollinger (21), Douglas Callahan (21)
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. Below is the travel opportunities site I go to. If you see anything there
that interests you make sure to let me know. This is also a great opportunity for Mentors to
take their mentees to see some extra degree work to aid in their learning.
Feb 13 – Travelled to Clinton Lodge #54 to assist with a MM Degree.
http://masoniccalendar.blogspot.com/
Brian Bates
Worshipful Master
Millersville Lodge #126
Mobile: 260-615-8013
Email: tazmanfw@gmail.com
by David Levine
February 8, 2021
Dear Brethren,
This Tuesday we are going to get back to having some Masonic education. My hope is to have it on a regular schedule in conjunction with Craft Guild night. This is also a perfect night for you to invite guests and friends to the Lodge. What a great way to introduce someone to the Brotherhood in a more relaxed environment when we are not so much in a rush to open Lodge. Also, the Masonic education they receive may just light a spark inside them to seek more light and join us in this great and good work. For those who cannot attend or who have COVID concerns, I will be making an attempt (fingers crossed) to do a Facebook Live event and after which we will also post the video on our website as well. If you are on Facebook, we have two separate Facebook accounts, one public and one private. All of our Brothers should be on both. The plan is to start to be more engaging on Social Media as well.
This Tuesday is also Craft Guild night following the education presentation. Our focus will be on the Master Mason Degree. Anyone and everyone who has even the slightest inkling to do craft work should attend. We have a great need for any and all ritualists or those who wish to be especially during these times of COVID. All of you who are Master Masons know we can’t pull off these degrees without your help and assistance. Lead by WB Bruce Frazer, I can assure you your experience in Craft Guild will be enriching and rewarding as well as a lot of fun.
I encourage all Brothers to log into the Member Portal on the Grand Lodge website (https://indianafreemasons.com/) and make sure all your information is up to date. There are a number of Brothers whose phone number and/or address in the database is no longer valid. If you are reading this newsletter through Facebook or our website but did not get this in your email, you too will want to go to the Member Portal and ensure we have the correct email address for you. If you have forgotten your login information, there is a recovery option there as well to get that information. If you have never created a login account, you can do that as well from the same place. I can also tell you from experience it is best to leave the member number field blank.
Lastly, I am looking for someone with a Marketing background or who has an interest and passion for that sort of thing to aid me in incorporating the Grand Lodge’s Path Forward program. Please let me know if interested and we can sit down and discuss further.
Quote of the Week:
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
Albert Schweitzer
I think we can all agree that the climate in this country has changed. From the stress and concern over COVID, to a very hotly charged political landscape, we have all been affected in some way. It may have lead many of us to say and do things that might ordinarily be out of character for us. Let us all take the time to reflect on the tenets of a Mason’s profession as well as the Four Cardinal virtues (starts on page 73 of your Indiana Monitor). By the principle of Brotherly Love, Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance. Let us as Masons be that beacon of Light and reason and show kindness to our fellow man.
Millersville 126 News / Dates:
Feb. 9 – Craft Guild (MM Degree Practice)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Masonic Education 6:30pm (Psalms 133 “Brotherly Unity” – Presented by Junior Grand Deacon Randy Seipel)
- Craft Guild 7:00pm
Feb. 16 – EA Degree (Seth Meyer)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
Feb. 23 – MM Degree (William Shuffleberger)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
This Week’s Birthdays
Mark Elliot (8), Brendon Buckley (9), Thomas Austin (12), Thomas Smith (13), Reed Cullen (14), Edward Hudgins (14), Bradford King (14)
This Week’s Raisings
Zaid Kurdi (12)
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. Below is the travel opportunities site I go to. If you see anything there that interests you make sure to let me know. This is also a great opportunity for Mentors to take their mentees to see some extra degree work to aid in their learning.
http://masoniccalendar.blogspot.com/
Brian Bates
Worshipful Master
Millersville Lodge #126
Mobile: 260-615-8013
Email: tazmanfw@gmail.com
by David Levine
February 1, 2021
Dear Brethren,
Your Lodge Officers are committed to getting things back on track. We are going to try and resume doing degree work again at Lodge. We certainly would love to have a full house; however, everyone needs to do what is within their own comfort level during this pandemic.
Some of us have been traveling during the month of January and have even participated at other Lodges to assist them in putting on their degree. This has given us renewed energy and enthusiasm. Just this past Saturday we attended the MM Degree of a 1-day class at Ellettsvile Lodge #245. We were treated by a visit from Past Grand Master Richard Hickam who was not only in attendance, but also participated in the degree and gave the answers during the crossfire. What an amazing experience.
Quote of the Week:
“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.”
Charles R. Swindoll
Pastor
This is how I hope you feel when you come to Lodge. I know I certainly feel joyful to be around my Brothers. It doesn’t matter what Masonic event you attend, it seems there are always Brothers there to give you a warm welcome, regardless if it is your first meeting or it is a longtime friend. This has a lot to do with why I love to travel to other Lodges or Fraternal Organizations. There are always friendly faces present and I leave with a sense of joy having been.
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)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Masonic Education 6:30pm (Tentative Plan)
- Craft Guild 7:00pm
Feb. 16 – EA Degree (Seth Meyer)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
Feb. 23 – MM Degree (William Shuffleberger)
- Dinner 6:00pm
- Lodge 7:00pm
This Week’s Birthdays
David Wilkins (2), Frederick Catron (3), Thomas Selvidge (3), Adam Arnold (5), Neil Cowen (5), John Rehfus (6), William Sanders (6)
This Week’s Raisings
Neil Cowen (1), Frederick Franklin (1), Donald Weiler (1), Christopher Wilson (2), Perry Baldwin (3)
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.
For the month of January there were 3 official travels that were completed with a total of 332 miles. Thank you to all those who have taken the time to travel with us. Below is the travel opportunities site I go to. If you see anything there that interests you make sure to let me know. This is also a great opportunity for Mentors to take their mentees to see some extra degree work to aid in their learning.
MasonicCalendar.blogspot.com
Brian Bates
Worshipful Master
Millersville Lodge #126
Mobile: 260-615-8013
Email: tazmanfw@gmail.com
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