Wilmette Park No. 931
Trestleboard Fall 2011
From the East
Brothers: I hope you are all well, had a very nice Thanksgiving and are preparing for the upcoming holiday season.
2011-12 is Wilmette Park’s centennial year. In September we had a wonderful rededication of the lodge with the grand officers in attendance, brothers from many lodges visiting and a sumptuous banquet. It was a great restart for our historic lodge.
Last month was the installation of officers. We have a team of brothers who are dedicated to planning and executing a series of events to keep our brethren active and engaged. And for the first time in several years, we have filled a line with officers ready to advance securing our lodge leaders for the next few years.
We are making some changes to liven things up a bit. We will try to cut short the business part of our stated meetings. We all know that paying the bills isn’t that interesting even if necessary. We will have a presentation or activity and some Masonic education at every meeting. And we will go for some after lodge fellowship trying out different places.
Our next event will be a lodge holiday party on December 15 at 7pm. The ladies are invited. We’ve made this pot luck so we will have a variety of foods and treats to sample (and give our Junior Warden who has been working so hard a night off!). As part of our new philanthropy program, please bring some canned goods or shelf stable food like pasta or cookies. These food stuffs will be donated to the New Trier Food Pantry. And to make the party a merrier, bring a Christmas ornament to exchange with another Brother or lady.
Winter is coming up and this is the best time to work on initiating new members. I also serve as the membership chairman at Medinah Shriners and know that there is no better way to grow a lodge than by one brother talking to a friend about Masonry and inviting them to one of our dinners. You are a Mason, consider your friends that you know meet our profile of men of good character and invite them to visit. They will receive a warm welcome.
Unfortunately it is true that over time brothers can skip a meeting or two and the next thing you know they haven’t made a lodge meeting in a long time. If you haven’t been to a meeting in awhile we will welcome you back with our friendship, fellowship and brotherly love. Come on by and enjoy a good meal, pleasant conversation and a nice evening out with the guys.
Mark Donnell Worshipful Master
From the West
Well, the 2012 officers have been installed and are ready to have an exemplary year at Wilmette Park. Our WM, Mark Donnell is filled with enthusiasm and has many good leader skills. One of my responsibilities as Sr. Warden is to make sure our lodge earns the Grand Master’s Award of Excellence this year. So, I will be pushing the members to meet the various requirements to make this happen. One the great things about the GMAE is that by meeting each of the challenges, a lodge cannot help but become a stronger, happier, more viable organization. Our next event will be the Wilmette Chamber Holiday parade on November 19th, come to the Temple and join us in the fun.
Petitions continue to flow in and we are pressed to keep up with the degree work, but are so pleased to see our lodge have its third consecutive year of net growth in membership. If you haven’t attended lodge lately, you should take the time to come out and experience all the excitement.
Edward Rund, P.M. Senior Warden
From the Secretary's desk
The past year has seen a lot of activity and changes within the Lodge. With the celebration of the 100th anniversary a lot of work was put into the Lodge to make it look good. We have had several new members join and many not so new members have become more active. There are a lot of 'younger' faces showing up at meetings. The minutes of the stated meetings are being sent out by email to keep everyone up to date on what's going on in the Lodge.
Next year promises to be even more exciting with additional activities. So make sure that we have your current information in the Lodge files (email address and regular address).
Bryan Coussens P.M. Secretary
From the Deacons places
In February 2012 Bro. van Deur and Bro. van Oosten will organize a Table Lodge, the first since many years.
Our brethren are also interested in the social aspects of the Craft. This is the merit of the Table Lodge--it satisfies the social interests while it illustrates Masonic principles. Its purpose is to provide, with the festivities of the banquet, enjoyment and instruction. The instruction is designed to enlighten the mind, touch the heart, and engage the will of the brethren. Action is interjected by rising, lifting the glasses, sounding off, and drinking the toasts together. Every brother participates. The combination of action and good fellowship, with high minded discussion of Masonic principles, is the characteristic of the Table Lodge
Christiaan van Deur and Patrick van Oosten Sr. and Jr. Deacons
From Lodge Masonic Education Officer
Congratulations to our new Worshipful Master Mark Donnell and all of our new officers. This year I am proud to serve as the lodge's education officer. It is my job to make sure that there is a presentation at every stated meeting and possibly at every special meeting. The presentations may or may not be related to masonry, but I will guarantee that they will be interesting and entertaining. I will post on the website what the presentation will be before the meeting so you will be able to look forward to it. With the permission of the Worshipful Master, some of these presentations may be performed on the 1st degree so all brethren may participate.
Little piece of history... In this month of November, our illustrious brother George Washington began his masonic career in Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Fredericksburg, Virginia at the age of 20 on November 4, 1752. At this time Brother Washington was just beginning his military career. With the encroachment of the French on the territory of the Ohio Company, his brother Lawrence who was a Major and adjunct-general of one of the provinces helped him attain the same rank and responsibility. He was trained by Jacob Van Braam, who served with Major Lawrence in an earlier campaign, and trained Brother George in fencing, tactics and other military matters. Although it is not known that Van Braam was a freemason, it is curious that he was so influential to Brother George and just happened to live in Fredericksburg, Virginia where Alexandria Lodge is located.
Mike Hoover P.M.
Lodge Masonic Education Officer