For the past several months, Bethel #4 has been very busy. We have participated in Initiations at other Bethels, Majority Ceremonies, Burgerville Fundraiser (thank you to the lodge members that came and supported us), Even a kidnap breakfast where the girls were picked up at their homes and had to go to breakfast in their pajamas, Grand Bethel Weekend as well as attending other Bethel meetings around the area. Read More
By: Charles Benvegar
I saw them tearing a building down, a group of men
in a busy town.
With a hefty blow and a lusty yell, They swung with zest, and the sidewall fell.
I asked the foremen, “are these men skilled? The kind you would hire, if you had to build?”
He looked at me, and laughed, “no, indeed! Unskilled labor is all I need. Why, they can wreck in a day or two, What has taken builders years to do.”
I asked myself, as I went my way, which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder with rule and square, measuring and constructing with skill and care?
Or am I the wrecker, who runs the town, content with the business of tearing down?
Malheur Cave sits in the desert wastelands of southeastern Oregon. It’s the site of a closely- guarded Masonic ceremony, held in late August about 1,000 feet into the lava tube. A torchlight ceremony confers the Third Degree on an initiate, surrounded by cold, dark gloom. Read More
Spring seems to have sprung, and Friendship looks to have caught its stride. Our March Communication saw a fantastic turn out of Brothers (members and visitors alike) and we didn’t disappoint. Inspired by WB Arneson’s lecture on “The Art of Virtue”, a delightful party of Brothers stayed behind to enjoy refreshment and conversation into the night. Though liberated from the usual Masonic restrictions, temperance was on display in good form, undoubtedly bolstered by a measure of prudence. Read More
Attended a Leadership Workshop last month, conducted through Grand Lodge, and was a very well attended event. With the following subjects being discussed; Read More
The Magic Flute, possibly Mozart’s most famous opera, is often said to be the “Masonic” opera. But people tend to be mystified, wondering what makes it so Masonic. Having studied this topic a bit, I’ll give my own view. If you’re interested, keep reading…. Read More
Harmony being the strength and support of every Lodge, it has been gratifying to spend so much quality time with Worshipful Brother Bob, and Brother JW Walter, over the past two months. Pausing to reflect on this, I went seeking some wisdom on the subject of “harmony”, and found the following: Read More
It gave me such delight to see so many of you last month; your enjoyment of our meal, our focused attention for Brother Roy Ball’s lecture, and the conversation and fellowship after the close of our meeting all sparked such a bright light for me – as I hope it did for you.
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The Gavel is one of the chief working tools of every Freemason
Furthermore it is the clearest emblem of authority in conducting a meeting. Therefore the game of taking a Lodge’s gavel serves to encourage a sporting, classical competition and exploit an individual Mason’s sense of Lodge pride to encourage extensive travel and exchange between Lodges.
Some of the gavels taken by and from Friendship Masonic Lodge
No one really knows how it began, but the custom of seizing a gavel is one of those uniquely playful games Brothers play, without which Freemasonry might well seem incomplete.
The rules are simple:
- Any Masonic Lodge, when visiting another Lodge, is entitled to take a gavel from their host if they have five or more Brothers in their party.
- It is proper courtesy to inform the Worshipful Master of the host Lodge of your intent before the meeting.
- The Worshipful Master of the host Lodge chooses which gavel to give.
- It is customary to return the visitor’s gavel If the host Lodge had previously seized the visiting Lodge’s gavel.
- The spirit of the game is innately playful, and encourages members to reach out and create new relationships within the Masonic Brotherhood.
“Traveling” as we call it is one of the most precious privileges of a Master Mason.
By visiting other Lodges we not only come to know more Brothers, but can glean insights from how they perform their work, and bring that light back to their Mother Lodge just as they incorporate it into their individual Masonic journey.
So now you have what you need. Travel well and often, Brethren!