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Arcadia Lodge No. 249 Newsletter
PO Box 249, Ames, Iowa 50010-0249
www.iowamasons.com
515-233-4299
July, 2008 - Volume 7, No. 7
W.M.: Jeremy Davis 291-7016
jeremyndavis@gmail.com
Sec.: Jay Cole Simser - 232-2580
JaycoleS@aol.com
Greetings from the East
As I sit here writing this month's column, I am being reminded of the tremendous amount of rain and flooding that has been occurring throughout the State of Iowa. In fact, today, Saylorville Lake is expected to start flowing over the emergency spillway. It is likely that Des Moines will see substantial flooding. As it should be, our prayers are with those who have been and will be affected by this flooding situation.
On June 26th, Arcadia Lodge will be hosting a prospective member night at the Lodge beginning at 7 p.m. We will have a short program and a great speaker will be in attendance to give an overview of the Masonic fraternity to the prospective members. I challenge each of you to bring at least 1 prospective member to the meeting. If you will be attending and/or bring a prospect or two (or more), please e-mail me at jeremyndavis@gmail.com so that we can plan for an appropriate amount of refreshments. Freemasonry, not only in Iowa but nationally as well, is experiencing a resurgence in membership. However, in speaking with a number of men of various ages in the Ames community during the past couple of months, a solid majority had heard of the Masons, but were not sure how or who to talk to about joining. For such a long period of our history, the fraternity relied on its "secrecy" to draw members; well, that secrecy has lead to men not knowing exactly how to do so.
As such, during the Stated meeting in June, the Lodge voted to have an entry in the Ames 4th of July Parade. Over the course of just a few years, this parade has become a premier parade in central Iowa. And, with that, we need volunteers to walk with our entry (a sign placed in Br. Bill Yungclas' truck) to pass out informational cards about Freemasonry and to have a strong presence for the community to see. If you are interested and able to help out during the parade, please e-mail me and let me know ASAP. Ideally, I'd like to hope that we could all wear our Arcadia polos. If you do not have an Arcadia polo, that can be arranged if you speak with our secretary, Br. Jay Cole Simser. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and we will need to be at the staging area (west of the Ames City Hall) by 9 a.m.
On July 18, 2008, the Lodge will be hosting the annual Table Lodge at the Quality Inn & Suites located on 13th Street (near I-35). Tickets are $25 and can be obtained by contacting Br. Simser at jaycoles@aol.com. As in previous years, those brothers who have attended the Table Lodge have greatly enjoyed themselves and I would highly encourage everyone to get their tickets no later that July 12th, as we need to submit an attendance count for the dinner. Did you know that Br. Dickson, when he was master of the Lodge, coordinated the first Table Lodge? Since that time, the brothers of Arcadia have looked forward to this event each year and it keeps getting better year after year. So, get your tickets early, because we only have a limited number to sell. And, when they're gone; well, they're gone!
In looking to the future, the Grand Lodge of Iowa will hold its annual communication in Des Moines on September 19th and 20th, with the Grand Lodge School of Instruction on the 18th. With it being held in Des Moines this year, it would be great to see a number of our Arcadia brothers attend the All-Masonic Dinner on Friday evening, September 19th for some fellowship and to witness the installation of next year's Grand Lodge officers. If you are interested in attending the Friday evening session of Grand Lodge, please email our secretary at jaycoles@aol.com.
And so, this concludes the July newsletter column. Don't forget about Arcadia After Work Wednesdays (AAWW) held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at Olde Main Brewing Company in downtown Ames.
See you at the Lodge!
Jeremy Davis, WM
Birthdays
Happy Birthday to the brothers having birthdays in July:
Jim Converse - 7th,
Homer Caton - 9th,
Joel Paulson - 9th,
Christopher Seeger - 12th,
Lester Hicks - 14th,
Michael Dirnberger - 15th,
Herb Harmison - 15th,
Greg Nelson - 16th,
Dean Sogard - 17th,
Scot Werkmeister - 17th,
Bob Onstot - 18th,
John Martens - 22nd,
Aaron Davenport - 24th,
George Clark III- 26th,
Scott Mumper - 28th,
Daniel Mosiman, and
Clint Sletten - 31st.
Educational
Prayer and Masonry by Bill R. Yungclas
Prayer for Masons is an interesting consideration. We are the ultimate in interfaith nature as an organization, only requiring that a member have a "belief in a Supreme Being." So leading corporate prayer among Masons is a challenge. Does the one leading the prayer let his own faith perspective direct his prayer (it's hard, if not impossible not to) or does the leader attempt to be as "generic" as possible to be inclusive for all present regardless of each one's faith perspective. No small task!
Corporate prayer is a bit of a dilemma for me anyway, as I am usually reminded of the scriptural injunction to "go into the closet and pray alone" not as "those who stand on the street corner" and attempt to impress others with their flowery words. Nevertheless, there is some value in corporate prayer in that it gathers people together in "an attitude of prayer" and to focus on that "Supreme Being" as seen by each from our own personal perspective. The challenge for the leader is then to guide those gathered in reflection on: the meaning of life, the particular occasion (e.g. grace before a meal), or some issue that is weighing heavily on our hearts and minds at that particular moment. Again, no small task.
For each person gathered and hearing the prayer, there is also an important role - to actively absorb those thoughts and fit them to his own moment in time and space. I think we should listen attentively, even aggressively, and try to let those words shape our feelings at that moment. That's what I consider "being in an attitude of prayer" is all about. This may be especially challenging when it is a "ritualistic" prayer that we have prayed many times - but all the more important to listen "aggressively." How can those oft-repeated words have fresh meaning each time we hear them? Attempt to hear them as if for the first time because they are for the "first time" at that point in your life. Then they may have new meaning each time you hear/pray them.
If prayer doesn't move you at a given moment, don't feel disappointed or even "guilty." As the old Indian said after he spent the day on the mountaintop expecting to die, "it was a good day for dying". He picked himself up and trudged back home with the comment, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't." Sometimes we will be moved by prayer and sometimes we won't. There is no "magic" to it. I think our role is to actively seek the meaning lovingly and accept what comes
Calendar
July 2 - 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. Lincoln Center HyVee.
July 3 - 7:30 p.m. Arcadia Lodge Stated Meeting.
July 7 - 7:00 p.m. DeMolay Stated Meeting.
July 9 - 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. Lincoln Center HyVee.
July 10 - Arcadia Lodge Boards and Committees.
Arcadia Lodge Newsletter Deadline.
July 14 - 7:00 p.m. DeMolay.
July 16 - 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. Lincoln Center HyVee.
5:15 p.m. Arcadia After Work.
July 17 - Arcadia Lodge.
July 18 - 5:30 p.m. Table Lodge.
July 21 - 5:00 p.m. Grand Lodge New Member Forum.
July 23 - 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. Lincoln Center HyVee.
July 24 - Arcadia Lodge
July 28 - 7:00 p.m. DeMolay.
July 30 - 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. Lincoln Center HyVee.
July 31 - Arcadia Lodge
To schedule an event at the Masonic Temple call Jay Cole Simser - 232-2580
E-Mail Address Changes
If you change your e-mail address for any reason, please send your new e-mail address to David Countryman, Newsletter Editor at davidc@iastate.edu, so there will be no interruption in the arrival of your Arcadia Lodge #249 Newsletter.
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