2012 THE TRESTLEBOARD From the East It is a great honor to be elected to the position of Worshipful Master of Newton Lodge No. 59 for 2012. With the assistance of the officers and the membership, I will be working hard to make this a great year. I want to thank Brother Louis Modlin for serving our Lodge as Master last year. Congratulations to our newly elected officers SW Steve Rodgers, JW Greg Van Vark, Treasurer Louis Modlin, and Secretary Wade Sheeler. This is going to be an exciting year. January we will begin with Installation of Officers on the 7th at 11:00 am. January 19th is our regular meeting with dinner at 6:00 pm, education program and fellowship at 6:30 pm and the meeting at 7:30 pm. Desert will be served following the meeting. February 2nd we have scheduled a Friendship Night. Brethren, membership is the key to our survival! I urge you to assist us in this effort by bringing a candidate to this very important evening. February 5th there is talk about a Super Bowl Party. And in March we have planned a Chicken Noodle dinner as a fundraiser for the Lodge. Now down to the business at hand. We had an increase in our dues of $24.00 this year. It is important we explain to you the membership where this extra money is going. In the last few years we have experienced many repairs to the building including replacing the roof, repairing the south wall and last year the elevator. Eight years ago the Capital Building Fund was established to address any major capital repairs. At that time we designated $5.00 per member to be contributed to the Capital Building Fund annually. This year we will be putting an additional $20.00 per member into the fund which we hope to grow so we are prepared to meet any capital building repairs in the future. The remaining $4.00 per member will go into our general fund to meet our regular expenses. I encourage you to attend our monthly stated meetings and look forward to seeing you there. Fraternally, Brethren, for those of you who do not know me, I am Stephen "Newt" Rodgers. Newton Lodge has been my home for a long time and I have served in several positions and on several committees. Most people recognize me as a quality control specialist on the breakfast committee. I have enjoyed my work in our lodge for many years and hold the distinct honor of having four generations of masons in my family. I am hoping to encourage more members to come back to the lodge for our member and family oriented activities that we are planning for 2012. We also are offering rides to any and all activities held in our lodge for this years and many to come. To arrange for transportation, just give us a call at 641-792-5258 and leave us a message. I'll be writing this column monthly. Greetings Brethren, Thank you for allowing me to serve Newton Lodge as Junior Warden for the 2012 year. I am deeply humbled and greatly honored that you've entrusted me with this office. Being from Pella, I was raised in Pella Lodge #55 in 1972 by Brother Bob Kilfoil. Through the years I was privileged to serve in many capacities and was elected Worshipful Master in 1976, 1984, and again in 2000. In 2007 I became a member of Newton Lodge #59 and have always enjoyed the fellowship and masonic dedication that exists here in Newton Lodge. My sincere wishes to all for a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I'm looking forward to 2012; hope to see you in Lodge! Our next stated meeting is January 19, 2012. For the dinner prior to the meeting, Worshipful Master Toby Williams will be preparing baked steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and desert. Sounds great, see you there! Fraternally, Newton Chapter #100 O.E.S. Newton Eastern Star met on December 5th and held Installation of Officers for 2012. Those installed were: JoAnn Bergeson, Worthy Matron; Jim Warnock, Worthy Patron; Kathy Hackathorn, Associate Matron; Ed Meade, Associate Patron; Helen Ratliff, Secretary; Karen Meade, Treasurer; Sharon Jolley, Conductress; Carol Bailey, Associate Conductress; Ford Thompson, Chaplain; Laurel Gustafson, Organist; Deloris Jensen, Esther; Norma JeanWarnock, Electa; and Jack Wright, Sentinel. We donated our Reindeer Rally March funds plus a matching amount from our Treasury to the Salvation Army for the month of December. What a great way Advance notice of our School of Instruction, this will be held on April 21st with Sister Karen Hyde, Worthy Grand Matron; and Brother Dennis DeJoode, Worthy Grand Patron and their corps of Grand Officers in JoAnn Bergeson Jim Warnock Newton York Rite News The Commandery met on December 7, 2011 and had a full agenda. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Masonic Anniversary for January Daniel Allen 1/6/1987, William Briggs II 1/10/1969, Ford Thompson 1/10/1969, Erwin Michmershuizen 1/11/1973, Event Calendar January 7 Installation of Officers 11:00 am, January 14 Pancake Breakfast 7:00 am - 9:00 am, January 19 Stated Meeting 7:30 pm February 2 Prospect Night 6:00 pm, February 11 Pancake Breakfast 7:00 am - 9:00 am, February 16 Stated Meeting 7:30 pm The Three Great Lights The Holy Bible is a Great Light because from its place upon the altar in the center of the Lodge it pours forth upon the east, west, and south it refulgent rays of Diving Truth. In all lands a volume of Sacred Law, not necessarily the Holy Bible must be open upon the Masonic altar whenever Lodge is open. Freemasonry opens this Great Light upon her altar not as one Book of one faith, but as all books of all faiths, the Book of the Will of the Great Architect read in what language, what form, and what shape we will. In it are found those simple teachings of the universality of Brotherhood, the love of God for his children and the hope of immortality, which are the very foundation of Freemasonry. The Square, itself, is not a Light in its own right, but should be regard a reflector to direct the rays of the Great Light and to remind us of our duty of God, our neighbor, and ourselves. It is the first of the immovable jewels and the badge of office and emblem worn by the Worshipful Master. It denotes Morality, for by the square we are reminded that we are to test our thoughts, words, and actions that we may better fit in our contact with other fellowmen. The Compass also reflects the lessons in the Great Light, and teaches us to circumscribe our desires and keep our passions within due bounds toward all mankind. The dot in the center of the symbol in the east represents an individual Brother, which symbol is made by the Compass; one leg makes the dot and the other revolving about the dot forms the circles or boundary inside of which to live according to the tenets of Masonry. The Square and Compass are old and were probable the first precise instruments of architecture and operative Masonry, yet the philosophical truths which the ancient Masons, who were both operative and speculative, read into them have come down to us unchanged through the ages. Stone Masons use the Square to prove the perfect ashlars. Hence the universal significance of the word “square” meaning moral, upright, and honorable. The Compass can be used to draw a circle of any diameter and to prove the trueness of the square and should be used by all Masons to seriously and intelligently circumscribe his desires and to prove the worth of his square. The world knows Masonry only by the action of its members, so we should circumscribe our desires by proper use of the Compass, and live by the Square, reflecting the rays of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth as taught in the Great Light, that the world may be the better for our having passed this way.
My Lodge Membership Card I hold in my hand a little scrap of paper 2 and one-half by 3 and three-fourths inches in size. It is of no intrinsic worth, not a bond, not a check or receipt for values, yet it is my most priceless possession. It is my membership card in a lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. It tells me that I have entered into a spiritual and material kinship with my fellow masons, to practice charity in word and deed, to forgive and forget the faults of my brethren, to hush the tongues of scandal and innuendo, to care for the crippled, the hungry and sick and be just too all mankind. It tells me that no matter where I may travel in the World, I am welcome to visit a place where fellowship prevails among the brothers and friends. It tells me that my loved ones, my home and my household are under their protection of every member of this great Fraternity, who has sworn to protect mine as I have sworn to protect and defend theirs. It tells me that should I ever be overtaken by adversity or misfortune, the hands of every mason on the face of the Earth will be stretched forth to assist me in my necessities. And finally it tells me, my brethren, that when my final exit from the stage of life has been made, there will be gathered in my lodge room, friends and brothers who will recall to mind my virtues, though they may be few and will forgive and forget my faults, though they may be many. It tells me all this and a great deal more, this little scrap of paper 2 and one-half by 3 and three-fourths inches in size.
Please Don’t Forget to Pay Your Dues
Volume 110, Issue 3 (March 2010)
Brethren February is almost over, and snow and bad roads have been a weekly occurrence. Brother Alan Neubauer was raised to the degree of a Master Mason on the evening of February 25th. The Shrine Past Masters performed the second section and helped make this a memorable occasion for our newest Master Mason here at Newton Lodge. I would like to thank all of you from our lodge and neighboring lodges who helped make brother Alan’s Master Mason degree a memorable one. We are making progress in raising donations to repair/replace our elevator. If you haven’t donated, please do. If you have donated, thank you for your generosity. As stated before, our elevator is part of the lifeblood of our temple, and without it, many of our brothers and sisters would be unable to attend our events. We held our friendship night on Thursday, February 11th. The ladies of the Eastern Star prepared a wonderful meal for our brothers and our guests. At the time of this writing, it looks like we garnered two petitions from our evening. After our meal, Brothers Jerry Wahl and Madison Tomfeld, along with Jim Christiansen, Dave Norton, and Corwin Beary, performed their traditional bluegrass music for the brethren and our guests. Brother Craig Davis, Chairman of the Committee on Division and Reference (ie: next Grand Master) spoke about Masonry and reasons why our guests should consider joining the fraternity. Please mark Saturday, March 20th on your calendar. We will be holding a chicken-noodle dinner from 11:00AM until 7:00PM to help raise money for the lodge elevator fund. If you attended last year, you know that the ladies of the Easter Star prepared a wonderful chicken-noodle dinner, and we hope our reputation for putting on a great meal will bring in even more folks this year. We will be needing help for serving, clean-up, making pies, etc, so don’t be afraid to volunteer! Michael J. Balmer, Worshipful Master
Sisters and brothers, We had a wonderful workshop in Traer on January 30 with many members from district 10, our new district. There are a few new changes for us, including some of the wording in our rituals. Tami will send out the changes to the officers for this year. Please remember that we are dark for March. We look forward to seeing you all at our regular meeting April 5th and at our night school on April 9th. Stay warm, spring is coming. :-) Tami Veldhuizen, Worthy Matron Jack Wright, Worthy Patron
No News
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
March Birthdays John Bali 3/3, Alan Anspach 3/11, Charles Bruce 3/19, Jared Bazal 3/27
Volume 110, Issue 2 (February 2010) Brethren January has come and gone quickly, and after a very cold, snowy start, things moderated somewhat and became more bearable. The Lodge passed Brother Alan Neubauer to the degree of a Fellow Craft on January 14. I would like to thank all of you from our lodge and neighboring lodges who helped make brother Alan’s Fellow Craft Degree a memorable one. Brother Alan’s 3rd degree is scheduled for January 28th at 7:00PM. The Elevator Committee has reported that we are making progress in raising donations to repair/replace our elevator. We are nearly halfway to the receiving the donations we need to get our repairs scheduled and underway. I would like to thank all of those who have donated thus far for your generosity. If you have not donated yet, please take a moment and send a donation to the lodge. Our elevator is part of the lifeblood of our temple, and without it, many of our brothers and sisters would be unable to attend our events. We will be holding a friendship night on Thursday, February 11th. We will have a meal at 6:00PM followed by a program and musical entertainment. Please take this opportunity to bring a friend to the lodge and introduce them to the fellowship of Masonry. That gesture could possibly lead to petitions to help grow our fraternity. Please mark Saturday, March 6th on your calendar. We will be holding a chicken-noodle dinner from 11:00AM until 7:00PM to help raise money for the lodge elevator fund. If you attended last year, you know that the ladies of the Easter Star prepared a wonderful chicken-noodle dinner, and we hope our reputation for putting on a great meal will bring in even more folks this year. We will also be needing help for serving, clean-up, making pies, etc, so don’t be afraid to volunteer! Michael J. Balmer, Worshipful Master
Sisters and brothers, We had a wonderful meeting in January, where we installed the new officers for 2010. Our chapter has voted to be dark for the months of February & March. We hope you all stay warm. Our next meeting will be Monday, April 5th at 7:00 PM. Our school of instruction will be on Friday, April 9th, beginning with a potluck at 5:00 PM. We hope to see many sideliners in April. May God bless and keep you all. Tami Veldhuizen, Worthy Matron Jack Wright, Worthy Patron
Wednesday night the Malachi Council #55 met and conducted business for the Newton York Rite Bodies. Robert Mick's application to receive the degrees and orders was read and he was elected to receive the degrees and orders. That will happen at the York Rite Day in Ottumwa on Saturday January 23rd. We will have a Commandery Inspection before June 30. We hope to do the Order of the Knight Templar at that meeting. The details are yet to be finalized. We plan to have another Friendship Night probably in April. There will be more on that subject later. York Rite Bodies voted to participate in the Elevator Fund. The amount is still in question but a substantial amount will be contributed before July 1, 2011.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
February Birthdays Bob Beiner 2/22
Volume 110, Issue 1 (January 2010)
Brethren Another year has ended and a new one is upon us. Brother Al Jensen served Newton Lodge well this past year as our Worshipful Master. We all learned a lot from him as he guided us through another busy year. I hope to take him up often on his offer to help however he can in the upcoming year. Thank you, Al! A soup supper was held on the Friday after Thanksgiving before the parade and Courthouse lighting ceremony. The annual Christmas Party was held on December 5th. On Saturday December 12th, the lodge was busy, first with the monthly breakfast, followed by lunch for the “Shop with a Cop” participants and an evening pizza party for the Big Brother and Sisters folks. We also rang bells for the Salvation Army at HyVee. Many thanks to all of you who donated your valuable time to make all of these events a success! The 2010 officer were installed after our stated meeting on December 17th. Brother Max Higgason served as the Installing Master and Brother Art Crandon as the Installing Marshall. I wish to thank them for helping us start another year off on the right foot. Our 2010 Officers are: Michael Balmer, W.M., Louis Modlin, S.W., Merle Smith J.W., Kerry Walker, Treasurer, Paul Bergmann, Secretary, Dennis Williams, S.D, Crook, J.D., Louis Mothers, S.S., and Wally Schermerhorn, J.S., Ward Bailey, Marshall, and Jack Wright, Tiler. The 2010 calendar will be out soon with a list of dates with the year’s scheduled lodge activities. Thanks to all the brothers have helped make this past year a successful and fun year here at Newton Lodge. With a little luck, we’ll keep busy again this year and have some fun in the process. Michael J. Balmer, Worshipful Master
Joann reported on her trip to General grand Chapter that was held in Tulsa, OK this year. One of the interesting points is that besides the projects that each state does, we have assisted the General Grand Chapter to contribute over one million dollars to cancer research. Joann encourages everyone to attend at least one General Grand Chapter session. Tami Veldhuizen, W.M. elect, reported that we will have installation of the 2010 officers at the January stated meeting. Ward and I would like to thank everyone that has supported us this past year, be it those accepting and serving in an office, to baking a or serving pies, everyone has been great! We feel we have accomplished some things this past year, but it could NOT have been done without your help. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January Birthdays Roger Gilbreath 1/2, Ralph Norris 1/5, Gary Gustafson 1/6, Owen Welling 1/12, John Schermerhorn 1/13, Ford Thompson 1/15, Donald Onthank 1/19, Evan Harkin 1/20, Keith Nielson 1/20, Al Masters 1/20, Marcus Schild 1/21, Dan Allen 1/22, Louis Smothers 1/22, Lyle Floyd 1/23, Keith Iske 1/24, Jeff McKibben 1/24, Robert Bailey 1/27, Dan Kelly 1/27
Brethren Volume 109, Issue 12 (December) The year has flown by so rapidly that it seems like only yesterday that the 2009 officers were installed. As this will be my last Trestleboard, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have worked so hard to make our programs and activities a success this year. There is one special group that I would like to recognize, the ladies of the Eastern Star without whose help many of our projects would have been extremely difficult. Ladies, you have my heartfelt thanks. We still have some important events coming up before we finish the year. On Friday, November 27th prior to the Lighting of the Courthouse and the holiday parade, Newton Lodge will be having a soup supper with homemade chili, beef stew, potato soup, and chicken and noodle soup. We will be serving from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. Prices for this all-you-can eat supper are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. Proceeds will be going to our fund to help with the elevator repairs. On Saturday, December 5th, we will be having our All Masonic Christmas Party at 6:00 p.m. followed by the Christmas program in the lodge room. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making a special trip down from the North Pole. To make sure that we have enough food to serve all in attendance we MUST have reservations made to the Secretary’s Office (792-5258) by Wednesday, December 2nd. Leave your name and number including adults and children (each child will receive a special gift from Santa). As a special treat, everyone is invited to bring their favorite homemade cookies, candy or treats to share with all. Get your reservations in. Lets have an extra big turnout for this special holiday get together. On Saturday, December 12th we will feed the “Shop With A Cops” kids and police officers at noon and host a holiday pizza party for the Big Brothers/Little Brothers organization before they go to the Newton YMCA for the holiday play. Our December stated meeting will be held on the 17th. “Chef” Kerry Walker will be cooking us sphagetti. Bro. Wade Sheeler has a fun game of “Masonic Jeopardy” prepared to test your Masonic knowledge. Installation of the 2010 officers will follow our stated meeting. At our Past Masters Night, I was honored to present Bro. Bob Howe with the 2009 Mason of the Year Award. If you see Bro. Bob, congratulate him on this well deserved honor. Finally my brethren, I wish to thank each of you for the honor of allowing me to serve as Worshipful Master of Newton Lodge #59 this year. Although we have accomplished a great deal, we can not let complacency and apathy creep in as we have many challenges to meet .
Karen & Ed Meade, Kathy Hackathorn, Ford Thompson, Norma Jean & Jim Warnock, and Carol Bailey gave reports from the Grand Chapter session held in Iowa City in late October. One of the bills passed was to increase the Grand Chapter dues. Our bylaws are written so that this increase will go into affect for the coming year. Our dues for the coming year will be $25.00. The Green Mouse project raised over $34,000 to donate to the University of Iowa for research. Another project of the Worthy Grand Matron’s was to collect books for hospitals..over 2000 books were collected. Jim Warnock, Grand Represenative to Utah and Norma Jean attended the Utah Grand Chapter session in Salt Lake City. They met in the Masonic Hall which was built in 1926. The Utah Grand Chapter OES has a total member of 1200 with 19 chapters. Norma Jean and Jim stated they enjoyed meeting their Utah sisters and brothers. Deloris Jensen, Jim Warnock, and Jack Wright have been appointed to a committee to help with fundraising for repairs to the elevator. At our November stated meeting, a motion was passed to donate $5000 to this project. All of us will need to pitch in to raise funds for these repairs. Please join us on December 7th for our stated meeting. It is always a special meeting with some holiday music from Sister Patsy Evans. Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
A big Thank You to the volunteers from USA Health Care Center for their assistance in helping our Breakfast Committee serve the October 10th breakfast to the Newton Cardinal Football team, coaches, parents, and cheerleaders. Nearly 100 people were served in this gesture of support to the Newton Cardinals. Congratulations to Brother Steve Wilcox on being passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft. He will be receiving his third degree on Thursday, November 5th at 7:00PM. Brethren please plan on being there and making this a memorable evening for Brother Steve. Past Masters Night will be observed on Thursday, October 30th. Social hour is at 4:00PM with the First Section of the Third Degree at 5:00pm and Dinner at 6:00PM. Dinner will consist of Roast Pork with all the trimmings. Reservations can be left at 792-5258 or with our Secretary Wade Sheeler. Cost is $7 except to our Past Masters who are our guests for the evening. We will resume labor at 7:00PM to receive the Grand Lodge Officers who will confer the second section and raise Brother Joel Wright to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. Please plan on being there to help us honor our Past Masters who have given so much to Newton Lodge #59. Something New Has Been Added! The breakfast committee has decided to hold a Hunters Breakfast on Saturday, October 31st. Hours are 5:00AM to 8:00 AM. Even though you might not be a hunter, you are cordially invited to come to breakfast on this Saturday. Newton Lodge invites you to a Reception and Banquet honoring our own Brother Wade Sheeler who is serving as the Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Iowa for this year. It will be on Saturday, November 21 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center located at 519 Park Street in Des Moines. Social hour is 4:00PM to 5:00PM. Reception of Past and Present Grand Lodge Officers is at 5:00PM. Banquet and Program is at 6:00PM. Tickets are $20 and reservations should be made to 792-5258 or email newtonmasons@iowatelecom.net by November 14th. An excellent prime rib dinner is planned. Please plan to attend and help make this a memorable evening for our Brother who has contributed so much to Newton Lodge #59.
You have recently received a proposal to update our by-laws for the Newton York Rite Bodies. We will be voting on these at our November stated meeting. Dues notices for 2010 are in the process of being sent out. Your prompt payment of these will be greatly appreciated. Our next stated meeting is on November 4th. We will be opening Oriental Commandery #22 that evening. CALENDAR OF EVENTS October 27 Polk-Jasper Study Club at King David Lodge #407, Altoona. Dinner at 6:30 pm. Ritual Study (3rd Degree) at 7:30 p.m.
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 10 (October) By the time you receive this Trestleboard, the 165th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Iowa will be over. Bro. Wade Sheeler was installed as Sr. Grand Warden. Newton Lodge #59 was represented by myself, Bro. Mike Balmer (SW) and Louis Balmer (JW). I am happy to report that Newton Lodge #59 received the Plus One Award for membership and the Lodge of the Year Award (Bronze) for membership activity. We scored the third highest number of points in the state for the Lodge of the Year Award. Congratulations brothers on these prestigious awards. Bro.Wade has asked that his reception be moved to the Des Moines Scottish Rite Masonic Center. It will be held on Saturday, November 21st. The Social Hour will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Tapestry Lounge. Newton Lodge will be opened at 5:00 p.m. to receive the Past and Present Grand Lodge Officers. A banquet will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Tapestry Lounge. I would like to extend a special thanks to Bro. Jons Olsson from Martin Lodge #624 in Waterloo for the extremely interesting and thought provoking program on “Masonry and the Civil War” at our August stated meeting. I would like to also thank R.W. Bro. Art Crandon for the interesting program he gave at our stated meeting in September on the Masonic ritual. At our September stated meeting, we elected Mr. Steven Wilcox to membership. He will be receiving his first degree on the Thursday, September 24th at 7:00 p.m. Please try to attend and help us make this a memorable evening for Steve. Newton Lodge #59 participates in the Adopt-a-Street program and on Saturday, September 26th we will be cleaning the ditches along South 13th Avenue East between East 19th Street South and Barneys’ on the Southeast Beltline Road. We will meet at the intersection of East 19th Street South and South 13th Avenue East at 9:00 a.m. If we have enough help, we should be able to complete this project in a couple hours…Your help is needed. Newton Lodge #59 will be hosting the Newton Cardinals Football Team for our annual “Feed the Cardinals” breakfast on the Saturday, October 10th. The football boys, coaches, cheerleaders, and parents will be up for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Please come up and show your support for the Newton Cardinals. Newton Lodge will be hosting our annual Past Masters Night on October 30th. Social hour will be at 4:00 p.m. and Lodge will open at 5:00 p.m. to confer the first section of the third degree on Bro. Joel Wright. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. Following dinner we will resume Labor and receive the Past and Present Grand Lodge Officers of the Grand Lodge of Iowa. Dinner will consist of Roast Pork and all the trimmings. Price will be $7.00 for everyone except Past Masters of Newton Lodge #59. Brethren, please join me in honoring these Brothers who have given so much to Newton Lodge #59. Dues: Per the Masonic Code of Iowa, all members who have not paid their dues by the November stated meeting (11/20) are automatically suspended. Please do not let this happen to you. If there is a reason that you are unable to pay your dues, please contact either myself or the Secretary. Alfred L. Jensen, Worshipful Master
Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 09 (September) I am happy to report our “Christmas in July” dinner was a huge success netting nearly $4800 for the St Nicks Christmas Club. This will indeed brighten a lot of children’s faces this Christmas. I want to thank all of the ladies of the OES, brethren of Newton Lodge #59 and their ladies for their efforts, hard work and pie contributions in showing to our community that “Freemasonry is indeed the Fraternity that cares.” I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of a change in dates. Due to Grand Lodge falling on the 3rd Thursday this month, our regular will be held on September 10th. The dinner of pork tenderloins with all the fixings will be served at 6:00PM by “Chef“ Wally Schermerhorn. It will followed by a program presented by Right Worshipful Brother Art Crandon, Chairman of the Board of Custodians, on the History of the Masonic Ritual in Iowa. In the event Brother Wade Sheeler is elected Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Iowa, he will be installed, along with the other grand officers, on Friday night, September 18th at 7:00PM at the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Please try to attend to show our support and appreciation for all the contributions he has made to Newton Lodge #59. We are indeed fortunate to have a man of his talents and ability as our Secretary. Anticipating his election, we have set November 14th as the date of his reception. More information will be available as that date nears. Brethren, the charitable works we do and the community programs and activities we participate in are all financed by the dues we receive. When several members forget or refuse to pay their dues, it makes it extremely difficult to continue our good work. If you are one of these 16 brothers, please be advised the deadline is rapidly drawing near for payment of the 2009 dues. Please remit to the Secretary ASAP!
Our September meeting will be held on August 24th. Worthy Grand Matron, Paula Larsen and Worth Grand Patron, Wayne McGinnis and the “Lucky Stars” Grand Officers will be with us for the evening. Dinner is at 5:00 p.m. and our meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. Officers need to bring a salad. Meat will be furnished. We have desert after the meeting. Please join us for this special evening of fun and fellowship. Birthday greetings to Sister Leona Paschal P.G.M. who will be celebrating her birthday on August 30th. Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. Happy Grandparents Day…September 13th
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 08 (August) On April 27th, an Alliant Energy representative conducted an energy audit of our Temple. In their conclusions they indicated we needed to start replacing some of our older furnaces. I have appointed a feasibility committee of Bros. Bob Howe, Jerry Wylie, and Ed Meade. They have examined the furnaces and decided that three of the older ones should be replaced in the very near future. The other two are in good shape and should run for several years. The Committee will be reporting to the Lodge as soon as they have the necessary facts and figures. To insure we have enough funds to complete this project we need to redouble our efforts to raise monies for our Building Improvement Fund. Brethren, please mark August 13th on your calendar. Newton Lodge #59 will be having an Ice Cream Social that evening. The menu consists of loose meat hamburgers, hot chicken sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, cake and bar with home-made ice cream and drinks. All proceeds from this event will go to the Building Improvement Fund. I wish to thank all the brothers who worked at our July 4th pancake breakfast. We served nearly 250 people and raised close to $1,100 for the Breakfast Fund. On Wednesday, July 29th we will be helping the Big Brothers/Little Brothers group with their Lemonade Stand at the NASCAR parade. Time is 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Your help will be appreciated. There will be a One-Day Class on October 24th in Des Moines. If you have a friend who might be interested in receiving his work in a One-Day class, the petition must be received by our August stated meeting. Don’t forget our Christmas in July Fundraiser for the St. Nick’s Club on July 23rd. Proceeds will go to the St. Nick’s Club to assist needy families at Christmas. If you are unable to attend, donations can be sent to the Secretary. Last year the St. Nicks’ Club helped over 300 families and 600 children in Jasper County. Serving time is from 5:00 – 7:00. Dinner prepared by Bro. Bob Howe. If you have not paid your 2009 dues, please get them into the Secretary ASAP!
Sisters and Brothers: We hope that everyone is enjoying summer. Our regular meeting will be on August 24. Remember it is Friendship Night, so get your guest officers invited. We will also be hosting our Grand Officers that evening, starting with a dinner at 5:00 p.m. before our meeting at 7:00 p.m. Please remember to bring your childrens’ story books to donate for our WGM’s book project for the children’s hospital Deloris Jensen, our project chairman reports that our Tea Party donations have really come in. Donations are still being accepted. The Masons and OES members will be serving ice cream and hot dogs at the Newton Ridiculous Day on July 25th. If you have not paid your 2009 dues, please remit them to our Secretary, Helen Ratliff at your earliest convenience. Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
Oriental Commandery #22 K.T. will open on Wednesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. Grand Chapter and Grand Council sessions will be on August 7th & 8th in Bettendorf. Anyone wanting to attend should contact Bro. Maurice Phillips. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 07 (July) Each family requesting assistance is requested to apply providing information such as age and sizes of the children and needs of the family. The St Nick’s Club provides at a minimum to each child they serve: an article of clothing, a relevant toy and a box of food for the family. The St Nick’s Club does work with our local Salvation Army to ensure that there is no duplication of efforts on behalf of any one individual family and that all families that are seeking assistance from either organization are served. Last year over 300 children were served and the need is expected to be as great if not greater this year. Last minute fundraising was required last year to meet the surge in requested assistance. The dinner will be prepared by Brother Bob Howe and will consist of roast pork sandwich, potato salad, baked beans, homemade pie, ice cream and drink. Dinner will be served from 5:00PM till 7:00PM. Ticket price is $8.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under 12. If you are unable to attend and would like to help in our efforts, contributions may be sent to our Secretary, Brother Wade Sheeler at Newton Lodge #59, 208 1st Avenue West, Newton, Iowa 50208. Over the past two years we have been able to help many, many families have a brighter Christmas through our efforts and I wish to thank each of you for your past assistance. On June 11th, Brother Louis Smothers was passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft and will be raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on July 2nd. Brethren, please try and be there and help make this a memorable evening for a very special young man. Congratulations to our Senior Warden Mike Balmer and our Junior Warden Lewis Modlin for an excellent job or organizing and hosting our Public Safety Appreciation Night. A delicious ham ball dinner was prepared and served by the Ladies of the Eastern Star and was followed by an excellent program presented by Brothers Bryce Hildreth and Greg Van Vark from the Des Moines Consistory on the History of the American Flag and a lecture given by Brother Van Vark on the contributions Masons have made throughout the history of our country. The evening was capped by a special presentation made Thomas Wardlow, retired Police Chief, for many years of service to the community. Brethren: Friday, June 5th was a historic day in Newton, Iowa as the Masons of central Iowa came to witness and participate in the beautiful cornerstone rededication ceremony commemorating the 100th birthday of our beautiful county courthouse. Our Grand Master Most Worshipful Brother Jack Butler together with the Grand Lodge Officers, Knight Templars, and members of Newton Lodge are indeed to be commended for this beautiful and impressive ceremony. Newton Lodge #59 has donated a cornerstone in honor of this occasion which will be displayed in the courthouse rotunda. My thanks to everyone who participated in this historic event. We will make one last effort to complete the cleaning of the Temple on the evening of June 25th. At 6:00PM pizza will be served followed by cleaning the paneling in the stairways, recreation room and on the 3rd floor. Brethren, we really need your help to complete this project.
On May 28th, the OES prepared and served the meal for the Law Enforcement Appreciation dinner hosted by the Masons. We also have helped out with the cleaning project at our Temple. Thanks to everyone who helped with both of these projects. We honored our new 25 and 50 year members at our June meeting. New 25 year members are: Mary Kathryn Our August meeting will be held on August 24th at 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. This is an official visit and Friendship Night. Be sure to invite a guest officer. We are also asking that you bring at least one childs’ story book to contribute to our WGM and WGP story book project for the children’s hospital. Our Relay for Life walk on the evening of June 5th was a great success. We raised over $1600. About 20 members came out to be a member of our walking team and we sold popcorn when not walking. Thanks to everyone for your help with this. Please don’t forget to respond to the “Make Believe Tea” letter that you received recently. Your support of Newton Chapter #100 will be much appreciated.
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 06 (June) I would like to recognize and thank Brother Frank Osdoba who traveled all the way from Spirit Lake to present his interesting and thought provoking program “A Point within a Circle” at our educational night on April 23rd. Frank, Well Done! I would also like to express my appreciation to Past Master Jerry Wylie for donating his time and labor to install our new water fountains. It is sure nice to have a cold drink of water. I would also remind everyone of “Public Safety Appreciation Night” on May 28th. Brothers Mike Balmer and Louis Modlin have lined up an interesting program featuring members of the Des Moines Scottish Rite and our own Chaz Allen, Mayor of Newton. Dinner will be at 6:00PM with program to follow. Tickets for Masons will be $7.00.
Two new water fountains have been purchased for our building. Newton Chapter #100 donated the cost of purchasing one of these fountains from the memorial monies donated by the families of Bernie Bergeson and Kenny Robinson. Pledges for the upcoming “Relay for Life” which will be held on June 5th need to be turned in. We will be selling bags of popcorn that evening. The 2009 Relay for Life will be held at the H.A. Lynn Stadium. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. Kathy Hackathorn is still taking recipes for the Iowa OES cookbook so please get your recipes to her. Please keep track of yoru volunteer hours and turn into Mary Wright. We will have a potluck dinner at 6:00 p.m. on June 1st prior to our stated meeting. We will honor new 25/50 year members that evening. Please come and enjoy the meal and congratulate our new 25/50 year members. If you have not paid your 2009 dues, please remit them to our Secretary, Helen Ratliff. Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 05 (May) Our annual Easter party was held on April 4th, and was well attended with as many adults as children present. The children had a delightful time looking for over 300 candy filled eggs hidden throughout the Lodge by the committee. The children were delighted to visit with the Easter Bunny, who by the look of things, had put on a few pounds since last year. Our thanks to Brothers Wade Sheeler, Gary Pearson (and Melissa), Dennis Williams, Dennis Boulicault, and Jerry Hannagan for their efforts. I would also like to thank the members and officers of Newton Chapter No. 100 Order of the Eastern Star for their generous financial assistance in purchasing new water coolers for the first and second floors. They have been needed for some time. We will be having a Masonic Education Night on April 23rd. Bro. Frank Osdoba from Spirit Lake will be presenting his “Point Within a Circle” program. Please plan to join us for this very informative program. Bro. Jason Walcott from Iowa City will present our May education program on “Sacred Geometry” at the stated meeting. Sickness and Distress: Brother Paul Myers is home after his second surgical procedure but is feeling very weak. Brother Bob Sheeler continues with his chemo and radiation treatments.. Brother Bob Kilfoil is recovering at home but still has some problems. Brother Jim (Doc) Baker is confined at home and under constant oxygen use. Brethren, I would ask each of you to remember these Brothers in your prayers. It would lift their spirits if you would call, send them a card or pay them a short visit. At our May 4th meeting, we will be voting on a two proposed changes to our bylaws: 1) to go dark in the months of February and March and meet in the summer months; and 2) change our meeting time from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The project for the W.G.M. and W.G.P. this year is the “Green Mouse”. This is to raise funds to assist with heart disease research. Melissa Pearson gave an informative report about the different signs that men and women have with heart disease. We will be helping out with the Relay for Life in Newton on June 5th & 6th. Please come up and help out with the cleaning day planned for May 16th. The Grand Chaper of Iowa is compiling a new OES cookbook and would like to have recipes from every chapter in Iowa. The cookbook will be available in October. If you want your favorite recipe(s) included please send them to Kathy Hackatorn (514 E. 10th Street South, Newton IA. 50208) or email them to her (khack@iowatelecom.net). The deadine for submitting recipes is May 31st. Lets make sure Newton Chapter #100 is well recognized. Our May meeting will be held on May 4th. Hope to see you in Chapter! Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 04 (April) Our Chicken Noodle Dinner on March 7th, began somewhat ominously with rain throughout the day but I am pleased to report that nearly 175 people turned out to support our funding raising efforts. Our sales were just over $1000. I want to thank everyone who assisted in the kitchen and dining room and especially the ladies of Eastern Star who spent countless hours making noodles and cooking over 100 pounds of chicken. Also thank you to the members and wives who generously donated the pies. I am sorry to announce that due to the present economy and financial conditions in Newton, we have decided to cancel the Golf Tournament scheduled for June 27th. Hopefully this can be rescheduled in a year or two. Brethren: Our Lodge operates on the dues of its members. Presently we have 30 members who have not paid their 2009 dues. Without these monies, it makes it extremely difficult to present the programs and activities that are essential in operating a successful lodge. Please check your dues receipt and make sure you have paid your 2009 dues. If not, please remit your dues to Brother Wade Sheeler, Secretary at 208 1st Avenue West, Newton. At the time of this writing, Brother Paul Myers is now home recovering from surgery, Brother Bob Sheeler is home after being recently hospitalized , Brother Francis Needham is recovering from pneumonia, and Brother Bob Kilfoil is scheduled for surgery in Des Moines on March 20th. Please keep these brothers in your thoughts and prayers. Alfred L. Jensen, Worshipful Master
Many of the members have been helping get ready for the March 7th chicken/noodle meal to assist the Masons to add dollars to the building fund. Hope all enjoyed the meal. Any time we can assist the Masons with keeping our organization going is GREAT. One of our the WGM project has to do with volunteering in our community. Each month I would like the members to turn in the hours they have spent doing volunteer work to Mary Wright or Carol Bailey. The Newton OES and Masons presented the Salvation Army with $1,000 to assist buying food for their food pantry. The following proposals were presented and will be voted on at our April 6th regular meeting to change the bylaws: Chapter to go dark in February and March instead of the present July and August. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Happy Birthday: Chuck Williams (4/5); Jack Myers (4/8); Chaz Allen (4/11); Paul Bergmann (4/14); Curt Thompson (4/16); Jim Daniels (4/20); Harold Wickliff (4/23); Kerry Walker (4/27); Kelly Walker (4/27); Eugene Bishop (4/30).
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 03 (March) On Saturday, March 7th, Newton Lodge will be serving homemade chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, coleslaw, rolls, butter, pie and drink for $8.00 ($4 for children age 10 and under.) We will be serving from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This will be open to the public and containers for take-out will be available. All proceeds will go to support the Lodge. We will need several people to assist in the kitchen and dining room. If you are willing to help, please contact Wade Sheeler or myself. At our stated meeting on March 19th, Brother Shamus (Wade) Sheeler who can reportedly trace his ancestors back to St. Patrick and has kissed the blarney stone on several occasions will be serving the traditional Irish supper of corned beef and cabbage. Following supper, the Lodge Education Committee will present a program “Symbolism of the Second Degree.” Brethren: Our Most Worshipful Grand Master Brother Jack L. Butler has requested that all lodges in the state observe a Re-obligation Night. In accordance with his wishes we have scheduled Monday, March 30th as a night of renewing our obligations to ourselves, our brethren and to the tenets of Freemasonry. Dinner will be at 6:00PM. Bring a brother with you and join in an evening of Masonic Renewal. Reservations may be made at 641-792-5258 or with any officer. Cost is $7.00. Have you paid your 2009 dues? If not, they are now due and payable and can be remitted to the secretary at the above address. Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Happy Birthday: Scott Creech (3/10), Dean James (3/10), Al Anspach (3/11), Bill Hegwood (3/11), John Frimml (3/13), John Thomas IV (3/15), Charles Bruce (3/19), Lee Walker (3/22), Dean Olson (3/23), Clair Wilson (3/26), Jared Bazal (3/27), Les Gause (3/29), Robert Worth (3/30), Jack Wright (3/31).
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Brethren Volume 109, Issue 02 (February) Items were collected for Sister Janelle Ohmstede’s son who is serving overseas. Melissa Pearson and Ward Bailey will be preparing the items to ship yet this month. Our District workshop will be held on January 24th starting at 8:15 a.m. with muffins and juice. Instruction will be from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. All officers are encouraged to attend. We will have a practice on Friday night, January 23rd at 6:30 p.m. to get the opening and closing ready, which our Chapter has been requested to demonstrate. A collection of $175.00 was taken up to give to the Salvation Army to purchase items for the food pantry. It was voted that the Chapter would match the collection, so we will be giving them $350.00! If anyone would like to make a donation please send it to Sister Helen Ratliff at the above address. Our neighbors need our assistance. Ward and I are looking forward to working with you and the Masonic members to make this a Great year for both organizations. Remember your 2009 dues are now payable and can be remitted to Helen Ratliff, Secretary (702 E. 21st Street Place South, Newton IA. 50208) CALENDAR OF EVENTS Happy Birthday: Paul Myers (2/2); Ed Meade (2/3); Brad Thomas (2/7); Forrest Matherly Jr. (2/8); Marvin Davis (2/9); John Thomas III (2/13); Dan Crook (2/15); Randy Wagner (2/16); David Vorhies (2/18); Bob Beiner (2/22); James Van Ekeren (2/26); Robert Faust (2/28). “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt”…Abraham Lincoln
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Volume 109, Issue 01 (January) Brethren: Brethren, membership growth is the life blood of every Masonic lodge and accomplishing this requires the assistance and support of every member. On Thursday, February 5th, Newton Lodge #59 will have a Prospect Night beginning with supper at 6:00PM. Members and their prospects will be guests of the Lodge. For all others attending the price will be $7.00. The musical program for the evening will be furnished by Brother Jerry Wahl and his country music band. Our speaker will be Right Eminent Sir Knight David M. Dryer, Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Iowa. On Saturday, February 14th at 9:00AM, the Grand Lodge Board of Custodians will be conducting 2 ritualistic schools of instruction. One lodge room will be devoted to M.I. and D.L.s and the other one to all members of the craft. COME join us in a fun day of ritual and maybe a little cribbage. Breakfast will be served from 7:00AM to 9:00AM. I would like to congratulate Brother Wade Sheeler on receiving the well-deserved honor of “Newton Lodge No.59 Mason of the Year.” Finally, I want to thank and congratulate Brother Ward Bailey and his officers for all their hard work and the many successes we enjoyed in 2008. Brother Ward, you will be a hard act to follow. Sister Janelle Ohmstede’s son now has an address overseas so our Chapter will be collecting non-perishable items at the January meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Melissa Pearson for more information (792-7075). Items such as batteries (D and AA), hard candy, books, insect repellant, small packages of coffee and instant hot chocolate are especially encouraged. Please help us support our troops overseas with this worthwhile project. It has been a privilege to serve you as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron in 2008. The year went by quickly. Year end reports will be given at our January meeting. The dinner that was scheduled on the Calendar for the January meeting will not be held. Please note that the meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. followed by the installation of the 2009 officers. Dean & Elaine James will serve refreshments. Best wishes to the 2009 officers. Karen Meade, Worthy Matron Ed Meade, Worthy Patron
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Have you checked out our website lately??? www.iowamasons.com/59.html
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Brethren Our annual Past Masters’ Night was held on November 13th. We had the honor of raising Bro. Shawn Wade to the sublime degree of a Master Mason that evening. Congratulations Shawn and welcome. There were also several other honors that evening. M.W. Bro. Jack L. Butler, Grand Master and his officers were with us and conferred the second section. Grand Master Butler presented Bro. Carlton Harford of Black Hawk Lodge #65 with his 50 year certificate (Carlton is the father-in-law of Shawn Wade). Bro. Chuck Williams presented a hand carved replica of an ancient Egyptian sailing vessel to the lodge. Bro. Chuck spent over 100 hours carving this beautiful ship. I also had the honor of presenting the 2008 Mason of the Year award to Bro. Wade Sheeler for his service to Newton Lodge #59. Special thanks to our OES ladies for fixing a delicious meal. Our annual election of officers for 2009 was held at our stated meeting on November 20th. Bro. Alfred Jensen was elected Worshipful Master; Mike Balmer, Senior Warden; Louis Modlin, Junior Warden. Bro. Kerry Walker and Wade Sheeler were reelected Treasurer and Secretary respectfully and Bro. Maurice Phillips was reelected to the Board of Custodians. Our annual memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. Please join us in remembering our departed brethren. On Friday, November 28th we will be having a soup supper from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Come up before the lighted Christmas parade and enjoy some homemade soup. On November 29th, we will be ringing bells for the Salvation Army. Our annual Christmas party will be held on Saturday, December 6th. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. followed by the program at 7:00 p.m. A “special” visitor from the North Pole will be with that evening. PLEASE TURN RESERVATIONS INTO THE SECRETARY (792-5258) by DECEMBER 1st. This has been another busy year for Newton Lodge #59. Thank you for the honor of serving as your Worshipful Master for 2008. Ward A. Bailey , Worshipful Master Brethren: Newton Lodge #59 invites you, your family, and friends to an open installation of the 2009 officers on Saturday, January 3rd at 2:00 p.m. at the Newton Masonic Temple. Please come and show your support for the Newton Officers and help make this a rousing start for the 2009 year. Alfred L. Jensen, Worshipful Master-Elect At our November stated meeting, we had election of officers for 2009. Those elected for 2009 are: Carol Bailey, Worthy Matron; Ward Bailey, Worthy Patron; Tami Veldhuizen, Assoc. Matron; Jack Wright, Assoc. Patron; Helen Ratliff, Secretary; Karen Meade, Treasurer; JoAnn Bergeson. Installation will be after the stated meeting on January 5th. We will meet at 7:00 p.m. that evening (note time change). Past Matrons will be meeting at the Masonic Temple for dinner on Thursday, December 4th at 6:00 p.m. ALL OES LADIES ARE INVITED! We are asking Past Matrons to bring your favorite salad to share. Others will be our guests. We hope to see a lot of you OES ladies. In my November report at our monthly Chapter meeting, I gave a report of the happenings at the Grand Chapter session. Most Worthy Grand Matron and Patron, Barbara Benton and Bill Owen were present for the Session. They are both from Oklahoma and are in the second year of their three year term. The current Iowa membership is 12,461. We have 4,018 50 year members. Currently there are 126 chapters in Iowa. This is a big decrease from what we had just five years ago and is an area of great concern. There were 600 registered at Grand Chapter, with 462 eligible to vote. Sister Paula Larsen of Hedrick and Brother Wayne McGinnis of Greenfield were elected Worthy Grand Matron and Patron. Their project is the “Green Mouse Project” which is for cardiovascular research at the University of Iowa. Sister Mary Jane Young and Bro. John Baker, Worthy Grand Matron and Patron presented a check in the amount of $49,397 for the Osteoarthritis Special Project at the University of Iowa. The total amount raised for the youth was $11,389 and ESTARL awards amount to $31,389. Iowa OES members are to be commended for their work in raising funds for these worthwhile projects. Sister Janelle Ohmstede’s son is in the military and will soon be assigned to Afghanistan. Newton Chapter voted to gather items to send to Sister Janelle’s son. Melissa Pearson and Ward Bailey are co-chairs of this project. Please contact either one of them if you have items that you would like to send. Our draping tribute will be held at our meeting on December 1st to honor those who have passed from our midst this past year. We miss these departed sisters and brothers, but our lives have been enriched and blessed for having known them through our beautiful Order. The refreshment committee for December is Carol and Ward Bailey and Deloris Jensen. Thank you for the honor and privilege of serving you as your Worthy Matron and Patron for 2008. Karen Meade, Worthy Matron Ed Meade, Worthy Patron Have you checked out our website lately??? www.iowamasons.com/59.html
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Brethren Our Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, November 8th will be a fundraiser for the Newton Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign for the upcoming holidays. Please come up and support this worthwhile cause. Past Masters Night will be held on Thursday, November 13th. Lodge will open at 5:00 p.m. and the Past Masters of Newton Lodge #59 will confer the first section. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. followed by the reception of the Grand Lodge Officers and second section at 7:00 p.m. Linda Klepinger will be present a program on the Iowa Sculpture Festival for the ladies.. Please contact the Secretary’s office to make your reservations. The election of officers for 2009 will be held at our stated meeting on November 20th. We will have oyster and chili soup for dinner that evening. The budget for the coming year will also be presented. Make sure you attend this important meeting. The joint OES/Blue Lodge Memorial Service will be on Sunday, November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. This is a time that we remember our departed members. Our lodge received several awards at the 164th annual Grand Lodge Communication held in Des Moines. We received the Plus One Award for membership, the Grand Design Award for our website, and the Lodge of the Year-Gold Award for our lodge activities. Newton Lodge #59 had the highest number of points submitted for the Lodge of the Year Award. We should all be very proud of that accomplishment. One of the Grand Master Butler’s projects this year is collecting change in a “Mason” jar for Hope Lodge. Please throw your spare pocket change in the jar whenever you see it. Hope Lodge is a facility at the University of Iowa where cancer patients and their families can stay while they are receiving treatment. We should all be very proud of our efforts in supporting this outstanding facility. We will have a soup supper on the evening of Friday, November 28th immediately before the Lighted Christmas Parade in downtown Newton. Serving time is from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Come up and have a bowl of delicious homemade soup and watch the parade. At our October 6th Stated Meeting, we started off with a potluck prior to the meeting. It was delicious, and you who weren’t there missed out. I was disappointed that more Brother Masons were not there to be presented and honored on their Honor Night, but thankful for those who were there. It was an enjoyable meeting. Brother Ed led us in saying the Obligation. We read memorials for Sister Pat Harrison and Brothers Bernie Bergeson and Paul Peck. Newton Chapter always sends a check in the deceased’s name for ESTARL to Grand Chapter after the death of a member. Sister Carol Robinson was our only birthday honoree! By the time of our next Stated Meeting, November 3, Grand Chapter will be over. At this meeting, you will be hearing Grand Chapter reports from your Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. Those who attended Grand Chapter may have something they would like to say about it also. Our Chapter earned enough achievement points to reach the “Glory Award,” which will be presented to our Chapter on Saturday. I thank all of you who helped make this possible. Please come on November 3rd and hear about OES in Iowa. This is an important meeting because you also will be electing officers for the ensuing year. We always need sideliners to support our officers. Our Chapter has been asked to serve the dinner honoring the Past Masters on November 13 so if you can help prepare or clean up, please let Sister Carol Bailey know, phone number 515-674-9115. Here are a couple great truths that adults have learned: CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Brethren I accidentally forgot last month to thank the ladies of Newton Chapter #100 OES for their help fixing the meal for our Christmas in July dinner for the St. Nick’s Club. Thank you so very much ladies. Your help was greatly appreciated. Our dinner to honor our 50 year brothers will be on the evening of October 2nd. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. followed by a program at 7:30 p.m. The speaker will be Bro. Glen McDole from Ankeny. Bro. Glen will present a program on his experiences as a POW in a Japanese POW camp in WWII. Glen was one of only 3 survivors of the Palawan massacre. Don’t miss this memorable evening. 50 year members and their ladies will be our guests. Tickets for all other attendees are $7.00 each. RSVP by September 30th to the Secretary’s office (792-5258). We will be hosting a meeting of Iowa Research Lodge #2 on the evening of October 3rd. The speaker will be M.W. Bro. Terry Tilton PGM (Minnesota). Bro. Tilton is a Methodist minister in Minnesota. He served as Grand Master of Minnesota in 2002-2003. His presentation is titled “More Lessons the Church Can Teach Masonry.” Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. followed by the program. Tickets are $12.00. A flyer is attached to this newsletter. I had the pleasure of representing Newton Lodge #59 at the 164th annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Iowa which was held in Des Moines on Septmeber 19 & 20th. Our new Grand Master is Bro. Jack Butler from Dubuque. Many of you know Bro. Jack as he was born and raised in Baxter and is the son of Bro. Max & Lelah Butler. We wish him and his officers the very best in the upcoming year. Past Masters Night will be held on Thursday, November 13th. Lodge will open at 5:00 p.m. and the Past Masters of Newton Lodge #59 will confer the first section. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. followed by the reception of the Grand Lodge Officers and second section at 7:00 p.m. We will have a program for the ladies. Please contact the Secretary’s office to make your reservations. Have a great October and enjoy the beauty of the fall colors…we all know what comes next! Fraternally, We had a very nice Friendship Night in August. The attendance was very good with visitors from at least twelve different chapters. It was wonderful to see all the guest officers and many sideliners present. We had a lot of presenting to do, and that is always fun. There was a long line of those having birthdays or anniversaries in August and September. We enjoyed singing to them. Our officers introduced their invited guest officer. We were privileged to have one of our members, Madison Tomfeld, play a few songs on the harmonica. He didn’t play just one harmonica, but three or four of different sizes (played one at a time though). Everybody enjoyed his music. Our Chapter will be serving a couple of dinners on October 2 and 3 for the Blue Lodge. Sister JoAnn Bergeson, Conductress, will be asking for some assistance. Ed and I attended the Boone Home picnic on September 7. The project, “Pave-a-Memory,” bricks were on display for all to see. Newton Chapter did buy a brick with “Newton Chapter #100” and “Est. Sept. 1891” printed on it. These bricks will be laid soon close to the Home’s Gazebo. This is a nice lasting memorial to many Chapters and members. The same is being done at the Barthell Home in Decorah, which Newton Chapter participated in also. At our Stated Meeting, October 6th, we will be honoring our Master Masons. We will have a potluck dinner at 6:15 p.m. to honor our Eastern Star Masons. A meat dish, rolls and drink will be furnished. Eastern Star ladies attending are asked to bring a covered dish. Your attendance is requested to make this a memorable evening. We will also be renewing our Obligation during the meeting. We hope many of you will be able to attend and enjoy the fellowship. The refreshment committee is Janelle Ohmstede and Tammy Wilson. The “Rejoice” Session, Iowa Grand Chapter of Iowa, will be held at the Downtown Marriott beginning with the All-Membership Banquet on Thursday, October 23, and ending Sunday afternoon, October 26, with the installation of the newly elected Grand Officers. If you need more information on the itinerary, meals, or anything else, please contact our Secretary, Helen Ratliff, or me. Chapter dues of $17 are due and payable to Newton Chapter #100, OES. Please send them to our secretary, Helen Ratliff, 702 E. 21 St. Place S., Newton, IA 50208. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Brethren This summer has went by quickly. We are fast approaching fall. On July 12th the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team visited Newton Lodge #59 to raise Bro. Kevin Nelson of Okmulgee Lodge #199 of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Bro. Kevin was the 957th brother raised by the team in their 58th year. It was a night that Newton Lodge #59 will long remember. We had 170 brothers from over 60 Iowa lodges in attendance, including Grand Master Mosier and his Grand Lodge Officers. There were 13 brothers from 10 different Oklahoma lodges also in attendance. The Oklahoma brothers represented 10 different native American tribes. I would like to thank Bro. Bob Howe for cooking the delicious Iowa Chops and the ladies of Newton Chapter #100 OES for fixing and preparing the wonderful meal. At the conclusion of the evening, Newton Lodge #59 presented a check in the amount of $1200 to Grand Master Mosier for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Special thanks to Bro. Wade Sheeler for all of his work on this memorable evening. Bro. Alfred Jensen was elected to the office of Senior Warden at our stated meeting on July 17th. Bro. Al will be filling the vacancy due to the passing of Bro. Bernie Bergeson. We held our St. Nick’s Dinner on July 24th. Santa Claus ventured out in the heat and traveled down from the North Pole to help out. We raised $2,000 to contribute to the St. Nick’s Club to assist families during the upcoming holiday season. The Grand Lodge Charity Fund made a matching contribution of $2,000. The presentation was made to the St. Nick’s Club on August 6th. Lori Leix of the St. Nick’s Club said that our donation will help make Christmas much more merrier for many local families. On August 2nd several members attended the cornerstone ceremony for Hope Lodge in Iowa City and then traveled on to Cedar Rapids for a tour of the Grand Lodge Library and Museums. It was a very interesting day. On August 28th, we will be hosting the Newton Football players, coaches, cheerleaders, and parents for our annual “Feed the Cardinals” dinner. We will start serving at 6:30 p.m. Come up and pitch in and help honor these hard working kids and coaches as they begin their 2008 season. Our dinner to honor our 50 year brothers will be on the evening of October 2nd. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. followed by a program at 7:30 p.m. The speaker will be Bro. Glen McDole from Ankeny. Bro. Glen will present a program on his experiences as a POW in a Japanese POW camp in WWII. Glen was one of only 3 survivors of the Palawan massacre. Don’t miss this memorable evening. 50 year members and their ladies will be our guests. Tickets for all other attendees are $7.00 each. RSVP by September 30th to the Secretary’s office. We will be hosting a meeting of Iowa Research Lodge #2 on the evening of October 3rd. The speaker will be M.W. Bro. Terry Tilton PGM (Minnesota). Bro. Tilton is a Methodist minister in Minnesota. He served as Grand Master of Minnesota in 2002-2003. His presentation is titled “More Lessons the Church Can Teach Masonry.” Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. followed by the program. Tickets are $15.00. Contact Wade Sheeler to make reservations. Per our bylaws, the September stated meeting will be on the 2nd Thursday (September 11th) due to the annual Grand Lodge Communication which occurs during the next week. Have a great fall and I hope to see you in Newton Lodge #59 soon. Fraternally, Where has the summer gone? It is time to get back into the swing of Eastern Star and all of it’s activities. We hope you had an enjoyable summer. We are looking forward to our Friendship Night on August 25th. We will have guest officers attending from several chapters in our district. We look forward to seeing many Eastern Star friends. Florence and Dan Vance, members who affiliated with us a year ago have recently moved back to Manly Iowa. They were faithful sideliners. We will miss them and wish them well in their new home. The refreshment committee for the meeting on August 25th is Sharon Jolley, Darlene Johnson, and Kathy Hackathorn. We look forward to seeing everyone soon. Karen Meade, Worthy Matron Ed Meade, Worthy Patron CALENDAR OF EVENTS Have you checked out our website lately??? www.iowamasons.com/59.html
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Brethren As I write this letter to you, it is nice to look out and see the blue sky and sun. We have had a lot of very turbulent weather over the past few weeks. For those of you who live away from Newton Lodge #59, we have managed to escape the flooding here in Newton. Most of the flooding has been in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids area. We have been busy the past few months. Our ice cream social which was held on May 30th was a success. We raised approximately $500 towards our roof project. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have made donations. If you had not made your donation, we can still use some support towards this most needed project. On June 12th, Newton Lodge #59 raised Bro. Lucas Balmer to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. Bro. Mike Balmer, had the pleasure of conferring his son’s third degree. Congratulations Bro. Lucas and welcome to the fraternity. We lost two of our Past Masters this past month. Bro. Paul Peck passed to the Grand Lodge Above on May 24th and Bro. Bernie Bergeson passed on June 9th. Bro. Bernie was currently serving as our Senior Warden and had received his Masonic Instructor’s certificate last year. Bro. Peck was Master in 1968 and Bro. Bergeson in 1998. Masonic services were conducted for both of these brothers. I would like to thank all of the brethren who attended these services. We had a very nice gathering at both services. We will greatly miss both of these brothers. Our deepest sympathies are extended to both of their families. One of the most unique events that our lodge has ever hosted will be occurring on the evening of July 12th. Newton Lodge #59 will be hosting the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree team that evening. They will be raising an Oklahoma Fellowcraft to the sublime degree of a Master Mason. There has been some questions regarding the charge for this event. We will be required to pay the travel expenses of these Oklahoma brethren to come to Iowa. We will also be providing them lodging for two nights. This is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge which is being constructed at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, so we do hope that we have funds left over after our expenses are paid to make a nice presentation to Grand Master Mosier for this project. This is a very unique event and I encourage each of you to attend. This is something that you will probably only see once in your lifetime. As of the time that I am writing this letter, we have more reservations for the Indian Degree from brethren outside of Newton Lodge #59 than we have from our own membership. This is something that the brethren from Newton Lodge #59 need to come out and support. It will be a fun evening and one that you will not forget., plus we will have a great meal and lots of good fellowship. Ladies can attend the dinner. We will be having our second annual “Christmas in July” dinner on July 24th. This is a benefit to help the St. Nicks’ Christmas Club, which assists needy families at the holiday time. Bro. Bob Howe is cooking his famous Bar-B-Que Pork. Serving time is from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is only $7.00. Come out and support this worthwhile event. I have planned a traveling event on August 2nd. We will be going down to Iowa City for the cornerstone laying ceremony of Hope Lodge at 10:30 a.m. and then travel on to Cedar Rapids for a visit to the Grand Lodge of Iowa Library. We will plan on leaving the lodge building at 9:00 a.m. We will be carpooling, so please contact me at the above number to make reservations. One last thing that is on the upcoming calendar is the joint Newton Lodge #59/Newton Chapter #100 OES picnic which will be held on August 10th at the Maytag Park. This will be a potluck. We will be meeting at the west shelter house at 5:00 p.m. Have a happy and safe 4th of July. I look forward to seeing you at some of these upcoming events. Your support is needed and encouraged. Fraternally, Ward A. Bailey July 24 Christmas in July Fundraiser/St. Nick’s Club 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. August 2 Hope Lodge Cornerstone at Iowa City/Grand Lodge Museum Tour (Leave at 9:00 a.m.)
OFFICIAL NOTICE NEWTON LODGE #59 will be conducting an election at the July 17th stated meeting for the vacancy in
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Brethren Bro. Lucas Balmer was passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft on the evening of May 8th. His third degree is scheduled for the evening of May 24th at 7:00 p.m. The proceeds from our monthly pancake breakfast on May 10th are going to be donated to the Newton High School marching band. They are raising money to purchase new uniforms. We made $400 at our breakfast. Thanks to everyone who supported it. Ladies Appreciation Night was held on May 14th. We had a nice crowd and everyone enjoyed the music of the “Grace Notes”. Ladies, I hoped you enjoyed the evening. Congratulations to Bro. Al Stewart on receiving his 50 year certificate and pin. It was my pleasure to present to him. On Friday evening, May 30th come and treat yourself at our Ice Cream Social. Serving will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The food promises to be delicious! Our annual outing to the Iowa Cubs will be on June 14th. The Cubs will be playing the Nashville Sounds that evening at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are $6.00 per person. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors. RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT TO THE SECRETARY BY JUNE 1ST. Don’t forget our two really “big” events coming up this summer. On June 20, Newton Lodge #59 will be having our first ever Table Lodge at DMACC/Sodexho. If you have never been to a table lodge, come and join us in the fun. On July 12th the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team will be visiting Newton Lodge #59 for a degree done in native American costumes. You don’t want to miss either of these events. On August 2nd, I have scheduled a trip to the Iowa Masonic Library and Museum in Cedar Rapids. The cornerstone ceremony for Hope Lodge at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will also be that day, so we can combine the two. Call the office to make your reservation. Have a great summer. We have lots of fun events coming up this summer. Check them out on our website: www.iowamasons.com/59.html Fraternally, Ward A. Bailey, W.M. The Eastern Star team is ready to participate in the June 6th “American Cancer Society Relay for Life” event on the Jasper County Square. Come visit our booth and support us. Also, the list of those listed in last month’s Trestleboard would still appreciate any donations to help in this most worthy cause. We will be handing in our packets at the June 2nd Stated Meeting. Many of our Past Matrons and Past Patrons were honored for their years of service to our Order at the May meeting. Due to their leadership, our Chapter remains proficient in their work. Our sympathy is extended to Jack and Mary Wright on the death of Jack’s mother, Cora “Betty” Wright. Please keep JoAnn and Bernie Bergeson in your prayers, as Bernie is dealing with health issues. We will be initiating two new members at the June meeting. Do come and congratulate these new members as the officers Confer the Degrees upon them. We will also be honoring our new 25 and 50-year members and those who are already 25 and 50-year members. We have three new 50-year members who will be receiving their certificate and pin: Sisters Carlene Emmert and Mary Ann Nevins and Brother Wayne Richards. Sister Betty Southern and Brother Bernie Bergeson will be receiving their 25-year certificate. Come and congratulate them on this milestone. Many of our ladies will be making pies for the Mason’s ice cream social later this month. We know how delicious these pies are so plan on attending this event Friday, May 30. Again, I want to remind you of our Official Visit with the Worthy Grand Matron and Worthy Grand Patron on Sunday afternoon, June 22nd, at 2:00. We will be providing a salad luncheon at 12:30 for them and our members so please plan on attending. A wonderful program is planned, “The Singing Grannies, featuring the Lime Jello Lady,” a singing group from Ankeny. We wish all the fathers a very Happy Father’s Day in June. Karen Meade, Worthy Matron Ed Meade, Worthy Patron CALENDAR OF EVENTS IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES May 30 Ice Cream Social (5:00 – 7:00 p.m.)
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We have several upcoming events for you to put on your calendar. On the evening of May 1st at 5:00 p.m. we will be cleaning South 13th Avenue East (from East 19th Street South on east). This is our contribution to the City of Newton’s “Adopt-a-Street” program. Ladies Appreciation Night will be held on the evening of May 14th. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the program will start at 7:30 p.m. The featured entertainment will be “The Grace Notes”. All brothers and their ladies are encouraged to attend. Please have your reservations turned into the office by the May 10th. The May stated meeting will be held on May 15th. Please remember that our dinners are at 6:00 p.m. Our program speaker is Bro. Kurt Hoffman of Gnemeth Lodge #577 in West Des Moines. Bro. Kurt is going to speak about the differences in the generations and how they impact Freemasonry. Come and hear all about “traditionalists”, “boomers”, “X’ers” and “Y’s”. We will also be honoring Bro. Alvin Stewart that evening on the occasion of his attaining 50 years of Masonic service. Congratulations Bro. Alvin! I would like to thank Bro. Wade Sheeler for starting a program this year to recognize our brethren and their Masonic service anniversaries. Each month we have been recognizing brothers on the occasion of the anniversary of their raising. It is enjoyable listening to their Masonic memories and hearing from some of our brothers who live away from Newton. Our outing to the Iowa Cubs will be on the evening of June 14th. The Cubs will be playing the Nashville Sounds. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Tickets are only $6.00 each. Reservations must be into office by June 1st. I would like to thank Bros. Alfred Jensen and Wade Sheeler for purchasing the sign for the front of our building. We have been in our present building well over 100 years and believe it or not, some people in Newton still don’t know where the Masonic Temple is. This will help in advertising our building in the Newton community. Take a look the next time you are in downtown Newton. The May Pancake Breakfast (May 10th) will be used as a fundraiser for the Newton High School Band. The band members are raising money to purchase new uniforms. We will be donating the proceeds from our May breakfast to help them out with this project. Congratulations to Bro. Wade Sheeler on his installation as Worshipful Master of Iowa Research Lodge #2. The fall meeting of IRL #2 will be held at our lodge on October 3rd. The speaker for that event will be M.W. Bro. Terry L. Tilton PGM from Minnesota. Best wishes to Bro. Pat Griffin and his wife as they move to Belgrade, Montana. Pat has purchased the Dale Carnegie franchise for Montana. We will miss you Pat. Best wishes in your new endeavors in Montana. On the back page of the newsletter are invitations to our upcoming Table Lodge and Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree. These are really going to be great events for Newton Lodge #59. The Indian Degree will be a fundraiser for Hope Lodge in Iowa City. Grand Master Mosier has as his special project the raising of funds for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Hope Lodge is a lot like the Ronald McDonald houses…it is designed to provide a place for families to stay during their stay for cancer treatment. We will have expenses associated with brining our Oklahoma brethren to Newton Lodge #59, but we hope to have a nice check to present to the Grand Master that evening from this event. The degree will be conferred in native American costumes. It has been over 20 years since the Oklahoma brethren last performed in Iowa, so we are very much excited about having them come to Newton. You do not want to miss either of these events! Hope to see you soon in Newton Lodge #59! Fraternally, Ward A. Bailey, W.M. Happy Birthday: Paul Ryan, Al Stewart (5/1); Paul Peterson, Richard Temple (5/2); Gary Parsons (5/3); Norman Sneller (5/4); Jerry Wylie (5/10); Veryl Brass (5/11); Carroll Michmerhuizen (5/14); Dan Vance (5/16); Charlie Brown (5/17); Verle Kooistra, Maury Phillips (5/21); Bob Fisher (5/24); Carl McGee (5/25); Bob McVay (5/27); Chris Hanshaw (5/29); Gary Yoder (5/30) CALENDAR OF EVENTS IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES June 14 Iowa Cubs Outing 7:05 p.m.
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Brethren Volume On the evening of March 4th we had the privilege of initiating Bro. Robb Gammon. He currently lives in Baxter and is an assistant manager at the Country Kitchen here in Newton. Bro. Robb was passed on March 18th and will be receiving his 3rd degree on April 1st. Welcome Bro. Robb. The Easter Bunny visited Newton Lodge #59 on March 15th. Thanks to the clowns of the Jasper County Jokers and to Bros. Gary Pearson, Kerry Walker, and Mike Rush for helping with this event. We had 25 kids in attendance for the party and egg hunt. Polk/Jasper Study Club will be meeting at East Gate Lodge in Des Moines on March 25th. It is a joint meeting with Three Rivers Study Group; we will be working on the 2nd section of the 3rd Degree. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and Ritual Practice begins at 7:30 p.m. We have some fun things coming up in the next couple of months. On May 14th we will have our Ladies Appreciation Night . Originally we had planned to go to the Time Piece Dinner Theater in Brooklyn, but unfortunately when we called to make the reservations they were already sold out, so we will be having dinner at the lodge. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. and the program will be at 7:30 p.m. Our entertainment for the evening will be the “Grace Notes” a ladies sextet from here in Newton. Please make your reservations with the Secretary by May 10th. Our annual outing to the Iowa Cubs will be on June 14th. The Cubs will be playing the Nashville Sounds that evening at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are $6.00 per person. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors. RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT TO THE SECRETARY BY JUNE 1ST. Fraternally, Ward A. Bailey, W.M. Happy Birthday: Bernie Bergeson (4/2); Chuck Williams (4/5); Jack Myers (4/8); Chaz Allen (4/11); Paul Bergmann (4/14); Curt Thompson (4/16); Harold Wickliff (4/23); Kelly Walker (4/27); Kerry Walker (4/27); Eugene Bishop (4/30).
In March we lost in death one of our members, Sister Leona Daubenmire, who had served our Order in helping with many tasks. Her husband, Cliff, served as Worthy Patron in 1983, 1986 and 1993. Our love and sympathy go out to him. Our Chapter voted to have a team participate in the Cancer Relay for Life on June 6. We would be most happy to have many of you plan on being on our team. More information will be coming out in the next news article. Our Organist, Pat Evans, and our Esther, Mary Wright, will be honored, as well as all Past Organists and Past Esthers, at our April 7 Stated Meeting. If you have served in one of these offices, please come. The refreshment committee is Bob and Irene Howe and Jim and Norma Jean Warnock. It is our understanding that one of our 50-year members, Marlene Hutt, has moved to the Iowa City area, but we do not know the address. If anyone knows her address, please call Karen Meade at 641-792-5881. Thought for the Day: “We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.” IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES May 14 Ladies Appreciation Night 6:30 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. program
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Brethren On Friday evening, February 22nd we will be going out to eat at the Latin King restaurant in Des Moines and then attending an Iowa Stars hockey game at Wells Fargo arena. Our annual Friendship Night will be held on Thursday, February 28th. Dinner will be at 6:00 p.m. with a presentation to follow. Bro. David M. Dryer will be our guest speaker. He is an outstanding speaker on Freemasonry. If you have a prospective candidate, please invite him and his lady up to the lodge for this evening. The Polk-Jasper Study Club will meet at King David Lodge #407 in Altoona on Tuesday, February 26th. Dinner is a 6:30 p.m. with the ritual study to follow. I encourage some of our younger members to attend. We always have a good time with our fellow brethren. Our monthly pancake breakfast is on Saturday, March 8th. After our breakfast, the Cub Scouts of Pack #354 will be having their Pinewood Derby in the lodge room. We are expecting a lot of young Cub Scouts and their parents to be up for this. Racing starts at 9:30 a.m. After the races, the lodge will be serving our guests a lunch. Please come up and watch this fun event and we could use some help with the lunch. Another event that we have coming up in March is our Easter Party which will be held on Saturday, March 15th. The party starts at 10:00 a.m. and will be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt in the lodge room. The Easter Bunny promises that he will be there! Bring your kids and grandkids and come up and enjoy this fun event. We will be having corned beef, cabbage, and Irish Stew at our dinner on March 20th in honor of St. Pat’s Day. Happy Birthday: Dean James, Scott Creech (3/10); Al Anspach, Bill Hegwood (3/11); John Frimml (3/13); John Thomas IV (3/15); Charles Bruce (3/19); Lee Walker (3/22); Dean Olson (3/23); Clair Wilson (3/26); Jared Bazal (3/27); Les Gause (3/29); Bob Worth (3/30); Jack Wright (3/31). We held our February Stated Meeting despite the wintry weather. Attendance was down, but we carried on with the business. It was voted to use some of the memorial money in memory of Kenneth Robinson be used to purchase a new sheaf for Ruth’s station. Tami Veldhuizen, our Chaplain, told us about she and a friend writing a book entitled “What Dog Are You?” An interesting title, isn’t it? At our March 3 Stated Meeting, we will be honoring our current Associate Matron, Carol Bailey, and all those who have served in this office. We would like to have all of you ladies, who have served as an Associate Matron, come and be recognized for your service. Looking through my big notebook, I saw many familiar names that have held this office and then gone on to become Worthy Matron. You are the honored ones! The refreshment committee is JoAnn, Bernie, Dawn and Sara Bergeson and Tami Veldhuizen. The 2008 officers are preparing for our School of Instruction, which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, at the Temple. We would be very pleased to have a lot of you come and participate in this afternoon of instruction. It is an informative day for the officers and sideliners. As a lot of you remember, each year we learn a new march, have new projects and hopefully, initiate new members. In the last issue of the Trestleboard, I asked you to save soup labels, Educational labels and pop tabs. These don’t cost you anything to save, and they do help the schools receive playground equipment. Please participate in this project. Watchwords of the Worthy Grand Matron and Worthy Grand Patron this year are: Accountability, Consideration, Kindness, Tolerance and Celebration. Past Matrons will be meeting at County Kitchen on March 6th at 6:00 p.m. CALENDAR OF EVENTS The Spring Reunion of the Des Moines Valley of the Scottish Rite will be in honor of our departed brother, Most Worshipful Bro. Harold D. “Pete” Paschal, PGM, 33°. The reunion dates are March 28-29 and April 11-12. If you are not a Scottish Rite Mason and would like to receive your degrees, please contact Bro. Wade Sheeler. The reunion banquet will be on the evening of April 12th. IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES May 14 Ladies Appreciation Night Time Piece Dinner Theater/Brooklyn
This year we are going to keep some of the old “traditions” and also try some new things. One new event that we are going to be trying is an outing to an Iowa Stars hockey game on February 22nd. The Stars will be playing the Chicago Wolves. Game time is 7:07 p.m. We are planning on leaving at 5:00 p.m. and eating at the Latin King restaurant in Des Moines and then going to the game. Please contact the Secretary by February 15th to get your reservation in. Another new event that we will be having is a table lodge which is scheduled for June 20th, so mark your calendars. We are also going to be having our annual outing to the Iowa Cubs plus we are going to take a trip to Cedar Rapids and visit the Grand Lodge Library and Museum. For those of you who have never been there, you are in for a treat. We have several new officers in Newton Lodge #59 this year. Three of our officers are brothers who received their degree work in 2007. I want to extend to them special thanks. I’m looking for your ideas on how we can make Newton Lodge #59 the type of lodge that will be appealing to young men of the future. We will be having ritual practices on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays. All brethren of the lodge are invited to attend. The Des Moines Scottish Rite Bodies are honoring Newton Lodge #59 and a brother of the lodge this spring. M.W. Bro. Harold D. (Pete) Paschal PGM, 33° will be the honoree for the spring reunion (March 28-29, April 11-12). Bro. Pete passed away in December of 2005. This is an honor that has been bestowed upon a brother of our lodge only once before. If you are interested in receiving the Scottish Rite degrees, contact our Secretary. Bro. Brian Pappadacus (KCCH), Master of Kadosh of the Des Moines Scottish Rite will be our speaker at our February 21st stated meeting. Our annual Friendship night will be held on February 28th. If you have a prospective member, please plan to bring him and his wife to this event. You may contact me at the above number for reservations. Let’s make 2008 a great year for Newton Lodge #59. Happy Birthday: Paul Myers (2/2); Ed Meade (2/3); Brad Thomas (2/7); Forrest Matherly (2/8); Marvin Davis, Alvin Rempp (2/9); John Thomas III (2/13); Dan Crook (2/15); Randy Wagner (2/16); David Vorhies (2/18); Bob Beiner (2/22); James Van Ekeren (2/26); Robert Faust (2/28) As in previous years, a Grand Chapter Project is collecting General Mills Box Tops for Education and labels from Campbell’s products and other eligible products, which is an easy way to support our schools. Do save these box tops and labels and give to any Chapter officer/member, and we will get them to the committee chairman. Pop tabs are still being collected to support the Youth this year also. Standing Committees for Newton Chapter are: Finance - Jack Wright, Sharon Jolley and Pam Ratliff; Relief - Ed Meade and Florence Vance; Education - Alfred Jensen, Jim Warnock and Tami Veldhuizen; Proficiency - Deloris Jensen (Chairman), Kathy Hackathorn and Ward Bailey. Please join us at the February 4th Stated Meeting as we start the business for the New Year. The Membership Scripture selected by the Worthy Grand Matron is: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord, who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into His field.” Matthew 9:37-38 Karen Meade, Worthy Matron Ed Meade, Worthy Patron CALENDAR February 4 OES Stated Meeting 7:30 p.m.
Brethren I would like to extend the condolences of the brethren of Newton Lodge #59 to the family of Bro. Albert Wallace who passed to the Grand Lodge Above on November 23rd. Bro. Albert was a 60 year Mason. He took his degree work in Keystone Lodge #206 at Wyoming Iowa and affiliated with Newton Lodge #59 in 1964. He was a loyal and faithful member and will be greatly missed. Congratulations to Bro. Jim McVey who became a Master Mason on November 29th and welcome to Bros. Greg Van Vark and Gary Gustafson who have affiliated with Newton Lodge #59. I leave the reigns in the hands of our very able brother, Ward Bailey. With Ward as W.M, I am confident that the momentum that we have started this year will continue. I could have never done my job without the help, guidance, and inspiration that you all provided. Thank you for everything and may God bless you all. This past year has been a very good year. I want to keep building on what Worshipful Master Mike Balmer started this past year and add something new to try and work with the other Organizations.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Roger Gilbreaith (1/2); Ralph Norris (1/5); Fred Harrison (1/11); Owen Welling (1/12); John Schermerhorn (1/13); Ford Thompson (1/15); Tom Breckenridge (1/16); Don Onthank Jr., William Burger (1/19); Albert Masters, Keith Nielsen, Evan Harkin (1/20); Marcus Schild (1/21); Doug Hundling, Dan Allen (1/22); Lloyd Floyd (1/23); Keith Iske, Jeff McKibben (1/24); Dan Kelley, Robert Bailey (1/27). Kathy Hackathorn WM Sisters and Brothers, Newton’s School of Instruction is Saturday, March 29, and is not an Official Visit. More information on this will be forthcoming. CALENDAR * Tenatively our program on 1/17 will be presented by Bro. D. Patrick Griffin of Westgate-Adelphic Lodge who will make a presentation on our Masonic Presidents.
Grand Master Mosier also presented Bro. Mike Rush with the “Two to Grow” award. Bro. Rush has brought in two petitions since he was raised in June…congratulations Mike! I also had the pleasure of presenting Bro. Ward Bailey with the “Mason of the Year” award from Newton Lodge #59. Congratulations to you Bro. Ward on this honor…it is well deserved. We will be raising Bro. Jim McVey to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on November 29th. Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. with the degree to follow. Please plan on attending. Sincere condolences to the family of Bro. Marvin Simpson who passed to the Grand Lodge Above on November 10th. Bro. Marvin was a 51 year member of Newton Lodge #59. Masonic services were held on November 14th. We have also received word that Bro. William G. Murray passed to the Grand Lodge Above on July 2nd in California. Bro. Murray was our senior member, having over 71 years of service to Newton Lodge #59. He was raised in 1935. On Sunday November 25th, Newton Lodge #59 and Newton Chapter #100 OES will be having a joint memorial service for our members who have passed away this year. This will start at 2:00 p.m. with coffee and cookies to follow. Please plan to attend as we honor the memory of our departed sisters and brothers. Santa Claus will be coming to Newton Lodge #59 on Saturday, December 1st. We will be having a traditional Christmas dinner at 6:00 p.m. and the program will follow at 7:00 p.m. Please bring your family and friends up as we celebrate this special time of the year. The election of the 2008 officers was held at our November stated meeting. The following were elected: Ward Bailey (W.M.), Bernie Bergeson (S.W.), Mike Balmer (J.W.), Kerry Walker (Treasurer), and Wade Sheeler (Sec.). Bro. Howard Berkenbosch was reelected to a three year term on the Board of Custodians. Congratulations and best wishes to each of them for a successful 2008. We have several younger members in the “lower ranks” so we are looking for some good ideas for the growth of Newton Lodge in the future. At our November stated meeting we voted to donate $350 to the Newton Salvation Army for the Red Kettle campaign. This was raised through the breakfast that we had on November 10th. I would also like to thank the brothers who helped with ringing the bells on November 17th. Our monthly pancake breakfast will be held on December 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Please come up and enjoy a great breakfast. My year as Worshipful Master will soon be over. I would like to congratulate all of our new brothers that we have raised this year. I would also like to thank the officers and members for their support this year. Best wishes to each of you for a very happy holiday season. Fraternally, Happy Birthday: Kenny Davis (12/1), Bill Auten, Jim Plumb (12/4); Gary Wallace (12/7), William White, Dennis Hansen, Larry Appleby (12/9), Del Petersma (12/17), Leroy White (12/20), Albert & Arthur Wallace (12/22), Richard Weston (12/23), Steven Ratliff (12/29). OES NEWS Congratulations to our newly elected officers for 2008: Karen Meade (Worthy Matron), Ed Meade (Worthy Patron), Carol Bailey (Associate Matron), Ward Bailey (Associate Patron), Helen Ratliff (Secretary), Ford Thompson (Treasurer), JoAnn Bergeson (Conductress), and Janelle Ohmstede (Associate Conductress). Installation will be held following the January 7th stated meeting. Please plan to attend. Kathy Hackathorn, Worthy Matron Jim Warnock, Worthy Patron CALENDAR Masonic Quote: “If you are not getting as much from life as you want to, then examine the state of your enthusiasm” Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !
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News from Newton Chapter #100 O.E.S.
York Rite News
News from Newton Chapter #100 O.E.S.
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
York Rite News
