From the East

Welcome to the newest addition to the Bethpage Lodge #521 website, From the East. This page will be used as a forum for the Worshipful Master or other brethren to use as a sounding board for discussion or to pose thoughts to the visitors. Any opinions expressed on this page will be purely those of the author and not necessarily those of Bethpage Lodge or of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. This page will also be used to house the current newsletter, or Trestle Board entitled "Gems of Purpose". For those of you who are not on our mailing list, you may access the current newsletter from this page and we will attempt to keep an archive of these for future access as well. You will need either Microsoft Word or a program capable of opening .doc files in order to open the Trestle Board properly. In some instances, you may need Adobe Reader or a program capable of opening .pdf files.

Brethren,

We come to the close of the 2007 year and I must take a moment to reflect upon my two years I occupied the East in Bethpage Lodge serving as the Worshipful Master of this great institution.

First and foremost, I have to thank my brothers at Bethpage #521 for their support, their assistance and primarily, for their confidence in me, trusting me to be the leader of their lodge for two years. I knew it was going to be a tremendous challenge, but I also knew that with the support and help of the wonderful men who are members of Bethpage Lodge, I knew I would make it through. It has been my tremendous honor and privilege to occupy this chair and I hope I have made my brethren proud. I know I haven't done everything as well as I could have but I hope I haven't hurt the lodge, the fraternity, or any individual brother in any way. If I have, my sincerest apologies.

Secondly, I have to thank all my fellow brethren in the other lodges who have visited Bethpage or have allowed me to visit their lodge as well. It has been an honor to represent Bethpage Lodge in my visits and I hope I have represented not only my lodge well, but the fraternity as a whole. After all, we are all one brotherhood and the actions of each and every one of us reflect back upon the fraternity as one.

I also need to thank my family for being so supportive and understanding when lodge activities have taken me away from them. Being the Master of the lodge is an undertaking that, if done properly, will devote some time away from the family in order to insure the lodge and its activities are being handled appropriately. I feel it is the duty of any and every officer of a lodge to be there any time the doors are open, if at all possible. I understand that there are times when that cannot be done, but upon accepting a position as an elected or appointed officer of a lodge, it is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. The lodge depends on its members, and its officers especially, to insure that all aspects of the lodge business is being handled appropriately, this includes degrees, practices and special events just as equally as the business of the stated meetings.

Finally, I must thank God for blessing me with this great fraternity and especially the unbelievable brethren that are members of Bethpage #521. He has allowed me to surround myself with some of the finest men I have ever known and has blessed me with the opportunity to learn and grow from the many lessons and examples I can gain from my fine brethren. God bless you each and every one.

Even though my time as Worshipful Master of Bethpage is drawing to a close, it does not mean that I can now go gentle into that good night. Freemasonry is still an important aspect of my life and Bethpage Lodge is the focal point of this for me. Keep your eyes open for me at your lodge as I still intend to visit as many places I can as often as I can, and you can always definitely find me at Bethpage on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 P.M. and every time the doors are open, if at all possible.

God speed to you all, and may the light continue to shine in all of us.

Fraternally,

Tim Roberson, P.M. - Worshipful Master 2006, 2007

Last Updated: 03/12/2008

Webmaster: Tim Roberson