From the East: Greetings, Brethren!

It is with honor and pleasure that I am writing to you in a second article as the Worshipful Master of Wilmette Park Lodge No. 931. As a brief introduction for those who do not yet know us, Wilmette Park Lodge No. 931 meets at 7:30pm on the first and third Thursday of each month in Wilmette, a Northern Chicagoland area community located between Evanston and Kenilworth along the western shore of Lake Michigan. Wilmette Park Lodge No. 931 meets in the Wilmette Masonic Temple located at 1010 Central Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091, where there is generous parking both in our off-street parking and also along Central Ave and the surrounding streets. Meals are available on Stated Meeting nights, the first Thursday of the month, at the Wilmette Masonic Temple. Meals on Special Meeting nights, the third Thursday of the month, are frequently eaten together at area restaurants in time to make the 7:30pm opening gavel at the Wilmette Masonic Temple.

The last half of February and the first half of March have continued to be busy times for the Officers, Committees and brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge. We have held a Table Lodge and conferred a degree and still took time for practices and a busy Stated Meeting.

Briefly mentioned in last month’s article was that Wilmette Park Lodge was prepared to hold a Table Lodge on February 21. Those who were present at that event were treated to a very meaningful experience of camaraderie and fellowship! From the good food to the great location to the superb programs and organization, the entire event was a marvelous accomplishment by Brother Patrick Van Oosten and Brother Christiaan Van Deur! Putting on a successful event always takes detailed and persistent preparation, of course. Brother Van Oosten and Brother Van Deur have set a fine example of just how well those preparations and that persistence pay off. It was a night that will be a cherished memory for a very long time for all of us who were in attendance!

On a chilly Saturday morning early in March the Officers and brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge added another member. Once again, theOfficers and brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge spent dozens of hours in practice together and individually to refine our understanding and execution of the work. That effort and focus was clearly evident in a very well done and meaningful First Degree ceremony! There was no finer way of welcoming another Brother into the fraternal family!

Our Stated Meetings have been exciting, as well, thanks to the preparation and dedication of several brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge! One reason is the education moments have been very insightful, enjoyable, and thought provoking thanks to the contribution of Brother Marcus McEwen, Worshipful Brother Bob Blackwell, and Worshipful Brother Mike Hoover who is the Wilmette Park Lodge Education Coordinator. Whether we have another installment in the summary of Masonic study and readings, or a summary of a visit to a lodge in a foreign jurisdiction, or we deconstruct a passage from our standard work, each Stated Meeting promises a moment for the brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge to stretch ourselves and grow our understanding! We have had an energizing and productive Winter at Wilmette Park Lodge. Although we certainly look forward to referring to the meteorological Winter in the past tense, it has been a time of accomplishments and growth and good fellowship that promises to continue on into the Spring!

The preparations continue to build for a bustling Spring at Wilmette Park Lodge. There is continued preparation for the Organ Recital in the late Spring. There are eager candidates in waiting. There are visits to other lodges. There are preparations for the Open House Past Masters Day. There will likely be a social outing and also a movie night coming up in the month of April and May.

As the brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge work hard together to improve ourselves and our community, though, we will always have room for another Brother to join us as at least a guest!

To learn what the brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge have been up to and to see what is coming up next for Wilmette Park Lodge, please visit us on the web at http://www.mastermason.com/wilmettepark/, on Facebook by searching for “Wilmette Park Lodge 931”, in our articles in the Wilmette Patch, and in our subsequent Temple Topics articles.

The Officers and brethren of Wilmette Park Lodge No. 931 look forward to seeing you in lodge!

Fraternally,

Gary Wayne Hardesty II, P.M.
Worshipful Master – Wilmette Park Lodge No. 931


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March 2013 Trestleboard