December, 2017

The last meetings of the year saw the installation of the new officers for the coming year.  Worshipful Brother Gene Bell is planning for the lodge to have a good year.  We have 5 active candidates at the moment so having a candidate for inspection should be no problem.  Grand Lodge has implemented a couple of new programs that are intended to educate the brethren and encourage new members.  A couple of brethren have contacted the lodge to have their dues remitted due to health and financial reasons.  As it stands right now 24 brethren still owe dues.  Some of these brethren will undoubtedly pay them soon.  There are some others, however, that have not paid for a couple of years now and, if they have not contacted us by our January meeting, we will have little choice but to suspend them.  Our dues are still $55, which are just above the average for the state but below what some of our neighboring lodges charge.  We would like to keep them as low as we can so we have to cut costs where we can.  To carry a brother who has not paid his dues costs the lodge $17.45 each in fees to Grand Lodge.  Now, if a brother has the means to buy an endowed membership at $800, he would have to pay his dues once more and then would never have to pay again.  Additionally, after his death the lodge will continue to receive money from his endowment.
We do have a couple of brethren that need our prayers.  WB Al Cloke and WB John McCollum.
We hope to see you in lodge.  Have a wonderful New Year.