Maritime Lodge #239, F. & A. M. of Washington Issue 6, June 2015 THE SLIP KNOT

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1 THE SLIP KNOT! Maritime Lodge #239 June 2015 Upcoming Events 6/8- Maritime Stated, light dinner at 6:15, meeting at 7:30 6/11,12 & 13 - Gland Lodge Annual Communication in Kennewick, WA.! An electronic Trestle Board The purpose and intent of this electronic trestle board is to develop a monthly source to disseminate pertinent information to our members and provide a venue for you, the member, to express your ideas and opinions, post photos, report news, advertise your business and whatever else you might want it to be. Please don t hesitate to use and share it! An Open invitation.. 6/258- Brunch at the Iron and Salt 321 Main Street in downtown Edmonds 10 AM (see article pages 3/4) Maritime Lodge meets on the second Monday of the month for a light dinner at 6:15, followed by the Stated meeting at 7:30 (We are dark July, August & December). Maritime Lodge welcomes all Masons of any degree at our Stated communications. To our members: You are very important and your attendance at Lodge meetings is appreciated. MISSION STATEMENT To collectively practice and preserve the principles, tenets and rituals of Freemasonry to the best of our ability - To promote friendship, morality and Brotherly love among man and Mason - To maintain our commitment to the Seafaring man and, To endeavor as a Lodge to have a profound positive effect in and on our community - 1

2 Maritime Lodge #239, F. & A. M. of Washington Issue 6, June 2015 WM Jeffery A. Flood And The Master says. Greetings from the Maritime East! Once again I find myself wondering where the year has gone. We are approaching our last Stated Meeting, June 8, before we go dark for the summer. This is an important meeting, in that we will be voting for next year s officers, so please come on out and let your voices and votes be heard. Our May meeting marked the official visit of the new District Deputy VWB Tom Bulson. I must say that I couldn t be more pleased with this appointment. VWB Tom has been a great Mason and a good supporter of Maritime. I look forward to being in Lodge with him over the next several years. Just add him to a long list of great District 4 Deputies. It is with a heavy heart that I also mark the passing of VWB Errol Scott. It was my privilege and honor to attend his memorial service at the Nile Temple Golf Club. What a fantastic turn out, there was easily 200 plus people there. The ceremony started with a Buddhist Funeral right and was followed by the Masonic Funeral Team and comments from family members. My friend and my brother Errol will be missed. On Saturday May 23rd various members of Maritime Lodge met at the Greenwood lodge to discuss both the long term issues of our lodge and the lineup for next year. It was good to put everything out on the table. We as a lodge have some issues & problems, first and foremost commitment to attendance, active recruitment of new members and finally transforming ourselves into an organization that s active and fun. We did not get here overnight, nor can we solve our problems in a few months, but we can as a group take the first step, leading off with the left foot of course. I like and enjoy seeing my brethren every month, however, I would embrace seeing them more often outside of the confines of the lodge. Let s have a pint! ======================================================================== Note: There will be Election of Officers and a memorial for WB Andy Warner at the June Stated. The Worshipful Master has asked that the brethren be informed that the dress code for both the June and September meetings will be shirt-sleeve. Hence, should you show up in coat and tie it will be evident to all that you don t read the Slip Knot. 2

3 Brother Ken Van-Cooten, Senior Warden A little guidance from the West.. Brethren: There seems to be a renewed interest in attracting new members to our lodge and reminding some of our inactive members that their presence and participation is vital to the continued existence of Maritime. The signs we see so far are promising. Worshipful Bro. Dan Miller was present at our last stated meeting after a long absence. Worshipful Bros. Don Lyman and Gene Ross, out of concern for the well being of a brother, took the time to go inquiring about the whereabouts of Worship Bro. Alex LaBarba who has been absent and inaccessible by phone for sometime. The good news about that is that Bro. Alex is well. In addition to those efforts, we are lucky to have the volunteered participation of Very Worshipful Bro. Tom Bulson, Deputy to the Grand Master in District 4, at our disposal. He was very helpful in assisting us to put together the group of incoming Officers of the lodge for the period, at a special meeting we held two weekends ago. For this we are thankful. There s still a lot of work to do for us to reach our expected goal. This will require the involvement of all active, as well as inactive members. So let us follow the example of Worshipful Bros. Ross and Lyman, and go seek out brothers we haven t seen for awhile. I m sure they will be happy to know we still have them in our thoughts. 3

4 Maritime Lodge #239, F. & A. M. of Washington Issue 6, June 2015 Brother Aaron Cohn, Junior Warden A message from the South Message from the South. I would like to start off by thanking all of the Brethren who joined us for the May Stated Meeting. We had our official visit from the Deputy of the Grand Master of F & AM of Washington for District 4. It was great to see VWB Tom Bulson in his new role. Please join us for our next Stated Meeting on June 8th with a light dinner prepared by WB s M. Gene Ross and Don Lyman at 6:30pm followed by the Stated Meeting at 7:30pm. This will be our last Stated Meeting before we go dark for the summer so come on out, enjoy some fellowship and be prepared to vote for the new line that will be installed in September! I would also like to personally thank the Brothers who joined us for the D4 Masonic Scholarship Dinner and Awards Ceremony on May 13th. We had one of the best salmon dinners I ve ever been lucky enough to enjoy, prepared by the BBQ Boys from Occidental #72 followed by the presentation of the scholarships to two amazing young adults. The Plumb..., which is an operative stonemason s instrument, used for ascertaining the alignment of a vertical surface, reminds us to maintain upright behavior among Masons and men. ======================================================================== How about a little Lodge news. On May 23rd there was a "General Membership Meeting held. Those in attendance were the Worshipful Master, the Senior and Junior Wardens accompanied by the District Deputy and the following members: VWB s Hyde and Leckie, WB s Lyman, Ross and Corning. Initially the focus of the conversation surrounded the coming year and the formation of the line of officers for the coming year. The result was realization that filling all of the chairs is a problem, there will be a couple of vacant chairs in the line that will require possible recruitment of some inactive members and the periodic filling of any vacant chairs by Past Masters and visitors. The Installation of Officers will be held on September 19, 2015 at 5 PM, it will be an Open Installation, so family and friends are invited. A dinner will follow the Installation program. All members, friends and anticipated guests will be mailed invitations. The next segment concentrated on the development of a robust Public Awareness Program that will consist of returning to a more maritime related structure, possibly developing a maritime themed Degree, participating in the Greenwood Seafair Parade, pursuing the ad in the University District and contacting various local maritime organizations. (Cont. page 4) 4

5 (Cont from page 3) It was also decided to combine the Past Masters Night with an outing to Tillicum Village (Blake Island) on July 25, The meeting concluded with a proposal that would carry the lodge beyond the 100th anniversary in The basis of this proposal amounts to changing the way we do business, increase member and family involvement and adopt an agenda that will ensure the operation of the lodge consistent with that goal. It was agreed that the lodge will split the fare for outings 50/50 and that RSVP will be required at either tony.corning@maritimemasons239.com or call and leave a message. In that vein, the following three events were suggested and will be scheduled: June 28 - Brunch at the Iron and Salt in Edmonds 11 AM, member cost $7 per person. (Confirmed) July 25 - Tillicum Village (Blake Island, sightseeing voyage/salmon dinner) December - The Christmas Train to Leavenworth A message from Brother John Spicher... Hail Brother! It s your seafarer Brother John. What s new on the High Seas? I ve been meeting guests onboard the cruise ship who are Brothers. I remember going on my first Lodge visit and meeting a Brother from a different Lodge and wondering if they might ask me a question I did not know the answer, or that I might not remember the correct meaning of the Master s Gavel. In the end, they were just like me, a Brother willing to help and wanting more light. Then I visited Lodges in other States and other countries. Now I m on a cruise ship and every week there are 4,000 new guests and it seems that every cruise I meet a Brother. As you remember from my last writing, I wear my Grandfather s Masonic ring, passed down from my Brother and Dad. During a cruise I will hear I see you re a traveling man or my Mother lives..and I respond back that my Mother lives at 239 Maritime, Seattle WA. I have even had a Brother give the grip. Recently one of my co-workers signed on and he is a Brother from the Royal Navy Lodge 3337 Plymouth, England. We have had several chats on our Masonic journeys. But, the one thing I do miss is the fellowship with each of you; Maritime Brother. We are part of a very special Lodge and it takes all of us to make the Lodge, so enjoy the opportunity you have to be with a like-minded Brother who is willing to uphold his obligation. Attend Lodge and seek more Masonic Light. Recent Deaths Sadly, WB Andrew C. Warner has answered the last summons from the Supreme Architect of that Celestial Lodge above on May 11, WB Warner was Master of Maritime Lodge first in 1975 and again in It always was a delight to have both Andy and his lovely wife Grace in our midst. He will be greatly missed. May he rest in eternal peace. 5

6 Maritime Lodge retains possession of the Traveling Gavel and challenges the other District Lodges to come claim it, so Let s talk visitation. Visitation does take time and effort, but it can be very rewarding. Visitation is a multi-faceted affair. A visit to another Lodge does a number of things: first, upon entry you announce that you and your Lodge are vital and interested, that you care about your Masonry and that you have a desire to expand your Masonic horizons. More importantly though, that you care about their Masonry, that you are interested in what they are doing and how they go about their business. There is always some variation in the ritual and it s always interesting to see. Beyond that it affords you the opportunity to rekindle old friendships and foster new ones. So, give it a try, you ll be glad you did! Below is the meeting schedule of all District Four Lodges: Occidental Lodge No. 72-3rd Thurs.* 2006 N.W. Market Street, Seattle Doric Lodge No First Tues. (if Hol. next day)* 619 N. 36th, Seattle Green Lake Lodge No st Thurs. (If Hol. 2nd Thurs.)* 307 N.E. Maple Leaf Pl., Seattle Rainier Lodge No nd Fri., except 3rd Fri. of June, (Dark July, Aug. & Dec.), Greenwood Masonic Center, 7910 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle Maritime Lodge No nd Mon. each month except July, August, December, Greenwood Masonic Center, 7910 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle Greenwood Lodge No st Wed. (If Hol. 2nd Wed.)* 7910 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research No th Thurs. Feb., Apr., June, Aug., Oct. (3rd Fri. Dec.), Happy Birthday Brother June Birthdays June Masonic Birthdays 6/4 Don Dimen 6/25 Barry Fairfax 6/30 Jeff Flood 6/23 Gene Gartwaite 6/22 Nils Haugen 6/15 Robert Murphy 6/11 Ralph Weathers 6/21/90 Paul Bronson 6/5/67 Loren Halseth 6/12/95 Marko Kosic 6/20/74 Don Lyman 6/13/94 Robert Peake 6/11/01 Rabi Peifer 6/12/95 Ted Plumis 6/12/61 John Sandor 6/18/59 Theodore Woodard 6

7 Maritime Lodge #239, F. & A. M. of Washington Issue 6, June 2015 Notice Notice Notice Until someone submits something else, you re going to have to endure this crap that I write. I would prefer that what we fill these pages with be your knowledge, wisdom, ideas, cares and concerns. So, do yourself and the rest a favor and submit an article to help fill this void. TC THE 80/20 RULE By WB Tony Corning I was recently forced to consider the 80/20 Rule. That s where 80% of the people do nothing and the other 20% do all the work. I found the consideration intriguing. Normally this rule has negative connotations, but when applied to today s Freemasonry the opposite might be the case. Before we start this conversation, when we speak of the 20%, what are we saying about the 80%? Of the 80%, many were at some point in the past, part of the 20% and that can t be discounted. It s simple evolution, many of today s 20% will one day be tomorrow s 80%. That being said; If any given Lodge could muster 20% of its membership as active members doing what it take to keep a lodge viable, things would probably look pretty good. A couple of years ago Maritime Lodge came pretty close to this level, but as a result of some damaging losses we would fall far short today. The 20%? Well, they are the ones that keep the Lodge running. They are the ones that care, they are the ones willing to do the work. They learn the ritual, they fill positions in the line, they attend the meetings, they prepare the meals, they procure supplies, they meet and greet potential new members, and they participate in Degrees and mentor candidates. They do it all. If you are going to be a Mason and enjoy your Masonry there is no other place for you. This is where it s all at; this is where you show the cut of your jib. As I look back over the last paragraph two words seem to stand out they participate. That describes those 20% ers. The 80%? They ve either paid their dues as a 20% er and we thank them for that or they maybe are simply pay n their dues. Share your story or your thoughts, feelings or ideas. They may seem trivial to you, but they might be of great interest to the rest of us! them to: tony.corning@maritimemasons239.com 7

8 And now let s get down to business Please patronize and support the businesses of our members and those who support us... WB Jeff Flood - The Ravenna Ale House, 2687 NE 65th, Seattle. A neighborhood pub with great food and great fun. (206) Brother Andrew Leckie - BAR DOJO, 8404 Bowdoin Way, Edmonds, WA (425) feedme@bardojo.com Shooby Doo Catering. NEW - Brother Andrew Leckie - Salt and Iron, 321 Main Street, Edmonds, WA. Steak and Oysters plus much, much more! 7 days, hours vary (425) VWB C. Blair Leckie - Keller Williams Realty, 1307 N. 45th Street, Seattle, WA (206) bleckie@kw.com Brother Tim Arnot- Tim's Tavern. 602 N 105th St. Seattle, WA weekdays, noon - 2 am weekends. Live music 7 nights per week. Brother Ken Van-Cooten - Fahrenheit Steel, Relax to the soft ring of his tropical steel drums. Dinner, Dance and Entertainment music that is truly unique. (206) Your name and business can appear here! If you want your business to appear in the Slip Knot you must submit your updated business information to me by the 20th of the month. your business information to: tony.corning@maritimemasons239.com Disclaimer If there were to be such a thing as an editor, he would accept absolutely no responsibility for the content, accuracy or grammatical correctness of any article printed in this publication So, until someone else decides to take this up, forward those photos, ideas, opinions and business info, etc. to me at tony.corning@maritimemasons239.com and I ll include them in the next issue. The deadline for submittal will be the 20th of the month for the subsequent months issue. 8