Greetings Brothers: Well, winter has finally found Northern Indiana. A few scheduled items for January were canceled due to weather, but that is ok. The cold and snow will make us appreciate the sun and warmth in July and August. As we prepare for February, you will notice in the Stated Meeting Agenda Items that we have two (2) requests for a Demit. As a note about the two Demits that we will be voting on, both of these Brothers are current with their dues and are requesting to be Demitted at the end of 2023. This requires a unanimous vote of the Brother Lodge. I will say that I appear to be why one of the Brothers is choosing to leave. That is not my intention as Master of Lakeville to lose Brothers but to attract and bring more men into Freemasonry. I understand the importance of Ritual and Tradition, but those are two very different items. To me, Ritual makes a man a Brother of this great fraternity. Tradition is what each Lodge does that makes it unique, but too often, Tradition becomes a crutch that doesn’t allow progress. A Tradition of always having the same meal in certain months is excellent; a Tradition of doing the same thing over and over, even if it doesn’t benefit the Lodge, because it is Tradition, is not something I am willing to continue. As I have stated in the past, if I or someone asks to do something different, I do not accept the “It’s always been done that way” but “We tried it that way back in, or We have tried these other ways” now we can have a conversation and maybe make it better. Sometimes, when a conversation is had, the reason for trying to change something disappears. As far as Ritual goes, I have been very upfront about the fact that I am not a person who can memorize and recite the Ritual. Now, does that make me a lesser Mason? I sure hope not. This is one point that I do agree with our Current Grand Master: men do not join Freemasonry to be ritualists; they join to be part of a Brotherhood. Our next Stated Meeting is Thursday, February 1^st , 2024. *Dinner* will be at 6:30 pm. *Masonic Education* at 7:00 pm in the Dining Room. *EA Opening and Closing Practice* at 7:15 pm in the Lodge Room. The* Stated Meeting *is at 7:30 pm in the Lodge Room. Dinner will be Brunswick Stew, provided by Worshipful Brother Harold Rowe and Sister Chris Rowe. /Please RSVP at either 574-784-8948 or hiram@haroldrowe.com./ Senior Deacon Colton Eads will provide the Masonic Education, and Worshipful Master Todd Whitteberry will provide refreshments after the meeting. This is a reminder that the goal of this change is not to rush through or skip over Masonic Education each month and to give the Officers a chance to practice opening and closing on the other two degrees. *Fellowship Night* For our first Fellowship Night, I hope many of you will join me at Leo’s Family Restaurant in Lakeville at 6:30 pm on Friday, January 26^th , 2024. This is a time for us to get together as Brothers, have dinner, and enjoy each other's company. Founders’ Day Replay can be viewed on the Grand Lodge of Indiana YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/t3E0ILE52BA?si=ooQKi6Wam9vCZ9aA *Stated Meeting Agenda Items* * I have received requests from two (2) Brothers for a Demit. * Masonic Education Workshops *Monthly Calendar* 1^st Stated Meeting 7:30 pm 15^th Degree Practice (EA) 6:30 pm 23^rd Fellowship Night 6:30 pm / Leo’s Family Restaurant 25^th Trestle Board Deadline *Masonic Birthday & Anniversary* Birthday Anniversary Brian L Hoover 3^rd 62 Ron L Clady Jon C. Stevens 3^rd 35 David L Hamman Aaron A White 13^th Wayne L Tumbleson 16^th Steve D Mann 20^th Gary E Anspaugh 26^th The Grand Lodge Scholarship application portal is now /*open*/. Students who wish to apply for a Grand Lodge scholarship can go to the Scholarship page on the Indiana Freemason website (https://www.indianafreemasons.com/scholarship) and click on the Apply (When Open) button. Applicants will need three items from their sponsors: 1) their sponsor’s last name, 2) their sponsor’s birthdate, and 3) their sponsor’s Lodge ID as it appears on his dues statement. This is done to validate that the sponsor is a member in good standing, meaning his dues are current. The applicant must also enter her/his cell phone number or email address to receive a validation code to proceed with the application. /*The application portal will remain open until March 31, 2024.*/ As a reminder, if you have not sent in your Dues for 2024, please do so as soon as possible, as they are due before January 1, 2024. If you are having trouble paying your Dues or need to make the payment after the 1^st of January, don't hesitate to contact the Dues Committee to let them know. The Lodge will start the collection process for those Brothers who have not paid at the beginning of February. It is much easier to say Brother A B will pay his dues at the start of March, then keep calling, texting, emailing, and sending out pricey Certified Letters. A little info goes a long way. *Ron Clady (Secretary) (574) 784-8448 jrantiques44@gmail.com* * Brian Hoover (SW) (574) 286-7574 n9lhm@yahoo.com* * Dean Shinneman (JW) (574) 835-7088 jshinneman@yahoo.com* Fraternally Your, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Todd C Whitteberry twhitteberry@gmail.com Lakeville Lodge