Noah Lodge #357 Trestleboard

Greetings all,

Where for art thou Brother? I've been looking for you all year and haven't found you. I would really like to sit in Lodge with you. We have accomplished a great deal of things so far this year, including remodeling of the Lodge that you have read about. This you have to see to believe.

This late Trestleboard is my fault as I wanted to report on our fund raiser at the Devil's Garden Mud Pit in Cleweston, but a more detailed report will be given at our Scheduled Meeting on September 12, 2011 at 7:30 P.M. along with the final prep for the BBQ and the Kids ID Program. This an event that you need to bring your kids and/or grandkids to. There will be activities for everyone young or old, and the kids will receive free dot-dogs. So be there or miss out on the fellowship, the brotherly love and the enjoyment.

Here's hoping you had a relaxing and enjoying holiday. Remember your Masonic Tenets, be healthy, and remember, the more birthdays you have - the older you get.

So mote it be,

Larry Newton
Worshipful Master

Brethren,
             September is coming upon us quickly, we have plans of a b-b-q on Sept 17 , 10:00am till 3:00 pm, with the country band One Night Rodeo. On the same day we will also have Punta Gorda Lodge 115 assisting Noah in a Child ID Program. Several of the Punta Gorda members said they are coming for the day, it would be nice to have Brothers from every Lodge come out and support Masonry. Our next best chance to reach all the Lodges in our District and the Lodges in District 29 is to make the Master and Wardens meeting one left before the BIG EVENT! We need fliers badly!!!

              August 8th if you weren't at Lodge then you missed one great degree with our Junior Warden, Brother Jim Hamilton in the east. RH Ed Lanham delivered the lecture and W B Dana McGrath delivered the charge to our new Brother Frank D. Rooney - welcome to Masonry Brother. To you and I the degree starts when the Master opens the Lodge but to our candidates it starts the moment they walk into the Lodge to receive their booklet to read while we prepare the Lodge for the degree. This being said we as Master Masons must be on our best Masonic behavior, to impress the importance of the degree to come. When the new Brother receives his new apron from the Master on that night remember there is nothing more honorable that can ever be conferred to a Brother Mason, so lets make the rest of the degree just as honorable and memorable as the Apron Presentation as it should be.

             Brothers, we would like all the other Lodges to come to our functions and our degrees, let me just ask when have you been to another Lodge to visit or to watch a degree. Noah must become involved with the other Lodges in our district and district 29. You want more Brothers at our functions then we must move outside of our own little comfort spot called Noah 357. We need to regularly visit the other Lodges and attend their functions before we can ever expect much from the surrounding Lodges. I feel we have a rough and rugged road before us but Noah 357 is a Lodge of strong willed Masons who whole heartedly believe in Masonry and anyone who believes differently needs to move aside and let Noah 357 become the place where people want to come and want to be a part of. All this begins with the Officers of Noah Lodge - we must step out first and visit the other Lodges and help them when they need our help great or small. With this first step from Noah the other Lodges can not help but take notice to OUR Lodge and want to visit to see just what do we have over here in North Fort Myers.

              In closing, the new renovations are coming along nicely, and no Brothers, this is not coming from the dues raised earlier in the year, it is coming from Brothers who love Masonry and their Lodge and are looking for "CHANGE". Oh that's been used, they just want to spruce up the place to make it nicer for our guest and our families. August 22, 2011 is another great Family night coming "Pot Luck Dinner " is what I'm hearing think we will bring mini pizzas , remember them from my Steward days they are great and almost edible. Thanks to all the Brothers who care.

Harmony is strength!

Your Brother and Senior Warden,

Lawrence A. Tomlinson

Greetings Brothers,

Origins,

Or-i-gin [awr-i-jin] noun
1. something from which anything arises or is derived; source; fountainhead: to follow a stream to its origin.
2. rise or derivation from a particular source: the origin of a word.
3. the first stage of existence; beginning: the origin of Freemasonry in America.

The theories about the true origin of Freemasonry are as varied as those pertaining to the origin of Man himself.

Even our own Grand Lodge refers to the Masonic "myth" Some place the origin with the Stone Masons in the middle ages.

Some credit a poem and the discovery channel has too many theories to list here.

Personally I have found that there are very few things in life that you can truly understand without understand the origin of it. The "where and when" of Freemasonry may never be completely understood, however the most important part is plainly evident. As "Builders of Men" Ourselves first and foremost. We find the wisdom imparted in each of the degrees to be constant reminders of those things in ourselves that we should either work to improve or work to subdue. We labor to make the most of the gifts that each of us posess to the benefit of our families our brothers and hopefully the less fortunate among us.

We also labor to to do this with a level of humility and understanding that having been in like circumstances ourselves. There is a time when we all will have met on the level.

I find it thought provoking that these men who were able to shape stone with the sheer strength of hand and the simplest of implements, found inspiration is those simple tools not only to build temples that soar into the heavens but also to restrain those urges to use that strength for anything less noble that that of lifting up themselves and those who seek the same enlightenment.

I leave you with the words of William Shakespeare:

"What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals - and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me"

Brother James E. Hamilton
Junior Warden
Noah Lodge 357.

At the end of June, I mailed out 23 late notices. So far I have received five (5) responses.

We are planning a Bar B Que for Saturday, September 17th and we DO need help.

If you have not been to Lodge lately, you'll be surprised at the renovations done by Brother Ed Ciofani and his crew of workers.

Hope to see you at Lodge.

Fraternally,
Jerry Keeton
Secretary

My Brothers,

It is time to pray for America. Pray for the President, for Congress, for the Senate, that they may work not for re-election, nor for their party, or for a dependent society, but work together for America.

Pray for the Supreme Court that they may have the wisdom to know that being politically correct is not always correct, that they will keep God in America, that the school doors may be opened so God, prayer and faith values may return to the classroom.

Pray for all the Military, for their safety as they serve to keep America safe. Pray for their families as they live every day with the fear of that dreaded knock on the door.

Pray for all who lost loved ones on 9/11 as they face another reminder of that terrible day.

Pray for all who are struggling to fee their family and keep their home in these trying times.

Pray that in the next year a true leader may emerge for America.

My Brothers, Pray for America.

May God bless you every day in every way.

John McKinney
Chaplain