Master's Message September
SUCCESS - (noun) achievement of intention: the achievement of something
planned or attempted. I am very happy to say that this has sure been one
successful year for the Whitesburg Masonic Lodge and I would like to inform all
of the brethren that our lodge has successfully completed the requirements
needed to attain the EXCELLENCY AWARD for this year. Brothers I applaud
you for all your efforts made to ensure that this award would be coming back to
our lodge from the Grand Lodge Conclave in October, and I will be beside
myself with joy when Whitesburg Lodge is read off the list of lodges to receive
this. For some, this is no big deal, but this was one of my goals on the year
and we've done it. I can not tell you when the Excellency Award came about but
I can tell you this, in the 104 years our lodge has been chartered, this
Excellency Award will be its FIFTH.
The month of August was once again a show of Masonry In Action as we
conducted more degree work at our lodge and the Raven's Rock. The Rock
was has a very special meaning to me. For years I heard stories from my dad,
about how they carried our brother Michael Rayburn, who is a paraplegic, up to
the Rock so he could take part and watch the degree work. It is also the same
place that the Widow of the Late George Bibb presented his Grandmasters
Apron to the Fields lodge so it could be put on display in the lodge hall, and
now it is the place I'll remember where last year I helped raised my lifetime
friend to the sublime degree of a master mason, and this year, conducted the
degree work and raised his father Anthony. It means a lot to somebody when a
friend gets involved in masonry, petitions, takes the entered apprentice degree,
passes on to the fellow craft and then is raised to a master mason, but it
means more when this person happened to be the coach of your Cowan
Elementary eighth grade football team which won the county championship title.
Anthony Paul Cornett helped a lot of kids, including this one, get off on to the
right path of life. I can remember being able to talk to coach if I had a problem,
I can remember him lifting your spirits up if you had a bad day, and I can
remember him making me and Dunavon run, a lot, when we messed up.
Through that guidance boys have grown up to be great men in this community,
and now with the addition of Anthony Paul Cornett, and the recent dual
membership of Sheriff Danny Webb, every coach, with the exception of two,
that I have ever had, have been MASONS, and MEMBERS of our lodge.
Brothers this year at the Rock we added five new brothers to our great
fraternity. Anthony Paul Cornett and Jordan Ray Eldridge, in whom I believe will
be another great addition to our lodge. Two brothers from Fields Lodge, and
one from a lodge in which I can not remember the name. I just want to thank
our new brothers for deciding to join this fraternity, and I would like to thank all
the brothers that attended and helped with the degree work.
Brothers September is going to be a busy month for masonry again. With
the upcoming festivals, I ask that all brother masons that can help Mountain
Shrine Club to please do so. I just hope that Charles and Shirley Day know how
much each NOBLE of the Mountain Shrine Club really does appreciate all that
they do, not only the Shrine Club, but for all of MASONRY. It is truly
remarkable how much these two are able to accomplish. Brothers please
remember that we have two bicycles to give away at the Mountain Heritage
and there are registration boxes throughout the county, and we now have
downloadable cornerstone brick forms on line at www.whitesburg754.org.
Construction on this walkway will begin soon, so be sure to have your
cornerstone ready to be placed among the others. Brothers we have degree
work scheduled for the month of September and I'm sure there will be more
conferred in October.
Brothers in closing I ask those brothers that have not attended a meeting to
please do so. If you need a ride call me, 606 454 6813 or 634 5051, and we
will get you there some way, some how. Continue to shine that light of
MASONRY throughout the community, be POSITIVE and don't dwell on the
NEGATIVE, and help a brother if he is down, remember those who are sick
and shut it, and remember our WIDOWS, for it is out OBLIGATION!!!! See you
at the meetings…….. "FROM THE CRAFT I CAME AND TO THE CRAFT I
WILL RETURN."