From the South – March 2018

Greetings, Brethren.

It is hard to believe that March is already upon us, and spring is just around the corner. Hopefully spring will bring with it some decent weather, so we can get out more and enjoy the beautiful natural areas that are so abundant in this great state that we call home. Also, better weather affords more opportunity to get out and enjoy the company of your brothers for some fellowship. In regard to fellowship, we are still looking for ideas to get together outside of Stated Meetings and have some fun. Please let myself, or any of the other officers know if you have some ideas.

On Saturday, 2/24, Occasional Grand Lodge was held at Washington Masonic Center. I was happy to be able to attend the morning session, but unfortunately had to leave at the lunch break to help with some family matters. During the morning session I was intrigued to hear reports from all of the current Worshipful Masters regarding the issues/happenings at their perspective lodges. It seemed that a common theme amongst many of the lodges was that they are dealing with attendance issues at their Stated Meetings. This is also a problem that has plagued Washington Lodge, as many of you know. We realize that there are always valid reasons for missing a meeting, and I myself miss my fair share, but unfortunately poor attendance causes other issues around the Lodge as well.

One large issue that poor attendance is causing at Washington Lodge #46 is the fact that we (Washington Lodge) are losing quite a bit of money each month on food for the dinners before Stated Meetings. As your Junior Warden, it is one of my responsibilities to plan meals. Part of this meal planning is guessing how many meals to have our lovely chef, Leeann, prepare for us. This puts me in a precarious situation, as I want to make sure that there are enough meals for all who attend, yet I don’t want to spend large amounts of the Lodge’s money on wasted meals. Please let me know if you have any ideas that might help this situation.

Speaking of dinners, the dinner Menu for March’s Stated Meeting is as follows (and of course, subject to change):

• Green Salad
• Lemon Pepper Pork Loin (Lemon Pepper Fish for those who don’t pork)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Asparagus Spears with lemon butter
• Rolls
• Cherry Cheesecake

Thank you all, and I hope to see you soon, either at the Lodge, or outside of the Lodge!

Brian Reichhoff
Your Junior Warden, Washington Lodge #46 AF&AM