Fraternal Greetings,
Our Lodge has met and exceeded many of the goals set forth by Wor. Ed
Morman during his time in the East. Some of these goals were proposed
during the 2009 Masonic year and others are new to 2010. Several of these
goals are long-term challenges that our Lodge must strive to accomplish
for the benefit of all who follow us into this fraternity.
Updating the information and functionality of our Lodge website is one
example of a goal our Lodge has achieved this year. Through www.ACGL81.com
our members can now pay their dues online, check updates to the Lodge
calendar and explore links to other adjunct Masonic groups. Potential
candidates can utilize the website to request more information and learn
about the history of ACGL No. 81. Our Lodge Webmaster, Bro. Chris Sullivan,
has done an excellent job helping our Lodge meet this goal and will continue
to update and improve the website as we move forward.
A new goal for this year is to reinstitute the Catechisms in our Lodge.
The Worshipful Master has issued this challenge and has outlines a plan
to help our Lodge succeed. Now it is up to us to make it work. The officers
of ACGL hope that reaching this goal will help our Candidates better understand
masonry as well as their obligations. We hope that learning the Catechisms
will foster better retention and greater participation amongst our new
Brethren. We also feel that learning the Catechisms will better prepare
those members who wish to sit in the East. This challenge is both a goal
for this year and an investment in the future of Masonry at ACGL.
A long-term goal for our Lodge is to have at least one-third of our members
enrolled in the Life Membership in Perpetuity program. ACGL currently
has 318 members. Of this number, 34 brothers are 50 year-plus Masonic
Veterans or Honorary Members and therefore do not pay dues. Of these remaining
284 members, 68 are already LMIP’s. That’s 24% of our eligible members.
We only need 25 more brethren to become LMIP’s to reach our goal of 33%!
Our Lodge can be proud of the efforts of their brethren to meet these
important benchmarks. Just as the Candidate is expected to reach certain
goals to advance within the fraternity, so too must the Lodge challenge
itself to grow and improve for the good of all it’s members.
Reminders and updates for all Brethren:
- Many of you have already paid your 2010 dues. But for those who have
not, dues for this year are $55.00. Dues can be paid by the traditional
check mailed to the Lodge Secretary or by our new PayPal account linked
to the Lodge website. Several Brothers have already used this method and
we hope many more will find it a simple and efficient alternative.
- A new round of Member Data Verification requests will be arriving in
your mailboxes shortly. Last year, these request forms also served as
dues notices. This year will be no different, but those who have already
paid their dues will also receive a Member Data Verification request with
their dues cards and are instructed to return the corrected form to me
at their convenience.
- As you may have noticed, we have reduced the size of the Trestleboard.
The recurring information that had been repeated each month will now be
available online at: www.ACGL81.com. You can also download past publications
from the website’s Trestleboard archive. Information about Past Masters,
Lodge Contacts and Masonic Veterans will be updated regularly. If you
have any comments or suggestions on how to improve either the Trestleboard
or website content, please contact me.
Jeff Galusha, Secretary
Secretary ACGLNo.81