From the East
Brethren,
As Catheren and I continue our trek across the country, there are so many things that make up the nation that seem to go unnoticed. Homelessness is definitely not just a big city problem, the heart of the nation still beats strong, and without question corn grows “everywhere”.
There is so much to our country. If you haven’t done so, I can’t recommend strong enough to take a trip, slow down and appreciate the small country towns, with their friendly waves as you drive Main Street or the exuberance of a rodeo. The The native people of the Dakota’s, the Amish of Wisconsin, the farmers across every state in the Union, The Bible Belt of the south, the deserts, the mountains, the lakes and forest. Each of these hold such great beauty, until now, I hadn’t truly experienced.
As we slow down and appreciate our surroundings, the song “America the Beautiful” really does capture the essence of our great nation.
Have a great month, until we meet again,
Dave Murray, PM - Master
From the West
Welcome Brothers and friends, to the month of September.
A quick word as the SMMBA VP, renovation on the building will be resuming soon, hopefully the same week as our Stated Meeting. This leg of renovations will be focusing on upstairs, specifically the old dining room.
The old drop ceiling has been removed and after work has been completed by our chosen contractors, the walls will look brand new. The pass-through to the kitchen is being re-opened to allow easier use once again, and all of the 100-year-old electrical is being brought up to current standards.This is the beginning of a large project, but one that has been desperately needed both for aesthetic and safety reasons.
Lastly, as mentioned last month, we have a few schedule change announcements for the remainder of the year:
The October Stated Meeting will be held on 16OCT instead of 09OCT due to Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The 100th Year Celebration is scheduled to take place on 18NOV. Start time has not yet been determined.
The December Stated Meeting will be held on 04DEC instead of 11DEC.
This year’s Installation of Officers for the Masonic Year of 2024 will be taking place on 09DEC, starting at 11:00am.
Chase Murray - Senior Warden
From the South
Dear Lodge members, Families and friends
We are finally coming out of the summer and the summer heat. Although I will have to say that this summer wasn't all that bad, in my humble opinion, as far as the heat index was concerned, we have had worse summers. However the bottom line is: "This is the Summer that the Lord has given us, let us rejoice and be glad in it." So put on a Hawaiian shirt/dress and come and enjoy the Stated meeting dinner that Ranch Catering is providing us. The menu includes:
Kalua Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Tropical Rice, Glazed Carrots, Island Coleslaw, Hawaiian Rolls and Coconut Cream Pie, OH yeah!.. I would show up just for the Coconut Cream Pie...
I have searched all my life for happiness and have found that I have a "God size hole" in my heart. We cannot fill it with things, status, money, power, sex, drugs, alcohol... These things may bring temporary pleasure but nothing lasts like true happiness. Only God can fill that hole .
With much fraternal love
Don Ruch, PM - Junior Warden
Secretary’s Corner
Welcome to September. The Grand Lodge will be holding the Annual Communication in October. They have sent the proposed Legislation. It will be in a binder on the table in the hallway outside the Lodge Room for anyone that would like to review it. After review, if you have thoughts or suggestions, please present them to the Master.
I am starting to prepare the Dues Notices for 2024. Remember, if you send a payment in and are in arrears, that payment will go to the past due amount. You will still need to come back to good standing for the current year to receive your Dues Card. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
Sadly, there are still 21 Brothers that are in arrears. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not made your payment, you are overdue. The dues for 2023 are $121.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $60.25 this year, which gives us our total of $121.00. Per Capita is due to the Grand Lodge and your lack of payment affects the Lodge’s abilities to make its financial commitments.
If you are in arrears for your dues, you need to pay all that is owed to be brought back in to good standing. As an example, if you pay for 2023 only, and owe for 2022, I cannot send you your 2023 dues card. You are still in arrears and will need to bring your dues up to date first. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
Please go to member.freemason.org and check out your personal information. Ensure that your email, mailing address, phone number etc are correct. This is how the Lodge and the Grand Lodge contact you. It is important that this information be up to date. If you have trouble doing this, please contact me and I will assist you. Maintaining your contact information ensures that you will receive all notices that the Lodge and the Grand Lodge sends out in a timely manner. Please go check it out!
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
If you have lost your envelope, you can mail your dues to:
Santa Maria Lodge No. 580,
PO Box 68, Ramona, CA 92065
You can also go to our website, http://www.santamaria580.org, and pay online. If you have paid and have not received your card in a reasonable amount of time, please contact me at 951-970-4294 or secretary@santamaria580.org and I will take care of it.
S/F
Bill Graham, PM - Secretary
Reminder!!
Have you moved? Changed your phone number? Changed your e-mail address? Have you notified the Lodge if you have done any of these things?? In an ongoing effort to ensure that all member get due and timely notice of all Lodge information, it is important that you keep your information updated with us.
I would greatly appreciate it if all of you would log in to member.freemason.org, go to the My Profile section and ensure that all of your address/phone number/e-mail is up to date. This will automatically update the i-member section that I use as the Secretary to for your mailings and other contacts.
Calendar of Events
Lodge Officer Directory
Master - Dave Murray (Catheren)
Senior Warden - Chase Murray
Junior Warden - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Treasurer - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Peter Johnson
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Peter Krickhuhn, PM
Junior Steward - Mark Lantz
Tiler - Jack Story, PM (Jeanne)
619-302-1223
619-787-385
858-943-1079
760-789-5254
951-970-4294
8619-607-2935
760-788-9475
707-328-9617
760-788-4957
760-612-1978
858-231-4646
N/A
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Peter Krickhuhn, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer/Secretary - Dave Murray
Member - Ken Bychak II, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Don Ruch, PM
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
Member - Pete Johnson
760-612-1978
619-607-2935
619-302-1223
707-328-9617
760-789-5254
619-787-3858
760-788-9475
858-843-1079