I would like to welcome new affiliated members to Tabernacle Lodge. Brother David Keefer who is the Worshipful Master at Richland Hills #1348, Brother Charles Modesitt, Brother Raymond Weigand and Right Worshipful Tommy Guest who is the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Texas. Welcome, Brothers, to the Tabernacle Family!

Brethren, the 2007-2008 Masonic year is almost over and it is that time when we will be electing new officers for the 2008-2009 Masonic year. We will do just that at our Stated Meeting on June 10th so you need to attend and vote if you would like to have a say in who leads Tabernacle Lodge this next year.

We will be having a memorial service June 17th at 7 p.m. for all our Brothers that we have lost this Masonic year. We invite family members of our deceased Brethren as well as our current members and families to come and honor our Brethren who have laid down their working tools and entered into their rest. This is a beautiful service that our Chaplain, Brother Don Webb, has put together. We will need the participation of quite a few members during the service, so we will have some education and practice on Monday June 16th at 7 p.m. I would like all of the Officers and as many members as possible to attend the service as we hear the Masonic record of each of these Brethren.

I want to thank everyone for keeping me in your prayers. I am doing much better now. I have returned to work and I am back on full duty. It sure is good to be back at the lodge and fellowship with all the brethren.

Our May 6th Birthday Party was a great success. We enjoyed a wonderful meal – thanks to our Stewards – combined with special fellowship, music and singing. It was a fun time enjoyed by everyone. Afterwards, we retired upstairs where we opened the Lodge to present the Lamar medal to two students from South Hills High School’s Music Department. Brother Jim Walker explained what the Lamar Award stands for and what a honor it is to receive it and Worshipful Master Mark Solomon presented the Award and Medal to two very deserving students.

Neil Van Geem was presented with the Community Builder Award by Worshipful Master Mark Solomon. Neil was accompanied by his lovely wife, two sons and a grandson.

PM Henry Hash spoke on what a wonderful friend Neil and his family have been to him and his own family for the past 40 plus years. He told what a great man Neil is and that this Award could not have been presented to a more deserving person. This was very apparent when you looked around the room at the 80 to 85 Lodge members, friends and family who came to see Neil receive this award. Congratulations, Neil!
Can you believe the 2007-2008 Masonic year is coming to an end? June the 12th we will elect our new officers for the Masonic year 2008-2009. Come to the meeting and help choose your Lodge officers.

As some of you may know, Grand Lodge has wanted to emphasize the importance of Masonic History. This is an area that I am very excited about. I can remember as a child, when my dad would receive his Masonic magazine, I couldn’t wait to grab it and read about Masonic History. I found it fascinating that so many of our Texas Heroes were Masons.

Also as I read these articles, I came to realize that Freemasonry is part of the lifeblood of our great country and our Great State of Texas. So it is my honor that each month I get to share a reading of Masonic History at our Stated Meetings.

I encourage all of you to make a point of attending on the second Tuesday of each month. Our next Stated Meeting will be June 10. We will have a meal beginning at 6 p.m. with the meeting starting at 7 p.m.

We will also have our monthly Birthday get to together on the first Tuesday, June 3, beginning at 6 p.m. On Saturday, June 21st, beginning at 8 a.m. we will have our monthly breakfast.

If you need a ride to any of the Lodge activities, please call the Lodge. We would love to see you there.

Now for a bit of Masonic History, who was the first documented person to be made a Mason in America? I will reveal the answer at our next Stated meeting.

May the Great Creator watch over you until we meet again.

First, I want to congratulate Brothers David R. Keefer on being one of our newest plural Members and Endowed Member No. 526 who is currently Worshipful Master of Richland Hills Lodge No. 1348, Ray R. Weigand a Plural Member from Fort Worth Lodge No. 148 and Endowed Member No. 527, Charles W. Modesitt a Plural Member from LaCygne Lodge No. 62 located in LaCygne, Kansas Endowed Member No. 528 and Right Worhipful Tommy D. Guest, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Texas and a Plural Member from Stephenville Lodge No. 267 Endowed Member No. 529. We continue to increase our Endowed Memberships of which 299 are either deceased or have over Fifty Years of good time etc., thanks to our Members and in many cases the funds from the Edwin L. Stephenson Memorial Foundation.

Secondly, it was my privilege to present Brother James D. Kirkpatrick from Arlington Lodge No. 438 his Endowed Membership Certificate at our Awards Program 5/6/08, R.W. James T. Mendenhall, D.D.G.M. of District 64 A, Billy R. Campbell, Secretary of Smithfield Lodge No. 455 and our newest Master Mason Joshua W. Schutts on receiving their Endowment certificates West of the Altar at the May Stated Meeting 5/13/2008. You should have heard the remarks made by these Brothers as they addressed the Lodge. It would have made you proud to be a member of this great Lodge.

Last I want to congratulate our Worshipful Master Mark W. Solomon on his leadership this year and the many accomplishments of the Officers and Members of this great Lodge.

April Birthday
Marck L. Aghnatious, Darwin D. Atwood, Floyd I. Banks, Milton C. Blankenship, Russell E. Bracy, Dan A. Burnham, E. Hoyt Dowdey, Thomas L. Edwards, Ray V. Foliart, Donald L. Graczyk, Charles W. Grant, Alex P. Guerrero, John D. Higgins, Jr., Robert L. Hubbard III, Elton Jewett, Jr., David Leslie Lucas, Adrian. Lynch, Charles R. Maley, Alan B. McClellan, James I. McCoy, Stephen R. McCune, John B. Miller, John S. Perry, John P. Scarbrough, Jeffery S. Smith, William J. Tucker, Troy K. Vinson, Brian D. Walker, Steve M. Wallach, Elton L. Webster and Matthew C. Wilson.