June 2020
| Volume 3 Edition 6
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Phoenix Lodge No.346
Established Under the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida
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A word from the Junior Warden
My Brothers,
As we eagerly return to lodge in June, I would like to extend my assurances that the kitchen staff will be practicing the highest standards of sanitation while maintain the quality of our food and service. We will still be performing a table side dinner service. These dinners will be planned to eliminate unnecessary staff in the kitchen and reduce the risk of contamination. All kitchen staff will be wearing masks and gloves during all phases of each service. Although I am playing it by ear, I do not anticipate returning to our regular dining service until the first stated meeting of August. In order to minimize cross contamination, we will be temporarily using disposable dining ware. In place of plates, we plan to utilize to-go boxes so that your dinners are closed-boxed to avoid exposure during table side delivery. Cutlery will be individually wrapped, and we will be using disposable cups. All dinning tables will be sanitized prior opening, and immediately after our dinner and meeting concludes. We will also be making trashcans readily available and asking all of our guests to clear their personal seating area after dinner and before retiring to our stated meeting. Finally, we will be maintaining social distancing guidelines to the best of our abilities, so the table seating will be set up accordingly.
Please note that our new table side dinner program this year is highly attended, and as a result, early arrival is suggested. Most of our guests begin arriving by 6:15 p.m. Dinner is promptly served table side at 6:30 p.m. Doors are open by 6:00 p.m. Tickets are given out at our dinner registration area. The suggested donation amount is varies between $8 and $12 however, there is no donation amount required to eat at these dinners. The number of available meals are limited, and as a result, guests who donate the full suggested donation amount or more, will be given a dinner ticket. A dinner ticket is not required to be served however; the guests who are in possession of a dinner ticket will be served first. If you plan to attend these dinners and would like to guarantee your meal, you my respond to the Junior Warden to RSVP. Feel free to call or text the Junior Warden directly at 941-879-7661. Thank you for your continued support of our kitchen and attendance at our dinners.
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Location
Come see us at the Scottish Rite Center
240 S. Tuttle Ave, Sarasota, Florida 34237
(Tuttle Ave. Just South of Fruitville Road)
Mailing Address
242 S. Washington Blvd.
PMB 383
Sarasota, FL 34236
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Table side Dinner, Tuesday June 2
nd
at 6:30 p.m.
Baked White Fish with Lemon Dill Sauce, served with Cilantro Lime Rice and Steam Broccoli.
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Table side Dinner, Tuesday June 16
th
at 6:30 p.m.
Fish Tacos (soft shell with whitefish), served with Coconut, Turmeric, and Cilantro Yellow Rice.
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Stated Meetings
1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month
Fellowship Dinner at 6:30 P.M.
Meeting at 7:30 P.M. Sharp
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New Phoenixe Items are available!
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Up Coming Events You Don't Want to Miss!
06/02/20 Lodge is BACK! 6:30 p.m. Dinner 7:30 p.m. Meeting
06/11/20 FellowCraft Degree 7:00 p.m.
06/16/20 Lodge! 6:30 p.m. Dinner 7:30 p.m. Meeting
06/25/20 Master Mason Ass. Venice 6:30 p.m.
07/4/20 Lodge Picnic and BBQ! (maybe fireworks) 3 p.m.
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From The East
Greetings Brothers:
With our closures coming to an end, and lodge functions resuming, I want to be the first to welcome you all back to the greatness that our lodge is!
We have a lot of work to accomplish in the coming weeks, from degrees to preform, candidates to investigate, First Responders’ night to plan, and a Masonic Funeral. There is a BUNCH on the books for this month!
Though we lost two months of momentum, I do not want us to stall this year. I need your help. We have BOTH fundraising goals, and membership goals to hit this year.
The only way that happens is if we all work together. We need to come up with new ways, to reach new prospects, and get them through the door for dinners. If you know someone on the fence - invite them to diner! Have them sit with another brother who will answer their questions.We will cover their dinner. It will be on us. Try this month, to bring a new prospect with you into lodge.
Brother Shane Palmer has a wonderful fundraising idea to execute that can be very profitable for us. P.M. Tom Davie and the fundraising (raiding?) committee, are continuing to explore new and inventive ways for us to raise money, without us having to pass the hat every month. I for one miss our dinner raffles and am excited to unveil our new umbrellas, AND face masks to you in person, at the Lodge this June.
Lastly, I understand the need for caution in these times. While I look forward to seeing all of you once more, I understand and support your decision to come to, or stay home from the Lodge. If you need assistance, we STILL stand ready to assist you don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us. We are here for you my Brothers!
Yours in service
W.M.
Roland Yates
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From The West
Often, we don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone. Everyday pleasures, which we took for granted, like going to the beach, going out for dinner, going to a ball game or even going to the park to walk the dog, we could not imagine not having these thing, yet it happened. Another pleasure for us, in our Masonic lives, is visiting our lodge and other lodges. Neither did any of us envision this coming to an end, yet it did. One lesson here is to enjoy the pleasures life gives us each day and to thank the Great Architect for these blessings. The 24 inch gauge teaches us to divide and use our time wisely, and perhaps going forward we can also consider that when we think of time, that it is fleeting, and our choices matter. Adversity in life builds character and what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and recent events will have this effect upon us. I miss seeing you my Brothers and upon reflection didn’t realize just how important this is in my life, and perhaps yours. The benefits of a Mason are numerous, but in my mind, the greatest benefit is you friendship. Lodge meets again on June 2
nd
and I am looking forward with joy, not because we do ritual, not because we make business decision, not for the great meal, but because I get to receive the joy of seeing you again. I hope to see all of you on June 2
nd
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Fraternally yours,
Wink Thornton
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From the South
Masonry Is Not What I Thought It Would Be, So Why Should I Keep Practicing It?
You are taught the ways of a Freemason. You tirelessly study masonry in search of understanding, clarity, and direction on becoming an upright man and Mason. You searched for an example of how to be the ideal man and you found a path to follow that you thought you could be proud of, only to find yourself encountering condescension, arrogance, selfishness, intolerance, gossip, jealousy, and apathy amongst the Craft. You even sacrificed your family time! So, here you are – in the real world! My Brothers, I can only comment on my personal experiences and the philosophical resolves that I have developed for myself.
Upon knocking at the door of Freemasonry, I expected to be entering into a world of educated, intelligent, skilled, well-dressed, well-mannered, and dedicated brethren who would hold themselves and their brothers alike to the highest standards of ethics and morals. An elite fraternity. A group of brothers that would push each other to grow and achieve greater heights. A band of brothers who would make it their mission to earnestly care for and love their fraternal brothers. A group of men dedicated to helping each other develop themselves into their ideal man. A man that not only would be respected by all other men, but a man that they themselves would respect.
As it is suggested in the Great Book, we are all flawed by nature from birth. The journey of becoming your ideal man is just that, a journey! It is not a state of being, that once you arrive at, you will remain at. It is by our unrelenting efforts to achieve this ideal state that earns us the right to join the celestial lodge above. This is the work that has been set before us to atone for that great sacrifice that was made on our behalf by the one who has shown us the way and the life.
Question number one: If 300 Catholic Priests are arrested for child molestation, does that mean when you see a Priest in your local grocery store you can assume that they are a pedophile? Question number two: If a law enforcement officer is arrested for taking a bribe, can you assume that the entire department is corrupt? Question number three: If one Caucasian male is arrested for a hate crime, are all Caucasians racists? Final question: If one Mason, or even the majority of Masons, fail to live a masonic life, does that make our masonic teachings flawed? The answer is absolutely not!
Many of you have experienced these same conundrums in your religious exploits. Remember that Masons are just people, and that the path to righteousness and a righteous fraternity is long and arduous. In order to develop this fraternity into what many of us thought it would be, we need our like-minded brothers to remain vigilant in these ideals and active in our lodges. The easiest way to teach is to do. We need to change our environment in order to change our culture. Sometimes we are not meant to be the followers, sometimes we must sacrifice and be the leader so that others may enjoy the benefits of that aforementioned ideal fraternity. Let us return to labor with a new zeal for the work that needs to be performed!
With Love My Brothers,
Michael Cochran
, Junior Warden
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Trestleboard Boosters and Sponsors 2020
Platinum Club ($100+)
- Dana Callanan
- Carolyn B. Jordan, in Memory of Doug Jordan, P.M.
- Omer Joseph Quesnel, PA
Please help support the Trestleboard.
Click here
to send e-mail of your support
PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A
TRESTLEBOARD BOOSTER FOR 2019.
If you would like to continue your sponsorship or become a new sponsor for 2020 please contact Brother Scott Wren at 941-999-8203 or click the link above.
Sponsorship helps the lodge cover the cost of our Constant Contact software each year.
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Petitions:
Chair:
JW.
Michael Cochran
- Members: Br. Mark Dunn, Br. Michael Zahl, Br. Kelvin Yow
Board of Relief:
Chair:
WM:. Roland Yates
- Members: SW Wink Thornton, JW Michael Cochran
Charity:
Chair:
WM:. Roland Yates
- Members: SW Wink Thornton, JW Cochran
Finance:
Chair:
SW. Wink Thornton
- Members: Br. Terry Meadows, Br. Sandeep Singh, Br. Douglas Herpel
Vigilance:
Chair: JW. Michael Cochran
Fund Raising:
Chair:
W:
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Tom Davie
- Members: Br. Matt Basham, Br. Michael Zahl, W:. Paul Ritchie, Br.Konstantin Chelnokov, Br. Marc Dunn
Masonic Education:
Chair:
Br.
Nick Pryor
- Members: Br. Matt Basham, Br. Tony Petramala
Lodge Property:
Chair:
WM:. Roland Yates
- Members: SW. Wink Thornton, Br. Andy Hofmann, W.Dutch Neihart
Social Media:
Chair:
Wm Roland Yates
- Members: R:.W:. Alan Sorbie, Br.Scott Wrenn
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