From the East

Greetings from the East,

Happy 4^th of July! Congratulations to Brother Jerry Hayes, who gave his 1^st Degree proficiency at the June Stated Meeting and was passed to Fellowcraft on June 22.

Welcome to our newly initiated Brothers - Br. Donald Hampton, Br. Jurian Chompff and Br. Melvin Manalo who were initiated in June, they are a great addition to our lodge.

Be alert for notifications of Degrees in July as we may have a couple.

Thank you to all our brothers who made our “Parking Lot”/rummage sale a success and all those who donated items. Please make every effort to attend our July Stated Dinner on Thursday, July 6. Bring your family and friends, and please RSVP.

Looking ahead, we will need to replace outgoing Hall Board Directors for the next term starting in 2024. Below is an article I had previously written for the Trestleboard concerning the Hall Board, which may spark an interest in you being part of such an important function of the lodge.

What does a hall association do? Basically, they hold title to lodge real estate and manage the property. This includes renting and leasing the lodge facilities and collecting the rental fees which are turned over to the lodge. The hall association manages the property by maintaining the land and physical facilities, such as the air conditioning and heating, replacement of light bulbs, repairs or replacement of appliances, coordinates upkeep of the landscaping and the parking lot, ensures the lodge is properly insured, creates plans for long term maintenance and improvements, and pays utility bills. The list goes on.

A hall association is a legal corporation formed under California law, it is tax exempt and must file taxes annually. It is required to have articles of incorporation and bylaws, perform and conduct business under federal and state laws and the rules and regulations of the Grand Lodge of California. It must undergo audits and produce semiannual and annual reports. Whenever a Lodge has a physical building, it is the hall association that takes the responsibility of maintenance and income production to keep the Lodge free to do degrees. 

The name of our hall association is the Masonic Temple Association of Folsom, Inc. It consists of nine directors (Master Masons of the lodge) who are elected by the lodge for a three-year term. Each year, three director’s terms expire. When a director’s term expires, he may seek to be re-elected or not, but cannot serve more than six consecutive years as a director.

In addition to the elected nine directors, the Master and Senior Warden of the lodge are directors for as long as they hold that office; they are ex officio members.

The hall board also has officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary, which are elected annually by the directors of the hall association. Many brothers of Natoma Lodge 64 have served as directors of the hall association, many have not or are new to masonry.

Hopefully, this gives you a glimpse of what our hall association is and does and sparks an interest. If you think you might be interested in serving on the hall board reach out to one of the directors and let them know. At this time, Worshipful Joe Freidson, PM, is the president. He has a wealth of information and would enjoy sharing it with you. Again, let us know if you have an interest, as there are times when a director may need to resign and his position may need to be filled or there may be an opening for the annual elections.

The information I have presented here is basic but the hall association is responsible for much more, and the operation is more complex. The bottom line is that the hall association keeps us up and running. I recommend completing the LMPC Hall Association course located online through the Masons of California’s website and referring to the California Masonic Code. I used these resources and Worshipful Freidson, PM, for the information provided here.

By serving on committees, boards, and holding the offices of our lodge, your connection to the lodge is strengthened and you make new and deeper interpersonal relationships.

Please have a great July (stay cool) and feel free to contact me, 916-990-1469. Thank you.

From the West

Did you know that Freemasonry played a significant role in the history of the United States, especially during the American Revolution and the founding of the nation? Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons, and so were some of the key figures in the American Revolution. Some of them even met in Masonic lodges to discuss and draft the document that would declare their independence from Great Britain. In fact, the 4th of July is not only a celebration of independence, but also a celebration of Masonic values and principles.

One of the most prominent Freemasons among the Founding Fathers was Benjamin Franklin, who became a Freemason in 1731. He was a member of several lodges in America and Europe. He also served as the Grand Master of Pennsylvania in 1734 and published the first Masonic book in America. Franklin was a printer, scientist, diplomat, and statesman, who played a crucial role in the American Revolution. Franklin was one of the five members of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, along with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Out of these five, only Livingston was not a Freemason.

The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 delegates on July 4, 1776. Among these delegates, at least eight were confirmed Freemasons, and some historians suggest that the number could be as high as 21. Other prominent Masonic signers were John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Richard Stockton, William Ellery, and William Whipple. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which is now celebrated as Independence Day in the United States. The document proclaimed that the thirteen colonies were free and independent states and listed their grievances against King George III and his government.

The document also expressed the ideals and principles held by freemasons to be essentially necessary to have been brought from the darkness of ignorance and self absorbent thinking into the light of truth and brotherly affection. Those ideals which provided shape to the Declaration of Independence are Honor & Truth, Relief, Brotherly Love and Equality, and Duty to Men and God. These are just some examples of how Freemasonry has influenced the founding of America and its values.

Fraternally and on the Level,

Stuart Stackhouse

Senior Warden

From the South

Hello Brethren and Ladies,

Happy Independence Day! This month we immediately jump right into our monthly breakfast. So please come join us for some fun and fellowship. The Breakfast Crew loves to see your smiling faces. As you know, we will have bacon, bacon and more bacon. Bring the family, bring the friends and enjoy one of the best, more inexpensive breakfasts.

We will be celebrating our nation's Independence at the stated meeting dinner on the 6^th with a fun barbecue set up. If we are lucky it won't be too hot to sit outside but we will have indoor seating set up as well. Take this as an opportunity to invite people who may have questions about masonry and are looking for some good people to connect with.

We don’t currently have any events set up this month, but keep an eye on your emails, because something may just come up.



Until next month, fraternally and By the Plumb,

Noel Lukas

Junior Warden

From the Northeast Corner

Greetings Brethren,

Lots of activity with our candidates this month. Brother Jerry Hayes was passed to the degree of Fellowcraft and Brothers Greg Lane and Shashin Mogarab are making great progress in their EA degree. We also have three new EA’s: Brothers Jurrian Chomph, David Hampton and Melvin Manalo. So, it looks like there will be a few Fellowcrafts made this month, too. 

As always, coaches are needed. We have sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or call me @ (916) 203-3656.

Fraternally Yours,

Joe Freidson P.M.

Head Candidates Coach

From Natoma Rainbow Assembly #90

Hello Masons of Natoma Lodge! Here’s what Rainbow has been up to recently!

We have been super busy doing service events and raising money to support our assembly and our new Grand Service Project. Each year, our new Grand Worthy Advisor, the girl leader of California Rainbow, picks a non-profit organization that they want CA Rainbow to work towards supporting. This year, our Grand Service Project is called Banding Together. Their mission is to provide music therapy to individuals with special needs in the San Diego area. Recently, we had two fundraising events, which were chaired by our Charity, to raise money for Banding Together. The girls of the assembly sold Butter Braids and had a Panda Express fundraiser.