From the East
Greetings from the East,
Many of you are aware that Natoma Lodge 64 hosted the Grand Lecturer for an emulation of the Master Mason degree. It was quite a learning experience, and we were proud to be a part of it. For those of you fortunate to attend, we learned quite a bit and were able to show off our lodge to many that had not visited us before.
Speaking of the Third Degree, Brother Shahin Mogharab completed his proficiency in the Second degree, and we will confer upon him the Master Mason degree on Thursday, August 15th at 7:00 PM. We look forward to your attendance as sideliners as he is placed in the kind care, love, and protection of you and the Master Masons of Natoma Lodge 64. The new HVAC unit should be installed by then and it will be a cool event to attend!
In July, we also elected Mr. Charles Ansbach to receive the degrees of Masonry in Natoma Lodge 64. We'll initiate Mr. Ansbach to the degree of Entered Apprentice on Thursday, August 29th at 7:00 PM. Do you remember your first impression after that degree? It would be great if you could attend as a sideliner on that evening as well.
Masonic Homes is looking forward to our visit on Saturday, August 17th. They have requested a list of the names of attendees. Please complete the registration form below so that I can inform them of who is coming. Google maps says it takes about two and a half hours to get there from Natoma Lodge. Do you want to caravan, carpool, or meet there? Please indicate your preference on the registration form for planning’s sake.
We have our Patio Cover project moving along. I would like to thank the Brothers who have already donated! The recognition plaque is in process. Anyone who pledges $100.00 or more will be on the plaque. Please see the following announcement here in the Trestleboard for more information.
As you may know, July was proclaimed Veteran’s support month and August is First Responders month. Please show your appreciation and thank as many Veterans and First Responders as you can. We have purchased a few stuffed bears with a Masonic t-shirts to provide to the Police and Fire Department for children in traumatic events. Just a small token to show that we care about our community. Don’t forget that we belong to the Folsom Chamber of Commerce, and you are encouraged to attend those events as a representative of Natoma Lodge 64.
September is proclaimed Public Education month by Grand Master Most Worshipful Sean Metroka. Natoma Lodge has been well known for their support of Public Education, Raising a Reader, and educators. We need your help to put on an event displaying this support. If you are an educator, spouse of an educator, friend of an educator, or just a willing Brother please contact me so that we can make this happen in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.
In parting, I ask that you take time and keep our Brethren and their family members in your thoughts and prayers. It seems like there are quite a few that need our help these days.
| |
Parting Upon the Square,
Stuart J. Stackhouse
Worshipful Master
| |
|
Brethren,
You approved moving forward with a proposed property improvement project for the lodge. Our patio needs a cover. This will allow us to raise revenue by renting out this beautiful new space! We ourselves will be able to use it year round. Additionally, it will improve our property value. This project will be a commercial patio cover to match the existing color and roofline. It will cover 80% of the patio space and include lighting, fans, misters, and heaters.
As with other past projects like the foyer, lodge room seating, and library, we ask for your financial support for this project. To date, we have raised $7,876.00 in pledges and revenue, but we have a long way to go. You can make a one-time donation or divide your pledge over time. There is a web address to visit the lodge shop and donate or pledge. To make it easier there is a QR code as well. Thank you for your support. We look forward to enjoying this wonderful feature with you in the coming years.
Fraternally,
Stuart Stackhouse, WM
| |
Help us fund the patio cover! To easily send a check, print out the attached document (linked here), fill it out & mail it to the Lodge with your check to Natoma Lodge #64, 1000 Duchow Way, Folsom, CA 95630. | |
From the West
From the West,
One of the interesting benefits of being a mason, of any level in good standing, is access to the Masonic Homes. Many of you may have heard about this and if you have gone to any Grand Lodge event you have probably seen the booths set up for them. Even then you may still not be entirely sure what it is to look forward too. Fastest way to gather information is to visit https://masonichomes.org. Here you will find all the information you need to either apply or help others apply, and to answer general questions.
The Union City site is located 40 miles east of San Francisco. It sits upon 267 acres of scenic property. The moderate climate there is both helpful and comfortable to its 300+ residents. These residents stay in studio or one bedroom apartments. The campus offers independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and on-site post-surgical rehabilitation, and for you pet lovers, they are welcome as well.
Residents are able to enjoy multiple health and wellness centers, walking trails, activity areas, comfortable indoor and outdoor areas for small or large groups, a lodge room, and a worship center. The Union City location even has an on-site medical and dental clinic.
You may be wondering what the wait times are to get into these Masonic Homes. The Masonic Homes has a two-phase application process, which ensures that applicants are eligible for admission to the Masonic Homes, and that moving to the Masonic Homes will best meet their desires and needs. Thorough documentation and full disclosure of financial, medical, and other personal information is required. Once an application is complete and formally approved, the applicant will be admitted or placed on a waiting list. Apartment availability and wait times depend on care level and are always changing. To get more accurate wait time information you will need to speak to the Masonic Assistance team. 888-466-3642.
Another question often brought up is what the payment options are. Admissions coordinators work with applicants to determine which payment option suits their needs. “No eligible applicant will be turned away due to limited financial resources. There are two payment options for the Masonic Homes:
-
Option 1: Partial assignment of assets - Residents assign 75% of their assets and 75% of all income to the Masonic Homes. No entrance fee or monthly fees are required. Residents are provided all care and services, including health care, at no additional cost. This option is open to all eligible applicants regardless of their financial resources.
-
Option 2: Monthly fee (fee-for-service) - Residents do not commit assets or pay an entrance fee. Residents are financially responsible for their own medical and dental expenses. Financial qualifications apply.
Please note that if only one spouse is applying to the Masonic Homes for long-term residential or skilled nursing, they must apply under the Fee for Service option and meet that criteria.“ https://masonichome.org/our-campuses/become-a-resident/#payment
Requirements to apply are very simply. Applicants must be 60 years or older and either be a California Mason of any level, in good standing, the wife or widow of an eligible California Mason, or just recently added, a parent or parent-in-law of a California Mason in good standing. This is something to keep in mind if you have parents that are looking for a good option to retire as well.
There are some things that will make an application not eligible for admission. They are having certain medical or mental health conditions that prevent someone from moving into the Masonic Homes, due to licensing regulations or the Masonic Home’s ability to safely meet your care needs. The other is if you have gifted assets or income within the past three year.
It is important during your masonic journey that you familiarize yourself with what Masonic Homes of California can do to assist you and your families. There is so much more to cover than what this article can provide. If you are looking for an opportunity to check the location out, our current Master, Stuart Stackhouse, has set up a visit to the Masonic Homes on August 17th. Please register below to attend.
For now, stay cool, hydrated and healthy. We have some degrees coming up and I hope to see many of you there!
Fraternally and On the Level,
Noel Lukas
Senior Warden
| |
Masonic Homes Tour & Lunch | Join us and bring your guests for lunch and a tour of The Pavilion, our Masonic Homes in Union City.
Do you want to caravan, carpool, or meet there? It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from the lodge, with tolls, depending on your path of travel. Please indicate your preference on the registration form. | | | |
From the South
Dear brethren,
An awesome breakfast in July was well attended on Saturday the 6th,
And an American dinner for the stated meeting was deliciously fixed.
We want to thank you for your support attending those events,
It gave us the opportunity to see each other, making it worth the time we spent.
But there are other lodge projects that need your support,
they are designed to support our tenets of truth, relief and brotherly love.
We have not always had an endowment from our lodge to help us pay our bills,
our former brothers erected this building and furnished it with hard work, love and strong will.
And like an army of hard-working ants slowly building their magnificent nest,
we too can pledge a patio cover donation as a testimony of our faith and goodwill to all the rest.
This month, our brother Shahin to fellow craft degree was passed,
and another candidate was balloting and elected to be part of our craft.
And while July was running its summer course with scorching heat in our day to day affairs,
we missed our brother Arthur and keep him in our prayers.
These are the times when brotherly love shows how much we care.
We have all been affected in our vitality, stability and peace from time to time,
but learn to leave our pride aside,
and humbly kneel, bow our head and pray,
that His divine wisdom of life is with us everyday.
“Great architect of the universe, forgive my sins and weaknesses, I need your support.”
He will always judge his sons with love and reprehend with justice and teach our lessons with love.
We are all travelers on our own hard and difficult journey to the East,
and we will eventually find at the end what we have always been looking for: divine wisdom and heavenly peace.
And after conveying my thoughts, news and concerns about our fraternity, and with no more to say,
I wish you always to remember, we are masons and working to be a better man day by day.
By the Plumb,
Pedro Sanchez
Junior Warden
| |
Congratulations, Brethren! | |
The Natoma Lodge calendar is also available to view on the home page of the Natoma Lodge website. On the lodge calendar you have the ability to save events to your personal calendar so you won't miss a beat! Another convenient feature is that you can also scroll ahead to view future months to see what's planned throughout the year. Check it out! | |
SAVE the DATE for upcoming events
| |
Tickets now available for Oct. 12 Youth Benefit auction fundraiser! | |
|
It's once again time for the Bi-Annual Rod Crawford Memorial Youth Benefit Auction event, An Evening for the Senses. Hosted by Funds Just For Kids, Inc. a nonprofit with many of our brothers on the board, the event proceeds are donated to local youth nonprofit organizations.
At the last event in 2022, we raised aver $30,000 and donated to Rainbow for Girls, Natoma #90, Boy Scout Troop 94G (girls troop) and the Children's Transportation Fund (transportation for children to Shriner's Children's, Northern California).
Tickets are currently available from Brothers Stuart Stackhouse, Kevin Williams, Rob Willingham, Rich Brooks, Dave Coolidge, and Ed Nazaryan. Visit us on Facebook. Online tickets will be available on our website soon.
Join us in making a positive change in all of our futures. Together, we can help our kids reach for the stars!
| |
2024 Natoma Lodge No. 64 Officers | |
|
We're listening!
Is there content you'd like to see in the Trestleboard? Send us your suggestions!
Would you like to be a Trestleboard contributor? Run it by Worshipful Stuart Stackhouse and you could see your article included.
Calling all smartphone photographers! If you've taken photos at a lodge event, we'd love to include them in the Trestleboard. Please click here to email them to the lodge.
| |  |
Share the Trestleboard
There are no secrets here
Do you have friends or family members that ask about "lodge"? The Natoma Trestleboard newsletter is a great way to share Freemasonry with friends and family. We encourage you to
- share this email with friends on Facebook,
- forward this email to them, or
-
send us their email address (with their permission, of course!) and we'll add them to our mailing list.
| | | |
|
Questions or Suggestions for the Lodge or the Trestleboard? Email us! | | | | |
