September Stated Communication

Last night was our first stated communication at our new location: Oddfellows Samaritan Lodge No. 2, Milwaukie Oregon. The new location offers better parking and a close proximity to all things food related.

At our stated meeting, we enjoyed the company of our brothers and planned for a memorial lodge meeting at 7pm on September 18th.

But we ended our meeting with Brother Master Mason Scott Uhls giving his proficiency, officially completing the process and finding himself a fully qualified Master Mason. We're glad to have him in our company and welcome him with our right hands extended in token of friendship.

After the meeting finished, we enjoyed the food made by Worshipful Master Ron Kunzie and Worshipful Brother John Doty. Despite being so close to Pietro's Pizza, we grilled ribs and chicken and had baked beans, potato salad and macaroni salad, as well as apple pie. All in all it was a great first meeting in the new location.

Moving locations

So, after a long process, the Friendship Masonic Center, aka Sellwood Masonic Lodge building, home of the Multnomah #1 Lodge, Willamette #2 Lodge and the Columbia #114 Lodge, has been sold to Brother Tony Beckett. Brother Beckett will still be adjusting to ownership of the new building over the next few months, but the lodges will be meeting at new locations.

For Willamette #2 Lodge, this means that after we return from darkness this Wednesday (9/4), we will be meeting in the Oddfellows Hall at 10282 SE Main St., Milwaukie, OR, 97222. We received special dispensation for these meetings and will continue to meet at the hall until such a time as we move again.

But as we enter the light from our period of darkness, here is a message from the East:

Remember a Lodge is not a building with a roof overhead. A Lodge is the Brothers duly assembled to meet and discuss the present and talk of their future together.

All ways show good humor and kind words and say positive things for to many of times we hear negative things which can reflect badly to often.

If you know of a distressed worthy Brother or someone from his family please let us know for we can not help if we don’t know. Please keep your thoughts and prayers to any brother or his family member whom have fallen sick or have passed on into that undiscovered country. It is our duty.

Remember yesterdays events made today’s events possible.
 
See you all on September 4th at 6:30pm. WB Ronald Kunze

From now on, I've decided that I will continue to update this blog with messages from the East, news about the lodge and possibly even good posts from fellow Brothers in other lodges and jurisdictions. For today, I share a link to Chris Hodapp's Lecture. He gave the same lecture in the Valley of Danville and Kenton Lodge Oregon.

http://youtu.be/_9ebtYG2En4

A Colorful Representation

At May's stated communication, we had special guests Martha Washington Assembly #1, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, in Oregon. It was a colorful experience in which the colors of Masonry were presented and represented, reminding all in attendance of their colorful interactions with freemasonry and why those colors exist.

It was a wonderful experience for those in involved and watching and a special thanks goes out to those girls of theartha Washington Assembly.

A story of Brotherhood

This story comes from the actual experience of our newest Master Mason, Brother Scott Uhls, and involves a special thianks to one of his lodge brothers.

On April 20th, 2013, the lodge was opened and warmed and the brothers had begun to prepare themselves for the days' activities. They were gathering at the lodge on a saturday, early in the morning, to initiate their younger brother into the mysteries of the 3rd degree of freemasonry. The candidate had arrived fairly early on with his grandfather, a man of his 70s, a 32 degree Scottish Rite mason, and past master of two lodges in Califonia. They were greeted by Brother Tony Beckett and Worshipful Brother Larry Philbrick of Waverly Lodge whilethe waited for the other members to arrive. One by one the brothers began to arrive and found the candidate ready to greet them all.

Brother Uhls stood waiting for the degree to begin in his suit, a single button missing on the jacket between the top an bottom buttons, the neck of his dress shirt just a little too big as he had begun losing weight recently, his pants a little too tight from the weight he's gained in past months, and his shoes simple black and white copies of the infamous converse hightops.

It was his grandfather who's first noticed them before they'd left that morning, but as he stood in the entry to the lodge, Brother Uhls was asked by several members as they entered about his shoes. He told them all about how his dress shoes had been damaged and despite all attempts to polish and give basic repairs, they were still too unsightly to wear to this event.

After hearing the story, Worshipful Brother Robert Beers asked Brother Uhls what size of shoe he wore. When he responded with 12, Brother Beers removed his shoes and invited Brother Uhls to try them. Upon placing the shoe on his foot, Brother Uhls responded that they fit. At that point, Brother Beers said that they were now Brother Uhls's and that he would briefly return home and get his own shoes, after which he promptly left to get himself new shoes before the lodge was opened.


The lesson of this story is one of deep meaning to freemasons everywhere and should remind us that Brotherly Love and Relief, or Charity in other terms, is one of our guiding concepts and that Charity is one of the three rungs of the ladder to heaven from Jacob's dream. It is upon Charity that Brotherly Love is built and it is upon Brotherly Love that fraternity exists.

We're greatful to the lessons of freemasonry being enacted here in the lodge and to all the brothers who remember that even a simple act of caring enough to ask the size of a person's shoe, could be more than enough to teach a powerful lesson to younger brother just beginning his path.

April Stated Communication

A Stated Communication of Willamette Lodge No. 2 was held in the Lodge Room at the Sellwood Masonic Center in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday evening April 3, 2013.

There was a good attendance at April's meeting. Brother Scott Uhls passed his FC Proficiency and newly initiated EA Brother Lloyd Haatia was able to make it following his surgery.

However, we discovered that 3 brothers had passed away: Stan Samuelis (service on 4/9), Kent Kalweit, and Robert Helzer (service on 4/10).

We also received and read the petition for one who has been recommended for investigation and so the process of bringing a new brother into lodge has begun again. 

Special thanks to WB Strothers, WB Leihard, WB Rudder, WB Plummer, B Whitmen, and B Hann for their attendance at tonight's meeting.

Let there be light

Beginning this blog for the Willamette Lodge #2 AF & AM of Oregon with the divine phrase "Let there be Light" just seemed wholly appropriate. The Light of Masonry, and the individual lights of all Freemasons worldwide, past and present, is the binding character of our great Fraternity, the purpose that molds and guides us, the awareness of self and place in society that pushes us to build a better world and society for all mankind.

On another note, it seems wholly appropriate to title this first entry on the online tresleboard blog of Willamette #2 Lodge in this manner because, without going into too much detail about the teachings of Freemasonry, suffice it to say that all Masons know that it is necessary for them to invoke the blessings of the divine before engaging in any undertaking, as much as to receive the provinence of heaven as to remind the Mason that putting his trust in the immortal strength of deity will pervail against any fleshy and weak arm of man. It reminds us that our hands should not be moved by our own power, but guided by the divine toward works that benefit all mankind and not just the individual. And so it is that we begin this blog with the words of the diety that show his force and will in action.

And so, to add sustance to this first post, we share with you a quote from Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogma" which give greater insight into Freemasory.

"Force, unregulated or ill-regulated, is not only wasted in the void, like that of gunpowder burned in the open air, and steam unconfined by science..it must be regulated by intellect...Thought is a force and philosophy should be an energy, finiding its aim and its effects in the amelioration of mankind... When all these forces are combined, and guided by the intellect, and regulated by the RULE of Right, and Justice, and of combined and systematic movement and effort, the great revolution prepared for by the ages will begin to march. The POWER of the Deity Himself is in equilibrium with His wisdom. Hence the only results are HARMONY."

And now, Brothers and friends, we part on the square.