Rainbow Spirit

In this issue, there are a lot of dates for installations! And recaps on the School of Instruction and Grand Family Retreat. Make sure to check out the new "Sunday Comics" section! Don't forget to show your support by clicking on the heart icon and liking us.

We hope to see everyone at the Constitution of Hope Shines on September 30th!

2 p.m. at Acacia Lodge, located at 499 Brookside Ave, North Augusta

Tentative Jurisdictional Calendar with Deadlines

Sep 23 or Oct 7 – Subordinate Assembly Installation of Officers (see list below)

Sep 30 – Constitution of Hope Shines Assembly (North Augusta)

Oct 21 – Deadline for Grand Dress payments ($120 payable to SCIORG)

Oct 21 – Faith and Hope District Official Visit (Newport near Rock Hill)

Nov 15 – Grand Cross of Color (local observance)

Dec 9 – Charity District Rainbow Road (Goose Creek/Summerville)

Dec 15 – Annual Reports Open

Dec 16 – Winter Wonderland Scholarship Luncheon (Harmony in Mauldin)

Dec 30 – Jurisdictional Fun Event (Newport near Rock Hill)

Jan 6 – Mother Advisor/Adult Worker Seminar (location to be announced)

Jan 15 – Annual Reports Due

Feb 10 or 17 – Sock Hop (location to be announced)

Feb or Mar – Faith and Hope District Rainbow Road Trip (Columbia)

Mar 15 – Grand Assembly Session Registration sent to Assemblies

Mar 23 or Apr 6 – Subordinate Assembly Installation of Officers

Apr 15 – Ad Sales Deadline

Apr 20 – Charity District Official Visit (location to be announced)

May 1 – Grand Appointments Recommendations Deadline

May 4 – Color Run (location to be announced)

May 15 – Grand Representatives’ Reports Deadline

May 15 – Grand Assembly Session Registration Deadline

May 18 – Scholarship Tea (Laurens)

Jun 1 – Additional Forms Deadline

Jun (26) 27-30 – Grand Assembly Session (Columbia)

Jul 8 – Founder's Day (local observance)

Jul 21-24 – Supreme Assembly Session (Hampton VA)

TBA (Spring) – Jurisdictional Charity Project Fund-raiser

TBA (Spring) – Grand Officers’ Rehearsal/Grand Representatives’ Meeting

September reminders for your Rainbow Assembly:

• Submit meeting reports to the Supreme Inspector using the Google Form at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSet-kQpdfAUpxFC9gttWjMA3a6fGBtoun2I2ndNk8FjFnqz8w/viewform?usp=sharing
• Turn in Service Hours for Supreme Worthy Advisor Membership and Service Incentive Program. Log your hours at https://forms.gle/LSQRpXwFNRBvrVSV9

Reminders: Officers must be installed within 30 days of election; Plan new term with Worthy Advisor-elect; Order service bars and PWA pin; Grand Dress measurements and payments; Complete Form 990N E-Postcard for Assemblies with Assembly Numbers 39 or lower.

October Emphasis: Columbus Day; Halloween; *Lessons of Drill Leader and Worthy Associate Advisor

Installation of Officers

October 15 – Form 990N E-Postcard for Assemblies with Assembly Numbers 39 or lower.

Reminders: Plan for Grand Cross of Color Observance; submit 2024 Advisory Board to Supreme Inspector.

Hi Everyone! Atlas here!

Hope that everyone who attended had a wonderful time at Grand Family, I know I sure did! Ashley had a great time planning it out, and we were both really excited to see the girls having a good time! Thank you to all the girls and adults who helped set up, and especially the adults who provided their time, talent, and resources to make the weekend perfect. Especially a big thank you to the kitchen crew for the phenomenal food!

I’m still getting dye out of my fur!

Moving forward, we are preparing for the Constitution of Hope Shines! We are thrilled to finally make the assembly an official member of the herd!

This month, I thought I would go a bit more in-depth about our symbol – Origami.

Just like a blank canvas, origami starts out as a regular sheet of paper. And it is only through you that a piece of paper becomes something with life – like a crane, a star, or a flower. Everyone starts out blank and inexperienced, but through life – with every new fold and every new brush stroke – we become something more and more beautiful!

Remember! You are God’s masterpiece!

~Atlas & Ashley <3

Hello South Carolina Rainbow Family!

Both our School of Instruction and our Grand Family Retreat are now completed portions of our “One Canvas, Many Colors.” Our School of Instruction featured some fun activities: meeting others using Icebreaker BINGO, creating canvases representing all the girls present, and making origami stars and cranes. Grand Worthy Advisor Ashley presented her term information, programs, and projects, and we learned of our Grand Worthy Associate Advisor’s scholarship fund-raising plans. The ritualistic instruction was done in mini-sessions in various locations in the building, and included proper flag presentation, opening and closing of the Bible, and initiation work for Bow Stations, Charity, and Traditions. We also packed 100 purses for our Supreme Worthy Advisor’s Purses of Empowerment project. The School ended with the distribution of jurisdictional calendars and the presentation of the Ashley’s Care-a-Lot awards. I appreciate all who worked to make it a wonderful event and all who participated!

Another outstanding event was our Grand Family Retreat for Grand Officers, Grand Representatives, Mother Advisors, Grand Deputies, and Senior Executives. The girls selected temporary tattoos to decide their color teams, with adults volunteering to supervise the teams. Fun activities included an improv game, parachute game, photo scavenger hunt, Rainbow Family Feud, and beach party complete with sandcastle competition, cornhole, and volleyball. Creativity was encouraged by painting photo frames, writing care cards, creating color prayers, making more origami stars, and tie-dying t-shirts designed by Grand Worthy Advisor Ashley. Our Junior Executives did a fabulous job going over the handbook with the Grand Representatives. The Grand Officers had a separate session about Rainbow leadership while the Grand Representatives completed form letters to send to their counterparts. The girls took time early Saturday to pick up litter at various places around Short Stay (one of the staff stopped to tell the Grand Officers he appreciated our service). Different girls did excellent work leading the blessings and devotionals, and Ashley and Mrs. Michelle led a very inspiring Sunday morning devotional. We really enjoyed the delicious meals prepared by Mr. Ron and his Kitchen Crew, including s’mores prepared on the grill on Saturday night. I am grateful to all who made the Retreat a HUGE success!

Remembering the Retreat reminded me of something that Ashley emphasized with the Grand Officers during their leadership session. She told them, “This is OUR Grand Year.” She repeatedly said that it was not about her, but about all of us together. How true! While there are many of us in leadership positions in our Assemblies and in our Jurisdiction, everyone needs to realize the importance of each girl and each adult to our Order. We all need to be working together and growing as a Rainbow Family. Together we can “create a masterpiece” of South Carolina Rainbow. Thank you, Ashley, for this very important reminder!

With commitment to OUR Rainbow Family,

Mrs. Dedra

Glad I got to meet so many of you at the School of Instruction! Thank you for naming me Waldo! I started my adventures at Hope Shines Assembly and attended a meeting. Alyssa brought me to Grand Family Retreat at Moncks Corner and I got to join in all the fun of Creating Our Masterpiece. From Moncks Corner, I traveled to Greenwood and attended an Eastern Star meeting with Dr. Lorrie. Now I am waiting to attend a pledge meeting with the Sunshine Drops! I can't wait to meet them! I've already traveled 494 miles! I hope the rest of the herd is traveling too! I hope to travel back to North Augusta to celebrate the Constitution of Hope Shines and see all of you! My adventures have been lots of fun so far and I can't wait to visit all of the Assemblies. Make sure to take lots of photos with me when I do visit so that we can share our adventures!

<3 Waldo

The Supreme Worthy Advisor Service and Membership Program started on August 1, 2022, and runs until July 2024.

Service Hours can be turned in using the Get Pumped QR code above or this link: https://forms.gle/LSQRpXwFNRBvrVSV9

Red Charm – first-line signer on ONE application or second-line signer on TWO applications

All other charms – Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet are awarded for every 20 hours of community service.

Adults you can participate too! Adults it's $9.50 for you to be able to receive the charm bracelet.

Did you know if you start saving now you could have enough money saved to attend Supreme Assembly in July!

If you start in October bringing $50 to each meeting through May and depositing it into your Assembly account, you would have $800 saved for the trip. Or if you start now and bring $40 and save through the first meeting in July you will also have $800 towards going to Supreme Assembly. Of course, you could also have multi-family yard sales or car washes to help raise the money too.

We would love as many as possible to go to Supreme and we would love to have a Ritual Team to participate! So start saving money and working on your memory work!

One of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century spoke in a monotone early in his career and had a hard time pronouncing the letter “s”. He wasn’t born an orator, it was something he had to work very hard to master. He is still remembered today for his ability to inspire people with the power of the spoken word as he once said:

“Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king.”

Sir Winston Churchill was the hero of 1940 as he moved the people of the British Empire to stand alone against the atrocities of Hitler. His greatest weapon was knowing how important the right words were and how to properly present them. Aside from being Prime Minister of England During WWII, Churchill was also a soldier, artist, writer, statesman, and notably on March 5 of 1902, he was raised as a Master Mason.

In my last article I laid out some ways to put your ritual lectures to memory. Once you have accomplished the memory work you’ve basically baked a cake. Now I like cake as much as any other lady of my girth but cake without icing, what is the point? Lay that sweet buttercream on me! Knowing the words is the first step, knowing what they mean and expressing them with love and care is the icing on the cake.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, and to sit down and listen.” -Winston Churchill

A well prepared orator knows the words they are speaking and what they mean to them. Each station has a meaning that is tailored to meet every person where they are in life. How does your lesson connect with your heart? Channel that into the presentation of your lecture. Do you feel the world needs to be a more loving place? Does it hurt your heart that it isn’t? Take that feeling and put it into your lecture of Love. Use the moment to instill in the candidate an acceptance of love in their life and to be a more loving individual. Isn’t that the world we want to create for ourselves and those around us? Consider this your moment to make that appeal.

A good lecture is delivered the way one speaks. If you aren’t sure if you sound natural when presenting your lecture, try recording yourself and then listen objectively. Do you believe what you are saying? Does it sound the way you would normally talk? Are you speaking too fast? Are there words that could use a little more inflection? Are you taking the time to take a natural breath between sentences? Take any opportunity you can while in the assembly room or traveling with your Rainbow family to practice your part. If you feel inspired to practice a lecture, ask someone to listen to you, and if someone asks you to listen to them, be kind and return the favor.

Unfortunately, we have to go through the pains of giving a few bad performances before we know what is required of us in order to be a good orator. It takes courage to stand up and speak. Rainbow is where you should feel safe to master the craft. When you know you could have performed better, ask yourself: Would a couple more practices in front of the mirror help? Should I have asked someone to listen and give me feedback? Did I devote enough time to learn my part? Nobody starts out being good at public speaking but with persistence, study and practice anyone can become great; yes, even you. As Churchill once said:

“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never–in nothing great or small, large or petty–never give in.”

If you do the work, YOU WILL get better. Once you unlock your learning style, nothing can hold you back from being a great orator like Sir Winston Churchill. Never give in and never give up.

Nothing but Rainbow Love,

Mrs. Mary

We had a great time at Grand Family!!

Summerville had a great meeting for our first meeting in September! We've started practicing for Rainbow Roundup! We can't wait for the new competition at Grand. We also had a great time at Grand Family and found out that we really are very creative!

The Greenwood Sunshine Drop Pledge girls have been busy with service work. They collected supplies for the Pathway House (a place for the homeless to get back on their feet) over the summer. They delivered the supplies and met new friends (both human and animal)! After delivering the supplies, the girls attended the Renaissance Fair in Greer. During their meetings, they are learning their parts and learning where positions are in the assembly room.

The girls decided to start saving snacks/drinks for the firefighters over the next couple of months. They decorated a box for donations and will go shopping in November. They will be researching stations in Greenwood that do not get many donations over the next month.

It is so hard to believe that we are almost at the end of September. -- We had a wonderful time at the Grand Family Retreat. This was the first retreat for Alyssa A. and Mady A. They had so much fun and are ready to go back. West Columbia Assembly is currently having a "Bakeless Bake Sale" to raise funds to purchase paper supplies for SisterCare. We will be doing this project until the end of the month. We are looking forward to the Constitution of Hope Shines Assembly on September 30.

We will have an Installation of Officers on Tuesday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m. Alyssa A. will be installed as Worthy Advisor. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. The assembly is preparing dinner for Cayce Masonic Lodge on October 2. We are excited about our official visit on October 21 at Newport Assembly. Plans are underway for our Halloween celebration on Tuesday, October 24.

Plans for November include a Grand Cross of Color Observance and a meal for another area lodge. We are still taking orders for Wreaths across America. We will participate in the ceremony at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in December.

Plans for December include participating in the Cayce/West Columbia Christmas parade. This parade is held at night.

Be safe traveling. We will see you very soon.

News from the Creek

We have been working on parts and enjoyed Grand Family immensely.

Our Installation is October 17th at 7:00 and we have a Halloween Social coming up at 1:00 pm on October 28 at Goose Creek Masonic Lodge, 145 St. James Ave, Goose Creek, SC 29445. Bring donations for the Animal Society to support our Worthy Advisor's project. RSVP to Ms. Michele at micheleeshirey@gmail.com

Dentsville will have its Installation of Officers on October 7th at 1:00 pm. Hope to see you!

Newport had a fantastic time at School of Instruction, and we are so proud of our GWA, Ashley <3

Please join us for our Alice in Wonderland Mystery Faith’s Tea on October 8th at 4:00 and our Installation of Officers as we explore Musicals on October 11th at 7:00.

So much love to all of our Rainbow Sisters,

<3 Newport

On September 9, the Rainbow Girls and Pledge Sisters of Harmony Assembly #57 collected donations for the Laurens County Humane Society. Huge shout out to Robertson's ACE Hardware in Woodruff, SC, and their regional manager, Chris Holtzclaw, a Past Master of Palmetto Lodge #19 for allowing us to set up a table outside. Over $300 was raised for the Worthy Advisor's charity and more donations have been promised by people unable to go in person. The girls spent the morning greeting customers and making connections. Several shared their stories of Masonic family history or love of animals. We finished the day with pizza and pictures. A presentation of the donation will be planned later this year as time permits. Harmony Rainbow Girls and Pledges had a game night on September 18 to invite new girls and spend time together before our installation on Saturday, September 23! The girls played card games and board games. Some of our guests will hopefully be joining us as Rainbow girls soon.

We had so much fun being the first to host Waldo!

We had a great time at the Grand Family retreat. All of the activities were awesome. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Alyssa enjoyed getting to know more girls.

We are really excited about our Constitution on September 30th. Thank you to all that has made this possible. We hope everyone will hop on over to North Augusta and help us celebrate!

Constitution which will be on September 30th at 2 p.m. at Acacia Lodge, located at 499 Brookside Ave, North Augusta South Carolina. Please join us as we celebrate this special event.

Harmony Assembly No. 57 Installation of Officers at 6:00 pm on September 23 at Empire Masonic Lodge 150 Whatley Cir, Mauldin, SC 29681. Dinner will be served at 5:00.

West Columbia Assembly No. 36 Installation of Officers at 7:00 pm on September 26 at Sinclair Masonic Lodge, 1104 B Ave, West Columbia, SC 29169.

Summerville Assembly No. 28 Installation of Officers at 7:00 pm on October 5 at Summerville Masonic Lodge, 111 N Main St, Summerville, SC 29483.

Dentsville Assembly No. 40 Installation of Officers at 1:00 pm on October 7 at Dentsville Masonic Lodge, 6604 Shakespeare Rd, Columbia, SC 29223.

Newport Assembly No. 52 Installation of Officers at 7:00 pm on October 11 at Corinthian Masonic Lodge, 5196 Hampton Ridge Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29732

Summerville Assembly No. 28 Initiation Ceremony at 7:00 pm on October 19 at Summerville Masonic Lodge, 111 N Main St, Summerville, SC 29483.

West Columbia Assembly No. 36 Halloween Party at (time to be announced) on October 24 at Sinclair Masonic Lodge, 1104 B Ave, West Columbia, SC 29169.

Goose Creek Assembly No. 39 Halloween Social at 1:00 pm on October 28 at Goose Creek Masonic Lodge, 145 St. James Ave, Goose Creek, SC 29445. Bring donations for the Animal Society to support our Worthy Advisor's project. RSVP to Ms. Michele at micheleeshirey@gmail.com.

SCAMM is in the beginning stages of a project to assist with funds for scholarships. SCAMM is asking for donations of men’s button-down shirts that can be turned into aprons to keep food off of the young ladies' beautiful gowns. If you have a shirt from someone special, just let us know when the shirt is turned in so we can get that specific apron back to them. We will be gladly accepting men’s button-down shirts at the next few jurisdictional get-togethers like the school of instruction. The aprons will go on sale as soon as the finished products have been created. Please feel free to reach out to Lynn Carter or Heather Kamphaus for any questions or concerns.

Our SCAMM Fall Retreat has been cancelled and other plans are being made for the Spring! Please be on the lookout for dates and information!

Our One Canvas, Many Colors School of Instruction was jam-packed with activities and instruction. It was great eating together as a Family before we got started and everyone had such yummy lunches!

We played icebreaker Bingo and had several Bingos, it was great fun getting to know each other better!

We got to learn details about our term this year and about the fundraisers that the GWAA has in store for Scholarship. (Details about our term can be found on sciorg.org under the GWA programs and projects.) We hope all the girls will participate in the Ritual Program!

The girls enjoyed the "One Canvas, Many Colors" activity where they each had to add a doodle to each other's canvases, and they tried their hand at making origami stars and cranes. Our goal this year is to make 1000 stars for each of the Sacoma Units in SC. (Check out SC IORG for a tutorial on how to make the stars!)

We even had fun doing different stations for ritualistic instruction and changing to a new station every 20 minutes. It gave the girls time for hands-on instruction and to ask questions in a smaller setting.

Our awesome adults did a bunch of prep work with the supplies for the Purses of Empowerment while the girls were having fun and made it go so smoothly to pack 100 purses!

The girls were handed out calendars with all the Jurisdictional events marked. If you have a girls who didn't get one or an adult who needs one please let Ashley know.

Our GWA concluded the day with Care-A-Lot awards to recognize girls who went above and beyond for the day!

More photos of the School of Instruction can be seen at SC IORG Friends and Family and SC IORG on Facebook.

Please reread Mrs. Dedra's article for info on Grand Family Retreat!

We had a wonderful time at Short Stay at Moncks Corner! A huge thank you to Miss Desire' for updating her Lifeguard training to be our Lifeguard for the Beach Party, the girls had a blast being in the water, playing on the beach, and building sandcastles! Thank you to Mrs. Rebecca for being there early and checking everyone in and out. Thank you to our wonderful kitchen crew who arrived early, stayed until everyone left, and made the yummiest food - Mr. Ron, Mr. Dan, Mr. Larry, Mrs. Sue, and Mr. Myron who was also our Security. To all of the adults and girls who helped decorate and clean up. And to all the girls and adults who attended - THANK YOU!

Thank you for making our "Creating a Masterpiece" Grand Family Retreat!

Don't forget to be on the lookout for photos on SC IORG and SC IORG Friends and Family!

Link to order Polos - https://forms.gle/s8ULVzLJodYtgkH99

Small - XL $25, XXL $27, XXXL $28

Editor and Publisher Protem: Michelle Lusk

sciorgmmpr@gmail.com

Supreme Charity and Supreme Inspector: Dedra Hart

PGHope79@aol.com

This publication acknowledges allegiance to the Supreme Assembly, International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, whose seat of authority is in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA; of which the late Reverend W. Mark Sexson was the founder; of which Mrs. Kay Letterman is the Supreme Worthy Advisor; and to the Grand Jurisdiction of South Carolina of which Ashley Lusk is Grand Worthy Advisor and Mrs. Dedra A. Hart is Supreme Inspector