MWSA District #108 News - Issue #14
February 2020
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Distribution
Please distribute this newsletter to the members of your Lodge so that all Masons of District 108 may keep up with the happenings of our great District.
Thank you!
Vision
EXCELLENCE BY VIRTUE: Lead with our HEARTS; Think with our HEADS; Work with our HANDS
Mission Statement
Contained In This Newsletter
- President's Message
- District #108 Forum and Exam
- Grand Lodge Officers
- 2020 Grand Lodge Resolutions
- District #108 Upcoming Events Google Form
- MWSA Business Meeting Rotation Schedule
- MWSA Strategic Plan 2020
- Committee on Work, Southeast Texas - Forum & Exam Schedule
- Lodge Fundraisers
- Masonic Education
- Other Upcoming Events
- Called from Labor
- Imperial Chapter, Order of DeMolay
- Upcoming Degrees
- Lodge Google Calendars
- Newsletter Archive
President's Message
Brothers,
January was an exciting month for Masonry in our District. Several Brothers from our District were present at the Grand Annual Communication in Waco. We were able to spend a little time together amidst the happenings over the three-day event. Additionally, we had a wonderful MWSA Business Meeting with great fellowship and discussion. Many thanks to the Officers and Brothers of Hempstead Lodge for hosting and providing a great meal. Also, Worshipful Master Al Davis and Morton Lodge represented our District extremely well at the Lamar Day Celebration held at Morton Cemetary with dozens of attendees and multiple newspaper articles highlighting the good work of Masonry in our area. Pictures of newspaper articles are below. Due to the increased positive media attention to our area, Worshipful Master Davis and M:.W:. Paul D. Underwood are discussing a visit by the Grand Lodge Officers to Morton Lodge and Morton Cemetary.
We are proud to be one of the only, if not the only, Districts in our great state to have three active District Deputy Grand Masters this year. R:.W:. Keith Borst of Katy Lodge will be working diligently to support the Lodges of District #108 throughout the year. R:.W:. Dr. Aaron W. Tyksinski of Sugar Land Lodge and R:.W:. Jason Jackson of Katy Lodge have been installed as District Deputy Grand Masters At-Large for 2020 and will be working to support all of the Brothers of our state. Additionally, Past Master Cody Cockroft of Morton Lodge will be serving as District Instructor. If you have any questions regarding esoteric work, please reach out to him. Remember, the DI is not allowed to simply enter your Lodge and start making corrections to the work. He must be invited for that purpose.
This year, the District 108 Forum and Exam by R:.W:. Kenneth Young will be hosted at Morton Lodge. Please plan on attending on Saturday, 3 October 2020. Even if you do not plan on sitting for a certificate exam, it is a great idea to attend the forum and observe the exam. Even those of us who attend these events regularly always learn something new.
Brothers, one of the goals of the MWSA Leadership Team is to visit and support all of the Lodges in our District at their various degrees and events. However, we cannot be there to support those events unless we know about them. It is our job as Masons to travel outside the four walls of our own lodge building to assist and support our Brothers. Therefore, I have asked Past Master Sharborough, MWSA IT Support, to put a Google Form on the website at www.mwsa108.com and I have asked Brother Bradley, Vice-President, to include it in the monthly newsletters. This will be a simple form that I ask all Lodge leaders to use when you schedule an event. The entries will be forwarded to District Leadership who will then disseminate that information to all of our Lodges. It is my hope that this easy step will help bolster attendance and support from around our District at various functions. The form will be below this message. It will be accessible on a computer, tablet, or phone by visiting the MWSA website at www.mwsa108.com. Stated Meetings will not need to be entered.
My Brothers, I hope that February finds you in good health and enjoying happiness in your lives. I look forward to working with each and every one of you throughout the coming year.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
David C. Berndt, P.M.
President, MWSA #108
District #108 Forum and Exam
Congratulations to all New Grand Lodge Officers for 2020
New Grand Lodge Officers
Grand Lodge Elections:
Paul Underwood (Grand Master)
Kenneth Curry (Deputy Grand Master)
Brad Billings (Grand Senior Warden)
G Clay Smith (Grand Junior Warden)
Thomas Ellison (Grand Treasurer)
Al Lazor (Grand Secretary)
Kenneth Young (Committee on Work)
Masonic District #108 Appointments
Keith Borst – DDGM for Masonic District #108
Aaron Tyksinski – DDGM at Large
Jason Jackson – DDGM at Large
Cody Cockroft – District Instructor
Vanguard Awards
Rosenberg Lodge #881
Sugar Land Lodge #1141
Award of Merit
Voting Results on Resolutions
Resolutions and Grand Master Recommendations
- 2018 Hold Over Resolution No. 12: Passed
- Resolution #1: Passed (2836 for; 56 against)
- Resolution #2: Failed (408 for; 2555 against)
- Resolution #3: Passed (2438 for; 495 against)
- Resolution #4: Failed (969 for; 1942 against)
- Resolution #5: Failed (618 for; 2268 against)
- Resolution #6: Passed (1519 for; 1080 against)
- Resolution #7: Failed (938 for; 1954 against)
- Resolution #8: Withdrawn
- Resolution #9: Failed (115 for; 2829 against)
- Resolution #10: Failed (1274 for; 1655 against)
- Resolution #11 (as amended): Passed (2615 for; 191 against)
- Resolution #12 (as amended): Passed (2214 for; 562 against)
- Resolution #13: Tabled to 2021
- Resolution #14: Failed (1015 for; 1560 against)
- Resolution #15: Withdrawn
- Resolution #16: Withdrawn
- Resolution #17: Failed (501 for; 2207 against)
- GM Recommendation #1 (as amended): Passed (2605 for: 199 against)
- GM Recommendation #2 (as amended): Passed (2577 for; 260 against)
District #108 Upcoming Events Google Form
MWSA Business Meeting Rotation Schedule
See below for the rotation of business meetings for the next few years. The called meetings will be in the center of the District and will be announced as soon as the meeting is set.
MWSA Strategic Plan 2020
Committee on Work, Southeast Texas - Forum & Exam Schedule
Lodge Fundraisers
Please see the below attachment from Pleasant Hill Lodge #380. Anyone interested, please contact Brother Carl. Contact information is listed on the flyer.
Handmade 46 inch by 48 inch Masonic Theme Lap Quilt
100% of the proceeds will go to Morton Masonic Lodge #72 Scholarship Fund
Raffle Tickets
$1.00 each
For tickets contact Brother John Bradley at 979.264.5384
or email JRLLB1717@GMAIL.COM
Drawing will be held during Morton Lodge’s Stated Meeting
on May 12, 2020.
You do not need to be present to win.
Thank you to Brother Mark Herzog of Grey Lodge
for donating this quilt back to raise additional funds
for Morton Lodge Scholarship Fund.
Masonic Education
2020 Officer Leadership Training 101/201
OLT Registration Form Page 1
OLT Registration Form Page 2
Other Upcoming Events
Mon, Feb 3, 2020 - Houston Scottish Rite Degree Study Group - 6:00 PM
Mon, Feb 3, 2020 - Park Place Commandery #106 Stated Conclave - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 4, 2020 - Katy Lodge #1439 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 4, 2020 - Waller O.E.S. Stated Meeting - 6:30 PM
Wed, Feb 5, 2020 - Matagorda Lodge #7 Stated Meeting
Thu, Feb 6, 2020 - Brookshire Lodge #1066 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Thu, Feb 6, 2020 - Committee on Work FORUM ONLY - Deer Park Lodge #1362, Deer Park, TX - 6:30 PM
Sat, Feb 8, 2020 - **Grand Master's Conference - Arabia Shrine Center, Houston, TX - 8:00 AM**
Sat, Feb 8, 2020 - Melrose Commandery #109 Stated Conclave @ Melrose Lodge - 6:30 PM
Mon, Feb 10, 2020 - Imperial Chapter, Order of DeMolay Stated Meeting @ Sugar Land Lodge - 7:00 PM
Tue, Feb 11, 2020 - Morton Lodge #72 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 11, 2020 - Waller Lodge #808 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 11, 2020 - Sugar Land OES Stated Meeting - 6:30 PM
Wed, Feb 12, 2020 - North Houston Chapter & Council Stated Meeting @ Melrose Lodge - 6:30 PM
Thu, Feb 13, 2020 - Richmond Chapter & Council Stated Meeting @ Morton Lodge - 6:30 PM
Thu, Feb 13, 2020 - Hempstead Lodge #749 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Fri, Feb 14, 2020 - Ruthven Commandery #2 Stated Conclave @ Holland Lodge - 6:30 PM
Sat, Feb 15, 2020 - Pleasant Hill Lodge #380 STATED MEETING - 11:00 AM
Mon, Feb 17, 2020 - Sugar Land Lodge #1141 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 18, 2020 - Rosenberg Lodge #881 STATED MEETING - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 18, 2020 - Committee on Work FORUM ONLY - Oak Forest Lodge #1398, Houston, TX - 6:30 PM
Thu, Feb 20, 2020 - Katy OES Stated Meeting - 6:30 PM
Fri, Feb 21, 2020 - Houston Commandery #95 Stated Conclave @ Conroe Lodge - 6:30 PM
Mon, Feb 24, 2020 - Fort Bend Commandery #74 Stated Conclave @ Rosenberg Lodge - 6:30 PM
Tue, Feb 25, 2020 - Imperial Chapter, Order of DeMolay Stated Meeting @ Sugar Land Lodge - 7:00 PM
Thu, Feb 27, 2020 - Houston Valley Scottish Rite Stated Meeting - 6:00 PM
Called from Labor
Blacker Masonic Lodge #247
Booneville, AR
Laid Down His Working Tools on Thursday, January 23, 2020
(Father of Brother Glen Royal PM, Katy Lodge 1439)
Imperial Chapter, Order of DeMolay
Imperial Chapter, Order of DeMolay was set to work on Saturday 31 August 2019. DeMolay is a wonderful organization for young men from 12-21 years of age. It strives to teach virtues and help young men grow into responsible and committed members of society.
You can learn more about DeMolay here: http://www.texasdemolay.com/what-is-demolay/#
If you know anyone who may be interested in membership at Imperial Chapter, please have them contact David Berndt, Chapter Advisor at chapteradvisor@imperialdemolay.com.
Upcoming Degrees
- Master Mason Degree @ Sugar Land Lodge #1141- Monday February 3, 2020. Meal @ 6:00. Meeting @ 7:00.
- Dino Degree for Bellaire Lodge @ The Museum of Natural Science in Sugar Land. February. 12, 2020 @ 6:00 (The doors lock at 6:00 PM. There will be no admittance after they do.)
Lodge Google Calendars
Please work to keep your Lodge's Google Calendar that is linked to the District #108 Google Calendar up-to-date. With everyone's calendar up-to-date, Brothers from other Lodges will be able to plan to attend more events and meetings around our District. This will take some work on the part of whoever controls the individual Lodge's Google Calendar, but it will be well worth the time investment.
Thank you!