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The Trestle Board

Smithfield Lodge #455 A.F. & A.M.

8013 Main Street, North Richland Hills, Texas

P. O. Box 821413, Fort Worth, Texas 76182

Lodge telephone number:   817.656.2311

Contact the Lodge on  Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 7 PM and 9 PM

                                      WEB ADDRESS: http://www.smithfieldlodge.com

June  2005

From the East

Brethren,

According to Masonic tradition this should be my last article as your Worshipful Master. I can hear the cheers of relief, that being said, the installation of the new officers as I write this is tentatively scheduled for July 9. Which means that the current lineup of officers, as I understand Grand Lodge Law, will be required to conduct the July 7 stated meeting.

With that out of the way, I would like to thank all of those who helped the building and grounds committee (Bo and Bunk) with the garage sale. This was a great success. It was good to see 50 year masons working along side E.A.’s. I would like to thank all of those who pitched in. This will help us buy a new lawn mower. We sold the old Lawn mower during the garage sale, which served us so well for so long.

I would like to thank Less Egger for his faithful instruction in floor school each Tuesday and Thursday night.

As we look to the upcoming Masonic year, and the officers who will have agreed to serve, I would like to indulge you with a few thoughts of my own. We are continually interested in the wellbeing of the lodge, but if you stop, stand back and take a good overall look, we are also trying to help make good men better through the Masonic school of thought. Someone once said “it’s amazing how smart the officers get when they “get to the East”, …well I was hoping that would be the case, but alas, I don’t think it worked, but I have learned a few things, and I think I am a bit wiser because of it. The previous being said, for me, this has been a very insightful learning experience that has helped me in many ways, both in my esoteric journey, and in my personal life. I agree with an opinion that was once pointed out to me, that “going thru the lineup” is one of the best leadership training systems in existence.

Finally I would like to thank my wife for her support of my Masonic activities. The Grand Master has continued this thought by honoring our wives with the blue and gold slipper decal for our automobiles.

I leave you this month with this quote:

“Texas is emphatically a Masonic Country: Our National emblem, The lone Star, was chosen from among the emblems selected by Freemasonry, to illustrate the five moral virtues - it is a five pointed star, and alludes to the five points of fellowship.”

George K. Teulon, Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas, 1844.

Fraternally,

John D. Frakes

Worshipful Master

 (home) 817-427-9455

5109 Pearl Dr.

Fort Worth, TX 76180

From the West

Brethren,

Officer elections will be held at the June stated meeting.  This is an important event the Lodge holds each year.  If you are interested in participating in officer elections, please attend the June stated meeting.

This last Masonic year has provided a lot of great opportunities for serving and learning.  It's been great seeing brethren advance their skills, including learning how to confer the degrees.  The floor school at Smithfield Lodge has provided an excellent environment in which brethren have learned the esoteric work and demonstrated their ability to confer the degrees in Masonry.

It requires all the brethren participating and helping in order to effectively run the lodge.  All the efforts of the brethren jointly fit together.  This last year has demonstrated that when a brother is in need or a family is in need, there are brethren who cheerfully give of their time and resources in order to help those in distress.  It's great to see Masonry in action!

In addition to the esoteric work and helping those in need, there are many other aspects to running and maintaining the lodge.  For example, the stewards help prepare meals for the stated meetings and other events.  This is a very important part of running any Lodge and demonstrates service and edification to the Masonic body.  Stewardship is one of the greatest attributes a Mason can have, and it is clearly demonstrated by those who help the Masonic body and the community.

The building and grounds at Smithfield Lodge are always in excellent condition.  The brethren who mow the yard, trim the trees, fix the mower (and more!) and take care of general maintenance provide an excellent service to the Lodge and the brethren.  Visiting brethren notice how nice the Lodge looks.  The Lodge is always a nice place to visit, and it is well kept.  A lot of work goes into the upkeep of the Lodge, and it shows by the quality results that all the brethren see and enjoy!

Overall, it takes every brother helping, contributing, giving and enjoying the fine art of Masonry.  From the financial to the esoteric, each brethren contributes a special part of himself to the service of all.  It's an important lesson to learn in life - the more you give, the greater the service and the more you receive in return.  Brotherly love, faith and relief - all good attributes for any person to have.  And the Lodge is a great place to learn many valuable lessons in life and contribute to the good of Mankind.

To all those who have contributed, given and served - without you, the Lodge would just be another building!  Instead, the Lodge provides a necessary and great service to the community and the brethren.  Each one of us has a unique talent and gift that can be used for the good of Mankind.  It's up to each of us to find those talents and skills, then apply them as our heart guides us.

Hope to see you at the Lodge!

Fraternally,

Michael Haygood

Senior Warden

From the South

Brethren,              

They say to err is human to forgive divine. As masons we should all know the importance of being able to forgive. From an early age my oldest sister and I hated each other. I judged her as evil. She was an unworthy holder of my fathers' affection. We could not even be in the same room together.

One day I took notice of the scripture, "as we forgive those who trespass against us". I wanted to forgive everyone for everything, but she deserved to be hated and I really enjoyed hating her. I knew I would never be able to give that up.

I asked God to give me a little help if it was possible and one day I forgave her. It was like she had been a good sister all along. She sensed that something was different now and responded accordingly. Soon I was able to say, "I love you, Sis" and mean it. I was free from hate. Hating felt good, but not hating felt wonderful.

Masonry is all about making good men better. If mankind is suposed to evolve to some higher plane, surely forgiveness is a key to help get us there. So if there is someone out there you haven't forgiven, give it a try. I promise you, you won't regret it. And if you ever wanted help from God, just ask him to help you forgive someone. He'll do it!

Fraternally,

Herb Taylor

Junior Warden/Editor

Editor’s Note

 Brethren,

Stated Meeting on June 2nd, is the night we vote for new officers.  Please come to the Lodge, share in a fine meal, and vote for YOUR new Lodge Officers.  This is the time you can be heard and make a difference.  Keep coming back and see what we are doing, join in the fun and learning.  If you have been away for a while, you have missed the initiation of several new candidates, and the fun and fellowship we have every Tuesday and Thursday night, in the Floor School.  Hopefully, we will be raising these new brethren to Master Masons soon, and could use your help.

Fraternally,

Rick Montey  Junior Steward/Editor

The Secretary’s Desk

Brethren,

We had a good yard sale this year, thanks to those who donated time, effort, and goods. The W.M. will probably have more on this in his article. It was good to have worked with such dedicated men, and women. Beverly is a hoot.

We will have presented the Lamar medal and scholarship by the time you receive this issue of the paper. Our honoree is Cortney Pratorius, grand daughter of our own Tony Dobbins. She was chosen not only for her grades, deportment, and class standing, but for her outstanding community service. We hope to have her, her parents, and her grandparents at the June stated meeting. I have asked her to tell us of her plans for continuing education, and how much she has helped in the community. Thanks to the members of Smithfield Lodge who make this scholarship possible. We are putting our money on the next generation.  She will speak prior to the stated meeting, come hear her.

Bro. Mike King spoke to the MSB this month. He told us about the need of communication from the Grand Lodge to the Blue Lodges. It takes approximately $37,000 to contact each member by letter. The Grand Lodge magazine comes out only bi-monthly, so this is not a  good way to get information to each of us. E-mail is not received by all...so what to do. The communication committee is addressing these problems, things will get better.

Speaking of the Grand Lodge magazine, if you are not getting the magazine please contact me, we will check for the correct address, etc. If the magazine is returned to the Grand Lodge guess who has to pay for it. Yep, Grand Lodge. Who pays for Grand Lodge? Yep, we do. Please help me keep current addresses. We pay for address corrections here, also.

I still enjoy being the Lodge secretary, you can make my job much easier by keeping me informed of events in your lives. We started to make it a regular part of the Trestle Board, but had very little input from ya'll...what to do, what to do.

Fraternally Yours,

BR Campbell

Secretary

From the Chaplin

Brethren,

Masonry is alive in Texas.  Since the first of the year, I have had the Honor and privilege of traveling with R.W. Harold Webb, District Deputy Grand Master of Masonic District # 64 C of the Grand Lodge of Texas on several of his official visits plus a forum and Briscoe  work shop.  These travels have been very enlightening to say the least and the fellowship has been outstanding.

During these travels, I have heard what other lodges are doing in their community to promote Masonry and dispel myths about the craft.  Two that were especially interesting were the membership maintenance program and school supply funds for elementary school teachers.

The membership maintenance program was an open meeting with members inviting non-Mason friends to attend and listen to speakers from various appending bodies. Several petitions were generated from this meeting.

The school supply fund program, provides 5 teachers with $100 each to purchase supplies for their elementary students, (1^st graders).  If not for this program, the teachers would be using money from their own pockets since the school system is not set up to cover these supplies. I think this program is most fitting as each year we honor Texas Schools week. What better way to get involved in our community?

There is a wealth of knowledge/ideas out there to promote Masonry if we take time to look and listen. If you have not been to another lodge, Masonic Service Bureau or Master Wardens Secretaries meeting or a Briscoe workshop, you owe it to yourself to attend some of these meetings.

 Fraternally Yours,

 J.T. Mendenhall

 Chaplin

Remember the "Smithfield Masonic Lodge Permanent Endowment Fund"

Your support is a continuing need.  Any donation is welcome.  A donation of $100.00 or more puts your name, or the name of someone you wish to honor, on a plaque in the dining area of the Lodge building.  Please send your donation to Smithfield Masonic Lodge #455, A.F. & A.M., P.O. Box 821413 , Fort Worth, Texas 76182

Thanks to Our Trestle Board Sponsors

Masonic Birthdays for July, 2005

The following brethren will observe their Masonic Birthdays. They were raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason during this month.

Congratulations Brethren!

Calendar of Events

Date                            Event                                        Location                                                            Time

June 2                       Covered dish supper                           Smithfield Lodge #455                                                            6:30pm  

June 2                       Stated Meeting                                    Smithfield Lodge #455                                                            7:30pm

June 4                       Randel E. Briscoe Workshop                 Stephenville Lodge #267                                                         7:00pm

June 5                       Masonic Home & School Baccalaureate & Graduation                                                                          9:30am 

June 8                       Masonic Service Bureau supper             Sunrise Daylight  Lodge #1433                                                 6:00pm

June 8                       Masonic Service Bureau                        Sunrise Daylight Lodge #1433                                                  7:00pm                       

                                  Installation of Officers                           Smithfield Lodge #455

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