Masons Install Officers
Ava Masonic Lodge No. 26 installed officers on August 26, 2018 at the Lodge. The officers will serve until September 1, 2019, and are as follows: front, l to r, Billy Stewart, JW, Rick Baker, WM, Craig Carter, JW, and Don Haden, Installing Marshall; back row: Derren Young, Royce Wheeler, Tiler; David Norman, Treasurer; Bruce Scott, Marshall; Rick Allen, Chaplain; and Tom Williams, Secretary.
Ava Masonic Lodge #26 AF &AM/ September 5, 2018
We gathered in “Smith Hall,” our basement, for an evening meal prepared by Brother Billy Stewart. He is the new Junior Warden and as such, is responsible for our meal for the upcoming year. Billy is an excellent cook and the meal was delicious.
All members, families and friends are invited to eat with us at 6:30 p.m. prior to our meetings, which usually begin at 7:30 p.m.
After supper all members went upstairs to the lodge hall for our regular stated meeting.
Those in chairs were: WB Rick Baker, WM Tom Williams, Secretary, RWB David Norman, Treasurer, WB, Scott Stark, SW, WB Jim McConnahey, JW, Rick Allen, Chaplain, RWB Bruce Scott, Marshall, RWB Craig Carter, JD, Billy Stewart, SD, and John King, Tiler.
The previous minutes were read and approved as read. One petition was read for the first time and no objection being heard a committee of investigation was appointed. The committee will be WB David Emerson, Chairman, Billy Stewart, and RWB David Norman. Two petitions for affiliation were read and voted on. Brothers John King, Sparta Lodge, and Jason Liniger, Robert Burns #496 were approved for membership in our lodge.
Tom Williams, Secretary, communicated to the lodge that we had a bill for leather aprons to be paid. A motion was made by RWB Craig Carter to approve payment; seconded by WB Scott Stark, and approved unanimously. He also read thank you letters from the Glade Top Trail Run sent by Sara Sawyer and Liz Kyger, and from A.J. Von Valkenburg who received our scholarship award.
RWB Norman gave the treasurer’s report and discussed the sign being designed for the road in back of the lodge. Springfield Sign Company has given us the first quote and we are waiting for the other quotes before deciding on the cost and design of the sign. We did send in our $250.00 dollars for the “Wall That Heals” project and received our paperwork to designate our honoree.
We chose WB Ken Smith. He was our secretary for many years and was very active in Eastern Star.
Grand Lodge will again be in Columbia, Mo. at the Holiday Inn Executive Suites. The dates are September 23-25. Two rooms have been reserved and anyone planning to attend should contact RWB David Norman.
RWB Carter announced that RWB Tim Thomas would be our next Grand Master and that he had appointed RWB John House as a Grand Chaplain. This is a great honor for John. He is a Past Master of our lodge as was his grandfather and father. He is also a member and Past Master of Mansfield Lodge #543. RWB Carter indicated we should contact RWB Thomas and invite him to one of our meetings, possibly in April. RWB Thomas has responded that he would be glad to travel to our lodge and WB Baker will contact him with a specific date.
RWB Carter stood and discussed the possibility of a trail run on his property as a fund raiser. He will have more discussion regarding the run at a later date.
We will have a special meeting Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, with breakfast beginning at 8:00 a.m. and degree work beginning at 8:45 am. We will be conferring two Third Degrees and will certainly need extra help.
Visitors for this evenings meeting were John King, Sparta Lodge and Jim McConnahey and Bobby Osborn from Robert Burns Lodge #496.
No further business appearing, lodge was closed in due form, peace and harmony prevailing.
