Masonic Lodge Holds Installation
Masons are from left, front, Billy Stewart, Rick Baker, Craig Carter, Darren Young, John King; second row, from left, David Norman, David Emerson, Scott Stark, Tom Williams, and Rick Allen.
Ava Masonic Lodge #26. AF&AM
Supper was at 6:30 P.M. and was well attended. All Masons are invited to join us in our basement for supper. We eat at 6:30 P.M. and our regular stated lodge meetings begin at 7:30 P.M.
After supper and before lodge opened, we convened upstairs for our formal installation of new officers for the upcoming year. Our new officers and positions installed were: RWB Craig Carter, WM, Billy Stewart, SW, Darren Young, JW, WB Rick Baker, SD, WB David Emerson, JD, and John King, Tiler. Brethren Tom Williams, Secretary, RWB David Norman, Treasurer, RWB Bruce Scott, Marshall, Rick Allen, Chaplain, and WB Scott Stark, SS, all were reelected to the same positions as last year and did not have to be installed. RWB John House was the installing Master, Rick Allen the Installing Chaplain, and RWB Bruce Scott the Installing Marshall. Our elections are held in August and we take our new chairs or positions the first regular meeting in September. This enables the Master to attend Grand Lodge as our new Master for the upcoming year.
Once installation was completed, we opened lodge in due form on the Third Degree of Freemasonry. All business was conducted in this degree.
Our previous minutes were read and approved as read. A new petition was read, and no objection being heard, an examination committee of Scott Stark, Chairman, Darren Young, and Billy Stewart was appointed. This new petition will be read the second time on October 6, 2019 and the first degree will then be given to the candidate, assuming the committee gives their approval. The petition for Affiliation was read for the second time and , by a paper ballot, Brother Tim Bellfield was elected to become an affiliate member of our lodge. His home Lodge is Mt. Grove Lodge #158.
Grand Lodge will be in Columbia, Missouri again this year and will be the weekend of September 22,23, and 24th. RWB Carter, WM, and RWB John House will attend as our representatives. Also, a workday at the lodge to install new seating will be on September 14, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. Lots of help will be needed. We also will need to sell our current seating of about 40 seats. Sampson Lodge in Theodosia, Missouri, will be having their monthly breakfast and this years installation on Saturday September 7, 2019. All Masons are invited. MoChips will be presented by Hazelwood Lodge on September 14, 2019, and a Second Degree will be given on September 19, 2019 at Robert Burns Lodge in Gainesville.
Gainesville Lodge will be cooking at Hootin n Hollerin for those attending. All proceeds go to the lodge for community projects and projects at school. Also at Robert Burns Lodge, on October 5, 2019, they will open with Missouri ritual and close with Missouri ritual but a Third Degree team from Arkansas will be present to do the degree work. They have the sepcial dispensation required to allow the Arkansas work in a Missouri Lodge. That is on a Saturday and all Masons are invited.
Brother Kevin Findley, stood and announced that installation of officers will occur at their next regular meeting on September 10, 2019. They will be having a fish fry prior to installation and all are invited to eat and attend installation.
RWB Norman stood and gave the treasurers report, asked that all stay for pictures after lodge, and was pleased to announce the Ava Lodge finally got a “tax free” Sams card.
Rick Allens wife, Tina, has some health issues and needs our prayers.
This was a good meeting with wonderful attendance. Lodge was closed in due form, peace and harmony prevailing.
