Brethren

Another weekly heads-up from the Semi-official Charleston Masonic Town Crier on what's coming up that I know about - please let me know of any functions your Lodge has going you want passed around and I'll put the word out. This one's coming out a day early due to my having been out of the office last week and not putting out the newsletter. I've been hearing about and seeing a lot of visitation going on in the 1st and 2nd districts, and if this email is helping that to happen then it's doing what it was intended to do. Thank you to the brothers who sent me word this week of upcoming events for inclusion in this edition, and thanks for the help and kind words I've received from so many of you on this project. I'm also attaching a MS Word copy for those who are still having heartache trying to print this out.

For those who didn't see it, here's a link to the Post/Courier article on Grand Lodge: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/apr/23/freemasons_gather79611/


Here's this week's scoop...

Pythagorean Lodge #21 (1285 Orange Grove Road) will confer the Fellowcraft degree on Thursday, May 7th with collation at 6:30 pm, business meeting at 7:30pm with degree to follow.

Etiwan Lodge #95 (338 Whilden Street in Mt. Pleasant) will confer the Fellowcraft degree on Thursday, May 7th with collation at 6:45 pm, business meeting at 7:30pm with degree to follow. Also check them out on he web (GL approved) at etiwan95.org.

Scottish Rite (1051Sam Rittenburg Blvd) will be having their monthly breakfast fund raiser Saturday 09May09 from 0700 to 1000AM. $6.00/person buffet style. All are welcome. Come hungry - leave happy. See you there

The CCMA (1285 Orange Grove Road) will be having their Annual Fish Fry Saturday 9May09 from 1000 to 1600. $7.00/plate All are welcome. Helpers/servers/drivers are always needed.

Goose Creek Lodge No. 401 (145 St. James Avenue) will be conferring the Entered Apprentice Degree on Monday May 11, 2009 in at 7:30pm. Collation at 6:45pm. Craft fraternally invited.

James Island Lodge #296 (1613 Fort Johnson Road, James Island) will be conferring the Fellowcraft Degree for 2 candidates on Monday 11 May 2009. 6:45 for the eating and 7:30 for the degree. Also the James Island Lodge #396 breakfast that is usually held on the Third Saturday of the Month has been changed to the FIFTH SATURDAY OF MAY - 30 MAY 2009, due to Lodge rental scheduling. In June the breakfast will be held on the Third Saturday of the Month as usual.

Fidelity 304 (2827 Maybank Highway) Johns Island will be putting on a Fellowcraft Degree on Tuesday, May 12. Collation @6;45, Degree @7:30

The CCMA (1285 Orange Grove Road) will be having their monthly Board of Directors Meeting Tuesday 12May09 in the CCMA dining hall

The Masters & Wardens Club of the 1st and 2nd Masonic Districts will meet on 13May 09 @ Ft Moultrie #428 (Island Club) Sullivan's Island SC. Dinner @1830, meeting @1930. The 2009 M&W Directory will be available at this meeting for $3.00 a copy.

There will be an outdoor degree hosted by the 30th district on May 16, 2009 in Jamestown, SC. Their masters and wardens meeting will start @5 PM; meal @6 PM and the degree to follow around 7 PM. Dress will be casual - no ties or coats necessary but bug spray is advisable along with aprons. Directions- Take hwy 17- A out of Moncks Corner to Jamestown; proceed across hwy 41 on hwy 45 in the direction of McClellanville at the flashing light ( there is only one in Jamestown) for approximately 2-3 miles. Follow the signs to the Masonic meeting

Jacksonboro #206 (6085 Hwy 165 Ravenel) will be having their monthly breakfast fund raiser Saturday 23May09 from 0700 to 900AM. All are welcome. Come hungry - leave happy.

Hammerton Lodge #332 (1085 East Montague Avenue N. Charleston) will be putting on a Master Mason Degree on 26May09 that should be VERY interesting. The degree will be put on by brothers in local law enforcement who will raise one of their own to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.

Due to a conflict in the rental of the Lodge building, James Island Lodge #396 ( 1613 Fort Johnson Road James Island) had to change the date for their May breakfast fundraiser this month only to the 5th Saturday, 30May09. Next month they will go back to the 3rd Saturday. 0700 to 0900. Come hungry - leave happy.


For those who are unaware of it, Grand Lodge has a Lodge Locater button on the website that tells you where the Lodge is and when they hold their Stated Meetings. It will search by city, county, district, Lodge name, Lodge number, or even meeting night. http://www.scgrandlodgeafm.org/LodgeLocator.htm

There are a good many Masons in the area who do a lot of good work for the craft as well as other worthy causes who deserve recognition but remain for the most part anonymous. I believe you shouldn't wait until you're eulogizing a brother to recognize his good works and qualities, so I intend to "give them their roses while they're living" and praise such anonymous human treasures as I become aware of them and the opportunities present themselves. Everyone knows of someone like I'm talking about. I earnestly solicit everyone's help in identifying these "unsung heroes of Charleston Masonry" to recognize them for their efforts in this forum. If you know someone like this write me something detailing his contribution - multiple years' service in leadership role, years service in volunteer roles, community service, etc. Don't be concerned with your writing ability, just get me the facts being sure his name is spelled correctly and I'll do the rest. "It's amazing how much good you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit." - anonymous


Please pass the word to your Lodge Brothers and forward this email to other brothers as you see fit - it's cheaper and faster (and possibly more accurate) than the newspaper. Everyone has a few email addresses that I don't have, and if they get it twice it only takes 1 second to punch "delete".

Please remember I'm dependent on the rest of you for what's going on in your Lodges - don't assume because you know about it that "someone" will let me know. "Brother Someone" hasn't been getting the word out, you need to do it. And please be proactive and don't wait until right after you just got the weekly announcements to remember to send me something that should've been in there, I'm keeping this down to 1/week so I don't flood everyone's mailbox. Send me what you're doing as soon as you know so I can get you as much exposure as possible for as long as possible. I can't guarantee everyone who knows about your function will come to it, but I will guarantee everyone who doesn't know about it won't be there.We can support each other by visiting each other's Lodges, it's the Masonic thing to do.

If you talk to a brother who has email but didn't get this and wants to be included, get his email address to me and I'll plug him in. It's best to email me both with new addresses as well as new functions so I don't hose it up. This mailing is an evolving thing as is the list of people I have addresses for. If you got this and would rather not be in the e-mailings also let me know and I'll take you off the list. I promise not to send you chain letters or other junk email unless you send me some first.


Respectfully and Fraternally
Tom Lewis, Jr 32° KT
SW Mariner Lodge #2 Charleston, SC
Life Member Jackson Lodge #45, Jackson TN


" Fraternitas Humana Sub Paternus Deus"


"No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced."