From the East
My Brothers, Ladies, Friends, and Families,
Happy Easter!! He has risen!!!! This is by far my favorite celebration of the year. For God so loved the world that he sent down his son Jesus to show us what perfection is and to give us a worldly view of God. He sent his son down knowing that in time, his Son would be mocked, beaten, and hung from a cross, but that wasn’t all. Jesus rose from the grave 3 days later. Which shows us that as long as we truly believe in the Lord, we too will rise from our death and have eternal life in Heaven.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son. For whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This year I took part in Lent for the first time ever. I must say it was truly life changing in my faith. I have lived my life believing in God and being very active in my Church, but this was something eye opening for me. I gave up 2 large wants in my life. Sweets and Soda’s. I gave up all sweets and only drank water for 40 days. What shocked me, is when I have given things up in the past for “my health” I always found a way to cheat and break my commitment. This time I was promising to God my loyalty to give up 2 vices that really consume me in a small token of appreciation for his sacrifice. Every time I had the desire to cheat, it was so easy to say “nope, I am not going to let my God down” It made me realize, that we need to do this in all aspects of our lives. We need to commit to him to be the best human beings we can be. We need to not cheat ourselves, in remembrance of what God has done for me and for you. We may not be able to stick to our goals for us, but we should be able to do it for God. God Bless you all and may you spend this Easter thanking God for saving us and giving us the promise of everlasting life in heaven.
If you were not at our last Stated Meeting dinner, you missed out on a great meal prepared by Don and Vicki Ruch. Thank you Don and Vicki for all your hard work making sure we are fed every month and for supplying the refreshments for us all.
This month, the Stated meeting is on April 13th starting at 6:00pm. This month Worshipful Bill and his beautiful and lovely wife Terri are making our meal for the Stated meeting dinner. I know it will be very delicious.
I would like to wish the following Brothers a Happy Birthday for this Month:
Martin Steiner - 04/03
Earl Bean - 04/06
Robert Collins - 04/08
James Reher - 04/08
Mark Lantz - 04/28
I would also like to wish the following Brothers A Happy Masonic Anniversary:
Bobby Lyles - 04/07 (46 years)
Dave Witt - 04/07 (40 years)
Ken Bychak Sr. - 04/11 (10 years)
Don Ruch, PM - 04/15 (35 years)
Elijah Descoteaux - 04/17 (3 years)
Raymond Garcia - 04/21 (40 years)
Wade Hendry - 04/22 (3 years)
Glen Jarvis, PM - 04/29 (13 years)
I would love to see brothers come back and visit the lodge to meet the new officers and to get back involved with our fraternity and the Lodge.
Fraternally yours,
Pete Johnson - Worshipful Master 2026
From the West
Greetings Brethren and Ladies,
Spring is here and the weather is still going crazy! I can’t tell if its Winter, Spring, or Summer!
Hopefully some cooler weather will be on the way.
April brings us a day of great celebration, Easter, which is coming up on the 5 th . Keep Jesus in your thoughts during this Holy time.
Robert “Bob” Stuckeys funeral was well attended by over 60 masons in attendance and was a beautiful service headed by Worshipful Peter Krickhuhn, Worshipful Bill Biggs, and Worshipful Bruce Smith.
Thank you all for being there for our brother and his family.
Worshipful Don Martins Celebration of Life also happened in Arizona this last month. Thank you to all the brethren who made the trip to be there.
If you know of a brother or honored lady in distress, is ill, or in need, please contact me so we can help.
Fraternally,
Ken Bychak, PM
Senior Warden
From the South
Brethren, Families and friends;
Easter is only a few days away as I write this article and this is one of my personal favorite times of the year. This stated meeting dinner we will be enjoying an Easter ham dinner with all the trimmings, prepared by Worshipful Bill and Terry Graham.
Another reason this is one of my favorite holidays is because this is the season, several thousand years ago, that our Savior Jesus Christ paid for our sins by suffering and dying on a Roman Cross. But even that isn't the best news; He rose from the tomb conquering death and ascended to heaven to be with God. What bothers me is...If you haven't accepted Christ in your life, in your heart, He is still dead to you.
I hope you have a joy filled Easter.
Don Ruch, PM, Junior Warden.
Secretary’s Corner
Welcome to April! Our first activity of the year is now in the works. We will be attending a San Diego Gulls game on April 1t8h. This is the final game of the season. There is a beach towel give away. The cost is $47.00 a person. We have seats booked in the same section as the last 2 trips. They are very good and close to the action. This is the last home game of the season and should be a great night. Please contact me if you would like to attend. Come join us for another great event full of fun and fellowship.
We continue to meet at 0800 on the 2nd and 4th Saturday’s of the month at the Lodge for coffee and then breakfast. Our candidates and new Brothers are often there. Come join us and get to know these fine men that are joining our Fraternity.
I continue to slowly receive Dues payments, however, there are still 27 Brothers that are in arrears. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not paid your dues, you are officially late. They were due by December 31, 2025. Please get them paid! The Lodge needs the support of the Brothers. The dues for 2026 are $133.00 (Per our By-Laws the calculation is $60.00 + Per Capita rounded up to the next whole dollar). Per Capita for this year will be $72.50 giving us annual dues of $60.00 + $72.50 = $132.50 rounded up to $133.00. This is also your time to catch up on last year’s dues if you have not paid. If you are 2 or more years in arrears, you may be suspended for non-payment of dues as per the California Masonic Code, Section 809.370. Suspension for Non-Payment of Dues. Neither the Master, I, nor any other Brother in Lodge wishes this to happen!
The method for the Suspension for Non Payment of Dues has changed. It is now being handled by the Grand Lodge. Brothers that are 3 years overdue will have their names read in the Lodge at the March Stated Meeting and then will be submitted to the Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge will then take over contacting the brother. If dues are not paid, the Grand Lodge will then automatically suspend the Brother at the 60 day mark. It is still possible to for you can pay your dues before the names are submitted.
Remember, if you send a payment in and are in arrears, that payment will go to the past due amount. You will still need to come back to good standing for the current year to receive your Dues Card. Please contact the Master or myself to discuss this if you have any questions.
There are several ways that you can pay your dues:
Send a check to the Lodge at:
Santa Maria #580
PO Box 68
Ramona CA, 92065
You can log in to the Lodge website, www.santamaria580.org, and pay by credit card. Use the link in the Grand Lodge email and pay through the Grand Lodge or you can bring a check or cash to me at the Lodge.
Having to pay your dues at the end of the year can be tough. If you go to the Grand Lodge, you can sign up to have monthly payments taken so that at the end of the year, your dues are paid and you do not have a large bill waiting for you. I have done this for both of my Lodges, and it makes life much easier.
If you are interested in becoming a Life Member, please use the following information from the CMC 2022
§809.320.B LIFE MEMBERSHIP
A sum of money equal to the Lodge’s annual dues at the time of purchase of the Life Membership multiplied by the factor indicated opposite the member’s age in the following schedule:
Age 49 and under, a factor equal to or greater than 24 times annual dues;
50 to 54 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 20 times annual dues;
55 to 59 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 18 times annual dues;
60 to 64 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 16 times annual dues;
65 to 71 inclusive, a factor equal to or greater than 14 times annual dues; and
Age 72 and over, a factor equal to or greater than 12 times annual dues.
Our dues for 2026 are $133.00. Use the chart above to calculate the amount needed. As an example, I am in the 55-59 bracket. For me to purchase a Life Membership, the cost would be 18 x $133.00 for a total of $2,394.00. Please contact me if you wish to pursue this.
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
If you have paid and have not received your dues card in a reasonable amount of time, please contact me at 951-970-4294 or secretary@santamaria580.org and I will take care of it.
S/F
Bill Graham, PM
Reminder!! Have you moved? Changed your phone number? Changed your e-mail address? Have you notified the Lodge if you have done any of these things?? In an ongoing effort to ensure that all member get due and timely notice of all Lodge information, it is important that you keep your information updated with us.
I would greatly appreciate it if all of you would log in to member.freemason.org, go to the My Profile section and ensure that all of your address/phone number/e-mail is up to date. This will automatically update the i-member section that I use as the Secretary to for your mailings and other contacts.
Calendar of Events
Lodge Officer Directory
Master - Pete Johnson
Senior Warden - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Warden - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Treasurer - Chase Murray, PM
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Mark Lantz (Kim)
Marshal - Elijah Descoteaux
Senior Deacon - Wade Hendry (Marianne)
Junior Deacon - Ken Bychak Sr. (Robyn)
Senior Steward - Rex McCray
Junior Steward - Gabriel Zabrosky (Annie)
Tiler - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
(858) 943-1079
(707) 328-9617
(619) 787-3858
(619) 607-2935
(951) 970-4294
(858) 231-4646
(619) 987-1004
(760) 535-3176
(805) 264-1711
(760) 788-4957
(619) 931-4314
(760) 807-2883
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Ken Bychak II, PM
Vice President - Pete Johnson
Treasurer/Secretary - Elijah Descoteaux
Member - Don Ruch, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Wade Hendry
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
Member - Gabriel Zabrosky
(707)328-9617
(858) 943-1079
(619) 987-1004
(619) 787-3858
(760) 807-2883
(760) 535-3176
(760) 788-9475
(619) 931-4314