From the East
My Brothers, Ladies, Friends, and Families,
This month we will be celebrating our Mom’s on Mothers day May 10th. We should be celebrating our Moms more than 1 day a year, but especially on Mothers Day. Thank you to all the mom’s at our Lodge!! You are all very special to us all.
We will also be celebrating Memorial Day. This is a day dedicated to remembering those who lost their lives while serving in our Armed forces. We are all so blessed to live in a country where we have our freedom, and that is largely do to the Men and Women who have fought or are currently fighting for our country. Thank you all for all the sacrifices you have made.
If you were not at our last Stated Meeting dinner, you missed out on a great meal prepared by Bill and Terri. Thank you Bill and Terri for all your hard work making that great meal. It is greatly appreciated!!
This month, the Stated meeting is on May 11th starting at 6:00pm. This month we are having a Pot Luck.
As mentioned many times in the past, we are always trying to find fun ways to get the brothers and family members involved in events outside of the lodge. This year we continued with our annual Gulls Game. It seams like every year we get less brothers involved which is disappointing. We will keep putting this on with hope that we will start gaining some momentum. With that being said, Brother Cole brought his family, Brother Gabriel brought his lovely wife, and I was able to attend and brought one of my good friends. We had a great time, and it is always nice to be able to get together outside of the lodge.
I would like to give a special Thank you to Worshipful Bob Weldon for hosting the Public Schools night. Bob is truly passionate about this event and it definitely shows. The kids and Families that were able to come had a great time. We all were able to enjoy a great dinner provided by Ranch Catering. Thank you to Worshipful Bill, Terri, Beverly and Brenda for your help setting up and serving food to everyone. We gave out certificates and $50 bills to 9 kids. They were all excited to receive a $50 bill. It was great to be apart of this event and it was great to see Bob in his element. Also a quick shout out to my beautiful daughter for welcoming the kids and families as they entered the dinning room.
I would like to wish the following Brothers a Happy Birthday for this Month:
Guy Shidner - 05/07
Michael Norton - 05/10
Melik Meshedjiah - 05/18
John Boyer - 05/20
Glen Jarvis - 05/22
Darrel Brown - 05/30
I would also like to wish the following Brothers A Happy Masonic Anniversary:
Ken Bychak II, PM - 05/01 (12 years)
George Kesler - 05/02 (60 years)
Jason Terry - 05/04 (17 years)
Darwin Ouderkirk Jr. - 05/19 (51 years)
Richard Walworth - 05/20 (66 years)
Van Lear Reeder - 05/28 (35 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,
Memorial Day is the last Monday of the month.
On this day, we join our nation in honoring the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to the principles of liberty and justice reflect the very values we hold dear in our Brotherhood.
May we never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that future generations may live in freedom.
Let us stand united in remembrance, gratitude, and patriotic pride.
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;
Dear Folks, I am sending out a special plea, asking for prayers of peace, comfort and healing for our Brother, my Brother in law, Van Reeder. He has congestive heart failure, kidney failure and cannot stand up on his own. We are bringing him home to give him comfort tomorrow Friday May 1. Vicki and my daughters are with him, someone is with him 24 hours.
It is times like this that I am tempted to ask God...WHY? But I realize that by questioning God, you are validating his existence. In other words, you do not question someone or something that you do not believe in. God has his plan while we are busy making our own. AMEN!!!
Don Ruch, PM, Junior Warden.
Secretary’s Corner
May is here and Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Mothers and the Mothers of our children! We also celebrate Memorial Day on the 25th honoring all of those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 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 are often there. Come join us and get to know these fine men that are joining our Fraternity.
Our first fraternal event of the year was a success. I hope all that went to the Hockey Game had a great time! Hopefully we can get more participation in future events.
I continue to slowly receive Dues payments, however, there are still 25 Brothers that are in arrears. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not paid yes, you are overdue! 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