From the East
Greetings Brothers and friends, welcome to the month of April!
This month we celebrate the holiday of Easter. As we attend our BBQs and gatherings among family and friends, let us remember that Easter celebrates the the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent - a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice - and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday.
Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times and have since been adopted as folk customs, such as the decoration of eggs and the tale of a mystical rabbit who hides them.
Also this month, we will be hosting the now annual WAGR Designer Bag (purse) Charity Bingo on April 28th. The event consists of 10 games of Bingo, a silent auction, raffles, and door prizes. Admission for the event is $60 and is at least halfway sold out as of March 29th. Tickets must be purchased in advance via the following link:
WAGR Designer Bag Bingo
April 28th
Doors Open for Lunch at 12:00pm
Games Begin at 1:00pm
For those that don't know, WAGR Syndrome (Wilms Tumor, Aniridia, Genitourinary Abnormalities, Range of Developmental Delays) is a rare genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in 750,000 people in the world caused by missing genes. Proceeds from the event are funneled directly to the International WAGR Syndrome Association and their fundraising events to assist in research and aid for affected families.
Fraternally, Chase Murray
Worshipful Master
From the West
Dear Brothers, Ladies and friends;
I wish I could say "April fools" but the plumbing failure in the Lodge and dining room is no joke. The plumbing has completely failed and will need extensive repairs. In the meantime we have installed a porta-potty behind the lodge building for temporary usage. This may cause an issue for stated meeting dinners and other functions at the lodge but please be assured that the plumbing contractor will fix the issue as soon as possible. I pray that you all will have a blessed spring.
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19
Fraternally yours,
Don Ruch, PM, Senior Warden
From the South
To all the Brothers, Ladies, family and Friends,
Please join us for our Stated meeting on April 8th. We have been in contact with Ranch catering and they will be providing the following;
Chicken Dijon, Honey Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Grilled Zucchini Blend, Tomato Basil Salad, Rolls and butter, and Fruit Cobbler.
John 6:35 “and Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
May God Bless you all and keep you safe and healthy!!
Pete Johnson - Junior Warden
Secretary’s Corner
Welcome to April, I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter with friends and family! Thank you to Worshipful Brother Kevin Bonner for creating the Michael and Mary Bonner Scholarship Fund. He has donated $500.00 per year in perpetuity in honor of his parents. This generous scholarship will help many of Ramona’s young men and women to continue their education.
We have a couple of Entered Apprentices that are working hard on their proficiency’s and should be ready for their Fellowcraft Degree before the month is up. Please keep an eye out for when we schedule the Degrees and come and support our younger members. Your support is what makes the Lodge a great place to be.
Please go to member.freemason.org and check your information. If you have not yet created your account, PLEASE get with me and I will walk you through creating the account and entering your information.
We have coffee the 2 nd and 4 th Saturday of the month at the Lodge upstairs. If your cabletow permits, please join us for fellowship
I have not received any Dues payments since my last article. There are still 35 Brothers that are in arrears. Remember, you have an obligation to pay your dues. If you have not made your payment, you are overdue. The dues for 2024 are $126.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $65.25 this year, which gives us our total of $126.00
This is also your time to catch up on last year dues if you have not paid. If you are in arrears for your dues, you need to pay all that is owed to be brought back in to good standing. As an example, if you pay for 2024 only, and owe for 2023, I cannot send you your 2024 dues card. You are still in arrears and will need to bring your dues up to date first. 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!
Please go to member.freemason.org and check out your personal information. Ensure that your email, mailing address, phone number etc are correct. This is how the Lodge and the Grand Lodge contact you. It is important that this information be up to date. If you have trouble doing this, please contact me and I will assist you. Maintaining your contact information ensures that you will receive all notices that the Lodge and the Grand Lodge sends out in a timely manner. Please go check it out!
If you are financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
If you have lost your envelope, you can mail your dues to:
Santa Maria Lodge No. 580,
PO Box 68, Ramona, CA 92065
You can also go to our website, http://www.santamaria580.org, and pay online. If you have paid and have not received your 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 - Secretary
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 - Chase Murray
Senior Warden - Don Ruch, PM (Vicki)
Junior Warden - Pete Johnson
Treasurer - Bob Weldon, PM (Brenda)
Secretary - Bill Graham, PM (Teri)
Chaplain - Elijah Descoteaux
Marshal - Bruce Smith, PM (Beverly)
Senior Deacon - Ken Bychak II, PM (Laura)
Junior Deacon - Rex McCray
Senior Steward - Mark Lantz (Kim)
Junior Steward - Dave Murray, PM (Catheren)
Tiler - Wade Hendry (Marianne)
(619) 607-2935
(619) 787-3858
(858) 943-1079
(760) 807-2883
(951) 970-4294
(619) 987-1004
(760) 788-9475
(707) 328-9617
(760) 788-4957
(858) 231-4646
(619) 302-1223
(760) 535-3176
Santa Maria Masonic Building
Association (SMMBA) Directory
President - Don Ruch, PM
Vice President - Chase Murray
Treasurer/Secretary - Dave Murray, PM
Member - Ken Bychak II, PM
Member - Bob Weldon, PM
Member - Wade Hendry
Member - Bruce Smith, PM
Member - Pete Johnson
(619) 787-3858
(619) 607-2935
(619) 302-1223
(707) 328-9617
(760) 807-2883
(760) 535-3176
(760) 788-9475
(858) 943-1079