From the East
Welcome Brothers and Friends to December!
It's hard to believe that we've already made our way through 2024, where the time went, I can't say but I hope that each and every one of you had a joyful and productive year. As part of my last Trestleboard for 2024, I'd like to send out a thank you to all those involved in the Lodge. Your support these past 12 months have made this year smooth and free of strife.
Looking to the future, congratulations to the following for their elections an appointments for 2025.
- Master Elect: Chase Murray
- Senior Warden Elect: Pete Johnson
- Junior Warden Elect: Don Ruch, PM
- Treasurer Elect: Bob Weldon, PM
- Secretary Elect: Bill Graham, PM
- Chaplain: Mark Lantz
- Senior Deacon: Ken Bycheck, PM
- Junior Deacon: Rex Mcray
- Marshal: Bruce Smith, PM
- Senior Steward: Elijah Descoteaux
- Junior Steward: Wade Hendry
As with this past year, the 2025 Installation of Officers will be held on January 4th to allow the brethren to enjoy the holidays.
Social Hour @ 2:00pm
Ceremony @ 3:00pm
Also as a reminder, we will be doing our Annual "New York" New Years Potluck on December 31st from 6-9pm. As part of this ringing in of 2025, we will be holding a White Elephant gift exchange. Each participant must bring a gift valued up to $25 that is for men, women, or is unisex.
I look forward to seeing each and every one of you at this years Installation and throughout the year. Merry Christmas,
Fraternally, Chase Murray - Worshipful Master
From the West
Dear Brothers, Families and Friends
I am writing this article on Thanksgiving Day, and I have come to wonder why we only have one day set aside per year to give thanks. In First Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verse 13 reads; "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you receive the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..."
I look at all things, not just the good things as gifts from God. It is easy to love a God if all that God gives you is cool stuff, but our God gives us good as well as the not so good. We do not understand Our God's plan, but we know his ultimate plan is better than anything we will come up with.
I hope you have a blessed day, a blessed rest of the year and give thanks to God always.
Don Ruch, PM, Senior Warden
From the South
To all the brothers, Ladies, family and Friends,
Welcome to the Month of December. This month we celebrate The Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are so blessed by the birth of Jesus Christ and what he was sent down on this Earth to do for all of us. We also get to spend time with our loved ones and celebrate Christmas together. I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas and I hope this next year is filled with so many blessings and lots of Love.
Please Join us on December 9th for our Stated meeting dinner. We will have a wonderful dinner catered by Ranch. The following is the menu:
Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Blue, sweet cream mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli with hollandaise, apple almond spinach salad w/ Champaine dressing, rolls and butter, and spice cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.
Brother Wade and I will continue to plan trips to go visit other lodges at least every other month for a degree or stated meeting. This will help expand our brotherhood and support other lodges.
As mentioned in past Trestleboards, We really need to focus on how to get brothers to come back to the lodge. This is an ongoing problem with most lodges in California and frankly all over the world, and especially with our lodge. With the hope that I will be voted by my brothers in a few years to become the Master of the lodge, I want to start my journey towards the East sooner and not wait unit I am actually sitting in the East (if elected). I would like to encourage all brothers currently coming to the lodge, but especially those that are not coming to the lodge to start reaching out to me personally and share your journey in Masonry with me and to start finding ways we can change, improve, or enhance the lodge experience to get all those brothers back that have gone away for one reason or another. I encourage the brothers to call me at 858-943-1079 or email me at pjjohnson04@gmail.com. Please share with me what we can start doing to get you back into the lodge. We are not looking to fill officers’ chairs (although in full disclosure, that is a concern), we are looking to get our brothers back into the lodge and build back what this Lodge once was. We have a lot of younger members that really would thrive by hearing the masonic journey from brothers that have been here for a long time. I will continue to push this every month and will start reaching out to those I don’t hear from. We need to get the Santa Maria Lodge back to the brotherhood we all came here to join and put the past in the past and build towards the future of this lodge, for the younger members and for members who have yet to join. Let’s be proud of our fraternity again and especially the fraternity that has been here in Ramona for over 100 years. I love you my brothers and would love to see you all come back!!
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
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice or any other holiday you may celebrate! Congratulations to our 2025 Line of Officers! Thank you for your hard work qualifying and all the time you commit to the Lodge. We could not continue without the support of these Brothers. I would also like to thank the Brothers for giving me the opportunity to continue serving as Secretary. I enjoy working with all of you and look forward to another great year.
By the time you read this, you should have already received your Dues Invoices. The dues for 2025 are $129.00. Per our By-Laws, the calculation is $60.00 + per capita rounded up to the nearest dollar. Per capita is $68.50 this year, which gives us our total of $129.00. This is also your time to catch up on last year 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!
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.
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.
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 current dues are $126.00. 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 $126.00 for a total of $2,268.00. Please contact me if you wish to pursue this.
There are still 16 Brothers that are in arrears for the 2024 dues. 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
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 financially unable to pay your dues, please contact the Master to discuss.
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