Bringing Back The Light Part 6: Elbow Grease

by Midnight Freemasons Founder
Todd E. Creason, 33°

Homer Lodge No. 199 had meetings amid the mess of renovation
Part 6 of the Bringing Back the Light Series

The final job at Homer Lodge No. 199 was the biggest--renovating the Lodge room. This is no small Lodge--it's approximately 2,500 square feet with an 18 foot ceiling. The last time it had been painted we think was in the early 70's. That's a lot of walls that needed paint. And upon closer inspection, we had need of some plaster work to be done as well. Obviously, it was too big a job for our dedicated crew of Master Mason handymen to handle. We needed a professional with the right equipment and scaffolding, etc.

After one of our work days, the furniture was glowing after being cleaned and oiled down.
So we hired one, and he went to work on the Lodge room about Thanksgiving and finished a little after the New Year. He patched and plastered, he painted the walls, the ceilings, and decorative medallion that houses the light over the altar. Although he had a lot of experience, it turned into a lot bigger job than even he had anticipated. But the results were worth the effort. He did a fantastic job.


And while he was working on the plaster and the paint, our dedicated Master Mason crew went to work cleaning and resealing the floors, wiping down and oiling the woodwork and all the furniture, cleaning all the glass, washing down all the picture frames. We finished cleaning out the closets. We even rearranged the seating in dining room.

And when we finally finished and took a step back, we realized that Homer Lodge was now ready for another generation of Freemasons. The difference we saw due to all that hard work and toil was stunning. We posted pictures on our Facebook page as we went along, and everyone wanted to see it when it was finished. And believe me, the building has seen more use in the last few months than it has in decades.

Homer Masonic Lodge No. 199 before the renovation . . .
And after . . .

Not only has Homer Lodge No. 199 enjoyed our newly renovated Lodge, but the new Admiration Chapter I wrote about previously has been meeting there, the Allied Masonic Degrees asked to hold a meeting there and did, and just a few days ago, the Knight Masons conferred their degrees on a group of candidates at the Homer Masonic Temple--in fact, I'm sure the Knight Masons will ask to use our building again as they work at building up their new council.
 
Irish Sea Council No. 98 of Knight Masons recently conferred degrees at the Homer Masonic Temple

The building has been brought back again. It's created a stir in the Masonic community and has become a central meeting place for a number of groups. It demonstrates what can be accomplished when a group of Master Masons put the time and effort into something they really believe in. 

But that still leaves one thing remaining. The final and perhaps biggest challenge of all--bringing the Lodge itself back to health. But we seem to be heading in the right direction. You know that painter we hired to renovate our Lodge--not only did he do a great job on painting the Lodge, but he decided he wanted to join it as well. He's now our Brother.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as the Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199 where he serves as Senior Warden.  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL), and a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research.  He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  He was named the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

1 comment:

  1. Your Brethren have done a beautiful job renovating the Lodge. It truly is a Lodge room worthy to raise any Brother. Be proud of the work and be proud to be a member of a Lodge that put their hands to such good work.

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