Cleaning Up the Decades

 Cleaning up the Decades

By Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor

Gregory J. Knott, 33°

The Moving Crew

Items moved to St. Joseph

More items that were moved.

The recent merger of the Ogden lodge and St. Joseph lodge to form the new St. Joseph-Ogden Masonic Lodge no. 970 (name change pending grand lodge approval), came the task of cleaning out the Ogden lodge building.   A small committee had been appointed to coordinate the sale and the move. The building sold quickly and we had to get to work on the clean-up.

Ogden lodge itself was the product of a merger with Broadlands Lodge in 2008, which had merged with  Sidell Lodge 1983.  So within the Ogden building we had items and records from all three lodges that needed to be gone through.

After our passing of the light ceremony, we moved everything in the building into the dining room to use it as a staging area.  At that point we could begin sorting through what was going to St. Joseph and what was not going to be needed.   Furniture, member records, financial records, proceedings, masonic regalia, kitchen ware, tables, chairs, etc.   It was overwhelming.   But methodically we went through everything and began the sorting.   We ordered a dumpster, as there was just a bunch of stuff that had no value or reuse.   

We made contact with the local volunteer fire department and were able to donate a stockpile of tables and chairs, kitchen equipment and more that they will be able to reuse in their events with the community.  I took a load of items to the Salt and Light ministries retail store, which benefits their outreach programs.  Many individual items were given to brothers or other local people that could use them.    But there was still a large amount going to the St. Joseph Lodge.

I went through all of the paper records to ensure that all items of historical value such as petitions, minute books, register books etc were saved.  These include records dating back into the late 1800’s.   At a later time, we will go through all of the records in detail and consider a large digitization project to further preserve the information.  I will also be reaching out to the https://fraternalcenter.iu.edu/index.html Center for Fraternal Collections and Research at Indiana University for advice.

With everything sorted, packed and labeled, moving day was upon us.  We made contact with our local high school football coach to see if they might have any players who could assist us with moving.   Five players came to assist us and they did an awesome job!  We loaded and moved an entire moving truck full and had the items in St. Joseph Lodge all within two hours.   We are making a generous donation to the football program for their assistance.

With the contents taken care of, the closing of the sale of our Ogden building will be taking place in a couple of weeks. Numerous brothers helped in this process and it was truly a team effort.  I want to thank all of them who played a role.  It was a ton of work, but as I mentioned to someone, I have this as part of my Masonic experience now!

I am looking forward to the strong lodge we are forming in St. Joseph-Ogden Masonic Lodge no. 970!

~

Gregory J. Knott, 33° is the Senior Contributor for the Midnight Freemasons.  He is Past Master of both Ogden Lodge No. 754 and St. Joseph Lodge No. 970.   He is also an avid photographer since retiring.  You can see more of his photography at https://whyknottmedia.com/ 

Passing the Light

By Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor

Gregory J. Knott, 33°

It was the day we had hoped to avoid, but reality said otherwise, Ogden Lodge No. 754 voted to merge with St. Joseph Lodge No. 970.

The last few years for Ogden Lodge have been a struggle.  Not unlike many lodges right now, our membership was aging, costs to operate the building had risen dramatically and consistently obtaining a quorum to open and meet was a constant challenge.  St. Joseph Lodge was facing similar challenges and members from both lodges began conversations about merging.  

Ogden and St. Joseph are two small communities about five miles apart in east-central Illinois.  We share a long history together.  Ogden Lodge was chartered in 1877 and St. Joseph Lodge in 1914.  When the St. Joseph lodge was formed, most of the original members had been members of Ogden Lodge.

In 1963 our two communities voted to merge our high schools, forming St. Joseph-Ogden High School.  It was a similar story at that time: both high schools were challenged to offer all they could to students, were already sharing teachers and classes and finally the public decided they would be stronger together.  63 years later St. Joseph-Ogden High School is one of the premier public schools in our area.

Our conclusion was also similar for the two lodges, coming together would make us both stronger and ensure that Freemasonry could thrive in our communities for the generations ahead.  Through numerous discussions, we decided to sell the Ogden Lodge building and meet in the St. Joseph Lodge building.   As of this writing the Ogden building was listed for sale and sold quickly to a local business.

At Ogden, we held a short ceremony to pass the light from Ogden to St. Joseph.   Written by PM Steve Guess, this ceremony was a meaningful way to pass the light.  The ceremony said in part: 

Brethren, we assemble tonight not in sorrow, but in reverence.

For one hundred and forty-nine years, the light of Masonry has

burned in this place through the labors of the Brethren of Ogden

Lodge No. 754.

Generations of good men have entered these doors seeking light.

Here they met upon the level, worked upon the square, and

parted upon the plumb.

Within these walls friendships were formed, lessons were learned,

and the timeless principles of Masonry were passed from one

generation to the next.

Tonight, we honor the legacy of this lodge, and we celebrate the

continuation of its spirit as our brethren join with St. Joseph Lodge

No. 970 to make the new St. Joseph – Ogden Lodge.

At the closing, we ceremonially passed the light to St. Joseph Lodge WM Jeff Baine who will carry the light from Ogden to St. Joseph.   We are planning a similar ceremony in the near future that we will receive the light in the St. Joseph Lodge as we welcome our new combined membership.

It was an emotional day for me personally.  I am a member of both lodges, but I was raised in Ogden Lodge and began my journey in Freemasonry at the Ogden altar.  Looking ahead, I foresee a new combined energy for the St. Joseph-Ogden Lodge.  We will be able to better serve our membership and communities. 

The WM said the following words as we closed the work of Ogden Lodge:

Brethren of Ogden Lodge No. 754,

Tonight, we stand at a moment that few lodges ever reach.

For one hundred and forty-nine years, the doors of this lodge

have opened to men seeking light. Within these walls, good men

knelt at the altar and took solemn obligations. Here friendships

were forged that lasted lifetimes. Here we mourned our departed

brothers and welcomed new ones into the fraternity.

Think of the men who sat in these very seats before us.

Farmers… soldiers… teachers… fathers… grandfathers.

Men who came here after long days of work, not for glory or

recognition, but because they believed in something greater than

themselves — Brotherhood, Charity, and Truth.

They lit the lights of this lodge long before any of us were born.

And tonight, we are the stewards of that light.

A lodge is more than a building.

It is more than a charter on the wall.

It is the spirit of the men who gathered here.

That spirit cannot be closed…

and it cannot be extinguished.

The work of Ogden Lodge does not end tonight.

Instead, it continues as our brethren join with the brothers of St.

Joseph Lodge.

The light that has burned in Ogden for nearly a century and a half

will not go dark.

It will simply shine in a new place.

And someday, years from now, when future Masons meet in St.

Joseph - Ogden Lodge… they may not know all our names.

But they will still be working by the same principles.

They will still stand upon the same foundation.

And part of that foundation will always be Ogden Lodge.

So mote it be.

~GJK

Gregory J. Knott, 33° is the Senior Contributor for the Midnight Freemasons.  He is Past Master of both Ogden Lodge No. 754 and St. Joseph Lodge No. 970.   He is also an avid photographer since retiring.  You can see more of his photography at https://whyknottmedia.com/ 

What Freemasonry Teaches Us About Priorities

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Soon to be "Secretary Emeritus" of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL)

I made a very difficult decision recently--I decided that after seven years serving as Secretary of my Lodge, it was time to step down and let somebody else take over.  So in June, I'll become "Secretary Emeritus".   By the way, Secretary Emeritus is not a real title, but rest assured I'm going to use it anyway.

I've enjoyed the job, and that's why the decision was so tough.  I think I was good at the job, but like anything else, I'm sure I could have done a better job at a few things.  But overall, I did a good job.  I'd even been awarded Illinois Secretary of the Year a few years ago!  I've written a few pieces on the Midnight Freemasons over the years about how to be a good Secretary, like Advice For New Secretaries and Lodge Secretary (For Life): A Thankless Job.  But I'd known for some time that I needed to take a step back from a few of the roles I have in the Fraternity--Secretary was one of those. 

I've gotten to the place I'm too involved in too many things.  Secretary at one Lodge, and Master at another.  I just finished a term as Sovereign Master of my Allied Masonic Degrees Council.  I'm involved in the Scottish Rite.  We've started a new Royal Arch Chapter, and I'm up next as High Priest of the new chapter.  Then there's the blog writing, the articles, the books, the education pieces, and the speaking engagements.  It's gotten to be too much.  And we all know what happens when we get too much on our plate--we wind up with mediocrity instead of our best.  That's certainly what's been plaguing me.  I seldom feel as prepared as I should be, because I'm stretched far too thin.

So it was time for me to pull back before I burned out.  Focus on doing a few things really, really well instead of a dozen things rather poorly.  The Secretary job was the first thing I needed to let go, but there are a few other things I'm going to have to let go of--get back to being a member of a few bodies instead of a driver. 

What we often forget as Freemasons is the lesson of the 24-inch gauge--one of the first and most basic concepts we're taught.  Life is about maintaining a proper balance.  It's about properly dividing our time.  I know very few active Masons that pay any heed to that lesson at all, but we do so at our own risk.  I could name several Masons that I no longer see in Lodge anymore that I used to see at every single event I went to no matter where it was.  I know one or two were given notice by their spouses that they were spending too much time away from home, and as much as they love the Fraternity, it wasn't worth half their stuff to find out if she was serious or not.  A few others simply burned out because they were far too involved in too many things.

Brace yourself for a shocking statement--Freemasonry comes last!  It comes after God.  It comes after family.  It comes after our chosen profession.  We should never put Freemasonry before God, family, or career.  I know many who have, including me from time to time.  But as important as the work we do as Freemasons is, it should not be our entire life.  What we learn in our Lodges is what is important--those basic tenets, principles and ideals.  The application of the basic principles of Freemasonry is what is important, and making sure we're teaching our new Master Masons those lessons by serving as a good example.  Those principles we learn are the part we take with us everywhere.  Those are the basic building materials necessary to improve ourselves.  That's the part of Freemasonry that makes good men better men, and that's why we're here.  Unfortunately, too often many of us get so involved in "doing" Freemasonry that we forget to "live" Freemasonry.  We focus on the tasks rather than the philosophy. 

I think it's safe to say I'll always be an active Mason.  However, going forward I'm going to be a little more selective about the jobs I take on so that I can focus more on those things in the Fraternity where I make the biggest impact.  Writing books, articles and blog pieces that hopefully make us think.  Being a good Worshipful Master in my Lodge.  Advancing Masonic Education in our Lodges everywhere.

Attending Lodge is important.  Being involved is important.  But just as we're taught early on in our ritual--we must learn to manage our time, and live a life that's in balance. 

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the award winning 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 the Worshipful Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754.  He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research. (FMLR) and a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Kids Say The Darndest Things . . .



It's a jewel . . . and an apron, Katie!

When I was installed as Senior Warden of my lodge, my daughter Katie (then two) was there. She got to sit with me in the West after I was installed in my chair--you see her? She was being particularly shy and quiet, which is a little out of character for her.

After installation, it was just the two of us.  Her mother had to work, so I took her to McDonald's for a Happy Meal. The McDonald's was packed, and when we finally got up to the counter, I sat her up on the counter and ordered.  When the server asked Katie what she wanted, she exclaimed in a loud voice:

"My daddy was just wearing a dress--and a necklace too!"

You could have heard a pin drop at McDonalds.  I'll never forget the look at that young girl's face behind the counter either.  I'll never be able to go back there again.

Enjoy your weekend.

~TEC

Freemasons On The Move

My wife has a theory about why Freemasons cover their bumpers with fraternal emblems. She believes they would decorate their garages, their yards, or maybe their mailboxes with those fraternal emblems—if they were ever home.

There are many shows on television these days about Freemasons—you’ll see them on History Channel, History International, and Discovery Channel. Those shows always seem to focus on what goes on within the walls of Masonic Lodges, with varying degrees of accuracy. But Masonry is much more about what we do outside the lodge than inside, and that’s a story you seldom ever hear.

The work that Masons do on a national scale is well known—there are the Shriners Hospitals, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, the Scottish Rite Learning Centers for Dyslexic Children, and many more. About a million dollars a day is raised to support those charitable causes, but volunteers do much of the work. I guarantee you that right now, somewhere in America, a Shriner is transporting a child back and forth from a Shriners Hospital somewhere for treatment.

But that’s only part of the story. Most local lodges have their own projects going on too—everything from buying uniforms for the Little League team, to raising money for a community improvement project. Some lodges give scholarships to exceptional graduates at their local high schools. Some help out the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. Some help support local Veterans groups. The list of causes these little local lodges support is as varied as it is endless.

I’ll give you a little snapshot of what Masons were doing in my corner of the world today.

This morning, my lodge sponsored a community blood drive with the local blood bank, which we do about four times a year. My mother gave her pint this morning.  She was not a regular donor until she learned about our regular blood drives at the lodge--a pint at a time, she's heading into the gallon donor range.  One of our regulars has given six gallons, and I'm sure he doesn't hold the record by any means. 

Two of our members left the blood drive event early to help with an Illinois CHIP program sponsored by a couple other local lodges. The Illinois CHIP is a child identification program—we prepare kits for parents, free of charge, that include fingerprints, DNA, photos, and a short video clip of their child in the event of an emergency. And another of our members was with the York Rite in another local lodge, helping with a degree day, where they welcomed eight new members into the Royal Arch Chapter.

And that's a pretty light Saturday in my area, covering just a few local lodges within twenty miles of my house—and there were no doubt a few other things going on in my corner of the globe I didn’t know about. Now if you consider the bigger picture, you’ll have a better understanding of what Freemasonry is really about—there are hundreds of Masonic Lodges in Illinois, and thousands nationwide. That’s a lot of Masons, supporting a lot of different causes, in a lot of different ways.

Masons get around, and they believe in the things they do, and $4 gas isn’t going to slow them down any—I doubt $5 gas would impact them much. Freemasons spend a lot of time on the road. They don’t do if for the glory. There’s little reward. We don’t give out merit badges, but there is every chance you’ll get a free lunch or dinner if you help out—usually a hotdog or a BBQ sandwich.

So when you see that little square and compass on the bumper of a car during your daily travels, give them a little honk and wave. There’s a good chance he’s going to, or coming from something few people will celebrate, but somebody, somewhere will no doubt appreciate.

Library Archives of Ogden Past Master Lost in Tragic Blaze!

Secretary and ADDGM Wor. Bro. Denver Phelps makes the sad announcement . . .

As I reported earlier, Ogden held a Past Master's Dinner to thank the PM's of Ogden Lodge for their past service and to celebrate the long history of the lodge.  It was an event of laughter and celebration, but it was obvious to some that two things were out of wack...  first of all, one of the more recent Past Masters of Ogden Lodge, and current Master of Homer Lodge, Steve Hooper was missing.  Secondly, the Secretary of the Lodge, Denver Phelps, seemed to be carrying a dark secret, the details of which would soon be announced.

After a delicious dinner, and a presentation in which all the PM's of Ogden were announced and their ladies were presented with roses, Worshipful Bro. Denver Phelps confirmed what most of us had sensed--there was sad news to be announced. . .

He said, and I quote to the best of my recollection:

"I don't know if you all knew it, but there was a bad fire in Royal last night.  Some of you may have noticed that Worshipful Brother Steve Hooper isn't here today.  He had a bad fire at his house last night . . . in his library.  He lost all his books.  All three of them.  Two of them he hadn't even colored in yet. . ."

Of course Worshipful Brother Hooper was actually vacationing in Florida, and there was no fire at his house, but it hasn't stopped his dedicated friends and brothers from taking up a collection of coloring books and crayons.  If you'd like to donate, just mail those coloring books to Ogden Lodge, and we'll make sure he gets them--we're running a little heavy on Disney, so SpongeBob or Scooby-Do would be good choices.  We know it's expensive at nearly $5, but we're also trying to raise money for a 64-color box of Crayola crayons with the sharpener in the back. 

Of course, one lesson that Masons can take away from this. . . well, practical joke . . . is that if you miss a meeting, a pancake breakfast, a dinner, or a degree... you open yourself up for all kinds of mischief. 

TEC

Ogden Lodge No. 260 Past Master's Dinner a Great Success 2/29/2010!

The Past Masters of Ogden Lodge in attendance left to right:  Donald Hawkins, Brandon Lewis
Carl W. Lewis, Michael Tucker, John Harrison, Loyal "Doc" Davis, Kent Nelson,
Denver Phelps, Robert Vilven, and current Master Clark Timothy Nichols.

Current Worshipful Master of Ogden Lodge Tim Nichols opens the after dinner program.

Ogden Lodge held a very successful Past Master's Dinner on Sunday.  We had a great dinner provided by Bro. Doug Behrens (I know my friends at Pekin Lodge know this, but it's a great thing for a lodge when they manage to raise a great cook in their lodge).  We had ten Past Master's of Ogden Lodge in attendance, and several more for other area lodges. 

Bro. Secretary (ADDGM) Denver Phelps reads the names of the Past Masters in attendance.

Brother Denver Phelps announced the names of our Past Masters while our current Master, Tim Nichols, passed out roses to their wives.  I gave a short talk about the history of the lodge, and American history since the lodge was founded.  Bro. Greg Knott managed to record the whole thing and put it on YouTube.  I thought he was kidding.  I wish I'd practiced more now.

General George Washington (portrayed by Bob Blacketeer)

General Washington and his slackey Sean McBride

Of course, the only thing anyone is going to remember about the event was the surprise visit from Bro. George Washington.  He gave a riveting account of his life, the Revolutionary War, and his Masonic affliation. It was a memorable talk punctuated by the presentation of the American flag--according to legend, General Washington presented the first flag to a Masonic Lodge, and to this day, you'll find one in every Masonic Lodge in the United States, and every meeting begins with the pledge. 

Good time was had by all.

TEC