Hickory Masonic CenterHickory Masonic Center -

Brother Mark Abernethy; Mason of the Year

Lee Spach — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Congratulations Brother…. This is a well deserved honor. Thank you for the dedication you have to Hickory Lodge #343. As you know, we Masons are taught that brotherly love extends beyond the grave and certainly the efforts you made this year to contact each member of our lodge and offer strength for many in their times of need will far exceed any rational attempt we could make to understand the results.

Many members and their families have contacted the lodge through the year, and me directly, indicating the arm of support, offer of help, listening ear, and general good will you have spread by the Trowel of brotherly love and affection; that cement which unites us all.

I am grateful for everything you have done and I am very proud to call you my BROTHER!

Take Time to Reflect

Lee Spach — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:11:00 +0000

Awards Night

A few words from Lee Spach

17 November 2011

Often more times than not, in these busy days of constantmental stimulation, we fail to take time to reflect on where we have been andwhere we currently are, let alone where we may be heading. For me this is a very tough thing to dobecause of the stresses in my businesses, family, social, and Masonic lives…. Ifeel that I constantly move from one activity to the next, not fully comprehendingthe outcomes of where I have been versus where I am.

Fortunately Masonry teaches us, when we pay attention, totake the time to Reflect and I am very thankful that I have done so thisweek. In February I accepted a newcareer opportunity knowing that it was going to limit my ability to serve asMaster of the Lodge. Or at least I wasafraid that it would limit my ability and I would not succeed in serving theoffice to its fullest and I would let my Brothers down somehow by not achievingthe goals we collectively set out to do.

So off I went through this year traveling for business veryextensively, to the point of exhaustion, being away from home more than beingat home. Then as the close of my term asMaster has approached, I have had fears that I have not served the lodge enough,and I would be leaving the “chair in the East” in a less desirable conditionthan the pristine manner that I received it. Believe me when I say that the stress has been mounting in me of thisfear’s reality!

Luckily earlier this week I was asked to reflect on the yearand provide my thoughts in an article for the newsletter. This forced me to sit and think and as I didI realized that, as USUAL, the BROTHERS in this Lodge have achieved GREATthings…..

On Tuesday I sat down with a copy of each of the meetingminutes and carefully read them and pondered on the GREATNESS of Masonry andthis Lodge’s members.

As I jotted down notes from the meetings my fears subsidedand I realized, that even though I personally felt that I had not performedwell enough, the Lodge had exceeded any expectation that I could have everset. Thus proving again to me thatMasonry is the greatest institution in the world.

When my term officially ends on Dec 12 the Lodge will haveaccomplished, what to most, would have been an insurmountable amount of work. We have held 24 stated meetings, 15 emergentmeetings, 2 blood drives, 1 family day, and hosted 2 major fundraising eventsgrossing over $5,000 for charity. And westill have our 10 Adopted Families Christmas event for the Pregnancy Care CrisisCenter coming up on Dec 10^th.

The officers have Initiated 8 Entered Apprenticed; Passed 5Fellow Crafts; and Raised 4 Master Masons; Re-instated 2 members, and accepted2 new Honorary Members. Now we have tocontinue working to get the remaining Fellowcrafts and Entered Apprenticesthrough their catechisms.

Due to the extreme generosity of the Eastern Star the lobbyreceived some fantastic new furniture and the Lodge, along with the York Rite,appropriated resources for new paint and carpet. Just look at how beautiful it now looks.

Under the efforts of Dan Rolon, PM the lodge was able tosecure a much needed re-supply vendor for the Claudy book series that weprovide new members for their education of what Masonry means. These are invaluable for new member retention.

Brothers JJ Kuba, Darren Cloer, Kevin Johnson and DavidBrandon successfully navigated the Lodge through the meticulous process ofobtaining the re-instatement of the Jones W. Shuford DeMolay Chapter. Now they are aggressively recruiting youngmen between 11 and 21 to formalize the chapter. If you know anyone that is a potential candidate, please let us know sothat we can contact him.

Additionally we have had 2 major initiatives that haveresulted in Brother Wes King doing a complete overhaul on our website andBrothers Cloer and Johnson implementing a new phone tree service. If you haven’t received a phone tree from thelodge in the last couple of weeks, please contact Kevin to make sure he hasyour correct information.

On a more somber note, I am very sad to report that we havehad 17 of our dear brother Master Masons, that we know of, pass on to thecelestial lodge above this year and we suffered the loss of a fellowcraftbrother. Thanks to Brothers Dan Rolonand Grimes Byerly for their dedication in presiding over way too many Masonicrites for our member’s families and servicing their needs.

Obviously once I pondered on all of the things that I havejust listed that the brethren of this lodge have accomplished I realized thatmy fears were all unwarranted and that again Masonry has taught me valuablelessons. First, take time to reflect,and second, our lodge and its membership is one to be greatly cherished becauseas a group, you all achieve great things.

Lastly, this year I appointed a committee of three; BrothersChris Jarrell, Ed Whisnant, and Mark Abernethy with the remit of contactingeach member of the lodge at some point throughout the year. From their feedback, I have learned that theyprobably gained more from the experience than expected and many positiveeffects returned that have benefited brothers and the lodge….. I look forward to the continued successes ofthe Outreach Committee.

As Master I hope that I leave the Office and the “chair inthe East” a little bit better than I received it, in the view of the lodge, and I look forward to many more years ofservice to Masonry. Thank you for theopportunity of being Master of the Lodge in 2011. Words cannot describe my personal experienceor feelings of gratitude.

Jones W. Shuford DeMolay Chapter

Lee Spach — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:20:00 +0000

After a long period of darkness and I am proud to announce that our lodge is once again sponsoring an active DeMolay Chapter. On Friday September 24th during the Grand Lodge Annual Communication in Winston Salem the “Jones W. Shuford” Chapter of the DeMolay received it’s letters temporary.

Now it is time to begin recruiting young men between the ages of 11 and 21 to build the chapter back to its renowned esteem. We will post pictures as we move forward and more information.
If you are interested in find out more please contact our lodge!!!

DeMolay International

Lobby Renovations

Lee Spach — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:30:00 +0000

Lodge and Past Master’s Night!

Lee Spach — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:27:00 +0000

It’s hard for me to believe that fall is already here and I am in the autumn stages of my year as master of the lodge. Once again I want to let everyone know how humbled and honored I am to sit in the east of this wonderful lodge. Year to date we have made many great accomplishments and achieved new heights of excellence and as usual our calendar is full of events and activities through the end of the year, which is an awesome thing.

I will always believe that the best way for a Masonic lodge to thrive will be by member involvement in the community through Masonic activities and other groups. Good men are attracted to Masonry and who we are because of an individual or a group of lodge members. It’s rather simple, if we live the virtues, principles, and obligations that we have been taught then other good men will see those attributes in us and will wish to emulate and associate with us and by this our lodge memberships will continue to grow in numbers of men willing to better themselves, their brethren, and all mankind. So that is why we continue to engage the community around us with such vigor.

Currently we have several Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts working towards their next step in Masonry. Please watch the calendar as we add more and more degree work to the calendar. Plus due to our community involvement we have read several new petitions for membership and have a couple, that I am aware of, that will be read in lodge soon….. Let’s finish out the year by assisting these new and potential Masons through their degrees.

October 10th will be Past Master’s Night and this is not want you want to miss!! We have an all-star degree team line up of Past Master’s and they are practicing hard to make sure that they confer a great degree that evening. Additionally we have a Prime Rib dinner planned that will be absolutely the best gourmet meal in Hickory! So make sure you mark your calendar for this one

Family Day 2011

Lee Spach — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of our Junior Warden, James Hope and LOTS of brethren, their wives and families we had the most awesome Family Day on Aug 13th that we have ever had since I have been a member of Hickory Lodge. The Catawba County Science Center came out and brought some great activities and animals for the children to interact with. The Sheriff’s department set up their mobile command center truck as a static display for everyone to see. Becky “the balloon” Lady was back again this year molding fantastic creations from her balloons. What an art that is! We also had face painting, specialized tee-shirts, and other activities but the headliner was the scrumptious hamburgers, hot dogs, and other food followed by the 8 gallons of various homemade ice creams that we served. This year we easily hosted over 50 children and totaled at least 250 in attendance….. Great times!


Jr. Deacon, Allen Lineberger (in orange) serving up food to attendees.

Greetings from the East

Lee Spach — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Brethren,

It is hard to believe that I am already halfway done with my year as Master of the Lodge. As I sit and contemplate the current state of our lodge I am awe struck, as usual, by the accomplishments we have achieved.

We have raised several new Master Masons and currently we have many others in the capable of hands of various coaches learning their first or second degree catechisms. Year to date we have raised money for the Charities and helped out many of the Widows and Orphans of our dearly departed lodge members. Daily I am overwhelmed by the contributions that each of you make. It is certainly humbling to serve as Master and see all of your great givings. We have a new phone tree system and we are actively moving towards renovations on our floors in the lobby and hallways. Thanks to the talents of several brethren we have a new website, social media outlets, and this blog. Masonic education for profanes, candidates, and members has been steadily increasing and has been well received by all.

Family Day is coming up on August 13th at 11am and all indications are that we will have a GREAT event! Make sure to check out the details given by our Junior Warden in the July Newsletter. (It will be posted soon). Also be sure to check the calendar on the website and Facebook for upcoming dates for various opportunities to enjoy fraternal fellowship with brothers.

Unfortunately we have had the sadness of losing many of our lodge brethren this year to the scythe of Time but we are assured that their immortal souls have returned to the Great Architect of the Universe. Their memory will be cherished and their charitable works continue to extend beyond the grave because of their efforts within Masonry.

So as we move into the second half of the year I am looking forward to our continued successes and to serving this lodge to the best of my ability. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything specific I can do to serve your needs.

Fraternally,

Lee Spach

New Layout

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:52:00 +0000

I have gotten around to redesigning the webpage in a way that I think better reflects us as a lodge. We are redoing out floors, just redid the kitchen and I think that our site should represent that.

The new layout is very user-friendly, much more clean, and is very efficient.

We have also added a great deal more content to the site as well. We now have all of the archived newsletters that were available on the previous site, as well as the Masonic Compact, Education Handbook, and the Officer’s Handbook.

This site is very functional. If you have any issues with it, please let me know. I would love to help you out.

Wes King
westking@allgreatchange.org

Official Visit from District Officers

Lee Spach — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:51:00 +0000

It was our pleasure to host the District Deputy Grand Master (DDGM) and District Deputy Grand Lecturer (DDGL) of the 34th Masonic District of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina at our Stated Communication on Monday 16 May.

The honored guests were received into the lodge by Worshipful Master (WM) Lee Spach and presented with grand honors by the lodge brothers. Worshipful Brother (WB) Powell, DDGM, greeted the lodge with salutations from the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons of North Carolina and gave an oration concerning lodge membership and complimented the lodge on our continued successes.

WB Powell indicated that our new Outreach Committee and their commitment to serving the needs of the lodge brethren is a very noble endeavor. He stated that it was great to see several lodge members attending again that had been absent for a long time. Concluding, WB Powell, congratulated our lodge on fundraising activities, community involvement, and our Masonic education program.

Worshipful Brother Wilbur Clay, DDGL, spoke to the lodge about the high level of dedication to Masonic ritual that we maintain and continue to foster in newer members. He expressed his gratitude for our participation in the district school of instruction and our adherence to the lecture services. Overall he indicated that our continued success in attracting new members and retaining their attendance is a reflection of our lodge culture and one that is greatly supported by him.

After WM Lee Spach conducted usual lodge business, WB Powell proceeded to close the lodge in due form and we retired for the evening. It was a great meeting and one we look forward to annually.

New Website!

Lee Spach — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:09:00 +0000

Brethren,

It is with great pleasure to announce that Bro. Wes King has taken on the responsibility of transforming our website into a more user friendly platform and one that engages the full technology of the internet and social media. This will greatly help us continue to communicate with each other, especially to younger men in our community that may become interested in Masonry and our lodge. Just like the retail environment for shopping, more and more men are “soft shopping” lodges on the internet before reaching out to them to ask for a petition. Having a topnotch, easily navigated, integrated site will enhance the “soft shopping” experience…..

More importantly, with the reinstatement of our DeMolay Chapter the social media will be a very useful tool to speak directly to young men as we begin to recruit them into the Order. Plus they will have the ability to communicate directly with each other through their own sites.

Kudos to Brother King for reaching out to us and wanting to take on this task. His desire proves that Masonry resides in the heart and commitment to the lodge does not have anything to do with physical distance. As many of you know, Brother King has been a member of our lodge for several years and during that time he has been a student at UNCW in Wilmington, NC. Thankfully he has remained in constant contact with many members of the lodge and he identified this area where he could apply his talents even if he physically could not be here.

There is a place for every member of our lodge to participate in the advancement of Masonry and I applaud Brother King for his helping hand.

Fraternally,

Lee Spach

Master of the Lodge 2011