Page 8 - 2020 Summer

It is the same in our Lodges. We know the ones that are not doing VWB Richard M. Kovak, DDGM District 4
well. Heck, many of us are members of those Lodges. We look to the As with many of the districts we were doing fine until the pandemic
horizon, to a successful Lodge, to the ideal we hold in our head of hit and we became physically isolated. Up until mid March your
what a Lodge is like and say that is too far off. ―We only have 5 Deputy was able to attend 96% of the Lodge meetings held in District
active members, how can we be successful like the Lodge down the Four. One of the highlights was the Reception of the Grand Master
way?‖ ―We don’t have enough money to fix up our building.‖ ―Our on Saturday February 1, 2020. The Grand Master was well received
members keep demitting and going to other Lodges.‖ as was the rest of Grand Lodge elected and several appointed team
Brothers, these are all big problems. There are no easy fixes. I heard members. Every one of the Worshipful Masters from District Four
the saying somewhere that ―The best time to plant a tree was 20 showed up and gave a personal report of the events and doings of
years ago, the second-best time is right now.‖ None of these their respective Lodges. A high point in the proceedings came when
problems will go away with one hour or one day of work. It is going to 12 of 23 prospective members of Rainier Lodge #189 showed up to
take an effort of many Brothers over time to make the Craft into what greet the Grand Master. These brothers were demitting from a
it can be.
clandestine Lodge in south Seattle and by taking the three Masonic
But start. degrees in our jurisdiction from scratch were on their way toward
Do something. Do the next right thing. Plant the tree that you will becoming members of this jurisdiction. The project was called
not live long enough to give shade to your great-grandchildren. Start Project Exodus and was orchestrated by MWB Santie Lascano and
now. Raise your dues if you need to. Contact Brothers your Lodge facilitated by VWB Don Lyman. The Grand Master graciously went
has not seen in some time. Make one phone call. Take one step up to each of these brothers shook their hands and welcomed them.
forward to improving your Lodge, and when you hand off the baton in Later, the Grand Master withstood the shenanigans of this Deputy
your Lodge the next Brother will start his journey one step closer to singing a boxing analogy version of the Toreador song. All ended
the goal. well when the Worshipful Master of Doric Lodge #92, WB Brent
The COVID crisis has given us a great opportunity. We have all Woodward, presented the Grand Master with a pair of blue boxing
been bumped out of our regular routines, and the things we have gloves sporting the square and compasses logo on the mitts. It turns
done we have had to do in new ways. Please take advantage of that. out that February 1 was also the Grand Master’s birthday and after a
When we go back to Lodge, we will not be the same men going to rousing chorus of ―Happy Birthday‖ he was presented with two
the same Lodge. Seize this opportunity to break out of the old ways bottles of well-aged refreshment from the Junior Warden, WB
of doing things and change what your Lodge does and how it does it Charles Haddran.
to drive it to a better place. District Four is slowly growing with each of the Lodges having
Brothers, it has been an honor to serve the Masons of District Two several candidates going through the degrees. As mentioned above,
for these last two years. I believe that our Craft, our Grand Lodge Rainier #189 is about to explode with new members once Project
and our Lodges are being well served by the Brothers elected and Exodus is completed. Plans are under way for the District Four
appointed to serve us, and I look forward to where we are going. Lodge Olympics, for several special speaking and dinner events and
VWB Matthew Appel, DDGM District 2 hopefully for a huge late summer picnic at the Nile Shrine Center. In
the meanwhile, we can only have faith in the Supreme Architect of

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