From the East - February 2024

Happy 3rd Birthday West Shore Lodge! Our Lodge was chartered on Feb. 2, 2021, and it’s hard to believe it’s only been four short years. Although we are still a young Lodge on paper, our demonstrated work would indicate we are an experienced team with the best of Freemasonry at heart. It is so encouraging to see West Shore Lodge being recognized across the District for all

our good work.

As we reflect on the themes I laid out at the start of my term, one of those was Stewardship.

Stewardship is about taking care of and using wisely the resources we have at our command.

Our building is one such resource. The more we do to take care of the building, the more we’ll

see it transform and thrive to attract new members to our ranks. This isn’t just the big capital

projects like refinishing the Tyler's room or hanging the mural. It isn’t even the smaller capital

projects like painting walls. Stewardship doesn’t have to entail large expenditures of money or

time or effort. Stewardship includes cleaning up after ourselves in the kitchen and washing

dishes we use, or helping to declutter some of our closet spaces. It takes just a few minutes to

sweep the building or mop the floor after an event. Even running a vacuum upstairs in the lodge

room once a month would help. We tend to think of these as “someone else’s” job or the job of

our building custodian - and we’re quick to run out the door after a meeting and leave it for

them. However, we all need to pitch in and care for the building, whether we’re there everyday

or just once in a blue moon. So I want to encourage everyone, hang around for a few minutes

after a meeting - offer to wipe down the tables or sweep the floor. If everyone tackles just one

small task, we’ll soon see the building transform into a vibrant and joyful space where fellowship

flows not because of some particular event we hold, but because we are comfortable there and

just enjoy hanging out with our Brothers in that space.

Stewardship is also about caring for one another. Milestones such as our Lodge Birthday

remind us that the sands of time run through our hourglass, and we should cherish one another

as a gift from our divine Creator. As Valentine’s Day comes, remember those special people in

your life and what they mean to you, whether it’s your spouse, girlfriend, partner, caregiver or

child. Take time to spend some time with them and foster those relationships. And most of all,

celebrate, be thankful for, and be good stewards of those gifted relationships the Great Architect

of the Universe has given us.

Fraternally,

Bill Marshall

Worshipful Master

Note re: March 28th: Franklin/St. John's/Trinity Lodge No. 221 in Pittsburgh, PA will be holding a Master Mason degree on Thrus., March 28th at 7:30 PM. For those that haven’t seen the MM done in PA (or frankly any Masonry in PA), it’s a wholly different experience from Ohio’s ritual format and a beautiful and more complete telling of the story. In talking with their Master, it is

unlikely they’d be able to get a sufficient turnout over a weekend for a degree to host us specially, so our best option is to attend when they have meetings planned. I’d like to encourage Brethren who are interested in seeing the MM degree in the PA ritual to join me in traveling to Lodge No. 221. I will plan on leaving Avon Lake around 4:00 PM that day to give us time to drive out to Pittsburgh. We’re still looking for other opportunities to exchange, but this is a convenient option for their Lodge to host us (and it’s not clear yet when their next opportunity will be).