November 17, 2009 - DEPUTY OF THE YEAR & "INJUSTICE"

I'm coming down to the end of my term as Worshipful Master, but I still have a lot on my plate before I say "sine die." In a way, I feel like I'm now sprinting for the finish line. I still have a final Festive board to conduct (featuring a roast of our District Deputies), one last fund raiser, a Past Master's Degree, our year end "Festivus" party, and our final Stated Communications where we will elect new officers for 2010.

This past Saturday, we held a special dinner at the Lodge honoring the Pinellas Country Sheriff's Department "Deputy of the Year." This is the fifth consecutive year we have made this presentation. For details, click HERE. At the end of the presentation, we gave a standing ovation to the Deputy and his immediate superiors who were in attendance. I think they appreciated this gesture more than any plaque or gift we could have presented. To them, it was nice to know their efforts were appreciated and they had the support of the community.

Next - Last night (Monday), we held our Stated Communications for the month. We're still very fortunate to have a steady stream of petitions coming into the Lodge, which will keep us busy well into 2010. Aside from this, I felt it was necessary to express to the Craft how I felt about injustice. Consequently, I ready the following lecture as part of my opening comments:

"INJUSTICE"

There is trouble brewing in Arkansas where Nettleton Lodge No. 657 had its charter arrested for some seemingly strange reasons. I am told this has resulted in a lawsuit against the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. This means there is now litigation pending in West Virginia, Virginia, and now Arkansas. The litigation in Georgia was recently dropped after the Grand Lodge reinstated the charter of a Craft Lodge. All of this is indeed unfortunate and an embarrassment to the fraternity as we certainly do not want bad publicity. But these extreme measures are taken because an injustice has been committed and our fraternity cannot seem to find a way to correct it.

I am often asked about the litigation between Jud Hiscutt, our past Junior Warden, and Pearl of the West Lodge No. 146 and the Grand Lodge of Florida. As you know, he was suspended indefinitely last year by Pearl of the West, and his appeal was denied by the Jurisprudence Committee of the Grand Lodge of Florida. To my knowledge, his litigation against Pearl of the West and the Grand Lodge of Florida is still going forward and in all likelihood will turn into another ugly stain on our fraternity.

Having studied this case closely, I can sympathize with Jud's position and would probably do the same if I was in his shoes. In my opinion, an injustice was committed against a good man and Mason, a 50 year Mason and twice a Past Master, and this disturbs me greatly as many of you know.

There are those Brothers in our jurisdiction who believe I should let it go; to let bygones be bygones, and move forward. I'm sorry Brothers, but because I was so close to this issue, I cannot. An injustice was committed and I cannot let it go, for this could happen to any one of us sitting here in this room. and it must never happen again. This is like saying, let's forget about the murders committed by John Allen Muhammed of Virginia seven years ago. "Come on, let's move along." I'm sorry, I cannot. An injustice is an injustice, regardless of the scale.

But our culture suffers from a short attention span. We have no sense of history. We forget too easily and politicians count on this.

How can we have harmony with injustice in our midst? The answer is: we cannot.

As long as this injustice is applied to Jud Hiscutt, I for one, will not forget.

For the younger members present, here is one bit of Masonic Education for you: if there is any severe differences between two Brothers, such as members who are quarreling, one or both Brothers should excuse themselves from attending the Lodge meeting, as their differences should not interfere with the harmony of the Lodge.

As for me, I have no intention of setting foot at Pearl of the West until this matter is properly disposed of. My presence there, or their presence here would only disrupt the harmony of the Lodges.

Thank you.

Frankly, I do not know how this was received by the Craft, but I thought it was important they understood where I stand on certain issues.

Just five more events before I call it a day.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

October 31, 2009 - 1ST ANNUAL PISTOL SHOOT

As you may know, I've been running a trap shoot tournament for the last nine years, which benefits our local Masters & Wardens Association scholarship fund. This year we raised over $1,300 from the event. While I'm well known for the trap-shoot, I began to get calls from other Brothers who owned handguns for a pistol competition. At a Masters & Wardens meeting held earlier this year, I asked what the general interest was for such a competition, Frankly, I was surprised by the overwhelming response to the idea.

Consequently, I contacted the current sitting master of Sutherland Lodge No. 174 (my old lodge) who I knew was actively involved with a local gun club. He and his officers are all very active in the club and the idea of forming a Masonic pistol competition appealed to them greatly and they readily volunteered to help out.

We scheduled the first competition for Halloween, October 31st, from 9:00am - 12:00pm. Frankly, we didn't know what to expect in terms of registration but we were fortunate to get approximately 30 Masons, friends, and family register for the event.

The competition went off as planned this past Saturday and everybody had a great time. In the process, we collected $411 for the Association's Scholarship Fund, which was given to the Association President who attended the shoot.

For more information on the shoot, click HERE.

CONCLUSION

Years ago, the Association's main fund-raising event was a fish dinner which we held at the Masonic Home in St. Petersburg. This was a lot of work; tents and tables had to be erected, deep-friers brought in; and a lot of cooking, presenting, and cleanup was required. It was an all-day affair that was rather tiresome. After all the work we did, our profits totalled no more than $400. This is why I suggested we start trap shoots, golf tournaments, and now the pistol shoots; they are relatively easy to organize, and brings in a lot more money. Heck, we even have fun doing it.

So, what's wrong with this picture? Nothing actually. However, the older Brothers were initially skeptical of such fund raisers as they had done fish fries, pancake breakfasts, and spaghetti dinners for years. Their resistance to these new fund raising venues eventually broke down as they grew in acceptance (and started to make some good money). The point is, every once and a while you have to break with tradition and try something new. Sometimes it works well, and sometimes it just plain flops. Nonetheless, we would make little progress if we didn't at least try to do something different.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

October 20, 2009 - GOOD DAYS/BAD DAYS

Last night, October 19th, we held our monthly Stated Communications. In my introductory remarks, I observed we all seem to have good days and bad days. In terms of good days, Dunedin Lodge seems to have been blessed over the weekend, for example:

* A Dunedin squad won the 8th Annual SunCoast Masters & Wardens Association Golf Tournament. This is the fourth year in a row Dunedin has brought home the winning trophy.

* A Dunedin Lodge Brother took "Best of Show" in the Palm Harbor Classic Car Show for his 1970 Road Runner.

* A group of Dunedin Brothers attended the annual Fort Clinch Civil War-era outdoor MM degree, hosted by Amelia Lodge No. 47 F.& A.M., just north or Jacksonville. This was the 9th year in a row I attended and, as always, the Brothers of Amelia Lodge did a splendid job.

These were all fun events, all of which raised money for worthy Masonic charities.

But with the good, comes the bad:

* Yesterday I visited a Brother at Tampa General Hospital who just had his second kidney removed due to cancer. Although the operation went well, he developed a clot on his left lung which caused complications and made his blood pressure dangerously low. The Brother is but 60 years old, and it is unknown at this time if he'll make it, but we are all pulling for his recovery.

* Our Chaplain reported that his 17 year old son had to go to the hospital for an MRI. They fear he has brain cancer.

* We were notified that a Brother from out of town had passed away and that it will be necessary for us to conduct the funeral service.

It seems you cannot have the good without the bad. I don't consider myself a super religious person, but I do ask that all Masons keep these Brothers in their prayers. I'm convinced such thought does, in fact, help.

My year in the East is coming to an end in less than 90 days. During my first tour of duty as Worshipful Master I was scrambling at this time to complete projects before the end of the year. This year, the projects are basically done, but we have some minor tasks remaining, primarily fund raising events. My biggest concern is getting our younger members to step up to the plate and take more of an active role in degrees and Lodge business. It seems the younger people are less inclined to learn the work than my generation and this disturbs me greatly. Nonetheless, I will persevere.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

October 14, 2009 - RENDEZVOUS & INQUIRIES

Since Dan Brown's book was published, "The Lost Symbol," our Lodge has already received eight inquiries for membership. I attribute this to not only the book, but to the momentum we have developed at the Lodge. Dunedin is now the lodge which everyone likes to visit. The building is in good shape, we have money in the bank, and we have harmony in the Lodge. Now we have people banging on our door to get in. Hmm... I wonder if these elements are all related?

Because of the inquiries and ensuing petitions, we have been doing a lot of investigations lately. Some people like to gloss over investigations and are eager to take in any warm body they can lay their hands on. We don't. We take this all very seriously and we want to be sure that the candidates know what they are getting into, and we want to be assured they will fit in. We do not see the Lodge as nothing more than a pit-stop to the Shrine. If all they want to do is join the Shrine, we encourage them to go to another lodge. It's not that we have anything against the Shrine, but we want Brothers who will maintain their allegiance to the Blue Lodge.

RENDEZVOUS

This past Monday a group of Masons met at the Dunedin Brewery for some libations and Brotherhood. The Brewery is normally closed on Mondays, but since we know the owner, he opened it just for us. This was NOT a Lodge sponsored event, just a fun get-together which is open to Masons, friends, and family. We invited our recently investigated candidates to attend and some accepted our invitation. This afforded them the opportunity to talk to other Masons, as well as allowed us to get to know the candidates better. All in all, it was a win-win situation as everyone had a great time.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

September 28, 2009 - POLITICS & FREEMASONRY

On Monday night we held our monthly Festive Board, affectionately referred to as "The Gathering of the Clan," which is not sponsored by any Masonic Lodge. It is simply a celebration of Freemasonry which is open to Masons, their families and friends, and potential candidates for the fraternity. I have written about this in the past, suffice it to say it is a great way for Masons to relax with their friends and family.

This month, our guest speaker made a presentation on "Politics & Freemasonry," something that is never discussed in Lodge. In his talk, he explained why Masons avoid the discussion of politics and religion in Lodge, stressing tolerance for the purpose of harmony. During his presentation, he referenced a recent article entitled, "In Search of the Hill's Freemasons," an entertaining piece which mentions the names of a handful of Masons serving in Congress.

The next Festive Board is scheduled for Monday, October 26th at 7:00pm. The guest speaker will discuss Firefighting Freemasons. Should be interesting.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

September 21, 2009 - DAN BROWN'S "THE LOST SYMBOL"

Yesterday (Sunday) I finished reading Dan Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol" which was released on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009. On its first day, the book sold over one million copies and the betting is it will outsell Brown's last effort, "The Da Vinci Code," which sold over 81 million copies and was turned into a blockbuster movie.

"The Lost Symbol" is an incredibly important book for all Masons to read as the fraternity is at the center of the plot. Actually, I'm not a big fan of Dan Brown's work, but the reality is this book is going to generate a tremendous amount of interest in Freemasonry and, as such, all Masons should read it in order to answer general questions that will inevitably rise from the general public.

After reading the book, it appears to me that Brown knows enough about the fraternity to be dangerous. There is considerable references to Masonic protocol and symbolism in the book. No, Dan Brown is NOT a Mason, and consequently he misinterprets a lot of what we do, but the average person will not know the difference. However, it does appear he did a lot of research on the subject via the Internet. The good news is, he debunks a lot of myths about the fraternity and describes Freemasons as good people who work towards the common good of man and are trustworthy. This will not go unnoticed by the public.

Pursuant to the release of the book, I noticed quite a few Grand Lodges around the globe were trying to capitalize on the book by making members available for interviews, presentations, and allowing public tours of Masonic facilities. I consider this to be an excellent idea for my own Lodge and implemented a Dan Brown page on our Lodge's web site whereby we will also make ourselves available for interviews, presentations, and tours. If all Lodges did likewise, this could become a public relations coup for us and our ranks would grow.

How effective is Brown's book going to disseminating our message? Consider this, on Saturday I received our first inquiry regarding membership. That's just four days following the general release of the book.

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"

September 14, 2009 - THE DUNEDIN DEGREE

Something that has bothered me for a long time is how we educate our younger Brothers in how to become a working Master Mason. Basically, we teach them Masonic catechisms, we raise them, and then we invite them to sit with us in Lodge where they know nothing and stumble along trying to find their way. To overcome this problem, I wrote what I called, "The Dunedin Degree," which is certainly not a substitute for the three degrees, but rather a complimentary component, which we delivered for the first time on Monday.

The "Dunedin Degree" has four parts to it:

* A brief history of Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
* The duties and responsibilities of the Lodge officers.
* Masonic etiquette.
* A description of other Masonic organizations in our area.

The degree takes approximately 40 minutes to perform and, instead of one lecturer, it is delivered by four different people who act as guides, thereby displacing the responsibility for learning the degree and causing greater participation in the Lodge (and makes it more lively).

Except for the first part, the rest is universally applicable for all Master Masons, at least those in Florida. Consequently, I am making the lecture generally available for anyone interested in taking it and tailoring it to their needs. I just ask that you send me a copy, so I can assemble a collection of degrees.

The degree is available in PDF format by clicking HERE. If you need a plain text version of the script (ASCII text), just drop me a line and I'll be happy to e-mail it to you.

As this was the first time we tried the degree, the meeting was well attended, not just by our Lodge, but by others in the area. All in all, I believe it went well and I think our younger Master Masons seemed to learn a lot from it. I only wish I had something like this after I had been raised.

For more on the degree, see our Lodge's web site, specifically:
http://www.dunedin192.org/news.htm#090914

Stay tuned!

Until next time.

All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"