ICL Summer Activities

This blog is rather long, but is well worth reading. These are some of the events (and pictures!) of various brothers' activities as reported by Brother Scott Colcord, Pictures of the Children's Hospital event by Bro Dennis Wallace:

Children’s’ Hospital
Dennis Wallace’s wife, Jeanette, works at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. For the past thirteen years, Dennis and Jeanette have volunteered their catering skills at the annual Intensive Care Unit Reunion. A number of other hospital employees have also volunteered with the catering work.
This year, Dennis asked Island City Lodge to help. Five of us were able to make it.
We set up in the morning.and prepared food for the condiment tent. Most of the women in the picture work at the hospital. (Sorry. No pictures of me as I was behind the camera!)
Dennis manned the BBQ grills, with some assistance from ICL and from the hospital too. Behind the BBQ are inflatable slides and fun houses.

The next pictures show the condiment tents ready for three hundred people.
We filled two wading pools with ice and soft drinks.
The hospital made the Volunteer Banner before our name was added to the list, and they called us “Alameda Masonic Lodge.” I decided to do everyone a favor and not make corrections.
The picture following the Volunteer Banner shows a long view of the Reunion area, before the families arrived. The big open-air structure in the back is a helicopter pad, with an elevator. While we were there, they did bring in a patient in a helicopter. The big blue wave shaped thing is the inflatable slide, and the red and yellow tents are inflatable. The food tent is directly in front of the red inflatable, it has green top and white tablecloths covering the tables. The two condiment tents are between the red and yellow inflatables. The BBQ is in the far left corner of the picture, to the left of the red inflatable.
Now that you’ve had a site tour, I’ll take you to the next picture where you see Kevin B. and one of the hospital ladies, working in the food tent.
At picture 22, we start seeing Karen and Walter fulfilling dreams at the Prize Wheel. It was wonderful to see how happy the children were, when they got their prizes, but I wasn’t able to get any of those moments on camera.
Likewise, with the distorted mirrors, the kids really loved ‘em.
































































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Super Excellent Master Degree
This was a York Rite event, and not part of Island City Lodge. Still, some other members of ICL are in the York Rite and asked me to repost these pictures.
The first album is the dress rehearsal, and the second album shows life backstage.
The San Francisco Scottish Rite offered their facilities and their stage crew (a crew of one, but a very talented one) free. This was an enormous help, and a real example of the practice of Masonic Brotherhood.
Also, a great soundman came down from Sacramento area to help. Also, there were other workers who came from distance cities. I'm sure they arranged for their own travel and overnight expenses.
The York Rite consists of three Lodges, and each Lodge has its own Grand Master. Two sitting Grand Masters were in the cast and both of them live in Southern California. Additionally, they memorized and delivered their parts VERY WELL, and were good company during rehearsals that were overly long.
It was really an honor to work with such enthusiastic Masons: the stage crew, the cast, the Grand Master Guys.
The Super Excellent Master (SEM) degree is open to non-members. It requires a large cast and a lot of stage work.
The SEM begins with Ezekiel addressing the refugees who were not carried to Babylon. It also has a section on the court of Jedekiah. Those court members may be obvious in the "Backstage" album. The closing section is the judgment of Nebuchadnezzar upon Jedekiah.
I was Nebuchadnezzar (Nebby), and the man who was Jedekiah became a member just to be in this degree. His wife was in the audience.
The Masonic lessons I take from the SEM are truthfulness and loyalty to friends. Nebby was true to his friends (other Kings). Jedekiah was not. I’ve seen Jedekiah’s attempted escape featured on the History Channel.
The last Bay Area conferral of the SEM was more than ten years ago. There are now plans for a 2011 conferral.

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Daylight Degree
We had great weather for our Saturday drive over to Benicia. Sublime-Benicia Lodge No. 5 predates the Grand Lodge, and is a popular place for visiting Lodges to confer degrees.
Benicia Lodge really rolled out the red carpet for us. Two of their Past Masters came over to open the building and to share the Craft’s Work with us.
Arthur Porter is the Senior Past Master of Benicia Lodge, and he joined us as Senior Warden. You may know Arthur from the Oakland Scottish Rite, and from Academia Lodge. Their Tiler also came over, and provided Tiler duties during the whole degree. Also, two of their officers stopped by to say hello.
Paul Delle Chese, our Fellowcraft candidate, came with his friend Grant, who is a Past Master of Alameda Lodge. After the degree, Arthur gave a lecture on the history of Sublime-Benicia, and then we walked into town for lunch. I didn’t take any pictures of the bicycle race that was going in and out of town while we were there, and I wish I had because it was very colorful.
Prince Hall Visit
Some of the Lodge Brothers visited Monarch Prince Hall Lodge, during a degree conferral.
This was the first time I’ve seen a PH Third Degree. The PH Masons have been pursuing their own ritual since the late 1700’s, and there are significant differences in the way they do some things.
Many other Lodges had visiting Brothers too: especially Petaluma-Hamilton Lodge that brought some twenty-five members in a charted bus.
All these Masons coming from different directions required some extra efforts in signs and modes of recogination, and the way the Monarch Lodge handled it was elegant and very Brotherly and Fraternal.
During the Lodge opening, the Senior Warden told the Worshipful Master that he was not sure that all present were Master Masons, and the WM asked all visiting Lodge Masters to assemble West of the Altar, and verify their own Lodge Brethren.
One by one, the Lodge Masters had their Brethren rise and said, “Worshipful Master, I vouch for these Brothers.” When all the Lodge Masters had finished, the WM asked any un-vouched for present, to rise for self-introduction. As each man rose and introduced himself, someone already vouched for would rise and say, “WM, I’ve sat in Lodge with this Brother.”
Later, the Senior Warden stopped the Lodge to tell the WM that he saw a sign that he didn’t recognize, and one of the visitors told the WM that he was using the sign of recogination from Ireland. The WM commented that the man had already been vouched for and that he was welcome.

This paper was presented to the Island City Lodge in April 2009 by Brother Steven Sterns.

A Discourse on the Working Tools of the Entered Apprentice

Why should the 24 inch gauge and the common gavel be the first tools given to the entered apprentice to hone his craft? What is special about the gauge and gavel that they are the first tools introduced? What do these tools symbolically tell the Entered Apprentice and the rest of the lodge about the skills we all need to progress past the role of the Apprentice?

In the ritual, the first working tool that the Entered Apprentice is introduced to is the twenty four inch gauge. The Apprentice is admonished that the instrument is used by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work. Free and accepted Masons are told to use the gauge as an instrument to divide time appropriately. We are told that the 24 inch gauge represents the 24 hours in the day and as such it is divided into 3 eight hour portions. One third should be used to devote to our vocations, one third should be used for service to god and our brethren, and the last third should be used for rest and refreshment.

It is critical to consider that the first tool provided to the Apprentice is a tool of measurement. Measuring is what one does in preparation to act. As the old adage goes, one should always measure twice and cut once. Why? We do so in order to not make a mistake when we take an action which will be irreversible. If we do not measure, we can ruin the block of stone we cut and therefore make it unusable. This wastes our time, effort, and resources. It also wastes the time, efforts and resources of others who may rely upon us. Thus, the act of measurement is the act of thinking and planning with forethought.

So, it seems clear, that planning is required before any successful effort is taken. But why is the 24 inch gauge the first tool introduced? Perhaps, it is because the act of thinking and measuring causes us to stop our actions and spend time instead in contemplation. When we are young or new to a task, we wish to rush in so that we can quickly accomplish our goal and show others our success. It is the apprentice who is most likely to want to skip over planning and dive into the work. By considering the gauge first, the apprentice is stymied in his urge to work first and think later.

As noted, the gauge instructs us to think before acting; to measure before making mistakes. We are told to use the gauge to measure 24 hours of the day, to plan our actions in every hour that we live. Why measure by the day? Why are we not told to measure the weeks, months or years of our lives? Perhaps, this is to ensure that we stay present in our actions. By focusing our efforts on measuring and planning for today, we make sure that we do not waste or ruin our present through emphasis on the future.

The apprentice is likely to want to run through his days so that he can quickly reach the future. But our days, like a piece of mis-cut stone, are irreversible. We cannot reach backward through our actions and recover our words or deeds. We may believe that one day is much like any other, but to progress from entered-apprentice we must learn to make use of each day with purpose and with forethought.

If we make sure that we give appropriate focus to the here and now, we are more likely to treat our neighbors, our family, our brethren, our co-workers and ourselves with honesty and integrity with each word and with each thought. We all know people who waste their days wishing for the past or expecting a future which may or may not arrive. The 24 inch gauge should instruct all of us to slow down so we make sure we are not treating today callously. By applying the gauge to our lives, we make sure that we live purposeful lives.

Now that we understand our focus must be on planning today, we are given our second critical tool as apprentice: the common gavel. The gavel we are told is an instrument used by operative masons to break off the rough and superfluous parts of stones so that they can be fitted by the builder. Free and accepted Masons are told to use the common gavel for divesting our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life.

If the gauge is a tool of measurement and planning, then the gavel is a tool of action. Now that we have planned where to act every day, we are given an instrument to use to make our marks. It is curious, however, why should we use the common gavel and not some other cutting tool like the chisel as our instrument of action? The answer lies in the operative use of the gavel versus other cutting tools.

Let’s think about how the gavel functions. While the gavel can be used to act upon the stone directly, it is often used in concert with the other cutting tools. The operative mason hits the chisel with the gavel. He can either apply a hard blow causing the stone to splinter or a soft blow causing the stone to chip. The gavel, a type of mallet, provides the apprentice with a selection of actions from the forceful to the weak, from the strong to the gentle. By learning to use the gavel early in the apprenticeship, the Entered Apprentice Mason learns that not all efforts require the same force of action.

Sometimes, we must carve out our days with strong actions full of direction and intent. The forceful stroke of the gavel may be necessary if the apprentice is confronted with evil or societal indifference so he can remain true to the ethics and morality of the craft. The apprentice is called upon to help the less fortunate, to defend his country and his distressed brethren, to take a stand for morality and truth in a world that often cannot differentiate good and evil. He must use the strength of the gavel to shape his actions strongly in this world.

Sometimes, however, he must use a more gentle hand. The finishing stroke of the gavel helps us to smooth out contours and make the actions of our day transcendent, sublime and beautiful. The apprentice is called upon to take gentle actions to help ease the lives of those in distress, for example he may deliver meals to the ill and infirm or teach underprivileged children how to read. Here, he uses the gentle sculpting power of the gavel to influence and guide through his daily actions.

So we have now discovered why the 24 inch gauge and the common gavel are the first tools an entered apprentice needs to perfect to be successful at the craft. With the gauge and the gavel in his tool-belt, the Apprentice has the necessary tools think and act within his community, his family, and his lodge. He, like his brethren, now has the instruments required to make sure that every day is a day lived with planned purpose and with appropriate strength of action.

Prince Hall Degrees

Last night, several of the brethren attended a the Monarch Lodge Prince Hall Masons, in Oakland. They passed three Fellow Crafts to Master Mason, and had seven Monarch Lodge brothers go through their 3rd degree ceremonies. Brothers from Sebastapol to San Jose were present (the Sebastapol contingent came down in their own full time bus!) and numbered about 100.

The degrees were very much like our own, yet different--more floor work, some group singing (besides Playel's Theme for the 3rd degree work) and a bit more formal. For example, when the brothers are called to order and it is determined that all the brothers are Master Masons, as a group we donned our aprons ("attire yourselves") and those with gloves (the protocol for the lodge) wore them.

After the degrees (at about 11 PM!) we all went to their social room and had a scrumptious dinner of fried chicken with all the fixins' and cameraderie. It was a wonderful evening which we all enjoyed tremendously. We learned a lot and hopefully will incorporate some in our own work. I know I look forward to visiting other lodges and learning more about our craft!

Josh Cohen

Crab Feed News

The 2009 Island City Masonic Lodge Crab feed is looking good! We've got some surprises and, of course, the best shrimp and crab! We will be holding a raffle for a hand-held, digital video recorder.

A few things you need to know: Tickets are $35 this year (Still the best deal in town!!) and any excess proceeds go towards scholarships for Masonic Youth (we're getting the DVRs donated!). Also we are limiting attendance to 200 this year so as not to overload our hall or the Crab Feed Committee. This being the case, get your tickets early. Do not wait until the last minute!! After the 200 tickets that are being printed are sold, we WILL turn people away!

Entered Apprentices and Fellow Crafts are especially encouraged to help on the day of the Feed. Contact our Senior Warden (Dennis Wallace) if you can help out.

For tickets, call the lodge. 510-864-9545.

Officer line for 2009

The new officers of Island City Lodge have been seated. The installation on December 13th was impressive and the dinner afterwords scrumptious! the new officers are:

Master: Richard Anderson, PM
Senior Warden: Dennis Wallace, PM
Junior Warden: Scott Colcord, PM
Secretary: Jerry Journeay, PM
Assistant Secretary: Kevin Stroud, PM
Treasurer: Charles Bos
Senior Deacon: Steven Merritt
Junior Deacon: Michael Richards
Marshall: Josh Cohen
Senior Steward: Jeffrey Heyman
Junior Steward: Rob Rezak
Chaplain: Harold MacKenzie
Organist: Manuel Jasso
Tiler: Walter McQuesten

Come to the next stated meeting and congratulate them!

Da Crab be Comin'

Preparations have started for the 2009 Island City Masonic Lodge Crab Feed. The date this year is February 21st, so be sure to put it in your calendar NOW. Tickets are going up a bit--to $35 per person, but the additional money is going to a great cause: scholarships for Masonic Youth. The Entered Apprentices and the Fellowcrafts of the Lodge are getting together and hammering out the details for awarding two scholarships. There will also be a couple of other nice surprises during the Feed, but you'll have to show up to enjoy them.

You will be able to get tickets from any of the officers, as well as online (a link will be posted on this blog) and elsewhere. We expect this year to be a sellout, so get your tickets early.

Festival of St. John the Baptist

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet for this incredible event, DO SO NOW! $25 per person (such a deal!). The date is Saturday June 21st (coming up fast!), 4PM for Hors D'ouvres, 5PM dinner (Rack of Lamb for starters. Wear your tuxedo (not tails!) or dark jacket and tie, and come for great camaraderie with your lodge brothers, some very interesting Masonic education, a wonderful dinner and an evening that will be talked about the entire year!

Call now and reserve: 510-538-5841