We had a peaceful and pleasant summer in Pasco. We passed David Steen to the Fellowcraft in June. Thanks to W.Russ Campbell, W.Mike Gossett, and W.Bob Steele and B.Ray Palmer for helping staff the Masonic booth at the Benton/Franklin County Fair. We have also retained possession of the traveling gavel since June, perhaps the longest time in has remained in the possession of a single lodge since it began its journeys under the "come and get it" rules.
Lodge elections were held on September 7th. Please join in welcoming the newly elected lodge officers: W. Dave Chassin, WM; B. Ray Palmer, SW; W. Don Cooper, JW; W. Mike Gossett, Sec. & Tr. The installation will be held on October 2nd at 5:00 PM at the Pasco Lodge, with a dinner to follow at 7:00 PM. Entertainment and refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there.
Oct. 2 Public installation at 5:00 PM, VW. Bill Dodd installing master. Dinner at 7:00 PM. RSVP to David & Norma Chassin 547-5487.
Oct. 5 Stated Meeting at 7:30 PM. This is the first meeting for the new lodge team. Let's have a big show of support and talk about plans for the coming year.
Oct. 9 Visit Pioneer Lodge #39. 8:00 AM. The new officers will introduce themselves.
Oct. 19 Dinner at 6:30 PM, W. Chef Russ Campbell presiding. Rusty Mason's degree at 7:30 PM. Here's a great chance to get a refresher on all that stuff you forgot.
Oct. 21 Visit Benton Lodge; carpools meet at 6:45 PM Pasco Lodge.
THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL LIFE
It is often said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. This most American proverb reveals our concern about our own mortality. Throughout human history great thinkers have sought immortality, to no avail. Each of us battles our mortality knowing the war cannot be won. Across the centuries Masons in particular have relied on faith to straddle the chasm presented by death with hope. Even though we have no definitive knowledge of what comes after, we assert that something does continue. Ancient wisdom has it that when God gave us the Bible, he gave us a precious weapon on which His name was engraved and against which the Angel of Death carries no sway. As long as we possessed unsullied faith, death could exercise no power against us. Unfortunately, the incident with the Golden Calf blew it and ever since, we have remained under the spell of death.
Of course we don't take this story literally, but its metaphorical meaning is clear and gives us a most Masonic insight into the importance of faith: we can live forever when we tap into something immortal, something that connects our ancestors to us, and us to our descendants. By our Masonic thoughts and deeds we connect ourselves to all Masons past, present, and future, granting past Masons posthumous life through us, and passing our souls to the lives of those yet to come. It is in part by fulfilling our obligation to the betterment of Craft that we remain linked to all that is important throughout time. The truth is that the Bible conveys eternal life, that its values pass from one generation to another, and that Masonic virtues help build our communities, indeed the whole world, into something fit to be cherished by God. We live eternally as members of the community of Free and Accepted Masons.