The Halfway Mark.

Well, my 6th month as Master has passed. I must say it has indeed been a very interesting journey so far. Pioneer Lodge # 1 has been very active in supporting the various projects going on within the jurisdiction and we have the honor of hosting the 116th Annual Communication of the M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Minnesota.

During the past 6 months, I have had a fair share of disappointments and good times. Fortunately, for me the good has far outweighed the bad! The task of making the meetings interesting yet shorter has been at the forefront of my task list. Attendance has also followed right along with that as well.

As the journey of Lead Steward (Worshipful Master) takes me over the hill and speeds towards the end of the year, I have to say with 100% honesty, that I have served my lodge to my utmost. The active Past Masters have commented that I'm doing a fine job and have commended me for my service thus far. Other  Brethren of the lodge have also made similar statements. The lodge newsletter is still being published quarterly and the compliments are nice. As I close out this post, I'm looking forward to the remainder of my term in 2010.

Reflection on my first 2 months as Master.

Well, my first two months at the helm are done. I can say that while the experience has been very consuming time wise and mentally it has been rewarding. It has deepened my appreciation for the men who have gone before me and led Pioneer to its current time.

These past months have been interesting to say the least! I have sat in the East to confer degrees or to fill in for the then current Worshipful Master but it is not the same when the seat is yours for the next 12 months. The decisions are YOURS to make and the fallout (there will always be fallout) is YOURS to take.


Now with that being said, it's not all chore work. If you have a group of Past Masters who will guide you and advise you, then your year will go smoothly. Another thing is to have a good Secretary and Treasurer. These 2 Brothers are your right hand men along with your Wardens. In closing I must say I look forward to the next 2 months.

Newly Elected & Installed Master

Hello,

The elections of our lodge (Pioneer # 1 F.&A.M. PHA) have been held and I have the distinct pleasure and honor of announcing that I have elected to preside in the Oriental Chair of King Solomon for 2010! I was elected on December 7th, 2009 and installed by taking the Actual Past Masters' Degree on December 12th, 2009.

My executive board (elected lodge officers) for 2010 are as follows:

Senior Warden: Duane V. Goodar
Junior Warden: Jerome S. Hunter
Secretary: Layne B. Bellamy, PM
Treasurer: Gregory L. Meadows, PM

I'm still getting used to the whole idea of actually being the Master of the Lodge. My past masters have pledged their support and I'm looking forward to working for success, continuous improvement and making this a fun year. I'll have more to come as this journey continues!!

Brother L.C. Addison II
Worshipful Master 2010
Pioneer Lodge # 1 F.&A.M. PHA
MWPHGL of MN

115th Annual Comuncation of the MWPHGL of MN

Brothers,
I just returned from attending the
115th Annual Communication of the
MWPHGL of MN and the following Brothers
were elected to lead our
Grand Jurisdiction:  
M.W. Grand Master:
Alex D. Horne #2 

R.W. Deputy Grand Master:
Andre L. Simmons #4 

R.W. Grand Senior Warden: Gregory L. Meadows #1 

R.W. Grand Junior Warden: Kymphus L. Turner #2  

Re-Elected were: R.W. Grand Lecturer: Reese M. Dyer #7
R.W. Grand Secretary: Charles J. Snargrass Sr. #7 
R.W. Grand Treasurer: John W. Hardeman III #7  

The Appointed Officers have not been named yet.  

This was a very good Communication. We had a Degree Team Competition 
(Palestine #7 1st place, Perfect Ashlar #4 2nd place and the 
W.M. Layne Bellamy & J.W. of Pioneer # 1 [myself] performed the entire
first degree by ourselves, filling all of the seats. We were told that if we
would have entered the contest we would have won.  There was also a
Masonic White Paper Contest (yours truly took home 1st prize, 
Bro. William Baker of Palestine #7 took home 2nd & Bro. Cedric Norwood
of Palestine #7 took home 3rd).

A good time of fun and fellowship was had by all in attendance.

Prince Hall Memorial Project

Being a Mason and having the honor to be a member of a Prince Hall Affiliated Jurisdiction (Minnesota), I think this is a great drive to see Prince Hall recognized with a memorial. I think this goes a long way towards giving honor where honor is due.

Brother Prince Hall was a Pioneer in many ways. He was the first man of African ethnicity to be made a Freemason in this country. He was the first man to successfully lead that body of Brothers in African Lodge # 459 that has birthed over 40 Jurisdictions that carry his name.

More importantly, he was a Pioneer in another way. Through his obvious tenacity to become acquainted with the mysteries of Freemasonry, he braved numerous obstacles and persevered in his quest.

I'm encouraging everyone, that if you can, please send a donation to the Prince Hall Memorial Foundation. The link below will send you directly to the Prince Hall Memorial Project paypal account. You can visit the Prince Hall Memorial www.princehallmemorial.org for more information. You may also donate by visiting this site: http://www.princehallmemorialfund.org/.

Anchor-Hilyard Lodge # 2 FC Degree

The time is 2:20 am and I've been home for about an hour and a half. I've just come from attending the conferral of the Fellowcraft Degree done by the Brothers of Anchor-Hilyard Lodge # 2, Prince Hall Affiliated, Jurisdiction of Minnesota. Brother Greg Michaels presided in the East and did a good job as the Master for this degree.

I was cast as the Senior Deacon and did the entire degree including the Middle Chamber or Staircase Lecture as it may be known to some. Now i would love to say that I did the entire MC (or SC) Lecture from memory but I didn't. I delivered what I could from memory and read the rest from our ritual book.

3 new Fellowcrafts were passed tonight and did an excellent job showing proficiency on the EA Degree. It was a real good experience and I was glad to be a part of it. I would encourage all Brothers to get out and visit other lodges if you haven't already done so. Worshipful Master, Quantrell Fields has done a good job with getting a core group of Brothers to instruct the newest Brothers during their degree cycle.