2014 Grand Conclave

Here are a few photos from this mornings Grand Conclave of Knights Templar of Iowa:

Worshipful Master Keith Gordon, Operative Lodge #308

2014 Operative Lodge #308 Worshipful Master Keith Gordon (in the middle) with installing officers Worshipful Brother Jim Trotter (PM), Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master Mike Aves Sr., Most Worshipful Brother D. Dean Johnson, and Worshipful Brother Lane Shaver (PM).

Knights Templar Honor Guard

Sir Knights Rusty Hill, Wade Sheeler, Tom Megel, and Mike Miller (not pictured) assisted in the installation of officers at King David Lodge #407 in Altoona, Iowa on January 7, 2014. Megel, as the 2013 Eminent Commander of Temple Commandery #4 in Des Moines, initiated this practice of performing an honor guard at the officer installation ceremonies in the Des Moines area. The Sir Knights march into the Lodge room, present swords, and form an arch of steel in honor of the new Worshipful Master and other officers of the Masonic Lodge. The honor guard performed by the Knights Templar is a way to show respect and add to the dignity of the officer installation ceremony. Other Sir Knights participating in these honor guards at local Lodges include Dan Hobson, Ken Brickman, and Charlie Smithson. More information on Temple Commandery #4 in Des Moines can be found at this link.

Des Moines York Rite Fall Festival 2013

The Des Moines York Rite of Freemasonry hosted its Fall Festival Saturday, November 23 with sixteen candidates participating. York Rite bodies from across the state participated both with candidates and with officers assisting in the work. The Heads of all three Iowa Grand York Rite bodies participated: M.E. David G. Klein Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Iowa, M.I. Thomas E. H. Gruis Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Iowa, and Terry L. Hudik Right Eminent Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery Knights Templar of Iowa.

Des Moines Scottish Rite Fall Reunion

Congratulations to the 2013 John H. McKlveen, 33° Fall Memorial Reunion class: Class President: Donald A. Burkhart, Class Secretary: Brandon V. Scheuring, Class Orator: Joseph W. Seidlin, Andrae C. Delaney, Mark A. Konrad, Lee Roy W. Porter, Alan C. Rodruck, and Mark A. Terhune. More detail is here: 2013 Fall Gala

Delicious Pizza!

The pizza chefs once again turned Polk City’s Operative Lodge #308 into a pizza factory on October 19. Twice a year the members of Operative Lodge make and sell pizzas to benefit charity. This fall Lodge members, and a few wives, turned out in force to create just about the best pizza you’ve ever eaten! Seriously, the pizzas are great and you can pick the toppings. Plus, the money helps support charity.

If you missed out this fall, look for us next Spring!

John Bizzack at Iowa reserach Lodge #2

John Bizzack spoke to the members and guests of Iowa Research Lodge #2 on November 1 in Des Moines. Worshipful Master George Harrison introduced our guest speaker as the author of the book For the Good of the Order: Examining the Shifting Paradigm Within Freemasonry. Bizzack argues that a return to traditional Freemasonry in our Lodges is a way to address membership decline. His book, as well as his speech Friday evening, examines more than just the old debate about membership decline. Bizzack advances the argument that the recent move on the part of some Lodges towards longer periods of time between degrees for a candidate, higher dues, and strict standards of dress aren’t anything new. These characteristics can also be found in Lodges in the 18^th and 19^th century. His speech was entertaining and informative, a combination rarely seen in many Masonic meetings. 

The Iowa Research Lodge biannual meetings feature dinner, a speaker, and good fellowship. Friday night was no exception.

Operative stone carving at Operative Lodge in Polk City

The Freemasons at Operative Lodge #308 met for their stated meeting Monday evening, March 11, and were treated to an informative presentation by Brother Ben Mayer, a visitor from Acanthus Lodge. Brother Ben is a working stone carver and he brought some of his working tools as well as his work with him. A few pictures are below.

Brother Ben’s talk included explanations of both traditional and modern tools used by masons. The several common gavels and hammers he had are still used today, but the pneumatic chisel, which operates at over 3000 cycles per minute, has replaced much of the manual work. Even a modern pneumatic chisel requires a considerable degree of skill; Brother Ben spoke of how he must both listen to the tone of the sound produced from chiseling as well as be attentive to the feel of the tool as it moves lest the work be ruined.

Thank you Brother Ben Mayer for your interesting and enlightening presentation!

Temple Commandery #4 Inspection and Arch of Steel

Inspection day arrived for Temple Commandery No. 4 on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The morning began with set-up, of course, and the old adage “many hands make for light work,” while true, doesn’t necessarily apply to the actual weight of items when they’re being hauled down from the fourth floor of the Scottish Rite Center in Des Moines. Still, we did have many Sir Knights helping and while the work may not have been light, it was enjoyable.

The inspection of Temple Commandery No. 4 was the first order of the day. Sir Knight Richard "Butch" Zummak, Past Grand Commander, performed the inspection. This was my first inspection and it wasn’t as intimidating as I anticipated. The more experienced guys helped me out with what to do and what to say, but still, I was nervous: I didn’t want to be the guy costing us points. Last May at the annual Conclave I discovered I had lost a button off of my jacket; the sword belt buckle had cut it off. This time, my wife graciously sewed it on with fishing line and all was well!

After the inspection, we went through the opening of a Commandery. I had a very small part, Treasurer, but still struggled with the line. After opening, we had lunch and prepared for the Order of the Temple. The Order of the Temple wasn’t just an inspection of how well we knew the ritual and work, but also an actual Order of the Temple with five candidates. My part was to play the third guard and although this time I had a few more lines than in the opening, I felt that I did better. The Order of the Temple is one of my favorite Masonic degrees/orders; the religious theme and setting has an impact on me each time I see it. Iowa’s Grand Master, Most Worshipful Bryce Hildreth, was with us Saturday and told the class that he found the Order of the Temple to be one of his favorites, and he has certainly seen a lot of different degrees!

After the class and guests departed, props needed to be stored, and humping all of the props up the stairs to the fourth floor can certainly work up quite a thirst for Sir Knights. Needless to say, refreshments were available, and enjoyed.

The day concluded with members of Temple Commandery No. 4 and other Sir Knights forming an Arch of Steel for the Za Ga Zig Shrine’s Potentate at the Potentate’s Ball. Sir Knight Gregory L. Andersen, Right Eminent Grand Commander of Iowa, led sixteen Sir Knights in the impressive ceremony; a few pictures of which are below.

In all, it was a fantastic day for this Sir Knight. Freemasonry offers many opportunities to improve one’s self, and although I’ve only been a part of the York right for just over a year, I’m finding it to be one of the most important parts of my masonic activities. The religious lessons taught by the Order of the Temple are the most powerful expression of Christian belief that I have experienced in Freemasonry. In addition, since York Rite bodies tend to be more localized and smaller, it’s easier to build close friendships. Plus, you get to wear a sword. Now how cool is that!

 

The pictures below are from the Downtown Des Moines York Rite's Temple Commandery #4 inspection and the Arch of Steel.

Pictures from the Grand Master's One Day Class

Iowa Research Lodge #2 Meeting

The Iowa Research Lodge #2 met last night at the Des Moines Scottish Rite building. WM Shane Harshbarger invited Dr. Natalie Bayers as guest speaker. Dr. Bayers spoke on Freemasonry in Russia and its influences on 18th century Russian literature. Look for a post this evening covering her topic in more depth. Below are a few pictures.

Operative Lodge Christmas Party 2012

Operative Lodge #308 in Polk City, Iowa hosted its annual Christmas Party on Monday, Dec. 10. Worshipful master for the 2012 year Darrell Fremont welcomed over 75 Freemasons and their families to the event. The dinner included turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and much more; the deserts alone required an extra table! Special thanks go to the Eastern Star chapter at Polk City for their beautiful decorations.

Santa and his "elf" also made an appearance, much to the delight of the children, and Masons, in attendance! A few pictures are posted below.

Polk City Square Lighting 2012

The city of Polk City held its annual Square Lighting on Monday, Dec. 3. The town square is decorated with a wide assortment of lights, holiday characters, and decorations and on Dec. 3rd the lights were all turned on.

Operative Lodge #308 in Polk City hosted an open house along with businesses on the square. We served 1 gallon of punch and 3 1/2 hot pots of hot chocolate to about 30 folks who stopped by, including the winner of the 2012 Operative Lodge North Polk High School scholarship. He said school at ISU was going well and he expressed thanks for the scholarship; he has already spent the money on expenses and that it went fast! He is majoring in Ag Business with a minor in law enforcement.


Pasted below are a few pictures of the square lighting from the Des Moines Register.

Polk City Square Christmas Lights!

Join Operative Lodge #308, Polk City businesses, and the public for the annual Holiday Square Lighting in Polk City Tuesday, December 4. North Polk Elementary band students will perform at 5:30 PM at Miller Hall in the the Big Creek Historical Society museum (next door to the Lodge). The lights on the Square will be turned on at 6 PM and local businesses will host an open house. Santa will make an appearance at City Hall!

Operative Lodge will have its doors open and be serving punch and cookies. Please stop by the Lodge and say hello! Special thanks go to the Polk City Eastern Star for decorating the Lodge!

More information can be found on the Polk City website by clicking here.

Lefsa stick or Knight Templar sword?

Never had lefsa before? Be sure to attend the Operative Lodge #308 Christmas party- details TBA.

York Rite Fall Festival

The Des Moines York Rite bodies hosted the 2012 Fall Festival this past weekend. Over sixteen candidates were knighted including candidates from Ottumwa, South Dakota, and Albia. The Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of South Dakota Roger Kehm was among the many guests at the festival.

Pictures of the set-up, festival, and banquet are below:

York Rite 2012 Fall Festival

The 2012 Fall York Rite Festival begins this morning with the Mark Master Degree and continues through the Order of the Temple this afternoon. Times and location are below:

Chapter Degrees
7:45 AM  Mark Master
8:30 AM Past Master
9:15 AM Most Excellent Master
10:15 AM Royal Arch Mason

LUNCH 12:00

Council Degrees
12:45 PM Royal Master
1:30 PM Select Master

Commandery Orders
2:15 PM Order of the Red Cross (Short Form), Order of Malta (Short Form)
3:00 PM Order of the Temple

LOCATION:
MASONIC CENTER
519 Park Street
Des Moines, Iowa

Elections!

November is election time for more than just political offices such as the president and congress; Masonic Lodges also elect their officers during this month. Officers in a Masonic Lodge are of two general types: elected and appointed. Elected officers include the Worshipful Master, senior warden, and junior warden (secretary and treasurer are also elected). The Worshipful Master is the leader of the Lodge and he appoints two stewards, junior steward and senior steward, as well as two deacons, junior deacon and senior deacon.  Typically, a Freemason progresses through the “line” of officers starting with junior steward and continuing through the deacon positions then the wardens and ending as the Master of the Lodge; each officer’s term lasts one year. For example, if a man starts as junior steward and is reappointed by succeeding Masters and then elected to the positions of the wardens, he will reach the position of Master of the Lodge in seven years.

Elections in Masonic Lodges are quite different than elections for political office. Carl Claudy writes about this in A Master’s Wages. His writing illustrates one of the biggest differences between elections for political office and our elections: the lack of electioneering. Masonic elections are intentionally structured in such a way that electioneering, politics, and lobbying are not just discouraged but inherently ineffective. Claudy writes: “…many lodges do not hold elections for the lower positions, but leave these to be filled by appointment. If succeeding Masters reappoint those already appointed, when they have faithfully served, they eventually get, in line, to whether they must be elected or dropped. Which depends entirely on the man.” I teach American Government to high school students and I can assure you that American elections are not similarly structured!

Operative Lodge #308 held its elections at the November Stated Meeting this evening and the following officers were elected:

Worshipful Master: John Whitaker

Senior Warden: Keith Gordon

Junior Warden: Scott Nemmers

Secretary: Jim Trotter

Treasurer: Bob Koss

Congratulations to WM John Whitaker, the Wardens, and the Secretary and Treasurer!