From the South

Hello Brethren and greetings from the South,

I am proud to say that we had a very successful 2nd annual community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 14th. This event’s success was evident by the smiles seen on the children’s faces and the jubilant laughter heard throughout the park. There is no greater joy than to see a smile on a child’s face. The good we provided to the community through this charitable event was obviously noticed by other parents in the crowd, as we had 2 different men approach, ask questions about Masonry, and ultimately asked for petitions! It is nice to know that our light is bright and the community sees what we do. A special thanks to all brothers that donated and helped with this event.

Please know that we have another opportunity to shine for our next upcoming event on May, 20th @ 6:00 p.m. This completely free Spaghetti Dinner for the community will be a first for us, and a great way to give back to the community.

I would like to share a recent experience of mine with you. As a relatively young Mason I had not yet, until recently, had the opportunity to travel to another lodge. Quite frankly, I was a little apprehensive to do so. I have listened to the teachings of Free Masonry by the Past Masters in my lodge, and I have heard their various stories. They taught me that Free Masonry is a brotherhood that reaches the 4 corners of the Earth. That we are all brothers regardless of our lodge. I did indeed believe all this, but as a young Mason I had developed a certain comfort and familiarity with being at my own lodge with my “own brothers”. So there came a time in early March where a group of Past Masters (Joe Mencer, Shane Lowe, and Mark Dixson) strongly urged me to travel with them to visit another lodge. The purpose of the visit was to meet the brother that had the great honor of being the 4th living person raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on the floor of the Tennessee Grand Lodge. As Rockford Lodge No. 469 hosts this event, meeting with the brother and speaking to his lodge is needed as part of the pre-event planning. It turns out what I had agreed to was not just to travel across town and visit another lodge, but rather to pack my bags and travel across state. Union City Lodge No. 538 is the farthest point from Rockford while still being in the state. On the long drive there, the other brothers seemed calm, but I was more than nervous. I asked myself many questions such as: Would they be nice to us? What would their lodge look like? Would they open the same way as us? Would they say the same things? Etc… It was a long trip, I was tired, I was hungry….but upon arrival, my wants were relieved by a brother who had prepared a wonderful meal for us. We were greeted, fed, talked to, catered to and treated with extreme friendliness. We also had the tremendous honor of meeting and talking at great length with Casey Hood, the about to be installed MWGM of the state of Tennessee.  I felt the same comfort as I did when I was at my own lodge. It was like going to a family reunion where everyone knows you and loves you, but just hadn’t seen you in a few years. I was amazed and relieved……The Past Masters were right. Masonry is a brotherhood that extends past your own lodge. For me, a trip to another lodge solidified this very important lesson. I strongly encourage you to travel to another lodge if able…..and of course, give the same brotherly love to those that travel to our lodge. Your single smile, hand shake, or kind word may be the very thing that helps a visiting brother realize a valuable lesson as I did.

From the South

Brethren,

With warmest greetings and brotherly love, I wish each of you a Happy New Year and hope your holiday season was filled with the joys of peace, family, relaxation, and of course good food.

It is an exciting time for Rockford Masons as we start this new year. Our calendar is filled with various fund raisers, community service events, and family nights that I am certain will be successful, rewarding, and fun for all of us. As we have always done, I encourage each of you to continue to participate in whatever way you can. Rockford Masons are known for their dedication, hard work, charity, and the good we provide for the community. I am proud of each and every one of you!

January and February will be relatively slow months as we plan, prepare, and ramp up for our full schedule throughout the rest of the year.

We will have our Awards Night Saturday, February 25^th at 6:00 p.m.

This is a pot luck dinner and family are encouraged to attend. We hope to see you there!

Yours,

J.W. Kevin Kirkpatrick

From the South

Brethren,

This month marks the last of our slow months this year, It's all uphill from here.

Next month, August 27th is our 3rd annual steak dinner. A cook from Ye Olde Steakhouse will be coming out to cook Ribeyes. Cost is $10 and will include a baked potato, salad and drink. Desserts will be sold by the Eastern Star.  We will have tickets next week or you can pay at the door.

September 10th we will be making tamales starting at 8:00 am and joining the Boyscouts for a roadside clean up at 12:00. Tamales are $12 a dozen and will be sold through January.

September 24th will be a lodge cleanup day and we will have a family night potluck on the 29th Eat at 6:00 pm

Gentlemen, we have a lot coming up. please continue to help me make this another great year at Rockford 469.

Yours,
J.W. Chris Seaton

From the South

Brethren,
Though we don't have a lot going on this month, we are gearing up for one of our biggest events of the year, the Summer Days BBQ at Rockford on June 18th 3:00pm - 6:00pm.
3 Meats, 3 Sides, Live Music, Bounce house for the kids.
$10 per person
Children 6-10 $5
Children under 6 eat free.

May 28th we will be working on the flowerbed at the lodge and could use any extra help.

Don't forget our official visit is June 2nd.

Yours,
J.W. Christopher Seaton

Inspirational: Kripkean Dogmatism, Confirmation Bias, Straw Man Arguments, and The Garden of the Senses

Brethren:

I'm of a strong mindset that learning new things is a great way to not only better yourself as a man, but also keep yourself healthy.  It's been shown learning about new areas of interest increases neural pathways in the brain, contributes to longevity, and staves Alzheimer's disease.

With that, I want to stray from the normal Masonic discussions and talk about three concepts I've uncovered recently, and how they apply to Freemasonry.

The first is something called Kripkean Dogmatism.  It was a philosophy founded by a guy named Saul Kripke.  Distilled to its plainest form, Kripkean Dogmatism says the mind will hold onto two or three facts about a subject and ignore potentially 97-98 other facts on the same subject to make sure their belief structure (the "Dogma") remains true!

Applying this to our Fraternity, if someone wants to believe that we are an allegedly Satanic Order with connections to aliens because it's something they saw on a History Channel "documentary" then they will continue to believe that despite the ninety-eight facts to the contrary, publicly available to those who choose to engage in a cursory search!

The second concept for discussion this evening is "confirmation bias."  This is a logical principle that says we want to believe what we think true so much that we will seek out people and ideas that believe the same things we do, even if that belief is mistaken or incorrect.  This is especially true in the Internet age, where Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and all sorts of social media allows us to keep ourselves thinking what we WANT to think is true.

Applying again this concept to our Fraternity, if someone wants to believe our Order is anti-Christian, they will do everything in their power to pay attention to those sources that say we are not Christian, because that's what they want to believe.  That person's worldview needs to believe Freemasonry can't be Christian, so they will work to find sources and people to support that view.

Now the "Straw Man Argument."  This is a logical fallacy where people pose an argument, and the responding party takes that argument, turns it into something completely different, proceeds to knock it down, and then declares victory.

Here is the "Straw Man Argument" in action when applied to our Fraternity.  "Freemasonry is a system of morality." "Freemasonry is misogynistic, so it can't be moral, because the Fraternity doesn't admit women."  The average Master Mason would then say "We don't admit women because," and the straw man argument would then be "If Freemasonry isn't misogynistic and amoral, then admit a woman into the Fraternity." You can't win at that point, and must therefore disengage because the person will not be amenable to the discussions that make our Order the bastion of enlightenment through the ages.

Tying all of this together, I leave you with a "therapeutic metaphor" described by Toronto therapist and hypnotist Mike Mandel.  On a trip to France, he and his wife visited a "garden of the senses."  This garden had beautiful flowers to view, wind chimes to hear the wind, berries to taste, plants one could smell, and certain plants like "lamb's ears" with a very kinesthetic (touch based) appeal.

While Mike was in this garden, he heard four French women conversing.  Mike was slightly knowledgeable of French, so he stopped to listen and see if he could understand their conversation.  The more he listened, the more he was proud of his ability to understand French.  It was a proud moment for him!  His linguistic studies were paying off!

It took Mike twenty minutes to finally realize the four women were speaking English with very heavy French accents.

I look forward to writing again for you all.

Warmest Regards,
Bro. Chris Seaton
Junior Warden, Rockford Lodge No. 469

FROM THE SOUTH

Brethren:

Hello again!  We're past our Stated Meeting, moving at a lightning pace, and going so fast this year that we're excited to see what's in store for the next ten months.

Our Stated Meeting saw us read the proposals for Grand Lodge next month, and discuss the Grand Lodge Degree (which will be a blast as it has been the last two times we've done it, so please come if you're going to Grand Lodge this year).

March is going to be a great month for us.

We're going to have a blast with the Lodge Maintenance Day and Roadside Cleanup activities on March 12, starting  8 AM.  This is an important task and community service we do, so if you're available and want to help keep our area clean, we'd love to have you.

We're moving the Lodge Maintenance and Roadside Cleanup day to the 12th because on March 5 we're going to take a trip to Sweetwater and visit our brethren there.  It's been nice to see brothers from Sweetwater show up at Rockford, and March 5 is their fish fry, so we're going to make a trip and eat like Rockford Masons do to support Sweetwater.

The 22-24th is Grand Lodge, and with it the Rockford Master Mason's degree.  We've raised people on the floor of the Grand Lodge in Nashville two times now and we hope to have an even larger audience this year.  If you'd like to take a part in this degree, either large or small, please contact us and we will point you in the right direction.  Regardless, this is not just a "must-see" event for Master Masons in Tennessee.  It's a "can't miss."  You will regret missing the Grand Lodge degree, just ask anyone who's been to one before!

March 26 will see us host an Easter Egg Hunt for children at the Lodge.  We pride ourselves on being very family friendly, and we encourage any Master Masons and their families who would be interested in such an event to show up at 9 AM.

Finally, we will close out March with another Family Night on the 31st.  We will eat at six, as usual.

I look forward to seeing all of you in the near future!

Best,
Bro. Chris Seaton
Junior Warden, Rockford Lodge #469

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE SOUTH RE PRACTICE 1/21/16

Greetings Brethren: 

After consultation with various parties, the Worshipful Master has stated tonight Rockford Lodge No. 469 will have a practice session. The roads are clear enough for all brethren to reach the lodge if they so choose.  

As usual, we would love to see you at practice, and we always want to see you in lodge with us.  If you need assistance getting to lodge, call a brother and let him know.   

Yours, 

Bro. Chris Seaton 

Junior Warden

FROM THE SOUTH

Hello Brethren of Rockford Lodge, and welcome to 2016!

It's January, and with the cold weather making us all a touch sleepy we don't have a lot going on this month.  Our Stated meeting featured an incredible seafood gumbo with cornbread, french bread, and cake prepared by our new Senior Steward and Junior Steward.  It's safe to say the kitchen has been left in good hands.

February begins a month of events starting with preparation of Tamales on Saturday, 2/6, bright and early.  The more hands we can get, the faster the preparation goes, so bring your friends and family with you and come help us make tamales!

On February 20 at 6 PM we have our annual Family Night and Awards night.  It will be a potluck supper with fried chicken being served as the main protein.  Bring your family and your stomach!

Also, Brethren of Rockford, your attendance is especially requested at our February Stated meeting.  Per the directives of the Grand Lodge, a change to the Bylaws of Rockford Lodge No. 469 are in order, and will be discussed at that Stated meeting.  Plus there's going to be incredible food, so you won't be disappointed.

Here's to a very successful 2016 for Rockford.  I am honored to serve the lodge as Junior Warden and look forward to meeting, working well together, and having fun with all my Rockford brothers.

Cordially Yours,
Bro. Christopher Seaton
Junior Warden

From the South

Brethren,

This month is another big one. There will be a lot to remember so I encourage you all to check back on the website at Rockfordmasoniclodge469.org for updates and a calendar list.

On Thursday Nov 19th we will be holding our annual Table Lodge. Please bring a dish Meat provided by Rockford Lodge. We will eat at 6:00 pm. and don't be afraid to wear your Kilt! (Kilt not required)

This Saturday, Nov 21st will be our last Turkey Shoot of the year at Rockford football field at 8:00 am.

On Nov 24th we will be taking some of the socks that we have collected this year to New Providence Church to participate in the dinner they provide to those in need. 5:00 pm.

Nov 28th will be the new date for our fall trash pick-up on Russel Rd. and afterward we will be making Tamales. We need all the help we can get with the tamales. We were going to make the first batch last week but we just didn't have enough people show up. This is one of our biggest money makers. Please come support your lodge.

Don't forget, we are voting on the 2016 officers at the Dec Stated Meeting and the installation will be after the Rockford Christmas Parade as follows:

Rockford's 2015 officer installation will be on Dec 12th at 5:00 pm with dinner after. This will be a potluck, Meat provided by the Martha Washington OES.

Officer's pictures will be at 4:00 pm.
Closing the lodge of sorrows will be at 4:30 pm.
Installation at 5:00 pm.
Dinner to follow.

We will also be participating in Meals on Wheels this holiday season. more info to come.

From the South

Brethren,
This month starts the busiest time of year at Rockford. To the brothers of the lodge: We need all the help we can get.

October 10th, 17th & 24th. we will be having Turkey Shoots at the Rockford football field beginning at 8:00 am

October 15th we will be having a Master Masons degree Eat at 6:00pm Degree to follow

October 31st will be our Halloween carnival. please invite all the kids you can. We strive to provide a safe atmosphere for children to get candy and play games. We will also be participating in the Tennessee Child ID Program (TNCHIP) at this event.

November 7th will be the Veteran's day breakfast .  Veterans eat FREE so tell all the vets that you know.

~J.W. Scott Hopkins

From the South

Brethren,
as we enter the fall and our busiest time of the year, I would like to thank you all for a wonderful year thus far. We have many more events coming up and will need all the help we can get as we close out the year.

This Saturday September 19th is of course our annual Steak Dinner. Come get a 9 oz Ribeye, Baked Potato and salad for $10 per plate. We will be Serving from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

October 10th, 17th & 24. will be our first run of fall Turkey Shoots. More info to come.

We will also be hosting our Annual Halloween Carnival on October 31st. More info in next month's Trestle Board.

Yours
J.W.

From the South

Brethren,

Here are your upcoming events.

First the Steak Dinner has been moved been postponed until September 19th.  We will be eating at 6:00pm and it will be $10 a plate.  If you would like tickets please contact a lodge officer.

We have a Master Mason's degree set for August 27th, Eat at 6:00 pm Degree to follow.

September 12th will be our quarterly lodge maintenance day.

We will also be having our biannual roadside cleanup of Russell road in September though a date has not yet been set, more to come.

~J.W.

From the South

Brethren,

I have a few announcements for this month.

July 11^th, Don’t forget that the Community Yard Sale is this Saturday at Rockford Lodge. Vender’s will start setting up at 8:00am. We have 10 venders this year, which is 2 more than last year, and we kept the parking lot full last year.

July 16^th, We have 2 FC Degrees, eat at 6:00pm, Degree to follow.

July 30^th, We will be hosting the annual Widows and Orphans dinner/ Family night. Eat at 6:00 pm. If you know a Blunt County widow or orphan, please invite them to come and eat. Rockford lodge will be providing Fried Chicken and it is requested that each Brother attending brings a covered dish (Pot Luck). We will also be collecting donations for the Tennessee widows and orphans fund.

Aug. 15^th, We will be hosting our 2^nd annual Steak Dinner. Eat at 6:00 pm. This year we will be serving via a line rather than at the tables. Dinner will include Steak, Salad, Baked Potato and Desert for $10

Yours Fraternally,

Scott Hopkins J.W.

From the South

Brethren,

First of all, I hope everyone is staying cool this summer and that you'll come cool off with us at the Summer Days BBQ and ice cream social on the 20th.

As we are in the height of summer and brothers are spending time with there families and taking vacations, we did not plan any events for this past month. Though we are an active lodge, we still want you brethren to take time and relax with those love and support you.

We did have two degrees last month so, congratulations to those brothers and we look forward to hearing those lectures.

Enjoy your summer brothers and we will see you soon.

Yours,
Scott Hopkins J.W.

From the South

Brethren,

Warm weather is upon us and there are some exciting things planned for the upcoming months.  This month we have 2 EA degrees on May 21 (this thursday)

June 6th we will be serving food at the fishing derby. This will be my first year attending this event and I have been assured that it is a lot of fun. I hope to see many of you there.

Please don't forget about the summer days BBQ and Ice Cream Social on June 20th. The Ice cream Social will be free but the BBQ will be $10 for adults, If you need tickets to sell or need to buy some. Please contact a Rockford Lodge Officer.

We also have the Annual Community Yard Sale on July 11th. If you would like to set up a booth, Please contact me at 865-686-2064. Setting up a booth is Free.

From the South

Brethren,

We have 2 degrees set for this month.  The first is a Master Masons degree on April 16th, eat at 6pm Degree to follow.
The Second degree is an EA on April 23rd, Eat at 6pm Degree to follow.

Rockford will be hosting a Turkey Shoot on April 18th & 25th at the Rockford Football Field.
We will begin at 8am  $3 - $5 to shoot.

Don't forget the district meeting on April 28th at TN204 We will eat at 6pm.

We have begun selling tickets for the summer BBQ.  It will be held on June 20th at Rockford lodge. BBQ will be sold from 5pm - 8pm $10 for adults and $4 for children 12 & under.  This day will also be our Ice Cream Social, FREE ice cream to anyone from 2pm - 8pm, No purchase necessary.

From the South

Brethren,

The seasons are changing and though things are slowing down, we have a lot of official business coming up.

This Tuesday Mar. 17th,  we are having a Masonic education class held by brother Carl Reneau, start at 7.

This Thursday Mar 19th, we have a MM degree, eat at 6 degree to follow, and Saturday the 21st is Lodge Maintenance Day, we will start at 9 am and be there most of the day, come when you can.

On the 24th we will be holding a degree on the Grand Lodge floor in Nashville around 8-9 pm. If you would like to participate in the degree, please contact brother Joe the degree captain at (865) 256-1357.  Grand Lodge will be on the 25th and 26th.

Next month.

The official visit will be on April 2nd. we need as many brethren to attend as possible.  For those newer masons, this is where a Grand Lodge official visits our lodge and helps us straighten out and inconsistencies in our ritual. He will also be grading us and testing any one who would like to get their proficiency or lecturer's cards.

We will be having Turkey Shoots on April 11th, 18th & 25th at the rockford football field. for more information, please contact brother Justin at (865) 712-6688.

The District Meeting this year will be hosted by TN 204 on April 28th eat at 6pm.

Lastly, a special thanks to Brother Tim Webb, who is standing in for me while I handle some family business. We all need help from time to time and its a great help to have a brother who will step in and share the load.

Yours in the light,
J.W. Scott Hopkins

From the South

Brethren,

A new year is upon us. Thank you for giving me a chance to be your Junior Warden this year.  We have a very busy schedule this year with at least one major event each month after January.

We have 2 EA degrees scheduled for Jan. 22 - Eat at 6pm and degree at 7pm as usual.

Because they are big events and because we don't have anything for this month, I will go ahead and let you know what is coming up next month.

On Feb. 7th we will be hosting our annual Country ham breakfast. We always have a good turn out for these but this year I would love to see us run out of food.  We will begin serving at 7:30am and we request a $5 donation per plate.

On Feb. 21st We will be having our annual Awards Night. this is where we give out awards to various masons in Blount county as well as some of our in house awards. It will be a pot luck with Rockford providing the main meat. We will Eat at 6pm.

Again I am looking forward to another great year as a Rockford Mason, lets start it out with a bang.

Yours,
Scott Hopkins
Junior Warden

From the South

Brethren,
We are looking forward to another jam packed year next year; but, first let's talk about December.

This Saturday, DEC 13th is our busiest day.
    No later than Noon we will be meeting at the lodge to load up the float and head to our starting point for the Rockford Christmas parade. Everyone is invited, we want to get as many kids on the float as possible. We also are still in need of candy for the parade.
    At 5:30PM we will be closing our lodge of sorrow for the year. Please come pay respects for the brethren we have lost this year.
    At 6:00PM we will be eating dinner.
    The installation of officers will be at 7:00PM.
    Officers pics and the opening of the new lodge of sorrows will come directly after the installation.

Thursday DEC 18th we will be having a Master Masons degree. Eat at 6:00PM, Degree at 7:00PM

Sunday DEC 21st We will be helping out again this year with the Food Pantry. this is a heart warming experience that will bring food and gifts to many needy families this Christmas. If you are interested, we will be meeting no later than 5:30AM at:

Army National Guard Recruiting

1721 West Lamar Alexander Parkway

Maryville, TN 37801

Saturday DEC 27th we will be having a Coffee Meeting at 8:00AM at the lodge in observance of St. Johns day. Come join us for coffee and donuts and some good masonic conversation.

January will be the last month we will be making tamales, The first batch will be on the 3rd starting at 10:00AM. We need all the help we can get.

Yours,

~J.W. Dustin Wade

From the South

Brethren,

I am pleased to bring you your upcoming events for the months of November and December.

On Nov 18 we will be having 2 EA degrees. Eat at 6:00 pm, degrees start at 7:00 pm

On Nov 20 we will be having a FC degree Eat at 6:00 pm, degree starts at 7:00 pm

It's Table Lodge time! Come join us on NOV 25th as we reenact the holding of lodge while eating as it was held in our forefathers time. Don't forget your kilt if you have one. We will eat at 6PM and it will be a pot-luck. 

Rockford lodge will be providing the main meat and you will be in for a treat if you attend.

On Dec 13 We will be Participating in the Rockford Christmas parade again this year. If you would like to help out or be on the float, please be at the lodge no later than at noon.

The installation of the 2015 Officers for Rockford Lodge will be held on Dec 13th. after the Christmas parade 

Please come out and support your incoming Officers and bring your family. We will eat at 6:00 pm with the installation to follow. The Lodge of Sorrow and officers pictures will start at 4:30.

Dec 18 will be the pack up for the Empty pantry. More info to come

Dec 21 will be the delivery for the Empty pantry. More info to come

So that the incoming Worshipful Master might have time to plan the next years events, there will be no degrees scheduled between Dec 18th and Jan 1st

Yours,

~ J.W. Dustin Wade