Masonry Corner

FORWARD…Always Forward! That is the message every Lodge in our Grand Jurisdiction should have as a goal, a mission statement. Your Lodge will not grow and become more visible in your community if you are not constantly moving forward. When was the last time you voted on a petition for a new member? When was the last time you participated in a community event? Why are some Lodges begging financial woes when they have outstanding past dues? Has your Lodge submitted an article for publication that promotes what your membership is doing in your community? Why not share your ideas and community involvement with other Lodges as a great way to promote your Lodge. Don’t become stagnant - FORWARD…Always Forward!

Just a small reminder that if you change any of your personal information, be sure to let your secretary know of the change. It is very important when doing a Call-emAll or emailing a Brother that the correct information is in the Lodge database. I use the database when I need information on a Brother or a Lodge and notice that not everyone’s information is current.

Today’s smartphones are a modern marvel. Manufacturers are churning out new, stateof-the-art products at a dizzying rate. You may be asking yourself, “Do I really need a smartphone that will shoot a 48-megapixel image?” The short answer is not really.

A typical smartphone usually takes photos at a 12 megapixel size (or larger). This is more than adequate resolution for the Freemasonry publication. Many times the photos submitted are so much smaller than that size. When uploading photos from your smartphone, please make sure you send the actual image size — not a reduced version (i.e. small, medium or large). Often when emailing a photo, your phone will ask what size it should send.

For everyday use, most smartphones will do just fine. My nearly 6-year-old Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone creates a 22.6 megapixel photo. This will translate to a 13” wide by 10” high image which is ideal for printing in the Freemasonry magazine. My husband has an older model iPhone 11 which takes an even larger photo: a 34.9 megapixel image. As far as taking a group shot or a photo of a building’s exterior, I couldn’t ask for a better phone.

Keep in mind that email servers these days can accept a MUCH larger file size than they ever could before. You should have no problem emailing actual size (original resolution) photos.

R.W.B. Ed Walker, Editor

W.B. Mark Schmidt, Associate Editor Jennifer Woods, Graphic Designer

The Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team will perform an entire 3rd Degree in Altamont, Illinois’ grade school gym on Saturday, June 24th at 10:00 a.m. The gym is located at 407 Edwards Street (exit 82 on Interstate 70, 12 miles west of the I-70/I-57 intersection). The air conditioned gym will open at 7:00 a.m.

According to information published in Freemasonry, the team has origins dating to 1948. This has been corroborated by David Dill, Secretary of the Team. The Team consists of Master Masons who are also Native Americans and includes two past Grand Masters of Oklahoma. The members of the

By Theodore Essex

Akin Lodge No.749, Thompsonville, recently donated to a coat drive for Thompsonville and Akin grade schools. The drive was organized to provide warm winter coats for children in need within the community.

The Lodge members recognized the importance of keeping children warm during the frigid winter months and were happy to contribute to the cause. The donated coats will be distributed team come from many different lodges and Native American Nations and are the only known Indian Degree Team in existence. It is estimated that they have raised over 900 Master Masons.

The Team travels all over the United States and Europe performing the 3rd Degree with dispensation from the Oklahoma Grand Lodge to perform the 2nd section of the Degree in their Native dress. Dill states that the Team performs approximately 20 Degrees a year and the last time they were in Illinois was 2002.

The Team does not charge to perform the Degree, nor do they perform mock Degrees but asks to students at the schools who may not have access to a warm winter coat. that their travel expenses of gas, meals and lodging be covered when they travel from their base of Tulsa, Oklahoma. To ensure that these expenses are covered, pre-registration is encouraged. The $40 fee covers team expenses, lunch served the day of the degree and a commemorative coin. Plans will be based on the number of pre-registrations and there will be a very limited number of openings available June 24, get your registration in early to ensure your spot and help us in our planning. Reservations are being accepted at Venmo@Gregory-Sidwell or by Pay Pal at ilsid2000@mac.com. For questions contact Greg Sidwell at (618) 562-9471.

The Thompsonville and Akin grade schools expressed their gratitude for the generous donation from the Lodge. They praised the Lodge members for their commitment to serving the community and helping to ensure that all children have access to warm winter clothing. The school officials also mentioned that this donation will help to ease the burden on families who may be struggling financially.

The coat drive was a success thanks to the support of the community, including the generous donation from Akin Lodge #749. The school officials are encouraged by the outpouring of support and plan to continue the drive in the future to help more children in need.

W.B. Theodore Essex Secretary, Akin Lodge No.749