May 2022 Trestleboard

The Lodge Secretary endeavors to keep our roster as accurate as possible. If you are moving, changing your mailing address, phone number or email address, please update your information in GrandView or notify the Secretary so that your information can be kept current.

Twin Peaks Lodge Secretary

The Trestleboard is an official publication of Twin Peaks Lodge No. 32, which is a legally constituted Masonic Lodge operating under charter granted by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah. The Trestleboard is published for the sole and exclusive use of the members of Twin Peaks Lodge No. 32, and any other use is expressly forbidden.  The editor of The Trestleboard is Glen Van Steeter.  Submissions of educational articles or other announcements may be sent to the editor at [email protected], and if selected for publication, will be given full attribution. All submissions are subject to the approval of the Worshipful Master of Twin Peaks Lodge No. 32 and the editor of the Trestleboard.

Sickness and Distress

Brethren all, if you are aware of any member of this Lodge who is suffering from ill-health or other adverse circumstances, or you yourself are suffering the same and you feel that it would benefit the member to be contacted by members of the Lodge, please reach out to the Secretary and let him know!

Stated Meeting

Monday, May 2nd @ 7:30 PM. There will be a dinner prior to the meeting starting at 6:30 pm.

Other Mondays

Upcoming Degrees – We are preparing for two degrees. A Master Mason degree for Brother Killpack, and an Entered Apprentice degree for Mr. Stephen Sumbot, a former member of the Lodge who has decided to receive the Three Degrees again. Please keep an eye out for emails or Grandview postings regarding the specifics. The Degree Practices are scheduled for Monday the 9th and Monday the 16th.

Festive Board – We will be participating in a festive board hosted by Canyon Lodge No. 13 on May 23rd. This is also the 2nd half of our Grand Lodge Visitation. We expect a number of Grand Lodge members to be present. The meal will be catered. Costs will be coming out very soon, and details should be provided at the stated meeting on May 2nd. This Trestleboard will be updated once the details or solidified. Please mark your calendars, and please add this date to your personal calendars.

Other Activities

Visitation to Vegas Lodge No. 32 – Las Vegas, Nevada – June 3rd to 4th

Twin Peaks #32 will be visiting Las Vegas Lodge #32 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This visit has been approved by the Grand Master of Utah, MWB Jason Allred. Las Vegas Lodge #32 will have their stated meeting followed by a table lodge. It will be a themed Hawaiian Costume night. Open to all Entered Apprentices and above.

We will be travelling to Las Vegas on Friday morning to attend Lodge that evening. We will stay overnight and enjoy a buffet breakfast and an early show on Saturday prior to our return to our home. Again, more details will be provided at the Stated Meeting on May 2nd and will be posted to this Trestleboard as well as sent out on emails and Grandview postings.

Mason’s at Work Picnic – July 9th, 2022

Please see the article at the end of this Trestleboard.

Holidays and Observances

From the East

My dear brothers,

We all joined Freemasonry for various reasons; whether that be for the history of the fraternity, a family legacy, fraternal friendships, esoteric and symbolic rituals, or community involvement. I am a firm believer there is an aspect for everyone. I would hope that all of us would have joined for the greater desire to become the best version of ourselves by applying the lessons taught us in Freemasonry.

From the lockdowns of last year, we have been making a big effort this year to renew our practice in the ritual, raise awareness in the community through activities and online presence, and become better men by the application of the working tools.

Twin Peaks Lodge needs you. There are many aspects to maintaining and growing a Lodge. There are offices to be filled, degree parts to learn, and opportunities to serve. Time waits for no one. If we are not progressing, then we are falling behind. The active brethren of Twin Peaks have been wearing many hats and serving the lodge with freedom, fervency, and zeal. But they cannot do it all, and we need your help. Whatever your motivation was to join initially, there is an opportunity to participate and enjoy the fraternity.

I invite you to come and see the great work that has happened so far this year, and the exciting plans we have designed on the trestle board.

On the Secretary’s Desk

Brethren all,

I have a number of topics to discuss with you.

Grand Lodge Visitation – April 11th

On April 11th, eight members of Twin Peaks Lodge joined us virtually on Zoom to participate in our annual official visitation by the Grand Master of Utah, Most Worshipful Brother Jason Allred, and other officers of the Grand Lodge. After the preliminaries such as introductions and opening benediction, our Worshipful Master, Worshipful Brother Ephraim Sng, provided his annual Master’s Report, which was well received by the Grand Lodge. The Grand Master then asked a number of questions regarding our Master’s term plan, and touched on visitations, activities, anticipated degrees, recruitment and retention. He particularly was interested in our out-of-jurisdictional visits that had already occurred or were planned and he encouraged our endeavors. He also encouraged our Lodge to work with brethren in arrears to coordinate a payment plan to help them become current. it was also mentioned during the conversation that they are impressed with the new lodge website and were happy to hear that we had started receiving inquiries through it. MWB Dean Rein, the Grand Lodge Treasurer (and a member of Twin Peaks), then reviewed the Treasurer’s Questionnaire and reported that he found that the Secretary and Treasurer were following established guideliness and policies for the handling and reporting of receipts and disbursements. The Grand Secretary, MWB “Lon” Tibbets, then reported some statistics of concern, a detailed report of which will be provided by our Secretary at the May stated meeting. I thank The Grand Lecturer, MWB Steven Lancaster, then confirmed that WB Lyle Miller has been officially appointed the Deputy Grand Lecturer for Twin Peaks Lodge. He also encouraged us to shake the dust off of and make use of the Alternate Proficiency program for brethren who may be struggling to progress through the Three Degrees memorization work. He also reminded us to encourage our members to apply for and complete the Ritual Proficiency Program. The Senior Grand Warden, WB David Tingey reminded us that the oft-used phrase: “We make good men better men” isn’t entirely accurate. We provide men with the tools to make themselves better men, but we cannot accomplish this mission unless these men become involved in the Lodge. The meeting ran approximately 90 minutes and there was congeniality throughout.

Quarterly Calling Committee

A hallmark of any healthy Masonic Lodge is regular communications between its members. We currently have about 10-12 members that regularly attend our meetings. We have 67 members of which 48 live in Utah. As an outreach effort, the Sr. Warden, W.B. Robert Hartman, and the Secretary, would like to try and get a quarterly calling committee running. We could use some help in this effort. The goals of the quarterly calling committee are:

1. Make successful phone contact with 70% of our members every 90 days.
2. Find out how they are doing in all regards. Health and wellness, family wellness and financial.
3. Informing the brethren about upcoming meetings, events and activities.
4. For those who are not coming out to Lodge meetings or activities, why aren’t they?

To work on the calling committee, you will need the following:

1. A working phone.
2. Something to take notes on. We have a shared Google Spreadsheet that we are currently using and we can share that with you. That does require a computer and an internet connectioon.
3. A willingness to give about 8-12 hours every three months to make calls.
4. Make a report to the committee chairman (the Secretary) prior to the stated meeting the committee report is due, which for this period will be the June stated meeting.

If you are willing to volunteer for this committee, your help will be greatly appreciated. Please contact the Secretary to get going.

Fraternally and cordially,

Glen Van Steeter, PM – Secretary

Masonic Anniversaries

These brethren were raised to the degree of Master Mason in the month of May.

• Brother Sam Tom Korologos, raised on May 12, 1982 and has 40 years of service.
• Brother Arun Mathew Jacob, raised on May 19, 2014 and has 8 years of service.
• Brother Jeremy Todd Estes, raised on May 21, 2014 and has 8 years of service.
• Brother Johnnatan M Tenorio, raised on May 11, 2015 and has 7 years of service.
• Brother Richard George Scott, raised on May 11, 2017 and has 5 years of service.

Happy Birthdays

These brethren were born in the month of May. Many happy returns!

• Brother Richard Lee, born on May 2.
• Brother Arun Jacob, born on May 3.
• Brother Trent Norton, born on May 22.
• Brother Christopher Kingsley, born on May 22.
• Brother Albert Shahinian, born on May 28.
• Worshipful Brother Lyle Miller, born on May 30.

Spring Cleanup Day Report

Submitted by Ephraim Sng, Master of Twin Peaks Lodge 32

Worshipful Brothers Ephraim Sng and Lyle Miller came out on April 16th to do some spring cleaning of the Lodge building and our spaces.

Here’s what they did:

• Removed weeds from the garden bed on the west side of the Lodge and also the parking areas.
• Swept the front half of the parking lot too remove rocks and debris.
• Cleaned and organized the Lodge closet:
  • Moved liquids and foods from the ante room closet and put them in our spaces in the kitchen cabinets.
  • Simplified access to all furniture and supplies for our Lodge meetingts. They are now on the main shelf and ready to be accessed.
  • Took inventory of what the Lodge owned.
• Cleaned and organized the Lodge kitchen cabinets and shelving
  • We won’t need to buy bottled water for a while. We have lots and lots of bottled water. They are all located in the bottom cabinets. Please help yourselves.
  • Same with disposable cups, plates and utensils. We have well over a year’s supply of disposable kitchen supplies. We’re sure that we will use some of these for our upcoming picnic and activities.

We are making great strides in keeping our Lodge in healthy, running order. Thank you brethren for your continued support and contributions to the Lodge. I hope we can continue to make it a great experience for all of us.

Your Brother,
Ephraim Sng, PM
Worshipful Master, Twin Peaks Lodge No. 32

When is a Man a Mason?

When is a man a Mason?
When he can look out over the rivers, the hills, and the far horizon with a profound sense of his own littleness in the vast scheme of things, and yet have faith, hope, and courage-which is the root of every virtue. When he knows that down in his heart, every man is as noble, as vile, as divine, as diabolic, and as lonely as himself, and seeks to know, to forgive, and to love his fellow man. When he knows how to sympathize with men in their sorrows, yes, even in their sins-knowing that each man fights a hard fight against many odds. When he has learned how to make friends and how to keep them, and above all how to keep friends with himself. When he loves flowers, can hunt the birds without a gun, and feels the thrill of an old forgotten joy when he hears the laugh of a little child. When he can be happy and high-minded amid the meaner drudgeries of life. When star-crowned trees, and the glint of sunlight on flowing waters, subdue him like the thought of one much loved and long dead. When no voice of distress reaches his ears in vain, and no hand seeks his aid without response. When he finds good in every faith that helps any man to lay hold of divine things and sees majestic meaning in life, whatever the name of that faith may be. When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something beyond mud, and into the face of the most forlorn fellow mortal and see something beyond sin. When he knows how to pray, how to love, how to hope. When he has kept faith with himself, with his fellow man, with his God; in his hand a sword for evil, in his heart a bit of a song-glad to live, but not afraid to die! Such a man has found the only real secret of Masonry, and the one which it is trying to give to all the world.

Excerpted from “The Builders A Story and Study of Masonry”, by Brother Joseph Fort Newton, originally published in 1914
Brother Newton was raised a Master Mason on May 28, 1902 in Friendship Lodge #7, Dixon Illinois; later affiliated with Mt. Hermon Lodge #263 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Philadelphia Lodge #51, Philadelphia PA. He served as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Iowa from 1911 to 1913, and as Grand Prelate of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar (years unknown).

Presented by Worshipful Brother Robert Hartman at the January Stated Meeting of Twin Peaks Lodge No. 32

Mason’s At Work Picnic