Brethren,
The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation has a new website. MaineMasonicCharitableFoundation.org is “live” and open to visitors. The website offers masonic and non-masonic visitors the opportunity to become acquainted with the many charitable programs the Foundation supports. The website also provides the ability for visitors to make charitable contributions online. Charitable Grants and Relief awards applications are available on the site. These can be completed on line and submitted electronically thus eliminating hard copies and postage. Also, search out our MMCF Facebook page as well.
As a reminder to the Lodges who do not use MORI: you must file Monthly Status Reports with this office by the 5th of EACH month whether there are changes or not. The data is essential to the orderly work of the Grand Lodge. These reports are not optional.
E-mail has become an essential communications link. As postage rates increase, e-mail becomes even more important. I request of you and encourage you to update and maintain the e-mail addresses for the Lodge for which you are responsible. The savings in time and money can be remarkable.
District Deputy Grand Masters and District Educational Representatives are eligible for a District wide MORI logon. This will provide you with a number of tools for learning about and communicating with your District. Simply call the Office while at your computer to become enrolled.
From the Maine Masonic College:
The Maine Masonic College is offering one course during June. “The King’s Speech” by RW David Richardson will be offered on June 21st from 7PM until 9PM at Benevolent Lodge in Carmel. Call Theresa at the Grand Lodge Office for more information or to preregister for these courses.
Masonic College Convocation will be held in Bangor this year on October 10th and 11th at the Hollywood Casino. The theme will be “Polishing the Stone” which will deal with the steps in the development of Master Masons. Mark the dates in your calendar. More information will be forthcoming as the event approaches.
Thanks for all you do,
Fraternally,
Mark E. Rustin
Grand Secretary
From the Insurance Corner:
June 1st is the renewal date of the Grand Lodge Insurance Policy with Great American Insurance Co. This policy provides liability coverage for all Maine Lodges as required by The Grand Lodge of Maine’s Standard Regulation, as well building and contents coverage for those Maine Lodges that take advantage of this group package policy. What does renewal time mean you ask??
Well it means that all Maine Lodges will be receiving a bill from the Grand Lodge office for your coverage probably in mid to late June. I am sure when the bill arrives some of you will have questions about the bill and the amount owed. As I have indicated before, I am available to answer questions you might have regarding your insurance. I might have to research some questions, but I will get the answers for you. The Insurance Committee and the Grand Lodge Office have been very busy obtaining the information needed to renew this policy for 2014-2015.
Those Maine Lodges that will be renewing your coverage outside the Grand Lodge policy, and wish to get a quote can contact the Grand Lodge office to obtain the contact information of our Maine agency, Sargent Tyler and West. The agent handling the coverage is Alan Darrah and he is also available to aid you in your insurance needs. It takes about 45 days to obtain a quote, so don’t wait until the last minutes. Call us and we will be more than happy to start the process. As in many things today nothing is complete until the paper work is done.
Fred Lunt, Chair of the Insurance Committee
From Beneath the Books
Brethren:
Summertime – if it ever gets here! – is traditionally a time for reading on those warm, lazy days. We have all sorts of books to pique the interest of Masons available for you to borrow from the Grand Lodge Library. Fiction (including a murder at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial) and non-fiction (books about the development of ritual, the four cardinal virtues, and more) and even some sci-fi and esoteric readings by Masons. There’s lots to learn and enjoy. Please let your lodge members know about the many resources available to them. Borrowing books is free and we ask only that you pay the postage for their safe trip ‘back home’. See the catalog at www.mainemason.org or contact our Grand Librarian, Ed King, at grandlibrarian@mainemason.org for borrowing or suggestions!
Ed King, Grand Librarian