On November 5, 2015, the brethren of Inman Masonic Lodge elected their officers during the regular communication for the year of 2016. Brother Lynn Lowe was elected to serve as Worshipful Master, Brother Steve Adams for Senior Warden, and Brother Stephen Pinker for Junior Warden. Worshipful Brother Paul McWilliams was elected to the office of Secretary, and Right Worshipful Brother Doug O’Shields will serve again as Treasurer. Worshipful Brother Lew Crissone was again appointed to serve as Tiler, and Brother Ken Kuszmaul will serve as Chaplain. Brothers Steven Setzer and Steve Parris have been appointed as the Senior and Junior Deacons, respectively, and Brothers Eric Bradey and Josh Clayton will serve as Stewards.
Degree Work
Congratulations to Brother Jeffrey Elmore Reid being initiated to the Entered Apprentice Degree on October 20th, and to Brother Larry David Pearson on being passed to the Fellow Craft Degree on October 29th, and then raised to the Master Mason’s Degree on November 30th. Brother Pearson was raised during a Past Master’s Degree at Roebuck Lodge #357 performed by the AFM Club, with Most Worshipful Brother William B. Rogers and his party in attendance.
The True Christmas Spirit
For Christmas this year, Inman Masonic Lodge decided to donate money for gifts for a resident of Golden Age Retirement Home. Brother Stephen Parris and his wife Carolyn volunteered to present the gifts to the resident on December 16th, which consisted of essentials like sweat pants and shirts, socks and skin lotion. At the Parris’ arrived at the home to present their gifts, they were approached by another resident at the entrance to the home who thought that they were there to visit him. Looking around the retirement home, they felt that just presenting presents to one individual in a place where they saw so many in need just simply wasn’t enough. Enlisting the help of our very own Worshipful Brother Santa Claus, they passed out puzzle books, coloring books and socks to all the residents in addition to the gifts for our original recipient. Brother and Ms. Parris also gave flannel shirts to the resident they met when they first arrived. They visited with the residents while Santa played songs on the piano for their entertainment. Thanks to Santa Claus for help making this true showing of Christmas spirit special. A special thanks goes out to the Parris’ who took the time to give these residents gifts from their own pockets, as well as to a Brother who matched the Lodge’s contribution for this endeavor. Without this special group of people, some of these folk may not have had any cheer brought their way, and Christmas would have been just another day.
Brother Steve Adams' Certificate of Appreciation
Brother Steve Adams was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation at the December business meeting for the Spartanburg Valley of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for his hard work in Masonic Education during 2015. Brother Adams has given many talks on various Masonic topics throughout the year at both the Spartanburg and Greenville Valleys, and invited many guest speakers such as Most Worshipful and Illustrious Brothers Gerald Carver and G. Kent Elkins. For the December meeting, Brother Adams invited Illustrious Brother Arturo de Hoyos, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction down from Washington, DC to give a special presentation before and a Q&A session during the business meeting. It was an exciting end to a great year of Masonic education spearheaded by Brother Adams.
George Washington Portrait Presentations
Inman Masonic Lodge presented two George Washington portraits to Inman Elementary and Inman Intermediate Schools on December 18th. Right Worshipful Brother Eddy Mitchell, Worshipful Brothers Steve Pinker, Wayne Morris, Jeff Honeycutt and Brothers Steven Setzer & Lynn Lowe represented Inman Lodge at each schools’ holiday assembly to present the portraits. The Principals for the respective schools were elated to receive this portrait of the Father of our Nation, which make the second and third portraits presented to the area schools as part of the “Put George Back In Our Schools” project. For more information, contact RWB Sam Turner III at 864590-7405 or RWB Jason Traxler at 864-909-6003.
Ladies & Awards Night
Inman Masonic Lodge held the annual Ladies & Awards Night on November 7th. Attendees were treated to a down-home country dinner of cubed steak and gravy with rice, pinto beans, fried cabbage and sweet potato soufflé, as well as banana pudding and coconut cake. After the wonderful meal, all of the officers of the Lodge were presented with their certificates of appreciation and plaques. Two special awards were then presented to two very deserving brothers. The Master and Wardens of 2015 presented Brother Ken Kuszmaul with the 150% Award, and the brethren of Inman Masonic Lodge voted to present Brother Steven Setzer with the Mason of the Year award, both for their outstanding service to the lodge for the past year. After the awards, Worshipful Brother Steve Pinker and his wife Patsy presented all the ladies with a gift of a necklace or bracelet, and then let the ladies choose from a large selection of accessories for their jewelry. Thanks to Worshipful Brother Steve and Patsy for a wonderful evening!
Harvest Day 2015
September 26th, 2015 was a damp and dreary day, but Harvest Day 2015 pressed on. Most of the vendors slated to be at Harvest Day were set up, and despite the rain, people came to town. The crowds were definitely thinner, but a surprisingly good turnout for the weather helped to push Inman Masonic Lodge’s Annual Barbeque Sale into the black. Many thanks go out to the volunteers for this year’s festival in making it such a success!
Golf Tournament 2015 Results
Inman Lodge’s 29th Annual Charles Heatherly Memorial Golf Tournament was held at Village Greens in Inman, SC, on August 29th. Over 100 hole sponsors, 32 teams and wonderful weather helped make this year’s golf tournament one of the best since the economic downturn. Although no one took home any of the Par 3 prizes for a hole-in-one, there were a few very close shots. After the tournament, the teams were treated to a barbeque lunch provided by Gary Plumley, Chad Morris and Mike Caton, with slaw donated by Mike Campbell. Much of the proceeds from the annual golf tournament fund many of Inman Masonic Lodge’s charitable endeavors. Many thanks go out to each and every one of the sponsors and volunteers for their support.
RWB Bruce Chennery Coronation
It has been announced that RWB Bruce Chennery has been recommended to receive his 33rd Degree at the Greenville Valley of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Brother Bruce was Master of Inman Lodge in the year 2001, served as Junior Grand Deacon from 2008 to 2009, and served as the District Deputy Grand Master for the 20th District from 2009 to 2011. He then served as Grand Marshal under MWB Jay Adam Pearson from 2011 to 2013. Brother Bruce’s coronation has been scheduled for October 31, 2015. RWB Bruce will become only the third living 33rd Degree Mason in Inman Lodge. Congratulations to him for this honor!
2015 Inspirational Meeting
The 19th, 20th & 21st Masonic District’s Inspirational Meeting was held on Thursday, September 24th, at Cannons Campground United Methodist Church. The meal was provided by Inman Chapter 169 Order of the Eastern Star. Over 300 brothers and guests attended the meeting. Inman Lodge 201 had 22 brothers and guests represented, capturing the Traveling Bible for the third year as well as the 20th District Traveling Gavel for the second year. RWB Cal Disher, Junior Grand Warden for the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons, was the speaker for the evening, who gave a talk on how Freemasonry was needed in this modern time.