This is the fist attempt at a District newsletter. If you have any news you would like added please send to me. I am not sure how often this will be produced so if the information is time sensitive then this is probably not the best format. I was thinking of news which is more informative that "latest breaking CNN" type news. District events not in the trestle board would be some of the items I could put in a newsletter and if I receive enough news I will attempt to get a newsletter out sooner rather than later. Email is the best format to send as it allows me to cut and paste. My email is duncanr@bmts.com. I hope to include the newsletter on the web site as well as sending out in the mail.

DDGM : A warm welcome to our new DDGM R.W.Bro. R. Murray Hoover. This years Trestle Board will have been distributed by now and all the information is also on the web site. We will also have had the Master's and Warden's Association meeting and The District meeting over by this time. We will be seeing the DDGM meetings starting soon and I encourage all the Master's to attend all these meetings and bring along as many of your members as you can. We need to show support for our DDGM and I have always found visiting to be one of the most enjoyable and worthwhile things one can do in Masonry. Meeting new friends, renewing old friendships and being with the broader family of Freemasonry is important in every Mason's Masonic life. Attending those meeting doesn't just support your DDGM it supports your lodge and masonry in general.

District Web Site: ( northhuronmasonicdistrict.org ) As of this letter I have updated most of the website including District Officers, DDGM Message, Events etc. I still have a few odd changes to make but hopefully by the time you receive this they will have been done. If you have any news you wish to put on the site please let me know and I will see if I can get it on as quickly as I can. Please check the site out and let me know of any errors or omissions which I am sure you will find.

CHIP's: Children's Identification Program is an excellent program for the benefit of children/children's safety. It is very confidential; no information is retained by the people who do this program. I believe once this becomes more known the demand will be very high. The first official CHIP event in our District will have been held in Palmerston on August 29th at the Fall Fair. We wish them success. There is more on this program on the Grand Lodge web site.

Masonic Education: The Grand Lodge "Group of 15" has produced two excellent manuals to be used for mentoring and the education of new candidates. They will also be informative to some of us "old guys". The first one covers the Entered Apprentice degree and the second covers the Fellowcraft degree. They are in the process of producing a third for the Master Mason degree. These documents can be downloaded from the Grand Lodge web site or can be purchased for $15.00 each. I believe and suggest that every lodge has a copy of these manuals as an aid to the mentoring of our new candidates. These manuals were originally produced in Australia but have been edited for our jurisdiction. They can also be used for Masonic education within lodge. The Grand Master's message is "Give them a reason for coming to Lodge and Mason's will be there." ( I have attached a copy of M.W. Bro. Raymond S.J Daniels message to this newsletter below) What better way to entice members back than to discuss at Lodge a greater understanding of the true meaning of Masonry to be spoken about and practiced in lodge and to then be taken back into our communities.

The End: Some of the above are my thoughts and views and not to be considered as the DDGM's or the District's. Next time make them your thoughts and views. What better way to expand our understanding than by communication with one another. "The Group of 15" believe any discussion in lodge about Masonry; its philosophy, its history, its symbols and especially its future will always bring good discussion and participation which makes for a better meeting.

W. Bro Ron Duncan

Communication and Computer Resource Chairman

Grand Masters Message

Give Them a Reason for Coming to Lodge, ....and Masons Will Be There!

As we move steadily through the last weeks of August, the hours of daylight begin slowly but surely to shorten and the evenings grow perceptibly cooler; the first faint tinges of autumn colour begin to appear along the roadsides; ads for back to school sales appear in the papers; and our thoughts turn to the resumption of regular Masonic activities. The new District Deputy Grand Masters call their District Meetings to share with their Masters and Wardens their goals and aspirations for the coming year. While most lodges observe a two-month summer recess, there are special meetings - Summer Visitors' Night in Muskoka Lodge No. 360, Bracebridge, and Grand Lodge Officers' Night in Coronation Lodge No. 466, Elmvale, have become annual traditions in late summer. Many family picnics, BBQs and pork roasts provide enjoyable opportunities to celebrate the social virtues. But, above all, there is the eager anticipation of going back to Lodge to again enjoy the fraternal affection of our brethren. What promise will the new Masonic year hold in your Lodge? Will the lodge receive several petitions from serious minded young men searching for and hoping to find 'something' in Freemasonry that they have been unable to find elsewhere in life? Will there be interesting and informative learning opportunities that will increase the Masonic knowledge and understanding for both the neophyte and the veteran? Has the Worshipful Master planned 'special' events to make every meeting one not to be missed - a visiting degree team, Past Masters' night, a lodge of discussion, step-up night for junior officers? What community involvement will raise the positive public awareness of Freemasonry in the local community? Will the lodge celebrate a significant anniversary - 50, 100, 125, or perhaps 150 years of continuous service, providing inspiration from the past to move forward into the future and perpetuate the legacy? Simply stated, as one member said: "Give me a reason for coming to lodge, and I will be there!" What makes a "Good Lodge?" How do we measure success? Here is a checklist that the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alberta suggested (see Fraternal Reviews, Grand Lodge Preliminary Reports, 2009): " strong attitude; " good ritual; " sound finance; " social events; " Mentor and Education; " Open house/public awareness. Enthusiasm is catching. When visiting the Grand Lodge of New Jersey my attention was caught by this slogan that some of the brethren were sporting on tee shirts: FREEMASONRY - Love It; Talk It; Live It! May the Great Architect prosper the work of your lodge and crown all your Masonic activities with success.

Raymond S. J. Daniels Grand Master

15 August 2009