VOLUME 2 - April, 2008

To the officers and members of Balfour Lodge #188,

       The Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians best sum up the purpose of Freemasonry, “And
now abidith faith, hope, and charity, but of these the greatest is charity.”  To this we have added the
following explanation to our Masonic lecture:  “Faith may be lost in sight, hope ends in fruition, but
charity extends beyond the grave.”   Before being initiated as Masons, we affirmed our faith in deity,
and on being raised to the sublime degree, our hope in immortality was confirmed, but it is our charity
more than anything else that defines us as Master Masons, and distinguishes us from the profane.  We
measure our accomplishments as a Lodge by our charitable contributions.  Most often this is in the
form of monetary donations.  But it is our individual contributions, not only of money, but of our time
and our talents, which are of the most worth.  It is the instructive tongue that whispers good council to
a brother, the attentive ear that is always willing to hear a brother's troubles, the faithful breast that
keeps a brother's secrets as inviolate as his own, and the hand, which is always willing to support a
brother in his time of need.  These, my brothers, are what distinguish us as Master Masons.  As
Master Masons, we are charitable, and do good things not out of fear of punishment or for hope of
reward, but to emulate the character of deity.  As Master Masons, we understand that change must
come from within.  We “govern ourselves accordingly” that we might live our lives above reproach, and
become pillars of light, that the world at large would want to emulate.  We are builders of men, yet we
do not “recruit” members.  We live our lives in such a way that good men come to us willingly.  There
are no intrinsic benefits within our fraternity.  We receive no monetary wages; on the contrary, we give
time and money to the fraternity.  To many of our officers and active members, this fraternity is
almost like a second job.  This is the charity that Paul speaks of.  It is not how much money we
donate, or the good deeds we do that defines us as Master Masons, it is that charity spoken of by the
Apostle Paul to the Corinthians that will extend beyond the grave, and live on in the hearts of men.
        We are three months into 2008 and we haven’t slowed down yet.  Our Temple renovations are
ahead of schedule and looking good.  Many of our Members have stepped up and made contributions
of both time and money.  Without these contributions, the renovations would not have been possible.  
What would have cost the Lodge upwards of $15,000 dollars has been done at NO expense to the
Lodge at all.  I thought it was a lofty goal to accomplish this in a year, but here it is April, and we’re
almost done.  Thank you to all who have helped make this possible.
        At our March 18th communication, we voted to purchase a lifetime endowed membership for
Brother Bobby Thompson for his role in leading the renovations and donating materials.  Brother
Thompson is now the first endowed life member of Balfour Lodge.  I encourage each of you to look
into becoming an endowed life member as a way to contribute to the lodge.  When you purchase an
endowed membership, the lodge is guaranteed to receive dues perpetually, even after your death,
ensuring that we have sufficient means to meet future financial obligations.
        Just a reminder, the 24th district school of instruction will be held at Asheboro Lodge #699 on
Saturday, May 3rd at 9am.  For dates and times of upcoming events, please see our new website at
www.balfourlodge.com.  Thank you again, and I’ll see you at Balfour on Tuesday.


Fraternally,




Jason D. Strucinski
Master, Balfour #188
(336) 824-2552
jstrucinski@uniquetool.net

CLICK HERE TO READ THE VOL. 3 (JUNE, 2008) EDITION

CLICK HERE TO READ THE VOL. 1 (JANUARY, 2008) EDITION
From the East - A Message from Wor.: Jason Strucinski
Balfour Lodge #188 AF & AM
Chartered December 2, 1856 - Grand Lodge of North Carolina
Balfour Masonic Temple
632 Sunset Ave.
Asheboro, NC  27203
(336) 625-5363
info@balfourlodge.com
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