Gentlepeople:
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
It would appear that we have made it through another year, Although, sadly, we lost a few of members (men and women) along this year’s journey.
There are a number of activities scheduled for the month of December and I would encourage you to visit the calendar. We will be closing at 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve and be closed, as has been customary, on Christmas Day.
Christmas dinner will be provided on Sunday 12/18.
The Moose Legion Christmas party will be Saturday 12/10 – from 4-7pm All Moose Legion 99 members and a quest are invited to attend.
The Children’s Christmas party is Sunday 12/17 from 1-3pm
Also this month we should have our full complement of meals and activities.
In addition, we have a member who will be offering, for a nominal fee, 8 weeks of country dance lessons beginning the first Tuesday in December from 7:00pm to 8:30 pm in the dining hall.
Finally will be selling advance tickets for the 12/31 New Years eve party. Advanced tickets must be purchased by close of lodge on 12/23. There will be tickets available at the door on New Year’s Eve but will be more expensive.
I would like to address a topic that a few members have recently discussed with me. We seem to have forgotten what being a Moose member, and our lodge, is all about. Yes we are a family oriented organization, yes we are a social club, yes we believe in and like to have a good time. However, we are not the local pub. We, as Moose members, represent something much more significant and larger than that. Something I feel we have all, at times, forgotten (myself included).
The following statement, direct from the MI website, sums it up fairly well:
Our Purpose
We exist to provide the necessary resources for the continued support and maintenance of the Mooseheart Child City & School and the Moosehaven retirement community. Be a hero. Support our mission.
And for those who were not aware, here is a little history:
About Moose
You may have heard the saying, “A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many.” This is at the core of the Moose organization and what makes us unique in our Lodges, local communities and charitable “cities” that we support. Our roots can be traced to 1888 and the founder of the Moose, Dr. Henry Wilson, who successfully established the first Lodge in Louisville, Kentucky. In the early years, the Moose was to serve a modest goal of offering men an opportunity to gather socially, to care for one another’s needs and celebrate life together.
Since those early years, our fraternal organization rapidly expanded to include valuable service to our communities, care for children and teens in need at Mooseheart Child City & School , a 1,000-acre
campus, located 40 miles west of Chicago and care for our senior members at Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, Florida.
With a combined membership of over 1,000,000 members, our presence is felt in over 1,500 communities across all 50 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain and Bermuda.The Moose organization contributes between $75 to $100 million worth of community service (counting monetary donations, volunteer hours worked and miles driven) annually. In addition to Mooseheart and Moosehaven, the Moose fraternity’s Heart of the Community effort is multifaceted with internally developed programs like Tommy Moose. Tommy Moose aids in helping children overcome fears and anxiety during times of stress. Donated to law enforcement, fire fighters and other emergency workers, Tommy Moose plush dolls are presented to children in various traumatic situations. The external focus of our service is directed towards many worthwhile national charities, a few of which are: Special Olympics North America, Salvation Army, Safe Surfin’USA Foundation, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and St. Jude.In our local Lodges, you will find a wide array of activities to participate in both as an individual and as a family. From holiday parties, dances, sports, themed dinners and live entertainment, the Moose has much to offer. Membership can mean different things to different people. You are the one determining what you want to get out of the organization, and what you want to give back.The Moose is about celebrating life together, serving those in need within our local community, supporting our children at Mooseheart and standing by our senior members at Moosehaven.
Also, after receiving several suggestions, beginning this month, when possible, we will be taking time to perform the 9:00 ritual. This is something that should have always been an ongoing practice since the inception of the lodge. It is not a requirement to be on officer of the lodge to perform the ritual. Any member in good standing has that privilege. To aid in that process, here are the words:
It is now 9 o'clock, and the little children at Mooseheart
kneel by their beds to say their evening prayers.
Let us face towards Mooseheart, bow our heads,
and join them in Silent Prayer. (Bell Tolls 9 Times)
Repeat after me...
Let the little children come to me.
Do not keep them away.
For they are like the kingdom of Heaven.
GOD BLESS Mooseheart!
Again thank you all the volunteers and the wonderful job they do. Thank all the members, both new and tenured, for being members.
Thank you veterans and active military
Thank you members for your support, your inputs/suggestions, and your membership.
A lodge for the members, of the members, and by the members.
But before I close I would like to share the following:
THE CHRIST CHILD
There’s a still in the air
For the birth of a child
The star’s shining brightly
And the winter air’s mild
There’s a glow of radiance
That beams from his face
His royalty abounds
In this common man’s place
Here lies the Christ Child
Of whom prophesiers write
Born to the world
On this mid-winter’s night
Asleep in the manger
The Christ Child does rest
Virgin Mary and Joseph
They truly were blest
In swaddling clothes wrapped
The Christ Child does sleep
Amidst the lowing of cattle
And the gentle bleating of sheep
From the hills came the shepherds
Who were tending their sheep
To gaze at the baby
As yet fast asleep
Came kings from all nations
To witness the sight
That the Christ Child was born
In Bethlehem, this night
Journeyed wise-men together
The star all did chase
For here was God’s word
Fulfilled in this place
All offered their presents
Sang joy to his birth
Goodwill toward all men
Let there be peace on earth
© cj mccutchen
12/24/1989
To be continued…………………
Respectfully,
CJ McCutchen
Governor
Moose Lodge 257
307-477-0235