Pinnacle Lodge #661
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History of Pinnacle Lodge #661
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Photo Album
Jokes
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Guest Book
Miscellaneous
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District 30 Lodges
History of Pinnacle Lodge #661
Pinnacle Lodge #661 was instituted at a regular stated meeting of Mountain Lodge #187, of Barbourville, Kentucky on April 27, 1891, The Mother Lodge of Pinnacle Lodge #661. Brothers J.P. Sandifer, J.R. Sampson and F.E. Kemp were examined in open lodge with a view to their being recommended as officers for a Masonic Lodge to be established in Middlesboro, Kentucky. After said examination, the lodge being satisfied as to their proficiency, the Worshipful Master, D.A. Johnson and the Secretary, H.C. Faulkner directed their signatures to a recomendation to the Grand Master for a dispensation with the following officers: Bro. J.P Sandifer, WM. Bro. F.E. Kemp, Sr. W. Bro. J.R. Sampson. Jr. W. (continued)
A Word from Our Master
Brothers,
Welcome to Pinnacle Lodge #661's new website. My many thanks for Brother Jeff Hughes for putting it together for us.
This past December 27th, I was honored to be elected Master of our Lodge by the Brothers. Any one who has ever sat in the East knows it is a humbling experience. It was the same when I first served as Master in 1994. Many things have changed since then, including myself. I feel that I now take our great Fraternity more seriously. The more research I do on Freemasonry, the more I come to realize that it is way more than just what I first thought when I joined almost 20 years ago. Call me a late bloomer!
One of my main goals for Pinnacle 661 this year is organization. Another is what I believe to be the key to the future of Freemasonry around the world. And that is Masonic education. The more we, as Freemasons, know about the Fraternity, the better we can explain it to non-Masons. There is a lot we can tell the outside world about us, and very little we cannot. I hope to talk about this in later installments.
Again, my sincere thanks to the Brothers of Pinnacle 661 for having the faith in me to serve them as Master. We all ask for you thoughts and prayers for 2009. For the past three years, I have been fortunate enough to attend the Educational Conferences sponsored by the Grand Lodge. There have been many new things that I have learned, as well as some things that I had forgotten about. I urge all Brothers to attend these meetings if at all possible.
By the time each of these meeting have been over, I have had about fifteen to twenty pages of notes. And it takes me about a month to decipher and organize them. (If you could see my handwriting, you would know what I mean!) But, once that is done, I present these to the Brothers at Pinnacle Lodge over several meetings.
I also have several books at home about Freemasonry. And I have used and plan to use them as educational tools at Lodge meetings.
Quite a few people have asked me over the years, "What are the Masons all about?" To begin with, I honestly did not know how to answer that question. Of course, there is the old standby, "To make good men better." Which is true. But, we are also about helping our fellow man, serving our communities, being good citizens of our country, and most of all, serving God in our own way.
I bet most of us can remember some "Old Timers" in our Lodges, that when asked what we are all about, their response was. "I can't talk about it, its all secret!" With all due respect to these Brothers,
WRONG ANSWER!!!! Brothers, we can tell non-Masons a lot about our Fraternity. For myself, telling someone that during each Degree, there is Bible verses being quoted, is not revealing anything. Nor is telling them that the setting for the Master Mason Degree is the building of King Solomon's Temple. These two examples reveal no secrets of Freemasonry. The FEW secrets we do have, is so that we can know if a man is really a Mason or not. My favorite explanation of this is as follows: If a long time friend of mine sees me at the mall, and notices me Masonic ring, and tells me he really likes it. Then, a few weeks later, I see him again, and he shows me his new Masonic ring, and says, "Hey look, Greg, I have a ring just like yours. Now I'm a Mason., too! Well, in about twenty seconds, and a couple of questions later, I'll know for sure if he really is a Brother. And that is the very reason we have the FEW secrets that we do have.
Brothers, I feel, personally, that the Freemasons have been TOO secretive for too long. That is why every conspiracy theorist and "wacko" out there is convinced that we are out to rule the world, or control the world economy, or are satanists, or that we conduct sacrifices, human or otherwise.
What all this boils down to is this: We must continue to educate ourselves about the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons if we are going to explain to people what we are all about. And I'm not talking about just our rites and rituals. I mean ALL of it, Brothers. And we must live up to ALL our Masonic principles and tenets! Otherwise, good quality men will no longer want join us, because they will think we are up to no good. Now, do not get me wrong, Brothers. I am not even remotely suggesting that we reveal anything that we should not. But, we do need to be more open with non-Masons about our Fraternity, as much as we can that is.
Brothers, I hope I have explained my feelings on this subject in a correct and Masonic manner. And these are my own personal views and not necessarily the views of any of the members of Pinnacle Lodge #661.
Welcome to Pinnacle Lodge #661's new website. My many thanks for Brother Jeff Hughes for putting it together for us.
This past December 27th, I was honored to be elected Master of our Lodge by the Brothers. Any one who has ever sat in the East knows it is a humbling experience. It was the same when I first served as Master in 1994. Many things have changed since then, including myself. I feel that I now take our great Fraternity more seriously. The more research I do on Freemasonry, the more I come to realize that it is way more than just what I first thought when I joined almost 20 years ago. Call me a late bloomer!
One of my main goals for Pinnacle 661 this year is organization. Another is what I believe to be the key to the future of Freemasonry around the world. And that is Masonic education. The more we, as Freemasons, know about the Fraternity, the better we can explain it to non-Masons. There is a lot we can tell the outside world about us, and very little we cannot. I hope to talk about this in later installments.
Again, my sincere thanks to the Brothers of Pinnacle 661 for having the faith in me to serve them as Master. We all ask for you thoughts and prayers for 2009. For the past three years, I have been fortunate enough to attend the Educational Conferences sponsored by the Grand Lodge. There have been many new things that I have learned, as well as some things that I had forgotten about. I urge all Brothers to attend these meetings if at all possible.
By the time each of these meeting have been over, I have had about fifteen to twenty pages of notes. And it takes me about a month to decipher and organize them. (If you could see my handwriting, you would know what I mean!) But, once that is done, I present these to the Brothers at Pinnacle Lodge over several meetings.
I also have several books at home about Freemasonry. And I have used and plan to use them as educational tools at Lodge meetings.
Quite a few people have asked me over the years, "What are the Masons all about?" To begin with, I honestly did not know how to answer that question. Of course, there is the old standby, "To make good men better." Which is true. But, we are also about helping our fellow man, serving our communities, being good citizens of our country, and most of all, serving God in our own way.
I bet most of us can remember some "Old Timers" in our Lodges, that when asked what we are all about, their response was. "I can't talk about it, its all secret!" With all due respect to these Brothers,
WRONG ANSWER!!!! Brothers, we can tell non-Masons a lot about our Fraternity. For myself, telling someone that during each Degree, there is Bible verses being quoted, is not revealing anything. Nor is telling them that the setting for the Master Mason Degree is the building of King Solomon's Temple. These two examples reveal no secrets of Freemasonry. The FEW secrets we do have, is so that we can know if a man is really a Mason or not. My favorite explanation of this is as follows: If a long time friend of mine sees me at the mall, and notices me Masonic ring, and tells me he really likes it. Then, a few weeks later, I see him again, and he shows me his new Masonic ring, and says, "Hey look, Greg, I have a ring just like yours. Now I'm a Mason., too! Well, in about twenty seconds, and a couple of questions later, I'll know for sure if he really is a Brother. And that is the very reason we have the FEW secrets that we do have.
Brothers, I feel, personally, that the Freemasons have been TOO secretive for too long. That is why every conspiracy theorist and "wacko" out there is convinced that we are out to rule the world, or control the world economy, or are satanists, or that we conduct sacrifices, human or otherwise.
What all this boils down to is this: We must continue to educate ourselves about the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons if we are going to explain to people what we are all about. And I'm not talking about just our rites and rituals. I mean ALL of it, Brothers. And we must live up to ALL our Masonic principles and tenets! Otherwise, good quality men will no longer want join us, because they will think we are up to no good. Now, do not get me wrong, Brothers. I am not even remotely suggesting that we reveal anything that we should not. But, we do need to be more open with non-Masons about our Fraternity, as much as we can that is.
Brothers, I hope I have explained my feelings on this subject in a correct and Masonic manner. And these are my own personal views and not necessarily the views of any of the members of Pinnacle Lodge #661.
Fraternally,
Greg Daniels
Master
Pinnacle Lodge #661
Middlesborough, Kentucky
How long is your cable-tow, brother?
Does it span across the street?
Can it stretch the length of a hand-throw,
Or perhaps a thousand feet?
Does it span across the street?
Can it stretch the length of a hand-throw,
Or perhaps a thousand feet?
Is there any definite measure
That cold mathematics may teach
To give the scope of your cable,
And limit its ultimate reach?
For who shall count in units
Of foot, or yard or mile,
The length of a hearty handshake,
The breadth of a cheery smile;
Or estimate the distance
A human heart may go,
When a brother reaches a brother
With the length of his cable-tow?
Every one has his troubles;
Reverses and sorrows must come;
And the hour of sorest trial
Is when they are striking home;
And sickness and death are the portion
That fate allots to all-
Our brother is sitting in sackcloth,
And his face is to the wall.
Ah, then is the time propitious-
Occasion waits sublime-
For the cable reaches farther
Than at any other time.
For the pull is very little,
And it giveth strength to the strong.
How long is your cable-tow, brother?
How long-how long?"
Web Site Updates
We now have a joke page where I will be posting some masonic humor. If you know any good masonic jokes email them to me so I can add them to the page. Check out our Tressleboard News section I posted a little bit there about our Deputy District Grand Master's visit and some new stuff on the Lodge. I have also added a Miscellaneous page where you can find different stuff relating to freemasonry. I hope you enjoy or site and come back often for more information about future happenings in our lodge and about freemasonry.
Relief Programs
Our Fire Relief Room is in need of Donations of Furniture everything from Beds, Chairs, Tables, Microwaves, Toasters, Couches, Etc. So if you have anything in good condition that you are wanting to try to get rid of please donate it so that we can see that those who lose all in a fire can be able to get back on there feet.
