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Hello everyone and thank you for subscribing to the
e-Cordon, the official news publication of the International DeMolay Congress! This weekend, the Grand Master will host the final DeMolay International Leadership Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. We are looking to have a great turnout and are very excited. It will, for sure, be a great weekend of brotherhood and education and I look forward to seeing everyone there. Later this month, Brother Shoemaker and I will be representing DeMolay International at the 2012 Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America, which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. We are very much looking forward to the event and the opportunity to share the greatness of DeMolay.
I want to share with the some inspiring words from our founder, "Dad" Land. He said, "Goodness is just a generation away from extinction always, and this movement of DeMolay tries to keep alive in the hearts and minds of nearly 3 million members that little flame of Love of Country, Love of God, and Love of Humanity. And so I can say to you with all the gratitude of Almighty God, that He has blessed this movement as He has..."
Let us continue to make great strides for DeMolay and carry on that light that "Dad" Land and our founding Brothers lit nearly a century ago. Let us always remember: For God; For Country; For DeMolay.
Don't forget to submit your articles and pictures for March's edition by February 25th! Be sure to include a picture and article with your submission.
Fraternally,
Michael A. Burge (WV)
International Congress Secretary
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From the International Master Councilor
Brother Maxwell C. Shoemaker (Southern California) |
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Greetings Brothers!
One month has gone by and I can already tell that 2012 is going to be a great year for DeMolay! This last month, there were many incredible events all over the country! Events like Northern California DeMolay's Zero Gravity Dodgeball, Colorado DeMolay's Winterfest, Southern California DeMolay's Bowling Tournament, and Oklahoma DeMolay's Workshop. These events are what DeMolay is all about! Keep up the good work! This month, on February 3rd and 4th, DeMolay International will be hosting a Leadership Conference in Jacksonville, Florida and I encourage as many people to participate in this great opportunity to gain some new ideas and help your Chapter!
Around this time of year, many States and Jurisdictions are having ritual competitions. But why is it important to compete in ritual? I'm sure many of you have wondered this question before, and first you need to see the value of our ritual. Our ritual book is what sets us aside from any other organization in the world! The lessons it teaches us in how to live our lives by the seven precepts, and always strive to better ourselves and the people around us are nothing short of extraordinary! Competing in ritual benefits us in many ways. First, you are able to perfect your part so that when you perform it for candidates going through our degrees, they are able to receive the best degree possible. After all, we only go through those degrees once! Also, you are able to build a tighter bond with the Chapter you compete with. I understand how many members of a single Chapter may have petty differences, but when the Chapter works together in a competitive format toward the goal of winning a competition, those differences melt away bringing you closer in our brotherly bond. The best reason, in my opinion, to compete in ritual is the fact that many DeMolays may not understand the lessons of the ritual when they go through the degrees themselves, but rather when they have to learn it and perform for others.
There are two regional ritual competitions I would like to bring to your attention that are coming up this year. On March 23rd-25th is the annual Frank Marshall Championship Tournament in Arlington, Texas, and April 27th-29th is the annual Heartland Ritual Competition in Addison, Illinois. After personally competing in a regional ritual competition I can tell you that travelling with your Chapter to one of these competitions is an experience you will never forget! You will meet DeMolays from all over who you will instantly have a connection with by the virtues of our Order! For those Chapters that are competing in ritual this year I wish you the best of luck! And for those who have never thought of it before, try it! You might be surprised by just how much you enjoy it.
My Brothers, you have a maximum of 9 years in DeMolay. Take advantage of your time as an active member by doing as many things our Order offers as possible! I guarantee you will be glad you did!
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Ohio Holds A Winterfest Worth Remembering!
Brother Nicholas Bolyard, State Scribe of Ohio |
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2011-2012 Ohio State Council
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Greetings Brethren!
There are many great things going on in the jurisdiction of Ohio. In January, we had our Annual Winterfest. This year, Winterfest was held at Kalahari Water Resort in Sandusky, Ohio from January 6-January 8. This was a great event; we had over 100 DeMolays, with a total number of 131 people registered for the event.
Friday night at Winterfest we held our initiation. We welcomed in new brethren into Ohio DeMolay. Bro. Laing, our State Master Councilor, showed his dedication to our beloved organization by being in attendance, just hours after having surgery! At the initiation, Ohio DeMolay was proud to welcome five new members to the Ohio State Council. We now have eleven state officers. Saturday was a fun day, as we spent the day in the waterpark, or in the conference room with video games, board games, and the LCC/RD available to the members.
We were very proud to also have welcomed Bro. Michael Burge, the International Congress Secretary, to our Winterfest. It was a pleasure to have Bro. Burge in attendance!
As we turn the calendar into February, the next big event in Ohio is our Workshop with the Pythagorans. This is an all new event for us, and we are very excited to be able to share the day with the great young men in Pythagorans. The Workshop will be on February 25, 2012 in Mansfield, Ohio. Registration will begin at 8:00 AM. We will have workshops in the morning, lunch, and then will proceed to the degrees. We will watch the Pythagorans Initiatory Degree, and will then perform the DeMolay Degree. That day, we will also have Mr. Tom Goosby, a former football player for the Cleveland Browns and the Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets, as a guest speaker for our workshop.
Brethren, we would love to hear from you and your jurisdiction. Come on out and join us for some events, or get in touch with us. As the State Scribe of Ohio, I am proud to say that one of my goals is to communicate with other brethren. My e-mail is: ohiodemolaystatescribe@gmail.com . I hope to be hearing from you, and hope that we can all make this time in DeMolay that we share "Something Worth Remembering!" |
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Zero Gravity Dodgeball: NorCal DeMolay Style!
"Dad" Tom Moberly, Executive Director of NorCal/Hawaii DeMolay |
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Northern California held its first "Zero Gravity Dodgeball Tournament" on January 21st and saw over 100 DeMolays and Sweethearts participating in Dodgeball (on trampolines) plus a Flip Contest and a Dunk Contest. Based on the success of this event, this activity will probbly be included in the schedule in future years!
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From the Yellowhammer State
"Mom" Angie Hood, Alabama DeMolay |
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Alabama DeMolay Winter Session 2012 was held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at Zamora Shrine in Birmingham, Alabama. Brothers from Zamora Chapter of Birmingham and Twickenham-Milford of Huntsville spent the day learning about recruitment, ritual, term planning, awards and honors, and planning for the future of Alabama DeMolay.
Dad Tom Paul of Twickenham-Milford Chapter was appointed Executive Officer for Alabama DeMolay by DeMolay Grand Master just one day before Winter Session. Dad Paul was a DeMolay when he attended Huntsville High School, served his chapter as Master Councilor in 1971, received the Chevalier in 1973 and received the Legion of Honor in 1987.
Longtime Executive Officer and past Grand Master Jim McGee retired. Dad McGee was the longest serving Executive Officer for DeMolay International and also retired from his position of DeMolay International Grand Treasurer.
Alabama DeMolay State Master Councilor Forrest Buchanan presided at the day's event. "It was great seeing everyone at Winter Session and we had a great turnout. I hope the brothers learned some things and had some fun, and will make plans to come to Conclave at the Alabama Masonic Youth Conference this summer. I hope to see you in your chapter sometime in the next six months. DeMolay teaches us to be successful, to be leaders and prepares us for later life. Go to your chapter meetings and share DeMolay with your friends and make your chapters grow."
For more information about Alabama DeMolay contact Executive Officer Tom Paul at 256-651-2802. |
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Winterfest Arrives In Michigan!
Brother Tyler Makins, State Junior Councilor of Michigan DeMolay |
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The guys takin' a knee
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I can honestly say that Winterfest 2012 was one of the greatest times I've had in DeMolay and in my young life even. There was so much to do and so many people to talk to all weekend that it would have been crazy if you didn't have a good time at Winterfest! We had all sorts of indoor games like Euchre, Jenga, Call of Duty, and so many more! Everyone had a great time playing the games and that also provided an opportunity for youths and advisors to hang out and socialize. We had the new concept of Geocaching introduced to the DeMolay world at Winterfest where the guests got to go out and find these hidden objects and collect chips from them that they turned in for tickets which they then put into buckets to be drawn from to win some great prizes that we had for them this year (including a Wii, an iPod Nano, a new stereo, and many more).
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MWGM gets pied in the
face by SJC Makins
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Our annual Charity Pie Toss provided the opportunity to
throw whipped cream pies at our favorite masonic leaders in Michigan including Grand Master Fred Kaiser Jr., State Master Councilor, Grand Worthy Advisor, and Grand Bethel Honored Queen! They certainly looked like they were having a good time when their
turns in the chair were over. We had Michigan DeMolay Family Feud Saturday night which the contestants had a great time playing. We also learned that brother Jason Golec was one of the top dancers in the world according to a very accurate survey taken for the questions in the Family Feud game. We played State Flag Football outside and had a blast. Even with the snow, we still had a great time. Dad Taylor even decided to pull out the sleeve-less shirt to play in the State Champs vs. Alumni game! Now that is some Winterfest spirit!
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SJC Makins handing out awards
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Speaking of Winterfest spirit, Clio Chapter took home
the coveted "Dad Shad Winterfest Spirit Award" for the first time in Winterfest history! Clio Chapter displayed an enormous amount of spirit and truly embodied what Dad Shad had in mind when he got the idea for the Spirit Award. They played in all the indoor and outdoor games and also won their 3rd straight championship in Michigan DeMolay State Flag Football! A big part of Clio's victory was due to the inspiring words of Brother Joey Elliott's Spirit Award Letter of Intent. He had a great sense of what the true spirit of Winterfest was and what it meant to him and the brothers of his chapter. Clio Chapter has been a big part of Michigan DeMolay ever since its inception and it was great to see them take home the Spirit Award for the very first time, they certainly earned it!
All in all, Winterfest was a great experience to get out
and meet new people, hang out with old friends, enjoy the time you get to spend with your masonic family. I can truly say that just hanging out with my brothers and sisters from DeMolay, Job's, and Rainbow was the best part of this weekend for me. I can honestly say that they are my brothers and sisters and I love them all to death, they're the best friends a guy could ask for.
So if you missed this Winterfest, you missed a lot. I hope that everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves and will want to return again next year. Hopefully we can see you all you guys that missed it and all the people that had the privilege of being there this year back again next year in Bay City for what promises to be another great event from Michigan DeMolay.
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North Carolina Initiates Large Class
Brother Michael A. Burge (WV), International Congress Secretary |
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North Carolina DeMolay initiated 15 young men into the order during state degrees held in January. The boys were from Winston-Salem Chapter (sponsored by Old Town Lodge #751), Foothills Chapter (sponsored by Cliffside Lodge #460), and Fayetteville Chapter (sponsored by the 17th Masonic District). If your North Carolina Lodge is interested in supporting a new DeMolay Chapter, please contact Deputy Executive Officer Matthew Hunt at 336-736-9457 or hunt@ncdemolay.org. |
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From the Desk of the Executive Director
"Dad" Jeffrey C. Kitsmiller, Sr., DeMolay International |
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Results of the Kingdom of DeMolay Recruiting Contest
The contest ran from November 1st, 2011 through December 31st, 2011.
First Line Signer:
Kanyon D. Salyer
Independence Chapter (Missouri)
Net Growth (Largest % of Growth):
Marquis De Lafayette Chapter (North Carolina)
Overall Growth (Largest # of Initiates):
Greenwood Chapter
(Kansas)
All contest winners will be receiving custom polo shirts!
Congratulations to all!
DeMolay Scholarships
Please be reminded that the deadline to apply for DeMolay Scholarships is April 1st. The applications can be found on our website at www.demolay.org, in the forms section.
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The Congress e-Cordon is an official publication of the
45th International Congress. We acknowledge and yield allegiance to DeMolay International, founded by
Frank Sherman Land in 1919 at Kansas City, Missouri.
Copyright 2012, DeMolay International |
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