We’d all like to congratulate our Grand Master, MW Dan Hotchkiss on his second year/term in office. He was installed at the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of NH on May 18th. It was a great day for all that attended. I had the privilege and honor of being the Installing Secretary on the suite. We wish you all the best MW Sir!
Once again, I’ll mention the Northeast Shrine Association Fall Field Days. The festivities will be from September 19-22, 2024, in Kingston, Ontario. We have booked a really nice hotel with local access to restaurants, shops, and historic sights. This fun filled weekend is meant for all Shriners, their ladies, and families. We have reserved a luxury 52-passenger motor coach (with a bathroom) to transport everyone from Bektash Shrine to the hotel in Canada. At present, we have 20 rooms available at the hotel. We are also looking at a Bektash dinner cruise on the St. Lawrence River. The 3 temples at our hotel will be sharing a large hospitality room. Take a gander at the flyer in this issue of the Bektash News. We’ll have the pricing published in the July issue. Hope you can join us! (Remember to have an up-to-date Passport!)
At our Stated Meeting on June 17, we will be proposing a change to Bektash’s Bylaws. Presently, our Bylaws state that we must have a yearly financial audit done. Shriners International Bylaws say we only must provide a financial statement…not an audit. The wording of the change to Bektash Bylaws will be to agree and keep in step with Shriners International law. Financial audits can cost upwards of $10,000, and a financial report will be substantially less. We must discuss the bylaw change and present it for a vote at our September meeting. If approved, the change gets submitted to Shriners International for their stamp of approval. If you have any questions about this proposed change, please give me a call in the office at 603-225-5372. I’ll be happy to explain and discuss any concerns you may have.
Membership! We must keep shaking the bushes to get new candidates. It was reported to me that our Chief Rabban, Evan McIntosh and Membership Chairman Mike Lothrop set up a table with Shrine information at our Grand Lodge Communication on May 18. They managed to get a few petitions handed out and a couple of brethren inquired about being reinstated. Thanks for your hard work, Nobles!
That pretty much covers this month’s news from your front office!
Isn’t it great to be a Shriner?
Tom Brison, PP, Recorder