Author Archives: Nick Miller

After a fun and successful night at our March Stated meeting, we have some great things coming this month for the brothers of #145!

There are projects within the lodge building that the Trustees and Officers are working on to make the experience of the members, as well as the candidates for Masonry, comfortable and engaged in our activities.  These project currently include some repairs and reorganization to the preparation room and converting the lighting in the lodge room to dimmable LED lights.  This will allow us to lower our energy bills as well as create a certain atmosphere for degrees.

We have also finished removing the old theatre seats from the lodge room (special thanks to Senior Warden Perry Harris in getting this finished up) and we re-arranged the pews in the lodge room to allow for comfortable seating everywhere.  This project is ongoing and may include additional pews for more seating and finding a home for the antique theatre seats.

We will be performing a Fellowcraft Degree on April 1^st for some of our current EAs.  The Lodge will open at 6:30 and there will be a meal in-between sections.  Please consider joining us that evening and experience the FC Degree with your fellow brothers of #145.

Also this month at the lodge, we will continue to participate and watch the Scottish Rite presentation of Thursday Night at the Rite.  Thursday the 4^th and Thursday the 18^th we will gather at the lodge with other Scottish Rite brothers at 8:00 pm to watch the 13^th and the 22^nd Degree.  If you are a Scottish Rite member and need these degrees for your passports, please feel free to join us!  If you want to join the Scottish Rite, now is a great time.  Contact a member and we can get you a petition.

I also want to encourage those of you that have not paid your 2021 dues to please send us a check in now.  Do not let your membership lapse!  If you are in need of assistance paying your dues, please let someone at the lodge know and we will help you out. 

Also, if you do not have a Masonic License plate on your vehicle, I would strongly encourage you to consider doing that this year when you go to renew your plates.  Masonic Plate forms are available on the Grand Lodge Website, the Member Portal, or available at the lodge. 

Brothers, thank you for being a part of Bluffton #145.  You are all such a vital part of this lodge and we cannot continue to be successful without all of your support.  I hope to see you all at Lodge at one of our events, or at our next stated meeting on April 6^th.

Nick Miller
Worshipful Master
Bluffton #145

Greetings Brother!

I wanted to send out a quick update with the happenings at last night’s stated meetings, as well as the upcoming events for February at Bluffton #145.

Besides the regular committee reports and information, all of which you can check the minutes that are available at the lodge with our secretary for all the details, February’s meeting was a mixture of celebration and mourning. 

We mourned the loss of Past Grand Master Robert Stevens (’83-’84) and Past Grand Master of DeMolay Keith Klein.  Locally, we mourned for Phyllis Ulmer (wife of Mick Ulmer), Ron Harruff, and Jimmy Huffman.  All of these fine people laid down the working tools of life in January and they will be missed by the craft, as well as their friends and family.

In terms of celebration, we honored recently “retired” secretary Larry Tschannen after more than 22 years of service to the craft.  During those years, Larry has served as Secretary of Markle Lodge and Bluffton Lodge, as well as serving terms of Worshipful Master at both lodges as well.  His dedication to the lodge has ensured a bright future for the brothers of #145. 

We also had two brothers that were brought before the lodge to receive an Honorary Membership at Bluffton #145 and they were both unanimously elected to receive this honor.  For the sake of secrecy and surprise, I will not include their names at this time, but they will be honored soon upon their next visit to the lodge. 

Upcoming events at Bluffton #145 include some degree work and some social gatherings.  On February 11^th, we are planning on an Entered Apprentice Degree for the one brother that wasn’t able to be at the degree day in January.  This degree will open  at 6:30 and there will be a light meal in between sections.

Thursday Febuary 18^th, the Lodge will be hosting a Scottish Rite Thursday Night at the Rite Degree.  The 27^th Degree will be presented digitally beginning at 8pm.  Any Scottish Rite brother is welcome to come and view the degree and receive passport credit.  If you are not a member of the Scottish Rite, this is a great time to join as the NMJ is allowing members to join and receive the 4^th degree digitally, along with any other digital degrees presented, allowing a person to receive the necessary qualifications to receive the 32^nd Degree, which will be presented in May.  Talk to anyone at the lodge and we can get a petition for membership in your hands!

If you haven’t had a chance to pay your dues yet, please get those payments to the lodge as soon as possible.  There are also forms available at the lodge to get a Masonic License Plate.  The form is also at the member portal here.

There is a lot of activity and business happening at the lodge.  Lots of work is being put in by brothers in all aspects of Masonry.  If you haven’t been to the lodge in a while, please consider joining us for any of the events mentioned here, or for the March Stated Meeting on March 2^nd. 

Thank you for being a part of Bluffton Lodge #145!

Pastor Nick Miller
Huntington Bethel UMC
Huntington, IN

Brother,

I wanted to send out a note covering our last stated meeting, as well as let you know what activities are planned at the lodge for this month.

In January the lodge received several year-end committee reports and new committees for 2021 were announced.  If you would like to know if you are on a committee, or if you would like to volunteer to be on a committee, please let someone in lodge leadership know and we can get you that information.

The ballot was passed and two men were elected to receive their degrees in masonry and to be welcomed into Bluffton #145.  Those two men join the man elected in December as candidates for Masonry. 

On Saturday, January 30^th, we are tentatively scheduling the Entered Apprentice Degree for all three of our candidates.  Lodge will Open at 9am and there will be coffee and donuts available beforehand.  After we have moved all of our brothers through the degree, and they have received their lectures, a small meal will be served for lunch.  All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This Saturday, January 9^th beginning at 9am, we will be showing Virtual Founder’s Day.  This is a Grand Lodge of Indiana event that is traditionally held in person in Indianapolis.  It is a great day in which we get to celebrate the past year, hear plans for the coming year, and connect with the Grand Lodge and its officers.  This year, because of COVID restrictions, it is being offered virtually for anyone to view.  We will be having a watch party at the lodge beginning at 9am and concluding around noon.  Coffee and donuts will be provided.  This is a casual event that we can get together, watch the broadcast, and share in fellowship as brothers, all in the comfort of our own lodge.

There will also be two nights this month in which members of the Scottish Rite will gather at Bluffton #145 to view Rite on the Road, a virtual degree program put on by the NMJ Scottish Rite.  The first date is this Thursday, the 7^th.  Viewing will begin at 8pm at the lodge and this is a casual event in which we will view the 10^th Degree.  Later this month, on Thursday the 21^st at 8pm,  the 27^th Degree will be shown.  If you are a Scottish Rite member, this is a great opportunity to get some degrees that you may not have the opportunity to view otherwise.  Lodge will be open to all Scottish Rite members that night.

Finally, our February Stated Meeting will be held on Feb 2^nd and I am encouraging everyone to dress in Red/Pink in celebration of Valentine’s Day.  This is just a fun thing to do in order to break up the look of the Stated Meeting and create a fun environment, while we do business.  A small prize will be awarded for the “Best Dressed” brother in Red/Pink. 

If you have any questions or needs that the lodge can help with, please let myself, or one of the officers know.  You are a vital member of this brotherhood and are appreciated.  I look forward to all of the Lodge events this month, and seeing as many of you there as possible.