First of all, let me wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2007/6007. I sincerely hope that all your activities, including Masonic gatherings, will bring you pleasure and happiness.

Stated Communications: As I mentioned at Warden's Night last year, I realize that everyone has busy schedules. To address this fact of life, I indicated, my intent to avoid unnecessary meetings and where possible to combine and compress meetings and communications. Thus, our monthly Stated Communications feature a new format designed to achieve that objective. The first Stated of each month will involve degree work in the EA and FC degrees, when we have candidates and will also include a short talk or lecture and an item from the Archives Committee. There will also be business section of the meeting. The second Stated will be more formal and will feature more formal dress, music, and generally a contemplative, spiritual atmosphere. The program will also involve a comprehensive lecture on a topic designed to enhance the ambience we hope to achieve.

Lodge Ritual School: Because much of our degree work will be done at the First Stated Communication, our ritual schools will be scheduled to prepare the degree teams for those dates. Thus, I want to use the District 1A Ritual School (last Monday of every month) as a primary rehearsal date. Our second rehearsal date will be held in the AW#22 lodge room on the first Sunday of the month. This lets us "front-end load" our activities to be ready for most of our degree work.

Lodge Committees: At the beginning of Masonic year 6007 the Worshipful Master announced the creation of eight committees, some of which are new, to assist in performing the work of the lodge. These are:

1. Investigating Committee (headed by Sr. Warden)
2. Examination Committee (for visiting brethren)
3. Greeters and Visitor Reception (assist Tiler and Sr. Deacon)
4. Sick and Distressed/Masonic Relief/Widows
5. eremonies and Public Functions (assist with logistics)
6. Masonic Education (degree rehearsals, catechism instruction, etc.)
7. Social Events (coordinate requirements for social functions)
8. AW#22/GWMNM Literary Group (Quill Pen and Ink Spot)

Trestleboard Format: Brethren, please note also that our first Trestleboard now covers two months. The objective of this new "Trestleboard management" approach is cost-efficiency! We estimate that this initiative will save the lodge about $3,000 - $4,000 per year in mailing costs. Also, over the next few months, consistent with Masonic law, I hope to move to e-mail distribution of the Trestleboard to all who can accept it. It is also available on our website at http://aw22.org Physical mail will be available for those brethren, who for some reason, cannot receive or access the e-mail version. I respectfully ask for your support in this effort, which I, and the 2007 officers, believe is in the best interests of the lodge. Hope to see you in Lodge this month!

Sincerely and fraternally,
Robert G. Watkins, Jr.
Worshipful Master

Greetings from the Secretary's desk,

For those of you that have an Email address but are not receiving announcements and information from the Lodge by way of Email, did you know that the Lodge has a "ListServ" which sends out periodic announcements about ongoing activities in the Lodge and other important information of interest to Masons. Since we are now publishing a by-monthly Trestleboard, we will be using the Lodge ListServ as a primary means of notifying the members when a Called Communication is scheduled to confer degrees. We also use the ListServ to notify the members of the passing of a Brother when that does occur. The ListServ is the most efficient and fastest way to get the word out to a large number of the members with a single announcement. If you have an Email address and would like to be added to the Lodge ListServ to receive information, just send a message to RW Jack Canard, the Lodge Secretary, at jcanard@cox.net and I will add your address to the ListServ. If you decide later that you do not want to continue to receive information from the Lodge via Email, it is a very easy process to be removed. You just send a command directly to the ListServ to "unsubscribe" or you can send me a request to remove your address.

If you pay your Lodge dues on an annual basis, you have received a 2007 dues notice from me. The 2007 dues are due and payable by January 1, 2007, however, you are not considered delinquent until December 31, 2007 if they are not paid by that date. You will not receive your 2007 membership card until your 2007 dues are paid. This also means that if you have not paid your 2006 dues by December 31, 2006, the process for suspension for non-payment of dues will be started in January 2007. Your dues can be paid by credit card using the Lodge Web Site at http://aw22.org Just go to the page, select the "on-line payment" button and once on the payment page, find the button that applies to the payment you want to make and select that button. You will receive instructions to complete the action. If you make your payment by using the web site, you do not need to send in your dues notice, I will mail your membership card to you using another mailing page.

Sincerely and fraternally,
RW Granville C. Canard, Jr., PDDGM
Secretary

If you would like to receive your copy of the bi-monthly Lodge Trestleboard by electronic means, and help save the lodge cost on printing and mailing the paper copy, please send an Email message to the Secretary or the Worshipful Master informing him of the same.

IN MEMORIAM Brother Gordon Carmichael Thomson Born: February 20, 1921, Raised: May 11, 1944, Died: November 19, 2006 Brother John Stewart Chesebro Born: August 23, 1918, Raised: May 17, 1948, Died: December 17, 2006 May they rest in peace.

NEWS NEEDED:

Thanks to those who supplied news inputs for this month! If you have been elected to office in an Appendant Body, have received a Masonic honor, or have a personal milestone you would like your Brothers to know about, please give the Master a call or email!

STATED COMMUNICATIONS - The Stated Communications of this Lodge shall be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (GWMNM), Alexandria, Virginia on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month except the fourth Thursdays of November and December; and for the additional Stated Communications for the observance of George Washington's birthday, June 24th for Saint John the Baptist Day, and December 27th for the Installation of Officers. Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft degrees will be conferred at the first Stated Communication when candidates are ready.

CALLED COMMUNICATIONS - Will be scheduled as required for Master Mason Degrees. All degree conferrals will be conducted as prescribed in Grand Master's Executive Order No. 2.

DISTRICT 1A and LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL - District 1A School will be held on the last Monday of the Month unless otherwise announced. AW#22 will use this as an opportunity to prepare for upcoming degrees. AW#22 Lodge Ritual Will generally occur the Sunday before the first Stated Communication Degree at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise stated. This schedule will provide two rehearsal sessions prior to conducting degree work at the first Stated Communication. Changes will be announced herein as necessary or communicated by e-mail.

YOUTH MEETINGS AT GWMNM - Alexandria-Washington Chapter, International Order of DeMolay, meets the first and third Sunday at 2:00 pm in North Lodge Room. Bethel No. 22, International Order of Jobs Daughters, meets the first and third Sunday at 6:00 pm in the North Lodge Room.