- 2024-2025 Worshipful Master Letter
Greetings Brethren,
Let me first start by giving honor and glory to my lord and savior Jesus Christ, who is the head of life. Thank you for re-elected as your Worshipful Master of Eastern Star Lodge #13 F&AM. I would like to thank the craft for having the confidence in me to lead our lodge with the Lord’s help and guidance, I intend to use every hour of my twenty-four-inch gauge to help, aid and assist the brothers and continue to uphold the high standards that make Eastern Star Lodge # 13 successful. I am writing this letter to address certain items of concern.
Attendance
- Eastern Star Lodge #13 needs the support from all the brothers in order to continue to carry on the level of excellence that we are known for throughout the history of our lodge. Brethren, if health and business permits, please support your lodge when called upon. As per our by-laws we now only have one meeting a month, which is on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm. I ask that you attend your lodge’s meetings and other masonic events as they arise, or whenever possible. This will help brothers to get to know one another and foster continued brotherhood.
Dues
- Brethren in order to for our lodge to remain a successful organization, funds are needed. I ask that you please keep up with paying your dues and assessments. Your dues and assessments not only allow ESL #13, but the MWPHGLVA to function. Each quarter the lodge has to pay an assessment for every brother that we have on our rolls. If the brethren of the craft do not pay their assessment when the lodge is assessed, it is on the lodge to pay those funds and that may require us to pull funding from other areas of the lodge’s budget to pay it. We are looking at way to move into the digital age of paying dues electronically.
Charity
- Please support the MWPHGLVA and ESL #13 in all of our charity endeavors. Giving back to the community is the cornerstone of free masonry. The district has embarked on many charitable endeavors since the beginning of the year. Every third Wednesday we volunteer at the Peninsula Union Rescue Mission, and we also have been supporting the Peninsula Food Bank as well as various schools within the surrounding area.
Vision
- My vision for the upcoming 2024-2025 masonic year is to increase attendance and continue to build upon the excellence already established by our lodge. I would like to improve the fellowship amongst the brothers by doing more outings/gatherings outside of the lodge to help bring us closer together. Please continue to check your emails and text messages for future events. One of the initiatives of the Grand Lodge was to become more automated and with that the GrandView web applications was introduced and implemented. Each member of ESL #13 should have received an email to register. If you did not receive a registration email/link please reach out to Brother Secretary or me for assistance. This web application has many features and will be a streamline for lodge(s) business, such as electronic dues payment, digital dues cards, and many more features soon to be activated. I employ you to go out and look at your Grandview information for accuracy. I will also be looking to correct some long outstanding issues that need our attention and will be addressed in the lodge as required so that every brother can give their inputs. Lastly, I would also like to improve the level of knowledge of all the brothers in the lodge, by bringing back the study sessions and conducting lectures during the meetings.
In conclusion brethren, I would like to thank you all for your past support and guidance. I ask for your continued support and guidance through my administration. Always remember “Ask not what your lodge can do for you, but what you can do for your Lodge” and let the world see how Masons love one another. I look forward to working with all my brothers and making this year a successful one.
Respectfully,
WM Antuam F. Johnson
- Worshipful Master Bio
Born in Henderson, North Carolina, to William and Delores Johnson, Antuam Johnson graduated from Vance Senior High School and joined the Navy in July 1989. After joining the Navy, I attended Basic Training in San Diego, California and while there also trained as a Radioman (Communications Operator) and shortly after that took on a new challenge and was station at Naval Air Facility on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Japan from 1990 to 1993. While on the island of Okinawa I met a wonderful woman and soon after married her. After a successful tour I was transferred to Naval Telecommunication Station on the island of Guam from 1993-1996. I felt a calling from the Navy to go an improve on the sailors coming into the communications field, so I transferred and went to Service School Command Great Lakes IL, where I began instructor duties and taught over 3000 sailors during my tour from 1996-1999. As with most sailors I felt the sea calling me home and transferred yet again but this time to the good ship USS SAMUEL B ROBERTS (FFG-58) for only a year and was then requested to transfer to another ship that needed my expertise. The good ship USS McFaul gained my services and while onboard I was fortunate to be selected to the rank to Chief Petty Officer. After my advancement in I transferred in 2004 to United State Transportation Command in where I worked as the senior enlisted for the joint communication department. While working in this join environment, the Navy yet again called on me to continue challenging myself and offered me a chance to work with the elite warfighters. That was when I transferred to Naval Special Warfare Group and mobile communication Detachment where I provided communication support for SEAL TEAM Four stationed at Joint Base Little Creek- Fort Story from 2007 through 2011. It was after this challenging tour that I selected orders for 1 year to Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station on the island of BAHRAIN were I served as the leading Chief. It was then I started to hear home calling me and started negotiating order to return back to the United States and my family. I then received order to Commander of Naval Forces Atlantic Fleet where I retired in July 2015 after 26 years of Honorable service. Antuam Johnson is married to the lovely Veronica Ellens Johnson and we have two children Tanesha and Antuam Jr.