Dhahran
Daylight #55
Henderson NV
Since Dhahran Daylight #55 is one of Nevada's younger Lodges, there is not much history to write and pass on for the edification of the brethren --- other than an extensive review of the processes necessary to forming a new Lodge, which WB Richard Steele has quite adequately done herein.
If you are going to take those steps, read and heed - may you learn and prosper from WB Dick's words:
STEPS TAKEN TO ORGANIZE AND
FORM DHAHRAN DAYLIGHT LODGE
The initial step in forming a new lodge was to determine where we would find our members. We were aware there were a number of "unaffiliated Master Masons" in the area, primarily from jurisdictions other than Nevada. Because there is another daylight lodge in the Las Vegas area (Daylite #44), we elected to try to establish our lodge in the South Las Vegas, Green Valley, and Henderson area. We defined this area as Zip Codes 890XX & 891XX. Since we had identified a number of Masons from California in this area, we requested the Grand Secretary of Nevada request a list from the Grand Lodge of California of their members living in the defined Zip Codes. The response provided a list of approximately 1,000 names of California Master Masons living within the Zip Codes. The list included addresses outside the area on which we wanted to concentrate our efforts. We provided the names of members living in the Boulder City (Zip Code 89005) area to Boulder City #37, those in the Pahrump area (89041) to Pahrump #54, and those members living in Las Vegas beyond the "southern part of the city" were provided to Vegas #32, Oasis #41, Daylite #44, Nellis #46 and Acacia #49.
After contacting the remaining members by telephone and letter, we provided the names of members NOT interested in a DAYLIGHT Lodge to Mt. Moriah #39 and Silver Cord #51, both located in Henderson. After the initial contacts, we sent out approximately 300 letters of invitation to a "no-host" luncheon on November 30th, 1995 to discuss our plans and determine how many people were really interested in forming a Daylight Lodge.
Approximately 50 members attended the initial luncheon. Several members were adamant in not wanting any more "ritual work", with their interests in the social aspects of Freemasonry. A few were frank in saying they were "beyond Blue Lodges" and wanted to concentrate on Shrine activities. The overwhelming majority were interested in forming a Daylight Lodge. Many frankly acknowledged they "missed attending a Blue Lodge " since had they relocated to this area. Almost unanimously, they stated they didn't want to drive at night, and attending Daylite Lodge #44 in Las Vegas entailed driving through too much traffic. Thirty seven of the attending members agreed to pursue the idea of a daylight lodge in the Henderson-Green Valley area.
Our second meeting was a luncheon held on January 10, 1996 at the Mt. Moriah Temple in Henderson. Because we had no money to operate on, one of the prospective members volunteered to prepare the meals and another advanced the costs involved . We asked for donations of $3.00 to off-set the costs of the meal. (Mt. Moriah graciously provided the facilities without cost.) That first luncheon, with 44 members attending, had a net loss of $91.00. We discussed the steps involved in forming the lodge and what each of the members would have to do to make the lodge a success. There was an enthusiastic approval to proceed. The next meeting was schedule for February 1, 1996.
During the February 1st. meeting, the thirty four members attending suggested a number of names for the proposed lodge. Twenty two members voted for the name DHAHRAN DAYLIGHT LODGE. This Arabic word, meaning "Strength and Unity", was explained as the name of the Masonic Lodge in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where several of the members had worked as employees of the Arabian-American Oil Company (ARAMCO). Several members were nominated as the acting Worshipful Master. It was reasoned the WM should be experienced as a Master, be familiar with the Nevada work and Constitution. Other members were nominated to act as Senior and Junior Wardens. Concerted efforts were made to elect "out of jurisdiction" members to fill these positions, but again it was reasoned these positions should be occupied by members experienced in Nevada work to lead the lodge during the formation process.
During this meeting, a proposed budget was presented, outlining projected costs of operation, based on 25, 50, 75 or 100 members. A detailed explanation was given the members as to the specific steps necessary to earn a Charter as a constituent lodge. These steps included, but were not necessarily limited to:
Gaining the concurrence of ALL constituent lodges in the area that might be affected by the formation of a new lodge;
Submitting a Petition to the Grand Master (thru the Grand Lodge) signed by a minimum of seven members in this jurisdiction;
Creating a proposed set of by-laws, which were presented to the members present;
We accepted the first of the donations in the amount of $40.00 in lieu of dues.
It was almost mandatory that close coordination exist between the organizers and the Grand Secretary, who was instrumental in identifying requirements and facilitating the process. We sent our request for Dispensation to the Grand Lodge during mid-February, 1996 and received notification our request had been approved about 10 days later.At the inception of Dhahran Daylight Lodge, we recognized the need to establish a bank account for the deposit of any funds received and pay any necessary expenses. In establishing this account in a "corporate" name, the bank required an Employers Identification Number to identify the holder of account. This number was procured by application to the Internal Revenue Service at Salt Lake City. The response was returned in about 10 days, reported to the bank and we were in business on that facet of the operation.
To keep the potential members advised of our progress and to "attract" new members, it was necessary to publish a "Trestleboard" monthly. We started with mailing some 175 copies to members who had either attended meetings or signified through telephone that they were interested in attending a daylight lodge.
During this period we had become aware of a number of Sojourners from New York, Illinois and Texas (based on out-of state drivers licenses turned in at the D.M.V.). We again called on the Grand Secretary to request copies of lists of members from those jurisdictions currently living in the defined Zip Codes. In due course we received data from those jurisdictions. Wherever we could locate telephone numbers, we contacted each of these prospective members. Eliminating those members who specifically said they were NOT interested in attending a daylight lodge, we sent all of the other potential members letters of invitation to attend our meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month. We explained that a luncheon is served following each meeting and invited them to bring their wives to attend a social hour with other ladies during our meetings. This latter step helped solve two problems. Many of the members are no longer able to drive because of age or other physical infirmaries. We strongly believed when the wives were invited, the members might be more inclined to attend. We also established a Transportation Committee headed by the Junior Warden. Any member needing a ride to attend lodge can call this committee and, using city maps, he tries to locate another member living in that area who has signified a willingness to provide rides to other members (some 85-90% of the members signified such an interest when polled). The system is not perfect, but has served the purpose of not only providing rides, but bringing a number of the members closer to each other.
We were granted our Dispensation by the Grand Lodge at a ceremony on April 27, 1996. This gave us the authority to open lodge, practice degree and floor work. Prior to granting the Dispensation, we were limited to "non-Ritual" type of work. We could not open lodge nor practice the Ritual on degrees, etc.
With this increase in the number of Trestleboards to be mailed (currently about 375 copies) the costs of postage soared to over $100.00 per month (at the First Class rate of $.32 per copy). We applied for and received a non-profit bulk mail permit. The procedure here turned out to be fairly simple after we were able to contact the proper people. After several false starts, we were referred to the "main Post office" where they provided assistance in preparing an application for a bulk mail permit. They mailed the application to a Postal Office in Memphis, Tenn. (Rate and Classification Service Center) where it was approved in less than ten days. The costs of the Permit were a one time fee of $85.00 plus an annual (12 calendar months) fee of $85.00. Our mailing costs have been reduced to approximately $35.00 per month. The basic requirements are not fewer than 200 pieces mailed at a specified Post Office at the same time. Where a minimum of 125 pieces are sent to the same 3 digit Zip Code (must be sorted in 5 digit sequence), the costs are about $.087 per unit. Three digit Zip Codes with fewer than 125 units (sorted in five digit sequence) carry a rate of about $.094 per unit, and those mailings addressed out of the area (i.e. Grand Lodge, etc.) carry a rate of about $.124 per unit.
Shortly after we received our bulk mail permit, the Internal Revenue Service mailed a package of documents directing us to apply for recognition as a Tax Exempt organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We contacted the Grand Secretary who provided us with a copy of a "Group Ruling" from the IRS, Washington D. C. This ruling, dated August 9, 1973 granted tax-exempt status to the Grand Lodge of Nevada and their subordinate activities under Section 501 (c)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code. We also contacted the IRS "Tax Exempt Office" in Los Angeles, and presented the data we had available. They confirmed we need do nothing further since the Grand Lodge had a "group exemption". The Grand Secretary referred us to MW David Morgan, PGM , as the "Tax Advisor" to the Grand Lodge who confirmed the propriety of our actions. He suggested we document our actions and make it available to the Grand Lodge for guidance to other entities.
One of the major problems encountered was establishing adequate records by the Secretary. We called on the services of secretaries of other lodges to assist us in providing adequate documentation of the actions by the lodge. We believe we now have this under control. The financial records, while not necessarily in the format consistent with the Grand Treasurer, includes the financial data of receipts, deposits, bank balances, a record of expenses, etc. We are fortunate to have a retired CPA as a member who has accepted the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Membership records are being developed on a current basis, with periodic reports to the Grand Secretary. We may have "bugs" in our records in respect to format and possible omissions that have not yet been identified, but we are correcting them when identified.
Lodge operations proceeded in an orderly manner. Each of the elected and appointed officers has become relatively well qualified in his own station and the next one above him. We performed our second Entered Apprentice degree. The team for Fellowcraft degree performed their degree on a brother from Nellis Lodge #46. The Master Mason degree team continued to prepare for their opportunity to perform. We were able to perform a third degree for one of the other lodges in the area, to demonstrate our competency to operate a full lodge as prescribed by the Nevada Code. We were granted our Charter as Dhahran Daylight Lodge #55 by the Grand Lodge session on November 12, 1996. The charter ceremony was performed by the Grand Master and other Grand Lodge officers on December 21, 1996.
Note: Since this paper was originally written, we have almost a full year under Charter. Each of the subordinate officers (SW, JW, SD, JD, and Senior Steward) has performed satisfactorily in positions at the next higher level. The Senior and Junior Wardens have each conferred two or more degrees. The Senior Deacon has satisfactorily filled in as both Junior & Senior Wardens. We are fortunate to have a total of 16 Past Masters as members of our Lodge, though many came from other jurisdictions. We have a total of 12 members with more than 50 years in Freemasonry. The degree of enthusiasm of our members has been exceptional. Many felt they were "over the hill" and had been bypassed by younger members. With an average age of approximately 77 years, they have all found a lodge where they can be comfortable and volunteer to participate to the extent of their abilities.
Added Note: After more than two years since receiving our Charter, we have now have our third elected set of officers. We have tried our best to "develop" incoming members to the line by encouraging each to take the officers training course developed by Roy Campbell and currently handled by PGM C. E. "Bud" Shead. Other methods of training include officer's meetings, floor work practice, and involvement in other duties for higher level line positions.
One of the "key" positions that should be stressed is the selection of a competent Secretary AND a back-up in the event of disability or vacations by the regular Secretary. We experienced this prior to gaining our current Secretary after he became a member. This position is the "key" to a successful operation. We now have approximately 75 members and continue to gain new members at the rate of about one each 3 months. We now have members from about 11 or 12 different jurisdictions. The prime problem we've had in gaining new members has been making ourselves known. We have been fortunate in having a number of members whose average tenure in the craft exceeds 32 years. We have 16 "over 50 year" members. Each member of Dhahran Daylight #55 is proud of his Lodge, and actively promotes it among his friends. Our average attendance generally runs approximately 40% of the membership. Whereas most Lodges "go dark" during the Summer, we have remained open for our meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month. We believe this provides an opportunity for members of other Lodges to attend with us during the time their own Lodges are "dark". We've also been able to attract a number of "summer Sojourners" visiting the area.
Fraternally,
Richard N. Steele, P. M.
Further note: to show the diversity of membership in Dhahran Daylight 55, at the time of chartering, the membership was distributed as follows:
California - 25
Illinois - 2 Iowa - 1 Kansas - 1 Michigan - 1 Missouri - 1 New Jersey - 1 New Mexico - 1 New York - 3 Oregon - 1 Washington - 1 Saudi Arabia - 1