I thought I would use this opportunity to update you on activities, events, programs, and the like, and would also solicit comments from any of the members on those topics. Communication is vital to any organization, and more importantly, communication is multi-faceted. In other words, there needs to be talk from the Grand Lodge to the constituent lodges; feedback and comments from the constituent lodges to the Grand Lodge and its officers; and communication among the lodges themselves. Consequently, my bottom line is this: if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, concerning Nebraska Masonry, please let me know. 
 
The first three months have been fairly busy. Schools of instruction, lodge visitations, pin presentations, and those sort of events have afforded the opportunity to meet and talk with many of you. I was able to attend the annual Conference of Grand Masters in Washington, D.C. and meet with various folks from all areas of the country, sharing success stories from Nebraska, and taking notes on what works (and doesn’t work) in other jurisdictions. We’ve had cornerstones in Scottsbluff and Grand Island, and have several more scheduled throughout the state over the coming months. If you are aware of any potential sites for cornerstones, please let either me or John Maxell, the Grand Marshal, know and we’ll try and get one done.
 
The Change for the Troops program is going fairly well. We’ve distributed 300 minute calling cards to each Nebraska reservist or National Guardsman, as well as several active duty members from Offutt AFB, who have so far deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. As you’ve probably heard, we are expecting nearly 1,000 folks to deploy this calendar year, and we need your continued help to provide them with a card. Mark Clinton, the Grand Musician, volunteered his services to perform at a concert in Scottsbluff on 9 May, with all the donations going to the Change for the Troops Program. Mark is scheduled to perform at least two more fundraising concerts in other parts of the state during the remainder of the year.
 
Another one of my priorities this year, as I stated previously, was to encourage Masonic family unity. To that end, I have attended the Grand York Rite annual session in Columbus, the Eastern Star Grand Chapter in Lincoln, several Shrine and Scottish Rite events, and am planning to attend some youth group events in June. We need to be cooperative, not competitive, and the result will be a stronger Masonic fraternity and sense of community throughout the state.
 
You may have noticed that the petition for membership has changed a bit. The petition now asks the applicant if he has been convicted of any crime, and if so, what was the nature of the offense. Many other jurisdictions have had this on their petition for years, but we’re now getting around to including it. This was done for several reasons, and I’ll be glad to discuss them with you at length, should you so desire.
 
Suspensions for non-payment of dues have been coming into the Grand Lodge Office. I applaud the efforts of many of you secretaries out there who have attempted to contact the delinquent members of your lodges, as well as the efforts of many lodges to carry those brethren who are financially unable to pay their dues, but still desire to maintain their membership.
 
Thanks again for all your support to Nebraska Masonry. With your continued efforts, the fraternity can grow and prosper throughout the state. As I said earlier, if you have any comments on how we can improve Nebraska Masonry, please let me know.