From the Deacon’s Bench – November 2022

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here we are on the downhill side of the Fall season. I just finished raking leaves along the stone wall in front my house, and that is all the raking I plan to do for this season!

By the time you read this, we have already passed Veterans’ Day. I hope that you had the chance to attend some kind of remembrance ceremony for all veterans. I have a chance every day to thank a different veteran for their service. I hope you do, too! They are the reason that we are able to live in a country such as this, and have the freedoms that we so richly enjoy. If I haven’t thanked you personally yet, please accept this from my heart, “I thank you for all that you did in the past, now, and in the future. I appreciate all that you do and have done.”

We have other things to be thankful for in our lives. We should be thinking about them all year long as we go about our daily lives, but we tend to get so wrapped up in our daily lives that we forget sometimes.

The list is long (at least for me, it is!). I can think of many as I know you can, too. Be thankful, first off, for your family, for without them you would be nothing. Next, you fill in the rest. I’m sure those lists will be long, some longer than others.

 I am most thankful for my loving family, and friends that I have, for without them, I would not be the person that I am today. THANK YOU all for everything that you do, whatever it may be.

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, teach us to be thankful for the good things in our lives. Show us that we must always be thankful for Your love and forgiveness.  Amen.”

May the grace of God’s protection
And His great love abide
Within your home-within the hearts
Of all who dwell inside.                                              

An Irish Family Blessing

President’s Perspective – November 2022

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

Dec 3, 2022 — 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. we will have an Instruction meeting for Ritualistic Floor Work at State Grange HQ, 146 State St., Augusta. (weather permitting) 

Everyone is invited to attend. Those attending will be practicing the work, by volunteer, also switching around it will not just be State Officers and Deputies.  We will cover:

  • Opening & Closing  (Opening the Bible, Presenting the Flag, Introducing Honored Guests)
  • How to properly make the Salutation
  • Balloting procedure
  • Election procedure
  • How to handle Motions and following through
  • The State Secretary will cover reporting, records, funds, and ordering certificates
  • Other suggested Grange business and discussion  

I will also be holding this same workshop/meeting around the State starting in the spring, please invite me to your area or Grange, I would prefer a Saturday meeting during the day but could accommodate an evening if requested.  

Welcome to our 8 new State Grange members who received the 6th degree at our recent State Grange Session. Thank you to the Delegates and Members that attended. I thought the discussions were productive, and I appreciate your participation, input, and respect shown for each other during that part of the meeting. Thank you Bob for moderating. A lot of awards were presented, the Juniors participated, a heartfelt Memorial Service held, very interesting speakers Ann Bercher our National Grange Rep., and Nancy McBrady from the Dept of Agriculture, re-elected Nate Pennell to the Executive Committee and wonderful banquet and luncheon provided. I would like to hear from you what you thought of the schedule and the facilities (yes, I know everyone was cold). Personally, I like it there and plan returning there again next year. There is a lot less work to do to set up for the meeting, degree and sales room plus the price at the previous facility was seven times as much. 

A BIG thank-you to ALL who stepped up to fill in or help out in any way, it was once again a great show of teamwork and helped make a very successful session.  Officers, Deputies, Department Directors, and Committees, thank you for your continued work during the past years, and I am looking forward to working together once again. Thank you to the tellers for election and the Master’s Address committee. Marilyn Stinson and Terry LaCombe-Stevens have stepped down as Co-Junior Directors we sincerely appreciate your years of dedication and hard work to the Junior Grange program, Betty Young will be our new Junior Director. 

The new Department Program Books and Annual Reports were given to the Delegates for your Grange. If you did not have delegates at the session, you may download the programs and reports from the web under “Program Books” or if you want a printed copy, email the office or myself and we will send them to you.  You may request all or just select ones. Agriculture, Community Service, Communications/Web, CWA, Junior, and Lecturers.

Communications Column – November 2022

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Where did everything go?

It seems ironic that I wrote last month on the topic of building the website, and this month I am reporting the disappearance of some parts! Technology has not been kind recently.

At the risk of causing some MEGO (my eyes are glazing over), I’ll share some background. The site has had some issues since it was hacked this summer. While the site structure is not too complex, we are burdened a bit by the sheer size. We’ve had posts on the site all the way back to 2010, when it was first created. And many of those posts included images (pictures).

For those technically inclined, we had a recent “conflict” between the site theme and the site itself. In short, nearly every image disappeared from the site as a result. By the way, images include documents such as program books.

The good news is that I have maintained a file of those images separate from the site. The bad news is the only way to solve the problem is to replace the images one at a time. With over 3,000 posts and pages, you can well imagine this is not an easy task.

I’ve made the Program Books and Information Page a priority and have focused on the most recent posts.

The more good news is that the mess has created an opportunity to prioritize and “clean up” things. It’s going to take some time, but eventually, we’ll have a streamlined site. I could bore you with how much smoother things become–for example, backups will take less time. In practical terms, we’ll lose posts and images from the distant past. (The site is over a decade old!)

This means some of the older posts will disappear. And those that remain will show broken links where images are involved. Your patience and understanding are appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, do let me know.

The top priority will be posting new information: your events and news. Please submit!

► FACT: Your MSG website was viewed nearly 2700 times during October 2022–and over 40 posts were placed on the site.

Tell us why you love the Grange!

Membership Moments – November 2022

By Rick Grotton,
Membership Committee Director
207 582-5915

Remember, it is difficult to attract new members if your Grange is inactive. It has been a challenge during the past year, however, many Granges have “switched gears” from the normal “we have always done it that way”. Creativity and new ways of doing routine things have resulted in success for many. My Grange did (with success) the “trunk or treat” on Halloween night. We had many who stopped by to receive a bag full of goodies and many more who drove by waving and honking. It seemed like the adults had just as much fun as the young ones. The publicity from those who noticed us outside having a grand ole time was welcomed. During these difficult times, the members were excited to try different ways and came up with some wonderful projects. This was noticed by the community. It seemed to bring us closer together and strengthened our bonds even with social distancing.

There are many things Granges can be doing as the holidays approach to keep active and to bring awareness to potential new members. Donations to your local food bank, Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to the unfortunate, help to the veterans, making Christmas cards for the elderly and shut-ins at nursing homes or rehab center, and checking in with members who cannot make it to the meetings are a few things that come to mind. Or you may have your own ideas which I wish you would share so that they can be forwarded to others in future columns.

It has been difficult this year to visit and to do membership drives, however, social media is a great way to boost your publicity and attract new members. Use social media to post events and remind others that the Grange is better than ever and is there to serve. Change happens and change is good. It keeps us thinking of new ideas and gets us out of the annual project rut where we tend to do the same things over and over without enthusiasm or thought. Change keeps us fresh, alive, and productive as well as motivated and excited. Non-members will pick up on that excitement and that will make it easier to attract them. Also, people tend to get stir crazy stuck at home during this pandemic and will be eager to get involved in something positive, new and exciting to get them out of their ruts. That is why communication, social media, publicity and being  active will help you in your drive for new members. Now is a great time to increase your membership. Keep an open mind, a positive attitude and updated planning of new events. Take advantage of these down times to boost your Grange. We will do it!! Remember, I am available to help you with any questions or ideas to help you boost your membership.

May every Granger be safe during the holiday season and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas! God bless.

Lecturer’s Column – November 2022

By Margaret Morse, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 439-0413

And the winners are…

The winners of the poetry and book reading club were announced on October 1, 2022

1st place winners in Poetry
Humorous – Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg # 382
Stars – Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg # 382       
Patriotic – Sherry Harriman, Bauneg Beg # 382 
Other – Barbara Strout, Excelsior # 5

Book Reading Club – Number of Books
1st – Margaret Henderson (164), Dirigo #98
2nd -Janet Nolan (147), Mill Stream #574
3rd – Melissa Baldwin (131) Hollis #132

Book Reading Club – Number of Pages
1st – Janet Nolan (54,062) Mill Stream #574
2nd – Margaret Henderson (49,963). Dirigo #98        
3rd – Gay Anderson (46,141) Mill Stream #574

The winners of the photography, adult coloring and adult art were awarded on October 20, 2022 at State Grange Session.

Animals:
1st Rebekah Hodgson, Jonesboro #357
2nd Laurie McBurnie, Willow #65
3rd Karen Hatch Gagne, Danville Jct. #65

Flowers:
1st Norma Meserve, Danville Jct. #65
2nd Laurie McBurnie, Willow #65
3rd Karen Hatch Gagne, Danville Jct. #65

People:
1st Rebekah Hodgson, Jonesboro #357
2nd Karen Hatch Gagne, Danville Jct. #65
3rd Laurie McBurnie, Willow #65

Structures:
1st Terry LaCombe, Hudson # 457
2nd Laurie McBurnie, Willow #65
3rd Marilyn Stinson, Enterprise #48  

Best in Show:
Rebekah Hodgson, Jonesboro #357
People’s Choice:
Laurie McBurnie, Willow # 65

Adult Coloring:
1st Tim Wilson, Bangor #372
2nd Terry Wilson, Bangor #372
3rd Norma Meserve, Danville Jct. #65

Adult Art (oil):
1st Tina Thurton, Norway #45

Parkman Grange Hunter’s Supper

 November 19, 2022 – 4:30 – 6:00 pm

The Parkman Grange will be having a Hunter’s Supper on Saturday, November 19, 2022, from 4:30 to 6:00. The menu is beans, hot dogs, coleslaw, chop suey, Jackie Libby’s famous yeast rolls, desserts, and beverages.  The meal is by cash donation to the MSAD 4 Santa Project, which provides warm winter coats, boots, and toys to local kids. Gun raffle winners will be picked at 6 PM, followed by a pie auction to benefit the PCSS Class of 2023.  The Grange is located at the corner of State Highway 150 and North Dexter Road.  For more info, call Sue Manchester 277-3942.

St George Grange Christmas Craft Fair

40th Annual St. George Grange Christmas Fair Saturday, December 3, 2022

present boxes arranged on floor under decorated christmas tree
Photo by Marko Klaric on Pexels.com

The 40th Annual St George Grange Craft Fair will be held Saturday, December 3, 2022, from 9 am-2 pm and will include crafts, baked goods, jams, relish, fudge raffles, and more! It’s a big day!

Lunch starts at 11 am and will include homemade soups, biscuits, hot dogs, and drinks. Free coffee & mulled cider will be served. A live nativity, then a public supper starting at 5 pm.

Spend the day with us!

St George Grange is located at 32 Wiley’s Corner Road in St George. Contact Tammy Willey for more information.

Family Game Night at St George Grange

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

family of four walking at the street
Photo by Emma Bauso on Pexels.com

Family Game Night at St. George Grange. Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 6 pm-8 pm. Lots of fun games for all ages. Cards, cribbage, Janga, Go Fish, Battle Ship, Checkers, Operation, and many more.

Free refreshments!

St. George Grange is located at 32 Wiley’s Corner Road in St. George. For more information, contact Tammy Willey.