TEBALA SHRINERS

Potentate’s Message – April 2012

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:20:11 +0000

Greetings Nobles!

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing my thoughts for the March TebalaGram. Time is just rac-ing by!! First I want to thank everyone that attended the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Party. We had a great turnout and many of the non-Shriners indicated to me that they had a wonderful time and that they will attend future events that are open to the public. You never know where you might find a potential new noble!

I also had an opportunity to attend the Shrine Wid-ows Luncheon at Peterson Meadows. I really enjoyed the wonderful food and great conversations! These Ladies are a tremendous asset to Tebala! A special Thank You to Alice Alfredson for including me in this wonderful event.

Queen Jenny Patterson and all of the officers of the Daughters of the Nile were installed in a wonderful ceremony on March 18th. Each year, I marvel at all of the hard work that goes into this event. I would like to thank Jenny, her advisors and everyone else that made this event so special.

Looking forward, we really have a lot on the horizon! The Scottish Rite Reunion is April 13th & 14th in Freeport. Try to make time to attend at least some of the degrees; you won’t regret it!

The following weekend is our Spring Ceremonial. I am so excited at the prospect of creating several new Nobles! We must all make them feel welcome and offer our support as they enter our Fraternity. Also please continue to be on the lookout for potential new Nobles for the Fall Cere-monial.

As an incentive for bringing in new Nobles, we are reinstating “Tebala Bucks”. “Tebala Bucks” are back! The top line signer on each new peti-tion for membership in Tebala will receive 20 “Tebala Bucks”. These “Bucks” can be used to pay for functions, meals, dues & Tebala Logo items. Additional opportunities to earn “Tebala Bucks” will be added in the future. Start collecting your “Bucks” today!

On May 11th we will be holding our Mother’s Day Dinner. Again this year Hoffman House will prepare a fabulous Steak & Lobster Dinner. Gentlemen, bring your mothers and/or any other lady in your life that you could not do without!

The Potentate’s Trip is from May 22nd thru 27th. Space is limited so call now to make your reservation.

The Circus is coming to town June 1st thru 3rd!! Please remember to participate in the Circus Daddy & Granddaddy programs when you receive your vouchers. More than ever before, we need your help & financial sup-port for this event.

Why not start a new family tradition? Children, bring your fathers …fathers bring your children to Blackhawk Farms Raceway and help raise money for Tebala’s Transportation Fund. You will be absolutely amazed by the beautiful park like grounds. This is also a great opportunity to see some antique/vintage cars & vintage planes.

Yours in Faith,

Dave Babcock

Potentate

Chaplain’s Call – April 2012

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:21:02 +0000

Why I Accepted

Here it is in February 2012 as I am writing this article for the Tebala Gram to be published in April of this same year. It continually amazes me how God works wonders in our lives when we become open and receptive to the movement of his spirit. I have had the privilege of serving a number of churches over the years and through each of those experiences been blessed with the opportunity to gain a closer more comprehensive awareness of God’s influ-ence in our world as well as in my own personal life. It is very easy to pick up a text book and read about the history of a people, a nation, or even an individual and discover where deci-sions were made that made it possible for various events to take place. For example; we can look at the Old Testament, read about the struggles of the Hebrew people and their desire to have a better life and discover that they prospered and grew only when they placed God first in their lives. We can read about the history of our own nation and discover why we as a na-tion were ultimately faced with the necessity of legally providing all citizens to with the free-dom to vote as well as having equal opportunities in the work force of our nation. These de-cisions did not come easy and in fact are even being debated to this very day within various bodies of our government. Individuals who believed in their importance sometimes were called to sacrifice their own life for the benefit of those who would follow after them. To be able to observe our own jour-ney and learn from our own mistakes is more difficult! It requires of us a willingness to admit that we may have made a mistake. That perhaps the foundation upon which a previous decision was made was not as correct as previously believed. Personal growth and change is hard! Once a change is achieved it must continue to be maintained, nourished, and strength-ened. Individuals like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, George Washington, the various signers of the Declaration of Independence as well as many others believed so strongly in their cause that they gave everything they had including their own lives to the endeavor at hand. The desired fulfillment of a dream or goal is not something that simply happens on its own without producing any duress to those who both embrace the change as well as those who oppose it. Individuals who have died on the various battlefields around the world willingly sacrificed themselves in an effort to protect and defend not only the life of a buddy, but also their country and the ability of their loved ones to have a blessed future as well as a better life tomorrow than they have today. It is as we commit ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves, under the guid-ance of a Supreme Being (God), that progress is achieved in spite of the resistance encountered along the way.

When I was provided with the opportunity to become the Chaplain for Tebala I proceeded to seek guidance and came to understand that the membership of our fraternity consists of individuals from all walks of life, many religions (both Chris-tian and Non-Christian), even different cultures as well as career fields. In understanding this it became clear to me that the role of the Chaplain was involved with helping our fraternity continue to be open to the movement of Divine Spirit as well as Divine Wisdom through all perspectives and religious persuasions. This I decided was a tremendous opportunity to be a personal witness of my own faith and serve not only Tebala but also serve the families of all those men who have made the commitment to be a member of our great fraternity. It is through this activity of faith that the lives of all the children we assist in receiving the medical help through our hospitals and their respective families are likewise blessed.

I have during the last several years while serving in this position as Chaplain been faced with situations where I had to choose to either serve a Christian Faith (which is my own perspective) or serve as a Spiritual Presence that also represents and reflects the viewpoints and faith of other religious positions. I pray that through the grace of God I successfully ac-complish this in a manner that pays tribute to the faith of all members of our fraternity. For those who choose to believe that I may have failed in this endeavor I seek your forgiveness but reserve to God (The Supreme Ruler and Creator) to make the final judgment.

As you can hopefully see, the role of the Chaplain is more than simply being available to say a prayer at the appropriate time, or wearing a Fez that has Chaplain on it. The role of the Chaplain is to be a vessel through which the grace and pres-ence of God can be seen in our midst. If any member of our Fraternity, including Tebala, Scottish Rite, York Rite, the various Blue Lodges as well as any family or extended family member or friend are ever in need of prayer or spiritual coun-seling I stand ready to be of assistance. I pray for our Potentate (each year) and know that God is at work within him and his Lady plus each member of the Divan and their Ladies, as they devote the time, energy, and finances to the endeavor of making Tebala stronger tomorrow than it is today. That prayer also extends out to each Noble associated with this temple and their respective families. May each of you feel the strength of God’s presence within but also may each member of your family be likewise blessed beyond measure.

May God’s Love and Blessings fill your life with great joy, peace, and happiness? May we all realize that by placing God first in all areas of our lives great miraculous events will unfold through us. I look forward to seeing you at the Tem-ple! I also celebrate your personal commitment to be an example that others desire to emulate in their own lives.

God Bless us all, your Chaplain and fellow Noble,

Rev. Les McClelland

Tebala Temple Chaplain

Potentate’s Message – March 2012

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:07:50 +0000

Greeting Nobles!

As February draws to an end, I find myself look-ing back and wondering where all of the time has gone!! First of all I want to thank everyone that attended Installation. Your generous con-tributions resulted in Tebala presenting the Chi-cago Hospital with a total of 23 toy trucks and $650.00! Words cannot express how proud I was when Bob Cotner, the Director of Develop-ment for the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, called me at home to thank the Nobles of Tebala for their gift. Additionally, I want to thank Tom Brawner P.P., Robert Boyd & “Bear” Barker for rep-resenting Tebala and handling the presentation at the hospital.

The Super Bowl Party at Tebala was great fun! All of the nobles, their family & friends enjoyed fabulous food and a great game!

I want to thank everyone that attended the Valentine’s Day Din-ner. As usual Hoffman House did a great job! A special thank you goes out to Carlos Duran who traveled thru terrible weather to get to Tebala to entertain. He kept the dance floor moving by playing what seemed to be everybody’s favorite tunes.

Mark Torrance & Matt Thomann did a great job organizing and staffing our recent Fight Night. Thanks to their efforts, there were plenty of volunteers on hand and every aspect went smoothly. Thanks to all of the Nobles and their ladies for volun-teering; this event would not be possible without them!! The vol-unteers staffing the beer tubs collected over $250.00 in tips and generously donated it all to the Children’s Christmas Party Fund!

Please mark your calendars for our St. Patrick’s Day Party on March 17th, the Membership Stag Steak Fry on March 29th, and the Children’s Easter Egg Hunt on April 1st. Look for more infor-mation on each of these events in this edition of the Tebala-Gram.

Every day each of us should be on the “look out” for men that we feel have something to offer to our fraternity or for whom we feel that our fraternity has something to offer!!

Yours in the Faith,

Dave Babcock

Potentate

Chaplain’s Call – March 2012

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:09:07 +0000

Salutation of the Dawn

Many of us have heard or read the Salutation of the Dawn, a poem frag-ment attributed to the fifth century BCE Vedic playwright, Mahakavi Kálidása: “Listen to the salutation of the dawn. Look well to this day, for it is life. The very life of life! In its brief passage lie all the realities and varieties of our ex-istence: the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty. For yesterday is but a dream and tomor-row is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vi-sion of hope! Look well therefore to this day.”

These old Sanskrit writings have no doubt inspired countless numbers of troubled people over the centuries. They don’t mention the fact however that for most of us there are many days when it is awful hard to “look well to this day.”

There are for all of us many yester-days that are not dreams of happiness and there will no doubt be tomorrows that will not be visions of hope. These are the days when we must recall that

peculiar evening in our Masonic ca-reers when we knelt between two great pillars, poor and penniless, nei-ther naked nor clothed, neither bare-foot nor shod. We were asked one very simple question—In times of diffi-culty in whom do you place your trust? On bad days—and good days—let us remember the answer we gave and re-joice in the knowledge that we don’t face any of our days alone.

It is at such times that we are all blessed with the knowledge of know-ing that we can reach out to another member of our fraternity trusting in their integrity as well as our own while discussing the issues of the day that are troubling us.

It is my prayer that as you read this article your life will be blessed with great joy and happiness in this month of March. I look forward to seeing you at the monthly business meeting at the Tebala Temple.

Your Chaplain

Rev. Les McClelland

815-222-7943

Potentate’s Message – February 2012

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:11:13 +0000

First, let me start out by saying how humbled & honored I am to have been elected by the nobil-ity to serve as Tebala’s Potentate for 2012. I promise to work hard to help Tebala as well as the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children achieve their goals & objectives. I will strive each day to demonstrate the character and the qualities consistent with my oath as a Mason & a Shriner. My goal will be to make new friends, not only for myself but for Shriner’s Interna-tional, our hospitals and the children we serve.

Our primary focus in 2012 must to be membership, membership, membership! More than ever before, we are feeling the impact of our declining numbers. I will work closely with Robert Boyd, our Membership Chairman, on ways to bring in new members and to restore former members. I would ask each of you to be aware of recruitment opportunities in your daily lives. Additionally, the Leg-acy Program that kicked off earlier this month is intended to bring in new members. The Legacy Program focuses on family mem-bers’, specifically those related either by blood or marriage. It would be my hope to create 50+ new Nobles this year. WE CAN DO IT!! Ideally, many will be young men with families. For that reason, I have planned some “family friendly” events and activi-ties. Two examples of new events are the Easter Egg Hunt planned for April 1st and a trip to the Henry Villas Zoo in Madison in mid July. Both events will be open to member’s children & grandchildren. Additionally, “Bear” Barker & Gary Ackerman have been busy working with the Ice Hogs and the Riverhawks on special events for Tebala. I welcome any suggestions that you may have that could help our fraternity move forward and grow.

We need your participation, be it volunteering for an activity, at-tending an event or meeting, being an active participant in clubs or units or doing your part in the Grand Daddy Program for the circus. If we all do our part it will have a very positive effect on our bottom line & the success of our Temple.

I wish to thank Pete Holm, in advance, for all of the hard work and time he will be putting in this year as Editor of the TebalaGram. I know that he will do an amazing job publicizing all of our events & reporting articles.

Let’s make 2012 a year that focuses on Shriners International’s definition of our fraternity as one that is based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, truth and relief.

Yours in the Faith,

Dave Babcock

Potentate

Chaplain’s Call – February 2012

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:12:47 +0000

Love is The Difference:

Welcome to February 2012. This is the month when we focus on sending Valentines to those we love. Individuals like our wives, sons, daughters, as well as step-sons and step-daughters, grandchildren, mothers and fathers, etc. all deserve to receive from us an acknowledgement of our love. Each moment we sacrifice our time, financial resources, and en-ergy for the benefit of a child who is dependent upon the help they receive from our Hospitals we are demonstrating our love for them as well as our Shrine. It is through our support of this tremendous Temple that we make it possible for those less fortu-nate than ourselves to have a promise for a better life.

Love demands something from us. It forces us to rise above the differences we sometimes have with one another for the benefit of a cause that is greater than ourselves. It is through love that we are able to forgive and release the events that may have of-fended us and in so doing call forth that inner higher calling of being the difference that makes the difference! There is a difference in a person who becomes a Master Mason, a Scottish Rite Mason, a York Rite Mason, and a Shriner.

We are called to be reflective of a higher standard of living. We affirm a belief in a Higher Being, Hon-esty and trust-worthiness. We commit ourselves to being the standard that makes a difference within our interactions with one another as well as all our endeavors in public and private life.

In an attempt to identify how love impacts us I came across the following examples reflecting love in action. It is my hope that as you read this article you will be touched and uplifted by its message.

Some impressions that Kids have on love:

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she could-n’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”

“When someone loves you, the way they say your

name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”

“Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad, but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.”

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay.”"Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas -if you stop opening presents and listen.”

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”

“You really shouldn’t say ’I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”

Love is the Difference in your life. With Love, you become the difference.

Love is the Difference between a friend and an acquaintance

Love is the Difference between thought and ac-tion.

Love is the Difference between good and evil.

Love is the Difference between Life and Death.

Love is the Difference when we express our ap-preciation for those who have impacted our lives by attending the Shrine Memorial Service in memory of our brethren who has passed as well as their funeral service whenever possible.

Blessings to you and your entire family includ-ing all the members of our Masonic Fraternity and their respective family members!

Have a great February.

See you In March.

Les McClelland, Chaplain

Potentate’s Message – January 2012

rjenks — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:15:24 +0000

Greetings Nobles and Ladies,

It’s hard to believe how fast time passes. This will be my final mes-sage to all of you as Potentate of Te-bala Shrine. Barbara and I have had a very rewarding and fun filled year, visiting with all the Nobles and their Ladies at all the different Shrine functions and socials, not only at Tebala, but at other Temples and trips out of state. Our most recent trip was a 7 hour drive to Cincinnati Shrine Hospital, a very enjoyable and rewarding trip……”Kids ‘R’ Key”.

In my messages this past year, I’ve tried to keep everybody up-to-date on events attended, etc. I don’t think there was one message that I didn’t mention the good food we enjoyed at all the Shrine functions and socials. Must be that’s what Shriners do best.

The Silver Fizz, a tradition for many years, was fantastic! We had an attendance of over 300 guests! The food was great, as always, by Hoffman House, and the entertainment by the Belvidere High School Choraliers, was enjoyed by all. What a wonderful way to get everybody in the Christmas spirit. The Children’s Christmas Party was another success, thanks to the Babcock’s for all their work in planning this special event for the children.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everybody who helped with any of the socials or events this year. I don’t want to name individuals because I might miss somebody, so I’ll just say one big THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY who helped in any way. One or 2 people cannot do it alone, it takes teamwork. You all helped make the events and socials such a success and a great time.

My Lady Barbara and I say “thank you” for making 2011 a year for both of us to remember the rest of our lives.

Yours in the Faith,

Bill Robertson, POTENTATE

Chaplain’s Call – January 2012

rjenks — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:17:43 +0000

Chaplain’s Message:

I’ve read many self-help books over the years written by individuals who tell me I can do what I love and the money will follow, or follow my passion and my dream will mysteriously come true. To some extent, that is true. However, they often fail to mention something that EVERY entrepreneur faces, at one point or another, and must be mentioned to have a complete picture of what it takes to live a dream: SACRIFICE.

Whether an entrepreneur, an artist, or someone simply seeking to give back, there is always the re-quirement of sacrifice

Many do not want to hear this important truth. But the truth is that if we want to do something new, we must give up something old. If we buy new clothes, we must send some old ones away. This stems from the laws of attraction and life balance. And since living life fully is partly about manifest-ing, it is important to know that manifesting requires sacrifice.

Yes, we must have our intention. We must have no doubt; or, better, absolute faith. We must not lis-ten to the critics except possibly when the critics are spot-on the money with their advice. But what we must also know is what we will need to give up in order to live out our dreams and live life fully.

Our willingness to sacrifice is directly related to our desire to move ahead. If we are unwilling to sacrifice then we are not willing to make changes where necessary. We will instead tend to hang on to everything out of fear which results in watching our dreams and goals in life pass us by.

The spiritual teaching of life instruct us that we must go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, help those less fortunate, practice the golden rule, etc.. When we are walking this path in life we will consistently find ourselves in the right place for opportunities to experience greater happiness and fulfillment to become revealed.

One of the great things about our fraternaity is we are directly associated with an International Or-ganization committed to helping the less fortunate. Nothing else is more important than this en-deavor. For it is through our efforts that a person who would otherwise not have as good an oppor-tunity to live a blessed life and be a blessing takes place.

We should never, ever, lose sight of this tremendous blessing. Each individual that you meet in the Shrine, is part of this great endeavor and deserves your personal encouragement and support.

Choose this day to make certain these individuals know you respect their efforts. That you are proud of their efforts for they are in fact helping you be a better person. It is my prayer that you ex-perience a great year in 2012.

I am reminded of a wonderful poem that goes something like this. “Wonderful, Wonderful, Fortunate you, This is the year that your dreams come true.” The poem continues on, however I do not remem-ber the rest of it. Suffice it to be that this is your year, this is my year, this is our year to experience the fulfillment of our dreams. May we all have the wisdom to make the proper sacrifices necessary for their fulfillment.

Blessings

Your Chaplain

Rev. Les McClelland

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