The Scimitar -- Jan

RIZPAH SHRINERS
MADISONVILLE, KY
Mark Your Calendar
The Scimitar
Feb 12-Divan Meeting
ISSUE 1
Temple Meeting
Feb 14 Valentine’s Day Dance
Feb21 O.E.S. District Meeting
and School
March 8-11 Oriental Guide
Conference
March 12 Divan Meeting
Temple Meeting .
March 4-7 Assistant Rabban
Conference
March 21 Hadi Potentate’s
Ball
March 26-29 SASA Mid-Winter
March 28 Al Menah
Potentate’s Ball
March 29 Daughters of the
Nile Installation
April 9 Divan Meeting
Temple Meeting
Onion Sale Turn-in
April 11 Spring Ceremonial
Hillbilly Degree
April 15-18 SDA Conference
April 24 Potentate’s Golf
H.P. & P.
Treasurer
Scramble
Ill. Sir Bruce Wiggins, PP David Geary
April 25 Rizpah Potentate’s Ball
Lady Teresa
Lady Carol
May 7-9 Fun Fest
May 9 Kerbela Potentate’s Ball
May 14 Divan Meeting
Temple Meeting
Past Potentate’s Night
May 16 Oleika Potentate’s Ball
May 17 Lexington Hospital Day
May 30 Rizpah Ladies Tea
June 11 Divan Meeting
Temple Meeting .
June 20 El Hasa Potentate’s Ball
July 3-9 Imperial Session
Houston TexasJuly 9 Temple Dark
July 18 Kosair Potentate’s Ball
Trustees:
Jack McCormick
270 -871-6486
John Grigsby
812-449-6452
Dennis Moore
270-875-1667
Editor:
Janice Centers
270 622-5354
kcenters@nctc.com
2015
January - April
YOUR 2015 DIVAN
Chief Rabban
Keith Black
Lady Vickey
Potentate
Ill. Sir Benny
Deffendoll
Asst. Rabban
Eddie Daugherty
Lady Ruby
Recorder
Oriental Guide
Kenny Byassee Ill. Sir James Woodard, PP
Lady Carol
Lady Ginger
Rizpah's 2015 Potentate
Nobles and Ladies:
Thank you for the honor of being elected as
Potentate of Rizpah Shrine Center for 2015. As
I accept this responsibility, I thank each of you
for the support you have given me the last four
years and welcome your support for the
coming year.
Remember that everything we do is to support
our hospitals and the kids.
I would like to thank Illustrious Sir Sam
Fletcher and Lady Lesley for leading us through
the year 2014.
Yours in Faith,
Benny Deffendoll
Greetings from Sam
Greetings Nobles,
On behalf of Lady Lesley and myself, I would
like to thank each of you for the opportunity to
serve Rizpah Shriners for the last 5 years. It has
been a wonderful experience and I would not
trade the memories for anything.
Our membership took a big hit for 2014 (it
was a lot of other temples as well). Remember
that we only get members if we ask for them, So
please be active in your Blue Lodge and talk
about the Shrine whenever possible.
Thanks again to everyone that that helped
during 2014, we do truly appreciate it.
Congratulations to The Loonies for Club of
the Year, the Legion of Honor for Unit of the
year and a big congratulations to Lewis Conger
for receiving the Shrine Hero of the Year. It is an
honor you all deserve.
Sam Fletcher, Past Potentate, 2014
Update from the Chief Rabban
Lady Vickey and I have enjoyed the last 3
years serving the Temple. We hope to
continue serving for the future of the Temple,
and we could use your ideas and thoughts on
how to make it grow.
By now the East and West Game is over and
hopefully it was a good event. If you didn’t get
to make it maybe next year you will because
it’s going to be an annual event to help the
Blue Lodges and the Shrine.
We the Divan have a lot of activities planned
for the year. Please come out and enjoy these
events with us.
The St Louis trip has been postponed till fall
due to conflicting dates but we still are
planning this trip in the fall.
Chief Rabban
Keith Black
Team Rizpah
Lady Ruby and I want to say thank you for the
support you have given us the past two years, we
have enjoyed the travels to local clubs and units
and look forward to visiting with you this year. I
thank you for the confidence of electing me in the
position as Assistant Rabban for this coming
year. I look forward to working as a team with
each of you for the betterment of Rizpah Shrine
Center. As we build Team Rizpah we will need
your help with membership. Membership is the
life of the Temple.
We look forward to a year of Friends, Fun, and
Fellowship.
Fraternity yours,
Eddie Daugherty
Assistant Rabban
The High Priest & Prophet
Welcome to 2015 Rizpah Nobles and Ladies!
Lady Teresa and I want to thank you for a
wonderful and exciting first year on the divan.
We appreciate all the words of encouragement,
kindness and support you have given us in
2014. We’ve had the pleasure to meet several
new nobles, their ladies & children and even
some of our Shriner families throughout this
past year. The new friendships we have made in
just a few months and the memories already
created will forever be cherished by us both! We
ask that you please be patient with us as we
continue to study and learn the duties and
responsibilities of your divan.
We are looking forward to working with you to
make 2015 a successful year for our “KIDS” and
our “Temple.
If we can be of any assistance to you or someone
you know, please feel free to contact me.
Respectfully yours,
High Priest & Prophet
G. David Geary
A Word from the New Oriental Guide
Hello Nobles and Ladies all. I would like to take
advantage of this opportunity to introduce myself as
your new Oriental Guide for the up-coming year. I am
Kenny Ray Byassee from Bardwell Lodge 499 where I
am serving as Senior Warden this year. I am a member
of the Ken-Tenn Shrine Club in Fulton.
My Lady of 33 years is Lady Ginger. I hope to be the
best Oriental Guide that I can be.
My goals is that Rizpah Shrine can grow in
membership and we all can work together for the good
of the Shrine. Lady Ginger and I are looking for a great
year and hope to see and meet each of you at upcoming
events.
Kenny Ray Byassee
Oriental Guide.
Rizpah's Treasurer
GREETINGS NOBLES AND LADIES
Thank you Nobles for your vote of confidence in
electing me as your Treasure for 2015. I am
looking forward to be back as a Divan member and
to do what ever I can to support our Temple.
In addition, as your Bingo Chairman for 2015, the
main fund raiser we have to keep our dues low and
keep our Temple running is BINGO and we need
your help to keep this going. If you can spare a few
hours per week or monthly please call the office or
myself and let us know what you can do for this
very important project.
YOURS IN FAITH
BRUCE WIGGINS TREASURER PP
News from the Recorders Desk
RIZPAH SPRING CEREMONIAL
Membership is the life blood of all organizations, more especially volunteer organizations
where there is no monetary reward, and it becomes more of a challenge as the times get
harder. Our Membership Chairman, Ill Sir Randall Bowker is working hard and encouraging
all nobles to work toward stabilizing our membership with quality men. We lost 118 members
last year. We must all concentrate on increasing our membership.
Our Spring Ceremonial will be held on Saturday, April 11.
Ask your Masonic, York Rite, and Scottish Rite brethren if they would like to join the ranks of
Rizpah Shriners. We need members to continue growing and to help the children who need
our services.
Don’t Be “LOST” in the DESERT ~ PLEASE call, mail, or email the office if any of your
contact information has changed. We need to have your current information for Rizpah and
Shriners International records. PLEASE remember to keep us informed at all times.
Have You Paid Your 2015 Dues? Your 2015 dues card is your ticket to attend all temple,
club, and unit meetings. Please contact the office if you have not paid your 2015 dues. If you
have any questions about your dues, please call the
office. You may pay by calling the office with your
credit or debit card information or sending your check
by mail to:
3300 Hanson Rd.,
Madisonville KY 42431-5863.
From the desk of James Woodard, Recorder
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all
the Nobles for your support during the election.
I look forward to serving you as Recorder for
another year here at the Rizpah Temple.
Legion of Honor Installation
The Rizpah Shriners Legion of Honor conducted their change of command on Sunday
January 11th with Ill. Sir Ray Coombs, 4th Lt. Cmdr IALOH serving as the installing officer
with Ill. Sir Wesdie Webb as installing marshall and Noble Ken Cunningham as installing
adjutant.
Ill. Sir Randall Bowker, outgoing commander, awarded to both H.A. Dooms Jr. and Barry L.
Spencer, Sr., the Legionaire of the year? Congratulations to both of them.
Our newly installed officers are:
Cmdr. Noble Jeff Gillespie, Vice Cmdr. Noble Lewis Conger, Lt. Cmdr. Ill. Sir Bruce
Wiggins (PP), Chief of Staff Noble Ray Abbott, Adjutant Noble Chester Burden,
Quartermaster Noble Eddie Daugherty and Finance Officer Noble Robert Chope.
In attendance were Ill. Sir Benny Deffendoll and the
Rizpah Divan, Dr. Mike Murray, 7th Lt. Cmdr. IALOH
his C of S Curran Wilkinson with his Lady Linda, Asst.
C of S Ned Wellmeier with his Lady Rose and Ill.
Sir Ray Coombs' Lady Pat.
I would like to thank Ill. Sir Benny and the Rizpah
Divan, Ill. Sir Ray Coombs and the IALOH Officers
and all the Rizpah family for attending our installation.
I would like to extend a special thank you to Wanda
Bowker for all her assistance.
Fraternally yours
Noble Jeff Gillespie,
Cmdr. Rizpah LOH
Jeffrey W. Gillespie
Daughters of the Nile - Neith Temple #80
Neith Temple will be conducting a Spring Ceremonial on Sunday, March 15th, beginning
at 2:30 pm at Rizpah. Finger Foods will be served immediately following the ceremonial.
On March 29th at 2:30 pm, we will hold our Installation of Officers with a reception
afterwards. All Nile members are invited and encouraged to attend these two functions.
Have you seen the 1 ct. diamond ring we have as a fundraiser? The proceeds are to benefit
the general fund of Neith Temple, No. 80, Daughters of the Nile. See any member for more
information. Dues notices will be sent out in March, so be on the look out for them.
Rizpah Shrine Center
Madisonville, KY
Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2015
Doors open: 6pm
Dress: 50’s dress optional
Cost: $25.00/couple
50’s Music by Nathan Hazelwood
We will be serving from The Soda Shop
Hamburgers/Hotdogs with chips
Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Wanda Bowker will contact individuals with food request.
Photos by David will be available with all proceeds going to the
Transportation Fund.