Proceedings of the 109Th Communication Prince Hall Grand
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Prince Hall Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star Jurisdiction of Georgia 330 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30335 Proceedings of the 109th Communication June 19—23, 2007 Augusta, Georgia The Honorable Ramsey Davis, Jr., 33º Most Worshipful Grand Master Sister Vashti Grimes Pullen Grand Worthy Matron Brother Aaron Kent, 32º Grand Worthy Patron Sister Marguerite T. Davis Grand Treasurer Sister Barbara E. Jackson Grand Secretary Proceedings of the 109th Communication (June 19-23, 2007) Annual Address of Grand Worthy Matron Sister Vashti Grimes Pullen 109th Annual Communication of Prince Hall Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star ● Jurisdiction of Georgia, P. H. A. “Eastern Stars: Continuing the Legacy With Faith” June 20, 2007 ● Augusta, Georgia Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6. Giving reverence to God who is life and who has given me life, I bring you warm greetings. I consider it a blessing to be among the living and not the dead; to be above the ground and not under the ground. Because it could have easily been the other way. I give praise to God, for He has allowed each of us to breathe afresh, this new day. To God be the Glory!!! Prayer: With a grateful heart I rise to praise you, O Lord, my God, for you have refreshed me with a restful sleep and given me by Your grace to see the dawn of a new day. You have made this day. It belongs to You. Grant that every word I utter and every act I perform will reveal Your presence in my life. Make me thoughtful and considerate and keep me patient with those who may provoke me. Remove from my heart malice and resentment. Protect us from accident and harm and return us safely to our homes. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. TO: The Honorable Ramsey Davis, Jr., 33º, Most Worshipful Grand Master, Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F& AM; Brother Aaron Kent, 32º, Grand Worthy Patron; Brother Felton L. Hud- son, 33º, Past Grand Worthy Patron; Brother E. E. McIntyre, Jr., 33º, Past Grand Worthy Patron; Sister Belle S. Clark, Past Grand Worthy Matron, Sister Ruby C. Clayton, Past Grand Worthy Matron; Grand Chapter Officers Past and Present; District Worthy Matrons, District Worthy Pa- trons, Worthy Matrons, Worthy Patrons, Past Matrons, Past Patrons, Officers and Members of subordinate chapters. To our honored guests, Grand Worthy Matrons and Grand Worthy Patrons and other guests from visiting jurisdictions. And in the words of the late Past Grand Matron Sis- ter Florence M. Hogan, ―If I missed anyone you too!‖ I stand before you this afternoon with a rejuvenated spirit and prepared for another journey in my life. God has placed many trials in my path. However, I know those trials were to test my faith and make me strong. Whatever the case, I can say today and always, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. Romans 1:16. Words are inadequate to express my sincere thanks to all of you for your support during my tenure. I will be eternally grateful. To God be the Glory!!! ...Continued Proceedings of the 109th Communication (June 19-23, 2007) 2 Address of Vashti G. Pullen, Grand Worthy Matron, continued I recognize the fact that I have not reached this plateau alone, for I Vashti Carnett Grimes Pullen, have stood on the shoulders of Sisters Dorothy Edwards, Viola Hart Felton, Mary H. Jones, Ruth V. Cobb, Minnie DeVaughn, Mary L. Seller-Ayers, P. B. Eichelberger, Marie B. Cooper, Lillian E. Blake, Florence M. Hogan, Ruby C. Clayton and Belle S. Clark. Those twelve Past Grand Worthy Matrons inspired the courage I needed in the leadership of this august body, Prince Hall Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star, Jurisdiction of Georgia. Courage sister, do not stumble, though your path be dark as night. There is a star to lead the humble. Trust in God and see the light. Allow me to say thank you to the Executive Board members, elected and appointed offi- cers and members for your love, support and cooperation. Last, but certainly not least, I thank my husband Johnny, our son Christopher, our grandson DeAnte’, my siblings at home and espe- cially those here: Lucile, Brenda, Yvette, Fay, Patricia, Jackie and the dear sisters and brothers of Amy’s House—Amy R. Dunn Chapter No. 82, O.E.S. for your outpouring of love and support. This Grand Session is dedicated to the memories of my late parents, Reverend Brother Val G. and Sister Artella Grimes; my sister Thelma Smith and my brothers Genie Huff, Jr., and the Reverend Brother Lucious J. Huff, Sr. And now as I reminisce of our past themes, they were as follows: Eastern Stars: Unfolding the Vision & Moving to a New Destiny We had a vision and made changes to enhance the order. Eastern Stars: Unfolding Our Purpose as He Orders Our Steps We were informed that it was not about us. Eastern Stars: The Key to Success, Affiliation, Dedication & Charity We were informed to be dedicated and show love. Eastern Stars: Striving for Excellence Through Unity & Love We were informed to build strong bonds of fraternal love. And now: Eastern Stars: Continuing The Legacy With Faith What is Faith? One dictionary defines faith as: A confident belief in the trustworthiness of a person; loyalty to a person; belief and trust in God and in the doctrines expressed in the scriptures. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. But without faith, it is impossible to please Him. To continue the legacy of this Order, we must first seek God. The reward for our faith will be the continued success and growth of Prince Hall Grand Chapter. Each of us will leave our mark “a legacy” for future Eastern Star sisters. STATE OF THE ORDER I have traveled throughout the state and I have found that the Order as a whole is enjoy- ing peace and harmony. I commend the Grand Conductress, Grand Associate Conductress, Grand Lecturers and District Worthy Matrons for your dedication, concern and participation in t ...Continued Proceedings of the 109th Communication (June 19-23, 2007) 3 Address of Vashti G. Pullen, Grand Worthy Matron, continued the ritualistic work of the Order. Your willingness to persevere, even in the midst of declining membership, is commendable. I charge and encourage each of you to keep the ritualistic work of our beautiful Order alive and continue moving in the appropriate state of leadership. We have ac- complished a lot, however there is much more to be attained. PRINCE HALL GRAND YOUTH CHAPTER Train up a child in the days of their youth, and when he is old he will not depart from it. What can be said about our youth? They are second to NONE. I am very proud of the direction in which the Grand Youth Chapter and the local youth chapters are headed. I commend the Grand Youth Directress and the Grand Assistant Youth Directresses for your superb leadership, and in assisting this administration by visiting your assigned regions, and organizing youth chap- ters. Hats off to Brunswick District No. 7 for hosting the Youth Officers’ Workshop and Augusta District No. 3 for hosting the Youth Grand Session. Our youth are certainly on the move and will be productive Eastern Star members. OUR SAINTED DEAD Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also In me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. St. John 14:1-3. This year, many sisters and brothers have made the transition from their earthy home. We mourn the loss of one hundred thirty-seven of our beloved sisters and brothers. Yet we are confi- dent in saying, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Among those was elected officer, Sister Velma Harris, Grand Esther. We pause to pay tribute to the lives of our members, and will honor them in a fitting memorial during the Grand Chapter of Sorrow. The ceremonies will be performed on Wednesday evening by our host, August District No. 2. GENERAL CONFERENCES In January 2007, a delegation from Georgia attended the Southeast Region Conference in Orlando, Florida. We, in turn, were joined by the delegation from The Bahamas, Barbados, Ala- bama and Tennessee. We were graciously received by the host jurisdiction: Reverend Brother Mi- chael Moore, MWGM; Sister Mildred Smith, GWM and Brother William Cure, GWP. In May, 2007 Sister Belle S. Clark, PGWM, Brother Aaron Kent, GWP and myself traveled to Denver, Colorado to attend the Conference of Grand Masters and Grand Matrons. The conference President is Sister Elvera R. Shannon, GWM of Louisiana. During the conferences, there were harmonious fraternal relations shared with delegates from other jurisdictions. We thank you for the opportu- nity. ...Continued Proceedings of the 109th Communication (June 19-23, 2007) 4 Address of Vashti G. Pullen, Grand Worthy Matron, continued Eastern Stars: Continuing the Legacy With Faith. You say we have faith to continue the legacy of stardom? Beep, beep, beep. This is a test of Prince Hall Grand Chapter Emergency Testing System.