Grand Knight’s Beacon Light

October has been a whirlwind month for our council, and there is still more to come.  Brother Barry McCaa and his family put their usual heart and soul into our Festa Italia, and I have heard nothing but compliments about how much everyone enjoyed the evening.  I was there, and the evening went so quickly I hope I didn't miss saying hello to all. Brother Dick Christian coordinated the Life Teen servers. What a wonderful job they did.  Throw in the wonderful dinner provided by Brother Dave Barnes, the tireless work of our Knights’ kitchen crew, and the extra manpower to help set up the auditorium for mass for the following morning (which even included a knight to be, Dennis O'Rourke).  Thank you Brothers all! 

The very next day we started our weekend membership blitz and had 20 responders with 12 voicing their intent to join this year (seven transfers and five new members).  I sincerely hope to see at least 10 new Knights joining at our next First Degree November 12. (Thank you again to those brothers helping Mark Conter and me man the information table for the Blitz.)

We had a crowd of Knights attending the Room at the Inn Annual Banquet October 13, along with St. Mark Priests and parishioners; then Wed-Sat was the Lowe's Motor Speedway events that I know many of our brothers spent significant time at earning dollars for our charities.  We have our Fall Charity Golf Tournament coming up this Sunday, Oct 23. We seem to be coming up short this time on golfers. It is not too late to sign up, provide a gift or find a hole sponsor.

Finally, I trust that everyone shares my excitement about seeing the drawings of our new Church building. As Knights, please go the extra mile financially to make this incredible Church a reality.

GK Ed Keller

Upcoming Events

Support/Volunteer Opportunity

Contact

October 23, 1 p.m.

Fall Knights Charity Golf Tournament, Highland Creek

Play golf, sponsor a hole, solicit businesses for door prizes.

Ed Keller (pairing) edwardkeller@bellsouth.net

Tom McGahey (sponsors)

tommcgahey@bellsouth.net

October 29, 10 a.m.

Fourth Degree Exemplification, Durham NC

Chip Marshall

chip.marshall@adelphia.com

November  12, 8:30 a.m.

First Degreee

St. Mark Elementary School

All Knights should try to attend to show support for the Council.

Mark Conter

markAconter@aol.com

October 3 meeting notes (36 Knights attending)

Grand Knight Report: Grand Knight Ed Keller asked that Brothers make a special effort to keep the St. Mark Knight’s choir in business. Not enough men have been showing up at choir practice – at least 12 are needed. Keller said Laura McLean, St. Mark Music Director, has been accommodating to the Knights but cannot continue to lead practice sessions with insufficient participation from the Council.

Festa Italia Report: 184 guests enjoyed Italian dinner and dessert, fine wines, and dancing to live entertainment by singer Joe Manino at Festa Italia October 8 at St. Mark Catholic Church. The St. Mark Life Teen program provided 30 waiters to serve dinner to the guests. Gross gate receipts were $7,655, including event tickets and the 50/50 raffle. Joe Kline, a parishioner at St. Mark, won $635 in the raffle. Income will be reported after expense receipts are processed.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway: Total participation and profit are not yet available, but Council event coordinator Bill Pugh estimated that 18-20 St. Mark Knights drove shuttle buses for the race weekend.

Fall Charity Golf Tournament: Highland Creek is the location for the St. Mark Knights of Columbus Fall 2005 Charity Golf Tournament on Sunday, October 23. Important details include:

·          $85 per person cost, which includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart and a barbeque dinner.

·          Shotgun start at 1 p.m. Format is Captain’s Choice.

·          Soft spikes and collared shirts required

·          Putting contest scheduled at 12 noon

·          Mulligans are $5 each, or 5 for $20. Each Mulligan purchase includes a free beverage or snack

·          Local businesses or individuals can sponsor a hole for $100.

·          Several prizes will be awarded to golfers (team and individual).

·          To sign up, read the contact information in the calendar on page 1 of this newsletter

Treasurer’s Report: Income from events, socials, gifts and fundraising was $3,261; Charity, Council and Program expenses totaled $2,540. As of September 30, the St. Mark Council had $7,400 in the bank.

Membership

·          Council 12654 currently has 185 active members.

·          Membership Director Mark Conter announced that the next First Degree to bring new Knights into the Council will take place on Saturday, November 12 at 8:30 a.m. at St. Mark Elementary School.

Church Committee Report: Sergio Miranda said that the music director at St. Mark Elementary School has requested a Christmas tree for a December 1 school event featuring students singing Christmas Carols. Also, Brother Miranda said volunteers are needed to lead the Rosary before all Masses at St. Mark Catholic Church. Volunteer leaders need to begin the Rosary 20 minutes before the start of Mass. Rosary guide sheets are available. For additional information, contact Tom Donahue at 704-948-0560 or tdonahuecfp@yahoo.com.

Volunteers needed: Youth Director Sean McSweeney said that volunteers are needed to disassemble seating and reconfigure the worship area for Life Teen Mass following the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays. St. Mark Knights have accountability for Life Teen setup one Sunday a month. If there are not enough volunteer Knights available, McSweeney said, setup is performed by Life Teen Core Team members. He said that the Core Team needs to focus on preparing for Life Teen, not moving chairs. To volunteer, contact McSweeney at 704-948-5543 or sean.mcsweeney@fedex.com.

Financial Highlights

·          Budget: Members accepted and approved the 2005-2006 Fraternal Year Budget as presented.

·          Approved: Request by Donna Smith, St. Mark Religious Education Coordinator, for $300 for an inflatable moon walk attraction to be provided by Middle School youth at the October 28 Fall Festival/Annual Parish Picnic.

·          Request from Dan Cedrone approved for $2,000 to provide a deposit on Christmas Trees.

The Power of Prayer

Mk 11: 24 - "I give you my word, if you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you.”

Please keep the following individuals and families in your prayers:

• Will Pekrul

• Joan Elder

• All relatives of St. Mark Knights serving in the Armed Forces
• All U.S. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines serving in Iraq

Council Contact Information

Grand Knight

Ed Keller

655-8190

edwardkeller@bellsouth.net

Past Grand Knight

Tom McGahey

947-9334

tommcgahey@bellsouth.net

Deputy Grand Knight

Dick Christian

875-1258

dchristian@insouthinsurance.com

Chaplain

Msgr R. Bellow

richard_bellow@yahoo.com

Chancellor

Jim Lotito

948-9015

jllotito@bellsouth.net

Recorder

Mike Mullen

948-7484

michaelamullen@bellsouth.net

Treasurer

Chip Marshall

875-8811

chip.marshall@adelphia.net

Financial Secretary

Jim Bossert

655-8852

sixsigmaguy@aol.com

Warden

Kevin Csehoski

947-2856

kcsehoski@bellsouth.net

Advocate

Marty Brennan

896-6441

Marty.brennan@mmbrennanlaw.com

Inside Guard

Bruce Milstead

892-4578

Outside Guard

James Carter

948-8506

jcarterjr@adelphia.net

First Year Trustee

Tom McGahey

947-9334

tommcgahey@bellsouth.net

Second Year Trustee

Barry McCaa

895-2424

bemccaa@yahoo.com

Third Year Trustee

Jack Clements

992-0789

jacknnan@adelphia.net

Membership Director

Mark Conter

947-8604

markAconter@aol.com

Community/Health Dir

Open

Operation LAMB Dir

Richard Clancey

609-4400

Council Director

Barry McCaa

895-2424

bemccaa@yahoo.com

Family Director

Andy Kopchinsky

655-0949

76triumph@adelphia.net

Youth Director

Sean McSweeney

948-5543

sean.mcsweeney@fedex.com

Church Director

Sergio Miranda

395-9802

smiranda@carolina.rr.com

Pro-life Director

Tony Gagliardo

439-0533

ajgags@aol.com

Insurance Field Agent

Ken Hillberry

938-6795

keinsart@yahoo.com

Coord, Parish Rndtble

Bob Murphy

947-7870

ram316@bellsouth.net

KofC Building Director

Jim Lotito

948-9015

jllotito@bellsouth.net

Web Master

Oscar Bernardo

894-9290

ocbernardo@earthlink.net

Web Master

Chris O’Keefe

988-1655

sandcritta@adelphia.net

Newsletter Editor

Mike Mullen

948-7484

michaelamullen@bellsouth.net

Lecturer

Open

Public Relations Dir

Open