The Chapel Hill Knights of the Fourth Degree will hold a formation meeting for a Chapel Hill Assembly on Thursday, August 17^th. The formation meeting will be held in at St. Thomas More church at 7:30 p.m.

When would the Assembly take form? This is up to the charter knights. However, since the October Exemplification will include several Chapel Hill and Durham knights, it may be best to form in November. This will permit each of the newest Sir Knights to be part of the formation. It is an honor to be a Charter Member of a Fourth Degree Assembly.

Who should attend? All members of the Fourth Degree. This meeting is also open to any Third Degree knight preparing for the October Exemplification. Each is eligible to hold an office in the new Assembly.

Location of the Assembly. Although the Assembly has its roots in Chapel Hill, it is for all members of the Fourth Degree in the Chapel Hill – Durham areas. Therefore, we should not think of it as an Assembly “just for Chapel Hill.” The Chapel Hill Council’s roots and historical ties are to our brother Knights in Durham. The Durham Council was once the “Durham-Chapel Hill Council“ and provided a home council for the few knights then residing in Chapel Hill.

Assembly Meeting Locations. Meetings can be held both in Durham and Chapel Hill. Our third meeting is traditionally a social event with spouses. The social events are held in local restaurants selected by the members.

What is the purpose of this particular meeting? We have finished the Assembly exploratory phase. We know that there is a desire and need for a Chapel Hill Assembly. This meeting is where we enter the “commitment” phase. We will now

• Confirm our desire to start an Assembly,
• Select our Charter officers,
• Select a name for the Assembly,
• Decide on a regularly scheduled meeting night and location,
• and approve our Assembly by-laws.

Assembly Officers needed. Officer positions parallel those of a council; only the names are slightly different. Officers are drawn from the charter members. They can be from Chapel Hill or a Durham council. The critical positions (those needing men with a strong commitment to nurture and grow the Assembly) are:

• Faithful Navigator
• Faithful Captain
• Faithful Pilot
• Faithful Comptroller –Financial Secretary equivalent
• Faithful Purser – Treasurer equivalent
• Faithful Scribe

What is expected of meeting attendees? Come to the meeting prepared to help make the tough decisions needed to form an Assembly. Bring your thoughts on who should fill these positions. You should consider your fellow Sir Knights as candidates.

Who would you like to see fill the core positions? Encourage them to consider accepting the position, if elected. You can even nominate yourself. But, unlike a council, it is not unusual to have the Faithful Comptroller, Purser and Recorder serve for many years. These three positions require more work of the men who take on the responsibility, but each position is key to the success of an Assembly. No one should accept a nomination to them without considering fully the responsibilities they are accepting.

A time for inner reflection and prayer. If you are not sure if you want to hold a position that you know you are qualified for, consider a mini-retreat in the presence of the Holy Eucharist. Remembering the words of a hymn, “Whom shall I send?” Ask yourself, “Is it I Lord?”