Every month somebody has to get the trestleboard out: the Master's message, the Stated Communication, degree work, birthdays and the sick list. This kit does the layout for the whole year, so your evening goes into the news and not into fighting the margins.
There is a two-page trestleboard for every month from December 2026 through December 2027, plus one undated for any month. Each one already has that month's calendar with the right dates, so you only type in your own lodge's meetings. Open it, type over the [brackets], then print it, run it through the copier or save it as a PDF to email to the Brethren.
Every file comes in two editions. Classic is black and charcoal and copies cleanly on any black-and-white copier. Color is lodge blue with gold rules, for the emailed PDF or a color printer.
What's included
- 14 two-page trestleboards: December 2026, every month of 2027, and one undated for any month
- A Message from the Worshipful Master leading page 1, with room for about 250 words, his name and a signature line
- From the West and From the South, for notes from the Wardens
- Stated Communication box (date, dinner, opening time, menu), Degree Work, Secretary's Corner and Sick & Distressed Brethren
- Page 2: the month's calendar with the dates filled in, US holidays and both St. John's Days, plus birthdays, Masonic anniversaries, the officer line and your meeting place
- Our Supporters: four business-card ad boxes for local businesses and Brethren who support the lodge
- Three notices: Stated Communication (with an order of business), Special Communication, and a Masonic memorial service
- An officer, trustee and committee roster, and a 2027 at a Glance calendar on one page
- Everything in Classic and Color: 38 Word documents plus a Start Here guide
Details
- Made for Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac. Also opens in LibreOffice, which is free
- Google Docs changes the layout: page 1 of the trestleboard runs long and spills onto an extra page. The one-page notices and roster open fine there, but use Word or LibreOffice for the trestleboards
- Georgia and Arial only, fonts already on your computer, so nothing shifts
- Replace All puts your lodge name and number in every spot at once
- US Letter paper. Print at home or at the lodge, or save as a PDF to email
- The square and compasses is a picture you can swap for your lodge's own emblem, or delete
- No ritual or esoteric content, and no Grand Lodge names, seals or logos. Office titles only, so it suits any lodge style: F. & A.M., A.F. & A.M., P.H.A. and others
- Nothing of ours is printed in the lodge documents: no shop name, footer or branding
Free: a January 2027 trestleboard and meeting notice for Word, to try first
Sold as a digital download (Word documents) through our Etsy shop and on Gumroad.
Lodge Secretary Kit: the trestleboard plus treasurer forms
Keeping the books too, or sharing the work with the Treasurer? The Lodge Secretary Kit 2027 bundles this trestleboard kit with our Lodge Treasurer Forms (count sheet, deposit log, dues ledger, per capita worksheet and more) for $17.99, instead of $21.98 bought separately.
Get the Lodge Secretary Kit $17.99
Free sample for your lodge
Try it before you buy: the January 2027 trestleboard and the Stated Communication notice (Classic edition) as Word documents, with a one-page Start Here. No signup needed.
Download the free sample (Word, zip)
Questions & answers
What is a trestleboard?
Many lodges use the name for their monthly newsletter to members, sometimes spelled trestle board: the Master's message, the meeting schedule, degree work and lodge news. This kit is a ready-made template for that newsletter, plus the notices that go with it.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Not well for the trestleboards. Google Docs lays out page 1 taller than Word does, so the body spills onto an extra page. The one-page notices and the roster open fine in Docs. For the trestleboards, use Microsoft Word (Windows or Mac) or LibreOffice, which is free.
Do I need to be good with Word?
No. Click into any [bracket] and type. Replace All changes your lodge name and number everywhere at once, and the Start Here guide walks through the rest.
Will it suit our lodge?
It uses office titles only and leaves the lodge style for you to type (F. & A.M., A.F. & A.M., P.H.A. and so on), so it works for any lodge, including Prince Hall lodges. Meeting nights are left blank on the calendars because every lodge meets on its own night. There is no ritual in it, and no Grand Lodge names, seals or logos; add your own if your jurisdiction allows it.
Can we sell the ad spaces?
The four Our Supporters boxes are there for local businesses and Brethren who support the lodge. Type their details in or paste a business card. Some Grand Lodges limit advertising in lodge publications, so check your own jurisdiction's rules first.
Can I try it before I buy?
Yes. The free sample on this page has the January 2027 trestleboard and the Stated Communication notice (Classic edition) as Word documents, plus a one-page Start Here.
Is anything shipped?
No. It is an instant digital download, one zip of Word documents, sold through Gumroad and our Etsy shop. Nothing is mailed.
What if something is wrong with my file?
Digital downloads can't be returned once downloaded, but if something is wrong with a file, we'll fix it or refund you. Message us through Gumroad or Etsy, wherever you bought it.
