The following is the text of the report I gave at the September 2011 General Council meeting.
Brother Knights,

Here we stand on the threshold of another year.  It is time to look forward and time to move forward.  The executive has worked hard over the last couple of months to brainstorm and develop the ideas that came out of the Council Retreat and Round Table in June.  We have narrowed the list of programs that came out of that day down to a list of the most plausible for the coming year.  You can see each of these suggested programs on the sheets around the room.  Please look them over and sign up for the ones that interest you.  The final decision on a programs viability will be based on the response tonight and at our next meeting.  We have programs that span the entire year and the estimated dates are included on each event so you can plan the ones that will be happening when you are around.  There are programs that only require 2 or 3 people to get together and little to no work, all the way up to a weekend men's retreat and conference, that will require the assistance of most of the council.  These programs are all critical to the vitality of our council.  As we become more active we will attract more members of all ages and our council will grow and grow.

My mother recently forwarded me a story that I would like to share with you.  It is titled “When Your Hut’s On Fire” and goes like this.  The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.  He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him.  Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.  Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.  One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.  He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.  He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger.  He cried out, “God! How could you do this to me?”  Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island!  It had come to rescue him!  “How did you know I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers.  “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.  The moral of this story: Its easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives even in the midst of pain and suffering.  Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground... it just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Brothers lets work together with the Grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ to make this a year to remember.

Vivat Jesus!

Stefan Farrow