Good Enough?

Freemasonry has survived for centuries through thick and thin, the Dark Ages, the Anti-Masonic movement, World Wars, and now are challenged by many hi-tech distractions. However, we seem to keep moving forward, slowly but forward and Freemasonry continues to grow. It seems that the younger members are turning to the fraternity for social ties, history, tradition, personal growth, and to learn many of the esoteric topics that the fraternity has to offer.

Esoteric or esoterism are terms that are almost as mysterious as it's teachings. According to Merriam Webster, the term esoteric is defined as follows;

a: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone

b: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group

Now, let us go a step further....what is meant by initiate. Webster defines the term initiate as to cause or facilitate the beginning of: set going; to induct into membership by or as if by special rites. Initiated or properly admitted(as to membership or an office): instructed in some secret knowledge.

Freemasonry has a certain level of mystique and intrigue. When the "initiate" joins the fraternity they are expecting something with an almost mystical or mythical feeling This is very often diminished drastically when the initiate has his first exchange with the Junior Warden, who has a slight clue but really doesn't know how the exchange is supposed to go. The initiate immediately feels let down, and if it doesn't go as it should with the Senior Warden, all hopes of a mystical and or mythical experience escape with the forgotten or misplaced words....the initiate wonders just how seriously do these guys take their task at hand.

In my opinion there is one thing that separates us from the rest of the fraternities, and that is our ritual, rites, and ceremonies. These are designed for specific purposes and are meant to convey to the new candidates or initiates the rich teachings, traditions, history, and heritage of the craft.

My travelling includes going to regular communications usually with my counterpart, WB Dan who is a District Deputy Instructor. He gets very frustrated with correcting the same errors over and over again. WB Carl, a former District Deputy Instructor has commented that we've been making the same mistakes for 40+ years.....and it's probably longer than that.

The thing I've noticed lately is that a word or phrase makes it's way into the work....and the next thing you know.....everybody is using the wrong word or inserting a phrase that doesn't belong...and it's darn difficult to get the brothers back on track.

Some will say it's just one word or it's only 3 more words, what difference does it make. Well it makes a big difference, because it will spread and catch on much quicker and much more universally than the correct words.

The strange thing is that often when a part is read, it's read with the wrong word(s)! How is that possible? We don't realize it, but subconsciously the wrong word(s) become engrained on our minds, that even while reading it we substitute the wrong word(s)....truly amazing!

There are certain words, usually small words that are commonly substituted, this is usually a good indication that the brother truly doesn't know his part of the work as he should. He roughly knows it and can slough his way through it, but at the end of the day he has not truly studied and read correctly, his part of the work.

As we stand on the threshold of a new era in Freemasonry in the State of Michigan, we have some decisions to make. As it relates to our ritual work, do we want to say the right words, use the correct phrasing, confer the degrees as has been done for countless years...or....are we at a place where close enough is good enough?

Heroes

 Today we bid farewell to a true Masonic Hero, WB Jimmy Williams , actually Lloyd James Williams . 

Many brothers were in attendance and the fun part was trying to remember names. How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. 

United we were, to pay our respects to a real Masonic Hero. One can’t help but wonder how many are left and to quote my favorite country singer “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”

Depending on how long a brother has been in the Craft will determine who their heroes have been, and more importantly who will move into those vacant roles. 

We have lost some real heroes. Owing to my advanced age, I have many that come to mind, but they change and evolve through the years. We need to focus on the present and lift some brothers up who are destined to take up that role. 

It’s very interesting that the Masonic Heroes do in fact emerge. There’s a stable of great Masons that are right now heroes to some brothers. The word in the stable right now is, when are these young guys going to step up, especially in the work of the craft, degree work, installation of officers, and memorials. 

That thought I had privately with myself about 15+ years ago. In my mind I knew I had to step things up. Contrary to popular belief I’ve tried to seriously study and as we say in Linden “Get on the carpet.”

It’s up to the stable to lead but also encourage brothers, challenge them, this will smart a little…..but correct them, mentor them, include them, and praise their accomplishments. 

There were many lessons taught today at WB Jimmy’s memorial. Heroes pass on. In the end we have memories of their character and their life. The uniting and reuniting of brotherhood, you can’t get that feeling from scrolling on your phone. 

Frail brothers overcome their challenges and rally for one of their heroes. A memorial is truly the last offices we pay to the dead. 

We learned that we need to do a better job of explaining to the new brothers the importance of attending memorials. Granted, time does play a factor but the normal attendance is low from the newer brothers regardless of time. The stable needs to lead and mentor. 

Personally I learned the most from the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes. The literal meaning of the prose shined through dramatically. Perhaps Jimmy had a hand in that. 

Just as the brothers would show up for WB Jimmy to do the Second Section of the Master Mason degree they showed up for their hero one last time. Fare thee well WB Jimmy….fare thee well. 

Thanks for the Memories

 Fellowship Lodge #490 had so many traditions that it takes a while to bring them all back to memory. My apologies for seeming to be one themed as of late, but I feel it bears sharing so other lodges may profit from some ideas and to imagine what it was like in the "glory days"

Every year at the Annual Stated Meeting, which is a fancy way of saying the December Regular, a special meal was served after the meeting.........OYSTER STEW.....not for me but the brothers enjoyed it immensely.

One year I had the pleasure of watching Larry Batiste make the concoction. Two gallons of drained raw oysters, about a gallon and a half of whole milk, couple of pounds of butter, salt, and pepper. Get it warmed through a slight simmer with the butter melted....done. I also enjoyed watching the older brothers slurp a couple of bowls down....and they would all joke they were going home to chase the wife around the house.

Come Installation of Officers time there were a couple of more traditions. Boutonnieres for the officers and corsages for their wives or significant other. Two robust poinsettias were perched in front of the lectern in the East, one for the outgoing Master's wife and one for the incoming Master's wife.

At the November Regular the officers would wear their tails to be photographed for the Installation in December. I was in the West in November preparing for my time in the East. November was also our annual Memorial Service for the brothers who had passed that year. This particular year WB Bob Shaw was going out as Master and I was in the West.

When I arrived WB Bob informed me that we had a task to do that evening after the Memorial Service, we were to scatter the ashes of a deceased brother who had requested that his ashes be scattered at the Flint Masonic Temple. Worshipful Master Bob Shaw and myself climbed out on to the fire escape on the Blue Floor which was directly behind the Masters Chair and hallway. WB Bob opened the door and we went out on the fire escape in the brisk snowy wind of November. After a moment of silence Bob opened the bag and began to empty the brothers ashes....just then a real strong November snowy gust came rifling down the alleyway and I do believe we had more of the brother on our black tuxedos with tails than got scattered. I will never forget this experience.

A long and I do mean very long standing tradition for many years was Brother Marshall Burns, who served Fellowship Lodge for well over 40 years as Tyler. Brother Burns began working in Buick in 1927, which was 10 years before the union. He dug the basement of their home with a team of horses. Marshall was an amazing man, a kind gentle man, and had an unwavering loyalty to Fellowship Lodge. Among other things Marshall was a Bee-Keeper and made the best honey from his bees.

I remember fondly that WB Lynn Ross was installing the officers and when it came to the Tyler being installed, WB Lynn said "Brother Marshall Burns you are now going to be installed as Tyler of this lodge for the 43rd consecutive year, consider yourself installed my brother."

One last thing is that Brother Marshall would show up at every Memorial Service in his black suit, narrow black tie, trench coat and dress hat carrying the "funeral case" which contained the white aprons, gloves, and registry book for memorials. He was always at least 30 minutes early and performed this task amazingly well, such an air about him. Not bad for an old country boy who was a gentleman's gentleman.

Thanks for the memories.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

 Writing my last blog entry opened the floodgates of memories. I took some good natured brotherly teasing about the length of the last entry but that's okay, Fellowship Lodge generates many fond memories and some not so fond, but I digress.

Something that occurred at every regular stated meeting was introductions. Introductions in Fellowship Lodge were different than most and again another tradition. After opening the lodge, the Master would go around the room and introduce every Past Master of Fellowship Lodge usually beginning with the Secretary. It would go something like this, "Good evening WB George Savage it's a pleasure having you in lodge this evening." The respondent would typically say how good it is to be in lodge and what they are looking forward to etc. This was just a nice touch and paid respect to the Past Masters of the lodge.

My association with 490 goes back to my DeMolay days. I remember like it was yesterday, we DeMolay boys were selling hot dogs and pop at the old IMA during the circus. My dad and WB Danny Helmer were chatting while we were working, WB Danny asked my dad why he didn't come to the DeMolay meetings. My dad replied that he couldn't attend, Danny said well you're a Master Mason aren't you and my dad said no that he wasn't. WB Danny then asked an obvious question, " How did David get into DeMolay?"

Dad explained that I had been sponsored by a teacher. Danny investigated further and my dad said that he had wanted to join but did not know how, BINGO ....the magic answer and WB Danny took care of that. My dad thoroughly enjoyed the craft and travelling with WB Howard Durbin and WB Jimmy Carter. My greatest accomplishment in my Masonic career was helping lead my dad to the fraternity. Of course dad joined Fellowship 490 and the rest is history as they say.

WB Mel Malone was a great influence to many brothers. I first met WB Mel as a DeMolay dad advisor. Fellowship Lodge was a huge supporter of DeMolay and most of the advisors came from 490. WB Danny Helmer, Russ Helmer, WB Chris Corrigan, WB Mel Malone, WB Roy Warren, WB LT Wiliston to name a few.

WB Mel also did the makeup for the Master Mason Degree, yes makeup. The fellowcrafts all received a trip through Mel's barber chair for makeup and beards along with the ruffians, the kings, and others. The third degree was quite the production.

Another tradition that 490 had was it's unique way of presenting the charge to the brethren. WB Mel would dress as father time complete with a scythe, beard, wig and makeup. I remember vividly WB Mel doing the charge during my degree, it took a while for me to realize who it was. After a couple of paragraphs I was able to pick up Mel's slight accent.

What made WB Mel's delivery unique was that he would come from the East and present the charge on the East side of the altar with the newly made Master Mason on the West side of the altar with the cast of the allegory assembled around the new Master Mason. Through a succession of Grand Lecturers this was deemed illegal and 490 was forbidden from doing it in this fashion again.....thus ending a long standing tradition.

This seems like an appropriate time to call this entry complete. Undoubtedly more will follow as I contemplate the wonders of Fellowship Lodge #490

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

 It has often been said that all good things come to an end. Regrettably it seems that Fellowship Lodge will be consolidating in with Swartz Creek Lodge.

Fellowship Lodge #490 was established many years ago, and I am embarrassed that I don't recall the exact year. It was one of the five lodges that once occupied the Flint Masonic Temple. My first recollection of Fellowship Lodge was in 1974 when I joined the Order of DeMolay.

At that time and 20-30 years prior, Fellowship Lodge #490 was the premier lodge in Genesee County. It was a well known fact that during the 50's and probably into the 60's that Fellowship Lodge would be running simultaneous degrees on the Blue Floor and the York Floor. This of course was a direct violation of Michigan Masonic Law, but necessary to handle the huge influx of members during the "hay-day" of Masonry.

In 1983 it was my pleasure to join Fellowship Lodge #490 or as many referred to it as simply 490. It was the intention of the lodge to take me to their sister lodge in Anderson, Indiana for my Master Mason degree. I took my Entered Apprentice degree and gave my examination, full form, in open lodge. The vote was in the affirmative and I was scheduled to take my Fellowcraft Degree shortly there after.

The Monday came for me to receive my Fellowcraft Degree and I was scheduled to travel to Anderson, Indiana to receive my Master Mason degree in Fellowship Lodge there in Anderson. So 5 days after taking my Fellowcraft Degree we boarded WB Bob Shaw's motorhome and started toward Anderson.

That was quite the ride. WB Howard Durbin grilling me on the examination while WB Bob Shaw was driving of course, also riding along was my dad, WB Dale Thomas and his dad, and possibly WB Pete Crane. About half way there, WB Howard determined I knew it and said just briefly go over it, you know it.

Lodge was opened by WB Richard Short(a topic for a whole other blog entry) and WB Roger Wills was Senior Deacon and would give me the examination.....the funny thing is that WB Roger got stuck and I gave him a word and he carried on. Later in the evening one of the mature brothers from Indiana got me off to the side and asked me if I had prompted the Senior Deacon.....he commented that he had never seen that before.

My brothers from 490 put on one hell of a second section in full form, costumes, props, the whole nine. It was fantastic.

Fellowship #490 was known throughout the state and probably other areas as having a first-class Master Mason degree team. They had travelled extensively in the earlier years. This was just one of many fine traditions that 490 had that most other lodges did not.

One of the traditions were that the main officers wore tuxedos with tails for degree work, it was expected and demanded of the officers. Soon I found myself as a Steward and we wore black robes much like a judge wears, another tradition.

The Entered Apprentice degree had props for all of the different parts of the second section of the Entered Apprentice degree. Those stations were set up for each EA degree and the brothers manning those stations wore white robes and white doughboy hats, yet another tradition. It was rumored that back in the day they also had props for the FC degree but I never saw those used.

The Master Mason degree had numerous props, rather large blocks with an arch and keystone for the east and costumes for all, both kings, three overseers, the fellowcrafts in costume heed to toe along with makeup and beards, a full complement of guards in full costume, a captain of the guards, a night watchman, a sea faring man and a sea captain, and even disguises for the three fellowcrafts travelling down to Joppa.

Many times we would be doing the first section of the MM degree and we would take a break and open the doors to the inner lobby and there would be dozens of brothers mingling in full costume ready to go for the second section. Often back in the robing area Brother Howard Diem's hairpiece would be on a Styrofoam head while he did his duty as third base, a masterful job, and I can't ever recall seeing Howard in lodge other than third base.

One advantage that we had was having Batiste's restaurant in the basement. I had many very fine meals at lodge and during the day at lunch in the basement restaurant. Another tradition of Fellowship lodge was quarterly family nights. Once a quarter Fellowship lodge hosted a family night in the auditorium with the main meal, usually Swiss-steak, prepared by Batiste....the Swiss-steak was lovingly referred to as "lodge meat" by WB Chris Corrigan's sons WB Tim and George. Postcards were sent out ahead of time and last name first letters A-L brought salad with M-Z bringing desert to pass among the tables. Usually there were about 100 in attendance. While I was in DeMolay we would bus tables, pour coffee, and distribute little cartons of milk. What a glorious tradition.

In the main dining room in the basement every year the lodge would host Past Masters, Widows, and Awards night. This was held in honor of all Past Masters and Widows, also anniversary awards were given out 25, Lifetime, 50 years etc., and also the Mason of the Year award....which incidentally was in place well before Grand Lodge Mason of the Year, in fact it is said that the Grand Lodge borrowed the idea from 490. Again, more traditions.

Something else that existed was the 490 Past Masters Club, some brothers knew nothing of the existence of such a club including myself, that is until I completed my time in the East, and I believe it was about one year after that I was invited into the club. It was usually held at a Past Masters home and grilled steaks were served and it also included a little ritualistic ceremony as well all in good jest, I don't recall attending another one after that.

Along with being a Past Master one received a beautiful, elegant Past Masters Apron which was and still is the envy of most Past Masters from other lodges. My first time in the East in 1990 also gave me $1 per dues paying member to go toward purchasing my Past Masters ring, which incidentally most 490 Past Masters all had the same style ring. I received a check for $444 which meant at that time we had 444 dues paying members. I'm not sure how long this tradition continued, I do know that the same style apron is still presented to the outgoing Master.

The only thing that remains the same is change. I'm sure that there were traditions that had ceased to exist when I joined Fellowship Lodge, but I did have the honor of participating in many of them and being the proud recipient of many of the traditions.

It is a sad time for me to see Fellowship Lodge cease to exist as I was knew it, but in a significant way it will continue to live on with the good brothers of Swartz Creek Lodge. The traditions and memories of the past are safely lodged in the repository of my faithful breast.

What a Week

 This has been quite the interesting week in Masonry. We actually started off last Saturday by visiting Roseville Lodge for an all-degree day. That Masonic Temple is just a very fine specimen of what lodge rooms should aspire to be. We were able to stay for the Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft degrees which were very well done and interesting in their interpretation.

Monday we had a King Solomon's Club Round-Robin at Linden Lodge and conferred the Master Mason degree on a very worthy brother from Swartz Creek Lodge. There were about 40 brothers in attendance for a great portrayal of the Master Mason Degree.

Tuesday at Fellowship Lodge the Master Mason was conferred on one of their very worthy brothers. The attendance was near 50. This was fantastic coming on the heels of Monday night. WB Austin Conquest of Fellowship Lodge put on a Master class on how a Worshipful Master should conduct the Master Mason degree.

Wednesday at Metamora Hadley was a Fellowcraft degree with 20 brothers in attendance. An excellent degree with the Worshipful Master doing his first degree along with the Senior Warden, another great evening in Masonry.

Thursday closed out the week with a Fellowcraft degree at Vassar Lodge. There were probably 30 in attendance for a fantastic degree on a very attentive candidate, and again the work was done very well.

To the nay-sayers and the skeptics it's hard to say that we are on the decline when just in our little slice of the world we had such a plethora of activity.

The glass is above half-full my brothers. Hopefully we continue on this trend, I am convinced that we will because success breeds success.

Masonry Unites Men

 As I've mentioned it's not a lack of experiences to share. This will shock a few but I have to share our experience last evening at Fellowship Lodge #236 last evening. We gathered for a Master Mason degree at Fellowship Lodge which meets at the Swartz Creek Masonic Temple. Keep in mind we had a King Solomon's Club event in Linden where the Master Mason degree was conferred the evening prior.

Both events had over 40 in attendance and last evening was probably closer to 50. Fellowship has been struggling trying to find it's way while sharing facilities with two other lodges. Thankfully the Worshipful Master Austin Conquest is serving his third consecutive term to keep stability in leadership and he has done a great job.

Last evening the brethren showed up in force and put on an extremely great Master Mason degree. We were also honored by the presence of several of our brothers from Eureka Lodge PHA including the Worshipful Master. In fact I believe there were 5 sitting Worshipful Masters in attendance along with 7 Grand Lodge representatives.

It was just one of those magical evenings in Masonry, the work went very good. The lectures were spot on, the vocals on the song was tremendous, Honorary Member WB Eddie Booth PHA served as Junior Warden and WB James PHA gave the final charge.

This will resonate in my memory bank for a long time to come. It was an incredible evening and a testament to the Craft as a whole. Just when the critics say we are on our death bed we have the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful evening and demonstrate that the glass is half-full and increasing everyday. Freemasonry not withstanding has still survived.

...Masonry unites men of every country, sect, and opinion and conciliates a true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.

Am I a Builder

 Again I've been very remiss in adding anything new to the blog. It's not for a lack of material for sure. Here we are starting another Masonic year. January seemed to be a little slow but there are many things on the horizon. 

We just had another very successful Tri-District Lodge of Instruction with over 60 brothers in attendance from at least 3 different districts. Also, the Right Worshipful Grand Lecturer, Tom Braun added to the instruction.

Last evening King Solomon's Club had a Round-Robin Master Mason Degree at Linden Lodge with 40 brothers in attendance. The candidate was supplied by Swartz Creek who had a great showing to support their candidate. There is a very healthy competition between Swartz Creek and Linden lodges, these 2 lodges have become the power houses of District 16.

The driving force of both of these lodges are the younger members who are joining both lodges. By younger I mean any brother under the age of 50 is considered "Masonic young" . The younger brothers are eager and hungry for tradition, history, why we do the things we do and how can they learn more. This in turn encourages the "Masonic Mature" (which is nice speak for old farts) to teach, guide and learn.

Imagine that, the elders teaching the younger and showing them the way to foster their growth and to empower those young brothers to be the future leaders.....hmmm it's interesting how that works.

While these 2 lodges are growing there are several lodges on the other end of the spectrum. In the same district we have at least one lodge that will be consolidating into another lodge, with at least one more lodge that is contemplating it's future, there is one bright spot, we had a lodge from a neighboring district merge into one of our lodges. In other neighboring districts we have several lodges that are at a crossroads and their future is in question. 

"Travelling is one of the hidden gems of the fraternity", a quote from the late WB Michael Burt. Travelling is the one thing that Swartz Creek and Linden have in common that the lodges that are floundering don't have in common. By serving as Board of General Purposes, I attend many regular business meetings. The lodges that are successful spend a lot of time discussing how they can do more, make the lodge look better, get in the community more and plan out travelling to other lodges for degree work.....there definitely seems to be some correlation there.

It would be refreshing to see the consolidations and dissolution of lodges slow to a minimum ...the goal should be for those lodges losing their way to regain a foothold in their community and get back to doing Masonry. The challenge is that they have to "want" to make a comeback first in the community of their lodge but also the community at large.....and those lodges somehow have to juggle the finances of utilities, insurance, and property taxes while trying to nurse their lodge back to health.....not an easy feat once the pendulum swings to far to the negative side.

There are 2 very under-utilized resources available to Michigan Lodges they are PGM Fred Kaiser and PGM Bob Conley. These two brothers have a vast knowledge concerning best practices for lodges and lodge renewal. Honestly I've been hearing the term "lodge renewal" for 35 years, some lodges embrace the help and guidance and use them to their advantage while it seems the majority of lodges bristle at the notion of receiving guidance, ideas, and help from these Past Grand Masters. The catch is that the lodges have to do the work themselves, the very hard work of getting the lodge back on track and serving the needs of their Masonic community and their local communities where these lodges reside. The bottom-line is Leadership or the lack thereof that separates the successful lodges from the floundering lodges. Strong leadership is a must to bring these lodges back to life. Jurisdictions around the country bring in PGM Conley to present lodge renewal programs to get lodges back on track, and we have him right here in our state, and he is always very willing to oblige those who will help themselves.

In closing I would like to share a poem which used to be a part of our DeMolay installations....there appear to be many authors from anonymous to Brother Edgar Guest so we will go with Brother Guest

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
The men you’d hire if you had to build?”

He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

This poem by Edgar Guest raises an important and serious question for all of us: “Am I a builder or a wrecker?”

Patronizing the Assemblies

 Well....well....well....seems to be the current state of the "Craft" in our little area here. Lately some lodges have been overwhelmed with the response of visiting brothers attending degree work. For several years, many skeptics and nay-sayers have been saying that we are on the brink of our own demise.

It seems that the words of the Fellowcraft recap ring true once again....Freemasonry nothwithstanding, has still survived.....through a succession of ages, are transmitted unimpaired, the excellent tenets of our institution.

The numbers attending degrees here of late are staggering for our time. They remind many of the "good old days" when large numbers were the norm. Perhaps we are establishing a new "norm". Another encouraging factor is that the age of the candidates seems to be decreasing, young men seem to be the ones really embracing the craft and for a variety of reasons.

For some time, I've been commenting that it sure seems that we are doing a lot of degree work and wondering if it will pay off. My brothers, it seems to be paying dividends. It appears that several factors are driving the increase in numbers. First and foremost is traveling, the lodges that travel are reaping the rewards, sometimes it can be only one faithful brother and that brother will influence brothers to travel to his lodge. Some of the new brothers are being encouraged to travel with some of the more seasoned brothers, imagine that, including new brothers to participate in perhaps the greatest influencer the act of traveling to other lodges. For a while it seemed that first the TV, then the internet, then the phone were big distractors of people attending lodge.....but I think brothers have grown bored with those things and they realize.....thus man was formed for the social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God.

So, for the ol' timers out there.....occasionally pinch yourself, keep your head down and keep going....the greatest and best of men in all ages have been encouragers and promoters of the art, and have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to level themselves with the Fraternity, extend their privileges, and patronize their assemblies.

How Good and How Pleasant

 

Behold How Good and How Pleasant it is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity. The above scene is starting to become more prevalent as of late. This was last evening's Entered Apprentice degree at Swartz Creek #458.

The remark was made that it felt like the "Old Days", meaning that in the not too distant past this scene was quite commonplace throughout the county. Traveling to other lodges is in my opinion what makes this fraternity great. The coming together of brothers with one goal in mind, to put on the very best degree a brother can receive.

There were about 48 brothers in attendance, among them 5 current Worshipful Masters, Grand Steward, 3 District Deputy Instructors, and 1 Board of General Purposes member. Numerous Past Masters, Vienna Lodge had at least 5, and 14 from Linden Lodge #132 to take the travelling gavel. This comes on the heels of a Tri-District Lodge of Instruction that had 63 brothers in attendance.

It's been said many times that we seem to confer quite a number of degrees, and the hope is that we continue to see these new brothers come back to lodge and get involved. This was demonstrated by Swartz Creek and Linden Lodge. I noted several of Swartz Creek's new brothers in attendance with two of their new brothers assuming offices in line. Linden was travelling with their newest Master Mason.

As we move forward, this momentum will help propel the craft into the future. The challenge is to get those lodges who seldom engage with other lodges to move out of their comfort zone and take part in the fellowship and camaraderie that takes place at an event such as the one we enjoyed last evening.

The key is getting the new brothers involved in the work of the craft. This can be accomplished in several different ways, such as getting them working on a small project, if they have a desire to get involved in the "work" give them a small part to memorize, be sure to include them in any travelling the lodge may do.....bottom line is to get them involved in something, a reason to come back.

It seems that the fraternity as a whole is making some real strides to a robust future. Although overall we still have too many lodges for the population, we need to slow the consolidations and help one another build up the smaller lodges to become viable once again.

I think our culture is beginning to realize that there is more to life than sitting behind a computer screen or staring into a phone. As we learn from the MM lecture concerning the beehive.....thus was man formed for the social and active life, the noblest part of the work of God, and he who will so demean himself as to not be adding to the common stock of knowledge and understanding may be deemed a drone in the hive of nature and unworthy of our protection as Masons.

We are actually beginning to hear from new brothers that they have been looking for something for that fellowship and community among good men. The fraternity of Free & Accepted Masons is one of the original social networking groups and it's importance and time tested beliefs can meet the needs of a society so lacking for that all important human interaction for the betterment of mankind.

It's a Big Deal

 It's been far too long since my last posting. It certainly isn't a lack of activity in our local lodges, it's just laziness on my part. It's refreshing and a jab to the gut when I encounter a brother who asks when are we going to see a new post on your blog, so here we go.

Somehow I managed to make it 40 years in the fraternity and was honored to receive my life membership I'm truly honored.

The daylight is beginning to wane, summer is bidding farewell and the Lions play their opening game tonight.....that can only mean one thing....autumn is upon us and we are getting back into doing Masonry after a very nice summer off.

Now is the time that the incoming Masters are hopefully putting the finishing touches on their upcoming installation of officers. The installation ceremony can be very powerful and meaningful or it can be dull and uneventful. There is one issue, that of whether to have an "open" or "closed" installation....meaning either open to the public or closed to the public.

This year hopefully will be different, but last year seemed to disturbingly lean toward .....closed.

There are still many brothers that like to espouse that we are dying, we don't have the members we used to and so on. For our fraternity to supposedly be on life-support, we seem to be scrambling to get all of the degree work done before installation time and the holidays, or getting the work done before Grand Lodge session, or getting it done before we go dark. If in fact we are dying....why are there so many degrees.

Yes, our numbers are less than in the old days but look at the demographics we inherited. We are born, we live, we die....but is death the end of man and the expiring hope of all faithful Masons....no....blessed be God. It seems to me that we are nearing the point where we will start to make some positive growth. It boggles my mind when brothers say that we are dying but we keep doing more and more degrees. Unfortunately many have passed on to the Celestial Lodge above, we have lost some key players but we need to foster and mentor newly made brothers.....and I see some brothers rising to meet the challenge.

Now back to the issue at hand, installations. Open or Closed is the question. My thought is that it's a great time to shine and hopefully expand our reach. We need to remember that we do have some fresh officers and they have never been installed before or maybe only once or so. True we do have some retreads in offices from Worshipful Master on down through Junior Deacon. The fact is that an open installation allows for family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, etc. to witness what it is that we do. I've heard that we just don't get the turnout that we used to.....this is true.....but have the officers actually invited people to attend, do we send out invites???

To be installed as an officer of a lodge should be something the brothers want to share with their families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. My view is somewhat slanted I suppose, having come up in DeMolay, installations were a great time for all, then at Fellowship Lodge the feeling continued. It was just a matter of course that the installation would be "open" and the officers were excited to share the honor with ones that matter to them.

Back in the day, it was very rare for a lodge to have a closed installation. Somehow we have lost our way and just go through the paces to get it done, and having a closed installation is far easier. The easy path doesn't always profit the lodge, the brothers, and the craft.

Just a few years ago, Otisville was having closed installations as a matter of routine. When WB Dale Thomas was elected the first time as Master of Otisville he had an open installation. There were 100 people there for that installation, it was the first open installation in some time and WB Dale made sure that he invited people and encouraged them to attend, and they responded accordingly.

There are many challenges facing today's lodges, among them is who will actually fill the leadership roles in the lodge. Unfortunately many lodges don't plan in advance who will most likely be filling which chairs. When a brother is installed as Senior Warden he should begin to plan his most likely installation as Worshipful Master. By doing this he actually has a whole year to put things together for his installation.

By putting this kind of emphasis on the event, it will surely create an atmosphere in the lodge that the installation of officers is a big deal and should foster the brothers to treat it as such and realize that it is in fact a "big deal", one that they will want to share with others.

It's been said before that enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm, the incoming Worshipful Master needs to stress that to his officers and encourage them to invite people to attend. Hopefully inviting more than brothers from other lodges, but invite those who may have never been in a Masonic Temple or attended a Masonic Ceremony. This is the lodge's time to shine and gain some much needed positive exposure.

Are We Ready

We touched on a few things in the last post concerning our readiness as we move forward. As we talked, January finished strong. There has been a strange mix of events in terms of the degree work. Great examples of brilliance with some not so brilliant.

My belief is that the ritual is what separates us from the rest of the fraternities. Men throughout the ages have craved and sought esoteric and philosophical teachings concerning how to live a profitable life. We are richly blessed that the words laid down in our esteemed little black book hold many answers and raise many questions for us to ponder as we journey through this adventure called life.

It has been said many times in this blog that the authors of our ritual were extremely gifted in how they put the ritual together. It wasn't easy getting to the point we now enjoy, but the end result is remarkable. The authors were highly skilled in their choice and placement of words, for example the meaning of a single word may take 10 words to explain.

It pains me greatly when such little care and respect is given to the words of our rites and ceremonies. There are examples of brothers feeling they don't like the way the ritual is written and feel they can insert their own words and convey the same meaning. That is totally preposterous given the fact that they can't deliver the words that are written....why should they be trusted to insert their own words  when they don't comprehend the ones that have been passed down through the ages 

We or I should say, I am bantering around the word "ritual" quite a bit....in our area we Masons refer to the written text of our three degrees as the ritual....this word has different uses and variations, it kind of reminds me of the mother of all swear words because of it's different uses. For example, I always take my ritual with me to lodge, we enjoy visiting that lodge because they do great ritual work, he's known to be quite the ritualist, 

In reality the word ritual mean a solemn ceremony....or another definition can be a "rite of passage". Actually we are going to a solemn rite of passage at ABC Lodge and we will be carrying our black books which describe the ceremony and how to perform it.....thank goodness we can just say ritual.

Sorry about the tangent but I think I picked up a new subject for the blog....so we had the case of wanting to rewrite the ritual because someone didn't like the style. We also have the case where many young officers busted their hump to make their degree a very successful evening....then we have the lodge who seemed woefully unprepared and completely lost at times. The old cliché was mentioned that my goodness we give the appearance of having never practiced this degree to be followed up by another....there is so much brass here tonight, I froze and completely lost my bearings, and my dog ate my homework.

Also we saw some true leadership displayed by a Grand Lodge Officer, with the newly initiated brother out of the lodge room, he addressed the very poor performance of portraying the EA degree. It was done professionally, politley but firm. He said that the degree is for the candidate not us. We have but one chance to make a good first impression. His question was, how impressed do you think the candidate was, and that it was a true injustice to the candidate to have not presented him with the best degree possible.

This leads to ask, "Are We Ready?" if we aren't how do we get ready? With anything that is done well there are a few things that can be done in preparation not only for degrees but anything we do in life that we want to do well.....we had a series of training tapes here at work and his favorite thing was Practice, Drill, and Rehearse. 

When it comes to degree work, the lodge officers need to study on their own, work with a close brother or brothers to get the words out in the open, and if the lodge knows they are shaky they need a practice degree working together to work out the kinks and rough spots.

It's an involved process. Much studying and preparation needs to be done by each individual officer. The time to study is not on the way to lodge and walking into the lodge room. The hours required depends on the person, but I know I have logged countless hours studying my work.

It is possible for everyone to study individually and come together on the night of the degree and pull it off......if they have some experience in degree work, otherwise it behooves the lodge to actually practice the degree beforehand.

According to the Great One, WB Bennie King....when studying a part, always recite it out loud to yourself or the steering wheel while driving or your dog....many dogs have received many fine lectures over the years....but, yes verbalize it....this will enhance one's practice.

As mentioned above we get one chance at a first impression. Imagine if you will, a young man discovers his grandfather was a Mason. He begins his research into the mysteries of Freemasonry, usually this is done online. Many things are unearthed, secret handshakes, certain gestures known as signs, many of the founding fathers of this great country were Masons. Mystery, intrigue, and suspense. The young man stumbles on to the Michigan Grand Lodge site, and after a few emails and phone calls and spending some time with men who are unknown to him. He's investigated maybe some of his friends and business acquaintances are contacted......then he finds himself at the lodge. After arriving he is prepared for initiation and is led into the lodge room. He finds himself being quizzed and his escort or conductor is supplying the answers .....and then it happens, the conductor and the one asking questions quite clearly have no idea what they are talking about. The candidate surely asks himself, is this why it's a secret....it's so secretive that they don't know how to communicate it to each other.....or is it that they don't care to the point it makes them look like bumbling fools......there goes the first impression out the window.

All of the mystery and intrigue are gone as the Wardens and Senior Deacon stumble around trying to communicate the word, the handshake and the sign. Suddenly the prospect of these men ruling the world and being movers and shakers is gone. I'm not suggesting that we are movers and shakers but we should be proud enough of our fraternity that the modes of recognition is something we highly regard and treat them with the respect that their history and heritage deserve.

This is why practice, drill, and rehearse has to be part of our routine. The questions and responses to the Wardens before and after the obligation need to be routine and come so natural the impression is given that they have been practiced so much that they come off as second nature. If you've ever talked to someone who was in military service, regardless of how long they've been out they can rattle off their number in the blink of an eye, they never forget and they know how to recite it instantly.

There are a few keys to being ready to move forward. First, the work...the ritual needs to be impressive to the candidate. Secondly a brother needs to take the newly made Mason under his wing, mentor and guide without pushing. Get the new Brother involved doing something, even a small job or a small part in a degree, get them involved. Be sure to include the newly made Brother in all things, invite him to travel...make him feel that he is a part of something, because he is.

Now We Move Forward

 It's that special time of the year when the lodges are coming off the installation hangover, the holidays, etc. Now it's time to move forward into another year in Masonry.

One thing that really stood out about this most recent installation season was the number of closed installations. In talking with some of the brothers it was mentioned that when you've seen one installation you've seen them all. That may be true for some that have been around for a while but not true for everyone.

Years ago, shortly after the disappearance of the dinosaurs I went into line. I served two years as steward before moving on to Junior Deacon then all the way up through the ranks. My wife at that time, my kids, parents, in-laws, friends etc came out for every installation, they were all open. At that time a closed installation was very rare and almost unheard of.

An open installation does many things. It brings out family, friends, and relatives so they can see our buildings and meet those we are spending our time with. It is an outward symbol to the community, because they see an unusal amount of vehicles in the parking lot of the local Masonic Temple. While doing all of the above, those attending witness the fellowship and perhaps pick up on a few of our teachings.

I'm sure that my family thought they had seen plenty of installations but I was proud to have them there and to show that I was making progress in the fraternity. Pride of membership was something that we cherished in the old days and we were always eager to demonstrate that to our families and public at large.

An installation was something of a gala event. The officers had their boutonnieres and the ladies their corsages. The officers were all dressed in tuxedos, it was a formal affair for sure.

I feel the lodges lose out in many ways when the installation is closed, just my opinion. Well enough about installations time to move forward.

As we are now moving forward once again after the stagnation of the season of Covid we can get back to doing Masonry. The beginning of January was a little slow in the degree department but it appears that the closing weeks of the month are producing very good results.

Again, we are seeing many men move into the ranks of Masonry. A good variety of degrees in all three degrees. My worry stays the same, can we make a good enough impression, display enough brotherly love and friendship to entice them to come back and get involved.

Invariably when there is a decent size crowd, the old timers(myself included) begin reminiscing about the old days and the hustle and bustle of the work and the vast number of lodges and brothers at that time. I'm sure they are all thinking as I am.....what happened? Why are we struggling to make a comeback.

It appears that with all of the work we do that we should be making a comeback based on the numbers of newly made brothers and the number of degrees throughout the entire area. But, it seems that in a few months when we go back for another degree those who were just raised are not in attendance.

The Grand Lodge of Michigan has instituted the 6-step program for aspirants, and they also encourage mentoring new members. My fear is that the lodges only follow these initiatives half-heartedly. Recognizing of course that these newly made brothers need to be somewhat self-motivated in seeking more light on their journey.

As we move forward are we willing to bend our standards, traditions, heritage, and basic lessons that were taught  and embraced by local lodges not that many years ago.....or should we keep some of those standards and teachings in place moving forward....after all it brought us this far.

Scheduling of degree work.....again they are joining us, I realize some flexibility is needed but we should dictate when and where. When entering the line, certain parts of lectures need to be learned as well.....and what about memorials....there are some nice small parts that the line officers could learn and this would foster them to actually attend memorials.

Mentoring should be happening during the 6 steps, when the petitioner begins his degree work, after the degree work, after the brother is raised, and for as long as it takes for the new brother to become acclimated to what is going on. Involvement is the key.

This week I've been to 2 Master Mason degrees and witnessed 4 new brothers raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. Where will they be 3 months from now? Will they be floundering on their own without guidance or will they be guided and encouraged by a brother or brothers of the lodge?

In addition to getting the new brothers involved in the busy work of the lodge such as cleaning, building repair, fund raising, and so forth; we need to get them involved in the "work" of the craft. There are many smaller parts in our ritual that are easy to learn and easy to recite.....along with these parts there are non-speaking fellowcraft parts. We should really encourage the brothers to get engaged with the ritual. Some will really enjoy it while others may not, now is the time to find out.

During these "modern times" there are far too many Worshipful Masters that cannot open or close lodge, there are even more that stumble through the opening and closing but can't do degree work,. I feel this is an indication of their leadership skills and lodge development skills as well. However, the title of Past Master will be bestowed and $300-$500 spent on a Past Masters apron.

It seems to me that the installation ceremony describes the incoming Master as an expert craftsman and highly skilled. We have to get beyond the fact that a brother has served as Warden and meets the mirror fogging requirement to gain the seat in the East. A bother's performance in either the South or the West seems to be an accurate indicator of the type of Worshipful Master he will be.

We all bear responsibility in making this fraternity prosper. From the youngest EA who stands in the northeast corner to the Worshipful Master who has been elected to preside over his lodge.....first-line signers of petitions, mentors, Past Masters, officers, and members....we all have to be more engaged in teaching and leading.....and voting qualified people into line and voting for those who are duly qualified to advance through the ranks.

Who Will Lead

There is a nip in the morning air, the bow hunters are taking to the woods, pumpkin spice is available in more things than necessary and the Craft is getting back to work.

In most cases Lodges are reassembling after a two month hiatus and the work of Freemasonry unimpaired marches on into yet another season. Just two short years ago there were many who said that the Craft could not weather the pandemic and Freemasonry as we knew it would cease to exist.

During the majority of that first year not much happened with the fraternity. It did continue to exist contrary to some naysayers. In 2021 most lodges crept back into action and began to do some degree work under strict guidelines. Then in 2022 the Craft came roaring back seeming to dispatch a built up demand for degree work....often presenting challenges for the lodges and coming up on the summer break, the degree work really picked up some steam.

So here we are coming off our break for the summer....yes, I know some lodges go dark in the winter months......here in our area the majority are dark for July and August. Now that we have that out of the way...lets take a look at what is happening as the Craft is back working and we are approaching the holidays and the season of Installation of Officers for the lodges in the Grand Jurisdiction of Michigan.

Most lodges have a pretty good idea who will serve as Worshipful Master for the upcoming year. However, there are a great number of lodges who are wondering....."Gees, I wonder who we can get to be Master?" Therein lies the problem plaguing the fraternity as a whole......what are we going to do....who will be willing to take it......what kind of year are we going to have.

Chances are that if an unqualified candidate for Worshipful Master is pushed through, the lodge will suffer through a disappointing year and nothing will happen except for frustration and in most cases the lodge will flounder at best and most likely not grow in number or presence in their community.

Lately I've been inovolved in a number on conversations about the lack of leadership exhibited by some sitting Masters and a number of them are retreads....those who have already had the position and are supposedly Past Masters.

The issue at hand is that there are an alarming number of Masters who can't or won't do their own work. In some cases these brothers are unable to open or close lodge, not to mention not being able to do any degree work. My term for these brothers are placeholders, the unfortunate thing is that this lack of dedication to their lodge bleeds over into other areas such as membership growth, community involvement, fund raising, and the list goes on.

These lodges are now voting on and most likely passing motions to purchase a nice Past Masters Apron to the tune of $400 to $500 and these brothers who will go through the rest of their Masonic career being recognized as a Past Master without putting forth the work and truly earning the title and the accolades associated with the honor. Most of them will never realize that they didn't hold up their end and most will never make an effort to learn any of the work.

Sounding like a typical, old, grumpy, past master; when we had the population and the fraternity was filling a need in society, men who became brothers worked their way up through the ranks, gaining experience along the way. By the time they were in the west they could step in and open the lodge, conduct business, confer degrees, and close lodge. Today these brothers don't fulfill their duties and obligations, and they fail miserably in leading their lodges into the future and make those lodges relevant in the community and the lives of the brothers.

In the installation ceremony the qualifications are outlined succinctly; an expert craftsman of great skill and zealous for the fraternity. It seems unfair for the incoming Master, the brethren of the lodge, and the fraternity as a whole, to install a brother who is woefully unprepared to assume the position of Worshipful Master of a lodge.

The argument in favor of such actions always comes down to there are no brothers who are willing or able to take the position....and we can't keep recycling Past Masters. What is worse a familiar face who can open and close lodge and do degree work or a Warden thst is not qualified to do the work and most importantly LEAD the lodge into the future.

We have a lack of true leaders. If we look at Linden Lodge, WB Scott Wogen is a Past Master but he is a leader and one who can certainly do the work and do it well. Not everyone is cut out to be a leader, and not everyone is cut out to be a ritualist, but one would think to be Master of the lodge the brother should at a minimum be able to open and close lodge. Unfortunately fund-raising is a necessary part of any Lodge being able to survive, property taxes, utilities, and insurance in most cases is more than the lodge collects in dues. Eventually the savings account gets mighty slim without some source of income.

When looking at the neccesary skill sets a Worshipful Master needs to do his job it makes it seem like a near impossible task to find all of those in a brother for that position. He should and has to be a delegater to get the job done. A Master above all has to be a leader and he can't do everything but has to surround himself with people who can and will do what needs to be done. At a minimum ritually be able to open and close the lodge, at a minimum.

Another thing challenging the lodges in our geographical area is a declining population. We just don't have the population numbers to support the number of lodges in this area, unless....we suddenly get some true leaders that will be able to get some of the fledgling lodges back working again.

A Mason's Mason

 From time to time I've wrote about extrodinary Masons in our area. Too often it has been after they answer the summons of the Grand Warden of Heaven. So I think it's just as appropriate to recoginize these great brothers while they are still serving the craft.

WB Lloyd James Williams, known to all as Jimmy Williams. WB Jimmy was intiated, passed, and raised in Genesee Lodge #174,  in the year of 1963. This was in the days of the full catachism, he joined in September of that year and was raised in October of the same year. Apparently the ritual work came easy for this young Mason.

WB Jim has served the craft in a variety of capacities over the years. He served as Worshipful Master of Genesee Lodge #174 in 83, he went on to be DDI for District 15, and was made Chaplain Emeritus in 2017 for Genesee Lodge after serving 10 or more years in that office.

WB Jimmy has always been a regular traveling Mason especially in Genesee County. He is just a tremendous asset in lecturing in all of the degrees and has performed many outstanding installations with his rich almost baritone voice. One of his special talents is pulling together a great degree team for the King Solomon's club Outdoor Master Mason degree.

Last evening I had the privilege of attending Genesee Lodge #174 in Flushing to witness the conferral of the Master Mason degree on three brothers, one from Holly Lodge, one from Welfare Lodge, and one from Genesee Lodge.

They opened lodge at 5pm and when I arrived shortly after 6pm the parking lot was quite full, more full than I have seen it in many years. When they went from labor to refreshment, I knew why the parking lot was so full.....brothers from all around the county and a variety of lodges came pouring out of the blue room.

The degree was performed very well with WB Jimmy Williams directing the trhrong of brothers required for a Master Mason degree. Throughout the evening I learned that Jimmy had been on the phone for several days arranging who was going to do what, just as he has for many years for the outdoor degree.

Traveling with WB Jim Williams last night was WB James O. ....heavy on the O. Allen, these two characters roamed the roads and lodges of Genesee County for many years. They were really a great team on memorials....WB Jim Allen had a soft, soothing voice that I'm sure was a great comfort to many grieving Masonic families at countless Masonic memorials.

Both of the Jims logged countless miles, hours, and degrees over the years. The late WB Joe Florida said back in the 90's that we had more Masons in the State of Michigan who were 90 and above than we did Masons 50 and below....so if you want to live to be 90 join a Michigan Masonic lodge. It was really neat to see WB Jimmy and Jerry Graham a 70+ year member working together on the Master Mason degree last night.

So if you bump into WB Jimmy Williams or WB Jim Allen, or Jerry Graham....be sure to tell them how much you appreciate what they've done for Masonry over the years. Let them know how much we appreciate them now, right now for what they've done for our craft. 

 A very sad conclusion has come to the search for the missing Grand Master Hiram Abif. King Solomon along with the King of Tyre and an entourage of 12 Fellowcrafts have made their way to a hill west of Mount Moriah.

At this location a fresh grave was discovered while the same Fellowcrafts were in search of Abif. According to sources close to the investigation a lone sprig of accacia suspicously marked the grave. The Fellowcrafts did discover the jewel of Hiram Abif's office on or about the body.

King Solomon himself examined the jewel and determined, that it in fact did belong to Grand Master Hiram Abif and was the jewel of his office.

King Solomon along with the assistance of the King of Tyre did manage to raise the body of Abif. The body was transported by the 12 Fellowcrafts and accompanied by both Kings. The body will eventually come to rest in the sanctum santorim of the Temple where it will receive a proper burial.

A tragic ending to a life cut short because of greed, impatience, and unsubdued passions on the part of three men from Tyre whose murderous designs took over their logical thinking. It seems that these type of situations always end with an extremely sad outcome. May we all learn from this tragedy for generations to come.

Where Have They Gone?

 As I sat in lodge last night witnessing the first section of a Fellowcraft degree, I remarked to WB Dale, "How many of these have you seen?" His reply was hundreds. I suppose after 50+ years in the fraternity he has seen it hundreds of times. I can relate with my short 39 years that I'm probably edging close to a hundred myself.

Sitting there gave me an opportunity to reflect on few things. I've seen hundreds knock at the door of Masonry and sadly to say only a few remain. Admittedly some have passed, some have moved, but the largest percentage have faded away. The question is why?

I think if we are honest we know why. Lack of leadership followed by not including the new brothers like they should be included. They should be included in everything from working in the degrees, traveling, lodge projects, and working around the lodge.

Recently I've noticed something that seems to be a common thread among some of the new brothers. The ones that seem like they are really going to stick, all have something in common. They were involved with brothers of the lodge and were around the lodge for a while before they were actually members.

Again, the Six-Steps to initiation as promoted by the Grand Lodge of Michigan plays a huge role. I've seen this play out at Millington lodge with a father and son duo, at Otisville lodge by a very enthusiatic new member who had to wait several months to meet the domiciling provision, and now at Mt.Morris lodge a young man who is very attentive and eager to learn and get more involved. In all of these cases these men were around the lodge frequently, they weren't able to attend official meetings but they got to know the members of the lodge and the members of the lodge got to know them.

The next step is to engage them, to make them a part of the team. Encourage them to travel, challenge them to learn a small part of the ritual, ensure that they are at least offered to participate. All brothers are different, everyone is not a ritualist, but everyone has something they are good at it. As a lodge, we need to uncover that talent and put it to use, we would all be surprised if we really worked at this.

Reflecting back over the years I can't help but think about some of the legends in Genesee County Masonry that have passed on to the celestial lodge above. At the same time it's refreshing to see some of the soon to be legends quietly stepping in to fill the shoes of those who have already gone home.

There are some real good Masons that are stepping up and working on filling some of those holes left by those worthy brothers who have laid down the working tools of life. It's fascinating that in most cases these brothers realize and know in their heart that it's time to step up and attempt to take the place of those who used to do the lions share of the "work" of the craft.

So, we have these brothers stepping in with lecturning and so forth, but they've been around for a while, they've been through the chairs, they've served as Worshipful Master, and they want to contribute to the work of the craft to ensure the new brothers receive the quality degree that they did in the past.

Through the yearsall of the men I've witnessed become Master Masons....where have they gone? Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Masonry, and it has been the challenge for many years now, the greatest challenge is retention and involvement in the craft. Just think if these brothers become engaged then NPD is no longer an issue, finances would become easeier, the big question....who is going to go through the line....all of these challenges would be solved.

 New developments concerning the whereabouts of Hiram Abif are currently unfolding. Sources close to the King said that a sizeable delegation of workmen appearing to be Fellowcrafts were granted an audience with King Solomon earlier today.

Apparently three men were seen to be bound and were under heavy escort of at least twelve Fellowcrafts. A spokesman for King Solomon gave a brief statement following this meeting with the King. The three men who were bound and taken before King Solomon admitted their guilt in the murderous plot and have been duly executed according to their imprecations before several witness. Justice in this part of the world moves very swiftly.

One last piece remains.....where is the body of Grand Master Abif?

This just in from the Port of Joppa, some members of the search party from King Solomon's Temple have discovered some interesting clues concerning the disappearance of Hiram Abif.

Members of the party encountered a seafaring man. The man stated that he had a chance encounter with three strangers. From their attire they appeared to be workmen from the temple.

They were seeking a passage to Ethiopia, the very place the seafaring man was bound for. After a brief discussion it was determined that they were not in posession of King Solomon's pass, upon which they were denied passage.

When asked further about the three, the seafaring man said that the three seemed suspicous to him, and they flead into the countryside after being denied a passage with him.

 

 Twelve Fellowcrafts clothed in white gloves and aprons were seen entering King Solomon's court. Apparently they outlined a conspiracy of 15 Fellowcrafts who had plans to extort from Hiram Abif the secrets of a Master Mason.

The twelve stated that they had recanted from the original plans and humbly implored the King's pardon. King Solomon then instucted the twelve to go in seaarch of Grand Master Hiram Abif. We will continue to follow this story very closely. It is hoped that Abif will be found with a positive outcome.