Brothers near and far
As I wright this article, Gary and I have just finished his first Official Visit to Hannibal and are off to good start on the new Masonic Year. One of the principal reasons we partake in Freemasonry is the fellowship of interesting, like-minded brothers. Men whom we most likely would have never met had we not joined this gentle craft. Attending one or more of the Official Visits is a great way to make the acquaintance of these fine people.
We have 7 new brothers in our lodge and so I plan on running a Masonic Development course this fall, probably after the official visits which would be late November or early December. The MDC is a very nice opportunity for brothers old and new to familiarize themselves with the three Masonic degrees and the philosophy, ideas and symbols presented in the therein.
I also teach The Road to the East (The 24” Gauge) and The Master's Chair. The RTTE is a comprehensive tutorial on everything you need to know to be an effective, successful Master of your lodge. To the sitting Masters, it is not to early for the brother that will be Master next year to be thinking about this course. I will be presenting it after the first of the year. The Master's Chair is given to each new Master, usually in May or June and along with the training provides a very nice Quick Reference for your Lodge's new leader. There is no charge for this course.
I normally try to present these courses at locations that are convenient for the brothers attending. I will even do them one on one if that works best. Contact me for more information.
Lastly, I ran across some images of the unbelievable damage done by Hurricane Sandy on Long Island last fall. You all have received your Brotherhood Fund letter by now. I am sure that there are still brothers and their families down there that could use some assistance. Perhaps you could dig a little deeper this year and help them out.
Hope to see you soon in Lodge.