McKinleyOct14
TRESTLE BOARD
Fri., Oct. 3 – Yom Kippur Begins at Sundown
7:00 p.m. – Special Meeting, Tentative Degree Work
Fri., Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m. – Stated Meeting, Program, “Judo vs. Masonry”
Mon., Oct. 13 – Columbus Day
Thurs., Oct. 16 – National Boss Day
Fri., Oct. 17 – Grand Lodge
Fri., Oct. 24 – United Nations Day
7:30 p.m. – Stated Meeting
Fri., Oct. 31 – Halloween
Greetings Brethren! It’s time for the leaf blowers already. Why is summer so short? If I can’t be boating it might just as well be cooler but, I really do enjoy the month of October. It’s actually one of my favorite months. October, as you know, is a busy month for the fraternity; a new Grand Master and in our case, a new District Deputy Grand Master. All I can say about that is who ever it may be, they have some “BIG” shoes to fill literally, and a “tall order to fill” literally. You all have seen R.W.Bro. Mike Bailey. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with him and he was a great District Deputy Grand Master. Thank you for your service to the fraternity and to our lodge. Hearty thanks also to, McKinley Lodge’s own, R.W.Bro. Gust Goutras as well; for installing me and mentoring me through the years and his dedication to our fraternity. And, R.W.Bro. Steven Colton, thank you for your service. These three men really helped all of the lodges do well these last three years and I’m sure they have found excellent replacements, because if they didn’t, we know where they live; LOL. I’m sure R.W.Bro. Lengler will get them up to speed.
I’m sure your wondering about what the heck I mean about “Judo vs. Masonry” for our program on the 10th. Well guess what? Come to lodge and find out!
Since I have the microphone here, I would like to chime in on a couple of things about “My” view of our fraternity and its future. The basic concept of our fraternity is “Making Good Men Better, through the practice of Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.” Every Mason knows this, but as an officer and as Master you dig deep into the ritual and I have come to realize that the “Ideals of Masonry” are almost perfect. The only problem is that human beings are not. One of the best tenants of our institution is the diversity of our brethren, my favorite line is; “the internal and not the external qualifications of a man is what Masonry regards.” Most of us interpret that as status, wealth or power and when we are together we are all the same. But is that entirely true? Are we all the same? We all have the same goals in mind, we all love Masonry. Unfortunately sometimes are diversity is our “Achilles Heel.” So, let’s dig deeper into the above line; let’s look at our faces in lodge not our clothes, our hearts. What do you see? Think about it? Our elders and our younger members, I’m 46, my J.W. Warden is 33; we have many members in their twenties and many in their seventies and eighties; it doesn’t get much more diverse than that. I have heard the word “Change” thrown around a lot lately and not in a good way and right now our lodge and our fraternity are on a “cusp” of change. Some may view it as out with the old and in with the new, some love change, some hate it, but it doesn’t have to be scary or horrible. These changes are cyclic and have happened throughout the hundreds of years our fraternity has existed. For example: how about learning the ritual from mouth to ear, without a book, I’m sure many Masons hated that change, 200 years ago would this Bulletin even existed? 50 years ago fathers never even asked their sons to join they had to wait for the son to ask them. Throughout these cycles our ideals haven’t changed, just the way we communicate them, that’s all. It’s not the end of the fraternity or the world. If we need to make changes to keep it going then, “So Mote it Be,” it doesn’t need to happen overnight, it can happen gradually and not everyone will like it, but if “Facebook” and texts work, why not use them? Phone calls and newsletters work too. To me it doesn’t matter how the light is spread, just that it is spread. I respect our elders and value them and in no way do I want them to feel slighted. If it wasn’t for them we would not exist, but on the other hand, we won’t exist in the future without “tempering” the way we communicate and operate. The fraternity will survive as long as we keep our ideals just the way they are. Perfect.
Respectfully
Mark J. Gold, W.M.