I just thought that I would share this as it all leads into what Haywood says in his work, Symbolic Masonry, “Freemasonry is a social and moral institution that undertakes to build a symbolic Temple of which its members are the living stones: inasmuch as the stability of the structure depends upon the material of which it is composed it is obvious that the Craft must exercise every precaution (in selecting candidates) lest unfit men weaken the walls.”
I have strived to become a strong foundation stone in the Temple and hope that my motivation to be involved in the Craft inspires others to do the same, maybe not to the same degree, but as much as they can to be strong living stones themselves. I believe that my dedication to both my Blue Lodge and the York Rite has enabled me to be selected as an officer in one of the more active and vibrant Chapters in the area which can boast of a strong membership. It is quite an honor for me and I hope to fulfill my obligation to the Chapter as best as I can. One of the duties of the PS is to work on and establish a Mark Master Degree Program for the Chapter. While We do not have a full cast at my Chapter, I am making it a point to learn the degree through the Standards Club to participate on a Grand Chapter level to put on the degree at a future date.
As a Lodge or Chapter, we need a strong foundation, without that foundation, the stones built on that foundation will topple and fall. Each lodge has several strong members who keep the lodge together and moving forward. These men are the foundation of each lodge and they are the motivation and inspiration for things to happen. Their energy and dedication helps to motivate new candidates to get involved and to build the same kind of dedication to the Lodge and to the Craft. Dedication to the Lodge is much more than showing up once or twice a month and maybe one fund raiser a year. That meets the minimum requirements to keep the lodge going. It is definitely a good thing and it helps to keep the lodge active and moving in a positive direction. But there is a lot that goes on outside of those few meetings. Behind the scenes work, degree teams, fellowship nights, planning committees for fund raising events, lodge committees, etc. Putting in extra time outside of those meetings to make the lodge a thriving lodge rather than just a lodge.
Who wants to be a part of an organization that has 7 or 8 guys sitting around and voting a boring business once a month and struggling through some degree work on occasions? No one. That is a certainty. It takes people dedicated to the lodge to spend time behind the scenes to prepare good dinners before the meetings, prepare some Masonic education during the meeting, set up fellowship events, do the memory work to establish proficient degree teams, meet on separate nights to work on lodge committees. There is so much more to making a lodge thrive than just plain exist.
The officers of a lodge are a key to much of this happening. Dedicated and motivated officers to inspire and guide other brothers who see that and work off of that energy. Strong leaders are vital to set the craft to work for the good of the lodge. Without good leadership, they lodge will stagnate, there is dismay and no direction. As officers, I believe that it is up to us to set the example by attending and supporting events and meetings. It is on our shoulders to move the lodge or chapter or any other endeavor in a forward direction.
Reflect on that and ask, what kind of leader are you? How strong is the living stone you represent in the virtual Temple being built by your Lodge or Chapter?
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