From the Worshipful Master
Brothers,
June is here and Grand Lodge is over. It was interesting to say the least. We will go over it at the Stated Meeting. I would like to congratulate our own Worshipful Brother Ron Watkins on his appointment as DDGM of District 16. You honor us for this. The Eastern Star had their installation of officers on June 3rd and a hearty congratulations to all of them as well. The Jobs Daughters installation of officers is on the 15th and hope to see you there. Our DeMolay chapter will be meeting on the 13th to discuss moving our meeting day to Sundays in hopes of getting more members. If you are interested in working with the youth groups just let me know. It is a joy and worthwhile endeavor.
The lodge will be going dark soon but we still plan to have a few events and even some degree work. We have six E.A. Masons and hopefully by the time we come back they will be F.C. Masons.
I wish you all a safe and fun summer and hope to see you in lodge soon.
Fraternally,
Rick Hinson WM
From the Senior Warden
Brothers,
It’s difficult to believe we’re nearly halfway through the year. The Wayfarers delegates have just returned from the 130th Arizona Grand Lodge Communication. Grand Masters and dignitaries from a number of jurisdictions joined us and brought greetings. A very touching and well-done tribute/memorial to America’s POWs & MIAs was presented by the Honor Guard. And of course, there was the usual, good-natured cajoling between Arizona and New Mexico brothers.
To answer the pressing questions from many of you, YES, there were some inevitable and much anticipated fireworks. Suffice it to say, some eggs were broken and the omelet is coming along nicely. Ultimately, cool heads and truly Masonic hearts prevailed. The true principles of Freemasonry won the day and faith in our order was (or should have been) renewed.
Please join us on the 12th for as full a report as is prudentially possible, and of course, dinner at 6pm.
Also Brothers, condolences and well wishes are in order for WM Rick Hinson, and especially his wife and family, as they work through the emotional difficulties of losing a dear loved one.
Electronic media is definitely a large part of our lives. A great deal of the turmoil surrounding Arizona Masonry, has been heavily influenced by this technology. A couple of very small groups, through the exploitation of social media and blogging venues, was able to create a national spectacle from what should have been an internal matter. At the Communication, I was approached by several brothers in this regard. Wayfarers Lodge #50 received significant praise for our conspicuous (and laudable) lack of participation in the electronic mud-slinging.
There is bound to be more of this type of activity for a while. Please continue to be Masons first, in any and all participation, going forward.
Thank you all for being exemplary men and Masons.
Fraternally,
George Daggett S.W.
From the Junior Warden
Brothers,
June has arrive and with it the Feast Day of one of our Patron Saints, St. John the Baptist, on June 24th.
I was trying to put together something semi-coherent for this Trestle Board post, mainly anything inspiring about St. John the Baptist within Freemasonry, when I found that I needed to look for a cited source from before 1855. With little information I turned to some of the books and magazines that have been archived online because their copyright ran out. While researching I was thoroughly dumbfounded by the familiarity of the problems outlined in the magazines. It seems there are two problems that historic Freemasonry faces:
The first is Freemasonry on the rise -
For this problem it turns out that the dues are too low and anyone can become a Mason. Masons are not paying attention to the ballot boxes and not necessarily voting for the good of Freemasonry. The ritual work is sloppy because the brothers making Masons are overworked. Grand Lodge doesn’t help the lodges deal with this influx of new members. The lodges make Masons and never see them again. If the ritual work were better then these newly minted Masons would stick around. There isn’t enough education, but if there were, new Masons would understand and appreciate the craft more. After a couple of years new men no longer pay their dues or pay them late through complacency.
The second is Freemasonry in decline -
This problem has to do with dues being too high and the brothers do not pay them timely, if at all. Grand Lodge doesn’t do anything to help attract new members. Lodges have become complacent, and though we are not supposed to recruit, they are not doing enough to attract sufficient men to sustain themselves. If lodges had more events or worked together better, then Freemasonry as a whole would attract more men. The ritual work is sloppy because lodges are not doing enough degrees or are not practicing enough. Maybe their hearts aren’t in the ritual or there isn’t enough education for them to understand it. But if lodges did better ritual work, the few men that they did initiate would stick around because they would appreciate Freemasonry as much as the regulars.
Wayfarers does not fit neatly in to either of these negative scenarios. We have men engaged and interested, but there never seems to be enough talent or money keep us happy. We see our problems as wholly unique and the broader decline of Freemasonry as a tragedy, but this is simply the hubris of the moment. Brothers have struggled with problems for two hundred and fifty years, and the Craft is stronger for it.
We are Masons at a good time. We are lean enough to appreciate what we have. We haven’t become fat and complacent through undue success. There isn’t a national movement against us (Anti-Masonic Party, anyone?). We are fortunate to have newly obligated brothers who are engaged and newly raised brothers who are sticking around to take positions within the lodge. We are blessed.
Fraternally,
Jeremy Borie JW