This month I want all the Brethren to focus on the fact that St. John’s Lodge No. 11 is an entity that we are all equally apart of and are responsible for its health. Everyone’s voice in the Lodge has equal importance and carries the same weight, no matter your position in the Lodge. Whether you sit in the East, the comfy chairs in the North, or on the sidelines, your voice and engagement matters to the Lodge. This is a time in our society where we are constantly being bombarded with stories about inequalities, injustices, and down-right hate, but Freemasonry is a wonderful organization that seeks to advocate for harmony, peace, love, and togetherness. Now, this bulletin entry will not be used to make some sort of political statement about our current societal affairs, but it will be used to remind each one of you that when we meet in Lodge, as Brothers, we are acting out the way in which we believe the world should operate, and that means as a group of dedicated men who are interested in pursuing and living a life based on acceptance and openness. We can’t solve the world’s problems in our Lodge room; but we can carry a message of peace and the willingness to work together out there in the world. Harmony, being the strength of this institution, represents that above all else we care about – being harmonious with each other inside and outside the Lodge room, as well as harmonious with Brothers and non-Masons alike.
Based on those reminders of who and what we represent, I implore you all to engage in your Lodge! This is our Lodge! Based on creating a will to do something, this Lodge can, in fact, do what it wants to do. All it is lacking are the people to carry out its business. We all have different ideas about how we would like our Masonic experience to be, but, unless you are there and engaged, that vision is never brought to fruition.
There are important events coming up in the final half of the year. One of which is the conferral of the Master Mason Degree Ceremony in October. This cannot be done without practice! I repeat it cannot be done without practice! That does not mean those who do not have parts are not involved. Every- one’s engagement enhances the experience, it enhances Lodge harmony, and it breeds fellowship. The more prepared we are as a group demonstrates our Lodge’s ability to work together and produce quality events and ceremonies to newly raised brethren. Ceremonies that these Brothers will remember for the rest of their lives (when we make it special)!
Another important event is the Fall Fellow Craft Brunch scheduled for Saturday, September 23rd. As most of the readers of this are aware, those brunches determine a lot regarding which direction the lodge takes in the next year. If you are feeling disengaged because you don’t like the way things go in our lodge, or perhaps the lodge doesn’t interest you with our activities and meetings, this brunch be- comes your most effective tool for implementing positive changes moving forward. It allows us to have candid conversations about ways we can get our brethren excited about being a member of St. John’s Lodge No. 11 and also being a Freemason in general.
There is no better time than now to get our Lodge’s heart pumping again and get people excited. To do this we must all communicate, talk, debate, engage, plan, attend events, participate in rituals, visit other lodges, visualize positive changes and execute them!
I continue to look forward to growing with you all through Masonry.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
James S. Parkhurst
Worshipful Master
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