First of all, I would like to
thank all of you who attended the installation of officers. Not only did you make it a special night for
me as well as the other officers but we were able to do a lot of good for the
Maryland Food Bank as well. In addition
to the canned goods we collected, we also collected donations as well as the
money from the raffle and we were able to donate an additional $225. All of this will certainly go a long way to
help many families that are so desperately in need.
The message I bring to you
this month is one of brotherly love and fellowship. As I said at the installation, fellowship is
one of the cornerstones of masonry. Our
lodge is blessed with the good fortune of having many new petitions come to us
on a regular basis. However, this is a double edged
sword for us. On one hand, our lodge
continues to grow and we continue to make good men better, which is what
masonry is all about. On the other hand,
we devote a lot of time at meetings each month to ritual work, which can make
some of our meetings a little lengthy.
Please do not misunderstand me brethren, receiving new candidates into
our lodge and teaching them about the values we hold dear is wonderful! I love doing the degree work and I believe it
is valuable for all of us to hear it again to remind us of those important
principles. The fact of the matter is
that when our meetings go late into the evening, many of our brothers have to
leave early or right at the conclusion of the meetings, which leaves little
time for fellowship. This is a large
concern of mine and it is why I am scheduling events such as the Master’s
Brunch, in order to get us together at times when we can just enjoy fellowship with
each other.
I hope that all of you will
consider attending more of these events in the future. Getting to know all of your brothers on a
more personal level can be both valuable and worthwhile to our lives. I would say to all of you, do what you can to
contact your brothers outside of lodge meetings. Meet each other for coffee, attend the lodge
events, and spend time in fellowship with each other. We learn something new from each and every
one of them and them from us. We have a
diverse group of men each with a different story. Take the time to get to know your brothers
on a more personal level whether through lodge events, or your own time, this
can do wonders to enrich your lives.
Sincerely and Fraternally
Stephen G. Hall
Worshipful Master