Greetings from the Grand Secretary

The Grand Lodge Messenger

February / March 2019

From the Desk of the Grand Secretary, Clinton M. Brown, Jr. 

I hope everyone is warm and safe and survived the snow here in Western Washington.  I told my wife when she convinced me to move to Washington that I was not going to move anywhere that I had to shovel snow.  Guess what I was doing all weekend.  I just remind myself that it could always be worse.

During the recent storms, I have received numerous calls from Lodges asking about the procedure for cancellation of a stated meeting.  The Washington Masonic Code Sec. 13.14 B.L. states: (t)he Worshipful Master of a Lodge may cancel a Lodge Stated Communication when inclement weather is hazardous to the safety of the Brethren.  The bottom line is the decision to cancel Lodge is at the discretion of the Worshipful Master.  You do not have to get permission from the Grand Master.  I do encourage you to make every reasonable effort to notify the Brethren in your Lodge so that they do not drive to the Lodge only to find it closed.

We are working to reschedule the Secretary, Treasurer and Temple Board Governance Training that was scheduled for Sunday February 10, 2019.  I am looking at dates in late March or early April and will let everyone know the date once we have been able to schedule it.  We are still scheduled to conduct the training on Saturday February 23, 2019 at the Tacoma Scottish Rite.  Please register on the Grand Lodge website if you would like to attend.

If you have not registered for the Lodge Leadership Retreat, please do so as soon as possible.  The retreat will be held in Pasco, WA from March 15^th through March 17^th. You can register on the Grand Lodge Website and click on the News and Events tab at the top and you will see a link to the 2019 Lodge Leadership Retreat.  The deadline for registration is Monday February 25^th, 2019.  Online registration will remain open until March 4th based on space availability. A $50.00 late registration fee will apply .  There will be lots of great classes and information at the retreat.  I hope to see you all there.

The Grand Lodge of Washington’s 162^nd Annual Communication will be held in Bremerton, WA on Friday June 14^th through Saturday June 15^th.  The registration packet along with the Resolutions and Statements of Availability will be sent out by April 1, 2019.  We have two hotels which have special room rates for Brothers attending Grand Lodge.  The Hampton Inn and Suites in Bremerton is close to being full.  However, there are plenty of rooms available at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Bremerton.  Both hotels are within a block of the Kitsap Convention Center where the Annual Communication will be held.  You do not need to wait for the registration packet to be sent out in April to make your hotel reservations.

Fraternally,
Clint Brown
Grand Secretary

As I type this article, we have roughly 6” of snow on the ground. While the main roads are clear, most of the side roads are not, so many of us are playing it safe and staying home. Many Lodge events have been postponed until the weather improves.
 

            While this provides me an opportunity to create this article, it also is a good opportunity to think about Lodge members who can't attend the stated meetings for other reasons. Perhaps they can't drive at night. Maybe they work swing shift or another shift that prevents them from being able to attend. And, of course, we have our Brothers who live in other cities, and other states. Many of them joined our Lodges years ago,when they lived in the area, but circumstances caused them to move to other areas in our state or country. It has been said that for any Lodge's membership, that roughly 10% are active in the Lodge's affairs, and this is one of the primary reasons.
 

            Many Lodges send out Trestleboards from time to time to keep all of their membership in the loop as to the Lodge's activities, and many also utilize phone trees to keep in touch with Brethren from out of state or are homebound. These are great ways to communicate with our Brethren, but modern technology provides us with yet another way to keep in touch.
 

            Our Grand Lodge uses Zoom teleconferencing for committee meetings on a regular basis, which allows members from across the state to share information with each other and to plan for future events. The cool thing about Zoom is while you can use Zoom on a laptop with a webcam, you can also use a smartphone, or even a landline! This allows anyone with access to a telephone the ability to join in. If your Lodge uses Zoom, your principal officers can visit with members of your Lodge in a similar manner. There are several ways you can do this, depending on the size of your Lodge and other things.
 

            When using teleconferencing, the Lodge's principal officers are holding a meeting with members who may have never met each other in person. Kick back, get to know each other, let the members know what's going on, and all can provide some input. You might have to do this a little at a time if your lodge has a large membership, but over time, you can increase your Lodge's percentage of active membership. There are many Brothers who can't attend the stated meetings, but might be available to deliver bikes to schools for your Bikes 4 Books program, organize fund-raisers or dinners, or visit Brothers who are unable to travel. When you communicate via teleconferencing, you can adjust  your  teleconference meeting schedules to best accommodate the new committees your Worshipful Master forms, and have more feedback from your membership. While many Brothers prefer shorter stated meetings, a longer stated meeting due to lots of business is worth it when your Lodge is making a difference in the community, and keeping in touch with each other. Also, with a higher active membership, and a better impact in our community, you have a good chance of increasing your membership!
 

            While our Grand Lodge has been using Zoom, there are other teleconferencing applications out there as well, so it'll be up to your Lodge to determine what's best for you. If your Lodge already does this, good for you! If not, you'll find that teleconferencing will do nothing but benefit your Lodge. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did!