Chaplain’s Message – September 2019

The much-welcomed warm days of summer are now dwindling to a precious few and God’s beautiful artistry of multi-colored autumn leaves will soon to be upon us. So now is the time to turn our thoughts toward bringing our Lodges from refreshment to labor again. The time for taking stock of where we are as individual Masons and as Lodges; for making plans to add value and excitement in our Lodges and Districts; and to set a course that will make Freemasonry a more important navigator of our personal lives, while putting wind to the sails of our Craft so that it might ply the waters leading to Masonic Excellence.

As Officers and members of our Craft, you are charged with turning vision into reality, with inspiring Brethren and your lodge toward greatness, and with spreading light and understanding through your activities and communications.

Our product – the Masonic Brotherhood – is outstanding. It adds value to our lives and serves with compassion those associated with the fraternity. Oregon Freemasonry also makes a dramatic contribution to our fellowmen, especially our state’s school children, through our Bikes for Books and other grant programs, and our support of the Oregon summer literacy program and our Masonic youth.

We know that Oregon Freemasonry enriches lives, although a lot of people don’t know we exist. But they will! Finally, we are able to purchase quality commercials, so the community knows who we are, and some of what we do. All our children-based programs are getting us noticed in schools, by parents and community leaders, and by future Masons. We are making an increasingly beneficial impact on kids, just like our Shrine-Masonic Brethren do with their hospitals and burn centers.

Yet we need to share our story with men who we feel would make good Masons. Masonry is not for everyone! We, like the Marines, are “looking for a few good men” who share our values and will live by our tenets. Before the year ends, I would like to see Washington Lodge #46 hold a Fellowship Night at the Lodge, inviting the other lodges in the District. On this night, we could also open our doors to the community so they could get a glimpse of who we are and what we are about, and both the visitors and our members could see if they have similar ideals. We could have our pamphlets on a table, and we all could make ourselves available to answer questions. Can we afford it? The answer is we can’t afford not to.

WB Ken Hall,
Chaplain – Washington Lodge #46