"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
- Andy Warhol
I've been making the rounds on the Internet lately and have been visiting the
web sites of the various Grand Lodges in North America. One of the things I
look for is the Grand Master's Message which a lot of people tend to overlook.
Basically, the message is used to state his objectives for the year, his theme
or motto, his charity, and his policies on certain issues, e.g., the One Day
class. Occasionally, a Grand Master uses this as an opportunity to inspire his
constituents into action. I've looked at a lot of GM Messages now and, frankly,
some are better than others. In particular, one that sticks out in my mind is
a message produced by M:.W:.Donald E. Mosier,
Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Iowa. Here
are some excerpts from his message:
"The task before us now is to adopt changes, appropriate changes, to allow us to remain a
relevant force in the 21st century. But we must do that without abandoning our core values,
without forgetting those basic principles that give us our character and which have supported
us for hundreds of years. Those principles include our identity as a fraternity dedicated
to the betterment of ourselves through education, and to the service of God through the
practice of morality and charity.
And keeping a positive attitude is the key to our success. The truth of that statement
was voiced by the several testimonies given at Grand. Lodges that had been nearly
dormant for ten or fifteen years, are now vibrant, active, and busy making new Masons.
What is the difference? The difference is attitude, a positive attitude that includes
a commitment to success, a commitment to the future, and a commitment to holding
activities that interest and retain current members and attract new members.
And that, brethren, is a positive attitude that will serve us well for the next 100 years.
Our theme for this year is 'Iowa Freemasonry--Engineer our Future'. We have important decisions to
make over the next five to ten years, decisions which will largely determine our future. The use
of a disciplined Masonic change management process, based on the processes that design engineers
use to create new products and that manufacturing engineers use to control production lines, will
help ensure that we make good decisions, and make appropriate changes. Appropriate change will
strengthen our fraternity while maintaining our identity—who we are, what we do, and what we
stand for. Please keep a strong positive attitude. Please contribute your assistance as we
collectively work to renew and invigorate the lodges of Iowa."
This was the only GM Message I could find where the leader of one of our Grand Jurisdictions
advocated the need to change with the times which I consider rather bold and on target.
I looked at his biographical sketch and discovered he is a fellow Baby Boomer. His
education is in electrical engineering and he "works with a group of engineers and technicians
who are developing color LCD flight displays for a variety of commercial and military aircraft
manufacturers, with application in aircraft ranging from the Boeing 747-400 to the F-15."
His job has afforded him the opportunity to travel and see quite a bit of the world.
Although I have never met or communicated with the Brother, his message and biographical
sketch leads me to believe he is a practical no-nonsense businessman who has perhaps a
broader vision of Freemasonry than his contemporaries. After reading his message,
I said to myself, "I could work with this man."
Some Grand Masters wallow in the past, but M:.W:.Mosier strikes me as one of the few
looking towards the future. Whereas there are those Grand Masters who tend to dodge the
hard problems facing the fraternity, our Brother from Iowa appears to be the exception
to the rule.
Keep the Faith.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not
necessarily represent the views or opinions of any Grand Masonic jurisdiction
or any other Masonic related body. As with all of my Masonic articles herein,
please feel free to reuse them in Masonic publications or re-post them on Masonic
web sites (except Florida). When doing so, please add the following:
Article reprinted with permission of the author and www.FreemasonInformation.com
Please forward me a copy of the publication when it is produced.
To receive notices of Tim's writings, subscribe to his Discussion Group.
You can also "tune in" to Bro. Tim's audio podcasts at the "Lodgeroom International" (UK):
http://podcast.lodgeroominternational.com/
Also be sure to check out Tim's "Pet Peeve of the Week" (non-Masonic related) at:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
Copyright © 2008 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
|
