Happy New Year to all.
Generally speaking the dawn of a new year brings hope of better things to come. And so it is with Masonry in general and our lodge in particular. We have two new applicants awaiting initiation and one faithful Entered Apprentice. Thus, we have the hope (dare I say, promise) of increasing our membership.
The thing that I have noted, both with our own applicants, as well as those of other lodges, is their relative youthfulness. Masonry, once again, seems to be attracting younger men. This to me indicates that there is a renewed interest in our craft and that the decline in our numbers may soon be reversed.
That being said, it is incumbent upon every one of us to nurture these young men. Not only in teaching them our ritual and traditions, but by actively listening to what they are saying and paying close attention to any ideas that they might put forward. It is vitally important that we make new members an active part of our lodges. We must avoid the attitude of “I’ve been a Mason for many years and you can’t teach me anything”, this type of attitude is guaranteed to alienate new people.
Let us keep the hope of this New Year alive by welcoming our new members, including them in our activities and actively helping them to become better men as Masons.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Paul Gibbon