Grand Master’s Inaugural Address

Are we having fun yet? Soon, some of you may be looking for someone to blame for the inevitable disaster of the coming year. I will point the finger squarely at Kenn Culbertson. If he had not appointed me Senior Grand Deacon back in the dark ages, I would never have thought to run for a Grand Lodge office. For various reason, which I know some of you share, I didn’t think much of Grand Lodge. That began to change as I traveled around Southern Alberta with MW Bro Kenn. RW Bro Douglas Bain continued my education as I learned the joy of visitation as his Secretary of Phoenix District. In the last few years since we managed to survive a pandemic, and we’ve witnessed a solid progression of Grand Masters starting with MW Bro Terry Murray (GM when I first got elected to the Grand Lodge) and his message of Harmony through Grace. MW Bro Chris Uchman urged us to Strengthen the Foundations of Masonry in order to get us ready for Kyle’s campaign to recruit new members by reminding us that “It’s Hip to be Square”. Will encourages us to Honor the Past and Forge Ahead and it is my intention to forge ahead by asking a blunt question – “Are we having fun, yet?”

Did anyone take note of the Membership Committee’s Report yesterday? We had over four hundred inquiries through the Grand Lodge website. This does not include the seekers who approached Lodges directly, or the friends and coworkers who asked Brethren about this weird club we call Freemasonry.

Freemasonry does not have a problem with recruitment, but we have a huge problem with retention. 

For over thirty years, I have listened to Brethren debate the causes of members losing interest in the Lodge and hardly anyone has been willing to admit that it is our own fault. All too often, our meetings are boring. RW Bro Johnson told me last week about driving for three and a half hours to go to a meeting that had no education, no entertainment, no festive board and not even a bar. Then he drove three and a half hour home and swore that he would never visit that Lodge again. All the while, the Brethren make excuses – “the young guys are just too busy these days”, “work keeps them too busy”, or “those gen exers just don’t participate like our generation”. Balderdash!!!

Take a look at Appendix A in the DGM’s Implementation Report. The current DGM of the Grand Lodge of BC & Yukon did an extensive dig into how young men spend their time and he found that, on average, men between the ages of twenty and fifty have two hundred and forty one hours of discretionary time per month. Don’t try to tell me he doesn’t have time for Freemasonry. He’d just rather be spending his time doing something fun. If our meetings are not more entertaining that Netflicks or computer games, new Brothers will have an easy

time deciding not to show up. I have observed that a Brother can come up with all kinds of excuses to not attend a meeting that he doesn’t want to attend. The reverse is true as well: a Brother will always find a reason to attend a meeting that is fun, educational, stimulating, transformational, interesting, valuable and most important, entertaining. My friends, it’s time to make our meetings FESTIVE – (Fun, Educational, Stimulating, Transformational, Interesting, Valuable, Entertaining).

What makes a meeting Festive:

F. Fun, are we laughing, or learning, growing? That sounds like fun to me.

E. Educational – any topic that makes our lives better is Masonic education.

S. Stimulating – does the topic touch my emotions or make me want to do something about it?

T. Transformative – are we helping good men become better men?

I. Interesting – speaks for itself.

V. Valuable – does our meeting help to increase my financial well being, or improve my health, or make me a better cook, or show me how to get along with my wife?

E. Entertaining- we will thank you for almost anything you offer, as long as you don’t bore us to death.

In order to make this happen, we will be offering an article in each issue of the Alberta Freemason with at least 4 monthly suggestions for Lodge activities that any Lodge can choose to do, without spending money and not requiring any particular expertise – we already have nearly enough activities for a full year and we will solicit others from the Brethren.

I’m not going to just regurgitate my Implementation Report. It’s pretty simple, with a short list of objectives for the year. Fix the website, start an education program, and make the meetings more fun.

Brethren, Masonry is more important now than in any time in my lifetime. Our society has been fractured by politicians, media talking heads and occasionally even religious leaders who keep driving us into silos of likeminded people. If we disagree with someone, they are not just wrong, they are evil. It’s one of Masonry’s claims that we can meet on the level and we don’t have to agree on issues in order to be Brothers. We will not be able to fulfill our mission if we keep driving candidates away with our boring meetings. So let’s get Festive.

In closing, Brethren, we are on the verge of making great progress for the Grand Lodge of Alberta. I hope we have the energy and enthusiasm to continue Will’s challenge to “Forge ahead” and make Freemasonry Festive.

 Ask yourself, “Are we having fun yet?”.
If the answer is not a resounding “Yes!” what are you going to do about it?