The Future is NOW – Time for

By Jennifer Martin

Oh, what fun we had at Grand Lodge Annual Communication 2022!!!! It was so nice to see and meet everyone in person. IMOS and the other Grand Lodge charities were able to give presentations during the breakout sessions. Thank you for all who attended. I hope we were able to answer all your questions. Please spread the word that we are here.

Congratulations to Brother Wayne Spooner for being awarded Mason of the Year 2022, Brother Paul McCormick for being awarded First Responder of the Year 2022, and Brother Leonard Huff Patriot of the Year 2022! Thank you for everything you all do.

I wanted to send a reminder to all Lodges to reach out to those members and widows you may have not heard from in a long time. Especially now that it is going into the end of the year with the chilly weather and holidays coming! I hear great feedback from the widows that receive visits and phone calls from their late husband’s Lodge members. They are grateful, and it means the world to them. That is truly taking care of your Masonic Brethren and families even when they have passed.

Speaking of Widows, I wrote in a previous article about Brother Paul McCormick (member of the Widow’s Sons) and his efforts to aid when there are natural disasters. Brother Paul brought his Response Team vehicle to Grand Lodge Annual Communication. As a reminder, Brother Paul was at the site where the tornadoes hit in Mayfield KY. He will be sharing with IMOS any future relief efforts so we can keep you updated.

If anyone else would like to assist Brother Paul, they can contact me, and I will get you all in touch with each other. In the photo shown to the left is Brother Paul on the left, me in the middle and Brother Joe Norman (President of the Widow’s Sons Cornerstones Chapter) on the right. Brother Paul spends hundreds of his own dollars to stock the vehicle with food and supplies for first responders and they can get into the vehicle to get warm and go back out in wintry weather. Brother Paul provides hot tea, coffee, and hot chocolates as well as hot food and water, to name a few.

I feel blessed that I get to be part of the Illinois Freemasonry and everything you all do for each other and your community as well! Feel free to reach out to me anytime if you have questions or have more stories and photos I can share with others.

Jennifer Martin, Director, Illinois Masonic Outreach Services

Phone: 217.529.8900 ext. 212/Fax: 217.883.4630 outreach@ilmason.org