Congratulations to the following lodges who raised Master Masons in March through June!
03 06 11
Charity Account Impact
How to Stay Light
While Lodges Go Dark
2022-2023
04 08 12
Alcona #292
Alpena-Hopper #199
Changing Lines, Changing Minds
A History of Our Grand Line of Michigan Michigan Masonic Home Earns Seal of Approval
In2022, we launched the Lodge Challenge to encourage lodge members to give a small monthly gift to their Lodge Charity Account to help make a transformational impact inside your lodge and out in your communities. In the end the competition was neck and neck, but Pontiac Lodge came out on top! Congratulations, Brethren for investing in a brighter future!
Ann ArborFraternity #262
Ashlar #91
Battle Creek #12
Benzie Area #270
Birmingham #44
Brighton #247
Cedar #60
Center Line #550
Centre #273
Charlevoix #282
Coloma #162
Composite #499
Crystal Falls-Iron
River #385
Elsie #238
Evergreen #9
Farmington #151
Ferndale #506
Fidelity #513
Garden City #587
Grand Blanc #571
Grand Ledge #179
Hastings #52
Hiram-Findlater #110
Howell #38
Ira A. Beck #503
James A. Cliff #424
James E. Dillon #466
Karnak #442
Linden #132
Livingston #76
Lou B. Winsor #363
Luther - Lakes #370
Manchester #148
Marion #392
Marysville Eleven #498
Mattawan #268
Milford #165
Millington #470
Montague-Whitehall #198
Montrose #428
Morning Star #556
Mulliken #412
Mystic #141
Northville #186
Northwood-Ancient Craft #551
Olive Branch #542
Ortonville #339
Pellston #440
Pere Marquette #299
Phoenix #13
Pontiac #21
Port Huron #58
Portage-Brady #340
Potterville #367
Royal Oak #464
Saginaw #77
Saline #133
Solomon's Key #580
Star of the Lake #158
Swartz Creek #458
Trelum #552
Utica-Macomb #64
Vandalia #290
Vassar #163
Verona-Huron #365
Vienna #205
West Branch #376
Lodge Challenge Winners! Masonic Oral History Project Lodge/Chapter Congratulations Pontiac Lodge #21With over 11,000 lakes and ponds, thousands of miles of coastline, and millions of acres of forest, summers spent fishing, hiking, and exploring Michigan comprises one of the most loved legacies of our state.
These memories made of casting a line off the docks of Lake Michigan, riding along the shore of Mackinaw Island, or paddling along the scenic Upper Peninsula run deep through our spirit. They're shared experiences of where we're from and who we are. Similarly, we each have shared experiences as a member of our Craft, as well as unique ones, too. These memories are your legacy, and we're asking you to share them with us.
We want your stories to be part of the Michigan Masonic Oral History Project. The Oral History Project publications are the first of their kind, and the stories we’re collecting will not only leave a legacy for you and your fellow members, but they will also live forever in the Library of Congress. This fall, you’ll be contacted via email by our project partner, PCI Publishing Concepts, to participate in this exciting project. Follow the instructions in the email to submit up to two photos and tell your story.
Every day, hundreds of untold stories from our Brothers are lost forever. The Oral History Project captures and preserves those stories before they are gone. The finished publication is something you and your family will enjoy for years to come, and it’s our hope you will contribute a story to make it complete. For more information on this project please visit the Michigan Masons home page at: www.michiganmasons.org
The Michigan Masonic Oral History Project is a living history for members both senior and new, and it won’t be the same without you. Thank you for your time and your consideration. We can’t wait to hear your story.
Fraternally,
Robert P. Conley Michigan Masons, SCEO
share your legacy. participate in the michigan masonic oral history project.
It's said nothing endures but change, and that's certainly true in Masonry. MWGM Larry Judson and WGM Craig Lehrke joined PGM Bob Conley in the latest edition of Trowel Time to discuss their Masonic journey and how it changed their lives for the better. If you haven't had an opportunity to view Trowel Time, you can check out all the episodes by searching YouTube for Michigan Masons Trowel Time. We think you'll find the show both entertaining and educational. Excerpts below have been edited for length and clarity.
Igrew up in Gaines, Michigan, and I went to school in Byron. I did my degree work at Michigan State University and got my bachelor's in education and master's in administration.
I got into Masonry in a unique way. While I was visiting a grocery store in Byron, I was having a Coke with one of the fathers of two kids that I taught in school. He looked at me and said, "Why are you not a Mason?" And I said, "Well, Don, I guess I never knew how to become a Mason, but I would like to be one." Those were the fateful words. As soon as I said I'd like to be one, he walked across the street and picked up a petition.
I’ve had many great years in the Craft, but unfortunately, in 1999, my first wife passed away of cancer. Then about three years later the good Lord brought Mary into my life. When I decided to join the Grand Line, I talked with Mary and I said, "We’re either going to do this together or I'm not going to do it." She said it was fine with her, and she's been like a fish in water.
I believe this is going to be a very positive year, and I've challenged the Craft to get out there to get some good men in. I want to be the first Grand Master in fifty years who shows a positive increase in the number of Masons in Michigan. One of the things that I want to do at the next Grand Lodge session is read off the names of every lodge that has shown growth in Masonry.
I'm seeing more degree work than I have seen since I was a master back in 2011, and in October we're going to have an All Degree Day again to support that. So, in the coming year, I'm going to ask each of you to dig deep in your heart and ask yourself, "What can I do for Masonry?"
Iwas born and raised in Grand Rapids and that’s where I went to school. I went to college at CMU, and graduated there with my bachelor’s degree which was all I needed to become an officer
in the Navy. In the Navy I went through flight school, became a pilot, and flew helicopters. Then after Desert Shield and Desert Storm, there was a huge draw down in manpower. I left active duty but stayed in the reserves and became a teacher and principal.
After 9/11, things got very busy and very tough. Being a school principal when you're gone every other year is challenging. So, I retired from education and stayed on active duty overseas until 2013. My last tour of duty was probably my favorite. It was a tour in Africa. And looking back, it was probably one of the most Masonic things you could do, because I was a representative from one of the richest countries in the world, and I was working hand in hand with members of the nations of some of the poorest in the world; and it didn't matter. We were on equal terms. Today, I have a charter business with my sailboat, which I do under the bridge out of St. Ignace, and this winter I got a phone call asking me to be a captain of a Soo Locks boat tour. So now I also take tourists through the Soo Locks.
I had dropped a petition at Verona Lodge in Bad Axe before I went to Africa, and immediately after signing the petition I was sent overseas. Two years later I came home, and the secretary of the lodge came up to me and asked, "You still want to be a Mason?" I was initiated a month and a half later. Instead of laying over thirty days, I was laid over close to 700. Still though, I went through the degrees and jumped right into junior deacon after I was raised.
I’m a fourth generation Mason. My father and my grandfathers were all Masons, and my dad visited Masons. I learned from his example of taking the time to visit people. Learning that commitment to helping your Brother and serving others was what stuck. That's what guided me into the military, and it brought me back to Masonry when I retired from the military. Serving in my lodge is what motivates me.
and charitable giving are deeply ingrained within the principles of Freemasonry and Order of the Eastern Star. The Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation, in partnership with our lodges and chapters, have a support structure that helps members make positive contributions to communities and to our membership in the form of our Lodge and Chapter Charity Accounts.
It is no secret that in order for the Fraternity and its appendent bodies to survive, we must evolve; we must remain relevant and marketable. In order to do that, we must be visible in our communities.
The challenges facing the world have become increasingly complex – no one organization can tackle them alone. For this reason, I would like to encourage lodges and chapters to start forming Impact Partnerships. There are over 53,000 nonprofits in the state of Michigan doing great work to feed the hungry, house the homeless, address mental health for veterans, and give voices to those who need advocates.
who you are, what you would like to accomplish, and then reach out to an established organization. You have the capacity to assist financially, the manpower to offer volunteers, and for many of you, a building space to lend. Want to take it a step further? Reach out to other lodges who share your passion and commitment and get them onboard with your Impact Partnership. You have great potential to make a lasting impact, and you don’t have to tackle it alone.
Last April, Pere Marquette #299, Oceana Wigton Benona #200, and Hesperia-Arcana #346 worked together to support Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters, or COVE, a non-profit organization based in Ludington that provides shelter, protection, and advocacy to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The pooled money from the three Lodge Charity Accounts tripled the impact one lodge could have done alone!
Center Line Lodge #550 used their LCA to help open T.R.A.I.L. Ranch, an organization that provides therapeutic horsemanship for those with developmental, emotional, and physical needs of all kinds.
Alma Chapter #43 used their CCA to support the Gratiot County Meals on Wheels program to assist with purchasing food for housebound seniors.
In the two years since the Lodge and Chapter Charity Accounts were launched, nearly one million dollars have been given for Brotherly relief, education, scholarships, and community charities. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, but we all know there is much more to be done. It’s moments like this, when we all come together, that prove our power to incite change. With every dollar you give, you are offering hope, healing, and quality of life. Please consider making a donation in the enclosed envelope or at www.michiganmasons.org/foundation.
It is said, “People can live days without water, a week without food, but they cannot live one moment without hope,” and that is exactly what your generosity does… it offers hope!
Lisbon-Crescent #229 used their LCA to support the annual “Sportsmen for Youth Day.” This event is completely free to youth to learn about outdoor sports, activities, wildlife, and safety.
Pere Marquette #299, Oceana Wigton Benona #200, and Hesperia-Arcana #346 used their LCA to support the non-profit, COVE, in Ludington.
Croswell Chapter #236 used their CCA to support two local seniors with scholarships.
Edmore Lodge #360 used their LCA to support Project Graduation, providing a safe and fun environment for graduating seniors to celebrate graduation night.
Director
Kelly Thompson, MMCF
Sometimes we forget that every member of a Masonic lodge is a member of the Grand Lodge of its jurisdiction, so when we say “The Grand Lodge of Michigan,” we are technically referring to every single Michigan Freemason who is a member within that grand jurisdiction. However, the more common understanding of what we mean when we say “Grand Lodge” usually refers to the jurisdiction’s leadership and administrative structure – those individuals and entities that work diligently throughout the year to make sure things are taken care of and run as smoothly as possible between the once-a-year meetings we call the Grand Lodge Annual Communication. Though there are many people who work behind the scenes to make this happen, the officers of a grand lodge are often the most visible, and perhaps the group most people are referring to when they think of the Grand Lodge. These officers are known as the Grand Line and serve in their designated positions with specific duties and responsibilities just like the officers of a local lodge, but at the jurisdictional level.
By Dirk Hughes Museum and Library Director
It can be argued that Freemasonry is like a leadership school, and that the officer chairs within a lodge are opportunities to practice the skills it teaches in a safe and supportive environment. And just like any school, the students of leadership need to study the material in a sequence of complexity, starting with the introduction and moving on to more advanced levels of understanding and capabilities. We often see this as lodge Brothers starting their experience as a lodge officer in a position, though important, that may hold less responsibility or ritual expertise to assist the lodge in its functions. Then they move on to a position of more responsibility and ritualistic proficiency. And so on, until they have acquired the needed skills and practice to run a lodge successfully as Worshipful Master. Once the Worshipful Master has served his term, he uses what he has learned to help the next Brother move up to the East and have his own opportunity to run the lodge. This is often called “running the line.” It is an intentional sequence of lodge management designed to improve leadership.
MWB Horace RobertsIf we accept that Masonic teachings are mechanisms for character-building, self-improvement, and honing our leadership skills, we can appreciate how developing these at the local level translates to the continuation and application of them at the jurisdictional level as a member of the Grand Line. Though Grand Lodge officers have had plenty of practice and evidence of success before being elected to the Grand Line, there is still the tradition of “running the line” for those grand chairs as well, not necessarily to ensure they have the capable skills of jurisdictional leadership, but perhaps more importantly, to promote new ideas and to create a more cohesive fraternal momentum and organizational confidence.
But “running the line” hasn’t always been the practice of local lodges nor the Grand Lodge. Nor is it the practice of every modern lodge that might be restricted by the limitations of its active membership. Regardless of the practice, fraternal dynamics and community impact are heavily influenced by leadership. Though every member has the right to voice his opinions and ideas, it is the leadership that
is charged with considering those opinions and ideas to make the best decisions possible for the Craft. This is true at the local lodge level and the Grand Lodge level.
Early in our Grand Lodge history, we see a number of men serving multiple terms as Grand Master or being elected as Grand Master after an absence from the Grand Line. In fact, during the first fifty years of the Grand Lodge of Michigan in the 1800s, almost half of our Grand Masters served multiple terms in the Grand East with MWB John Mullet (1843, 1844, 1845), MWB Henry T Backus (1851, 1852, 1853), and MWB Salathiel Coffinbury (1866, 1867, 1868) each serving three consecutive terms as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan.
MWB Horace Roberts is an interesting example as well. Establishing his leadership skills early in his life during the 1847 Mexican War at the age of nineteen, he was raised a Master Mason at Lansing #33 in 1849 while serving as a private secretary to Michigan’s Governor before moving to Detroit and transferring
his membership to Union of S.O. #3 in 1852. There he took the reins of that lodge by serving six consecutive terms as Worshipful Master, during which time he also served in the Grand Line as Senior Grand Deacon in 1854, Senior Grand Warden in 1855, and Deputy Grand Master in 1856. He would spend five years away from the Grand Line before returning to serve as Michigan’s youngest Grand Master in 1861 at the age of 33. Unfortunately, he had to spend the later part of his Grand Master term serving in the military and leading Union troops during the Civil War until he was killed at the Second Battle of Bull Run in 1862.
MWB Abraham T. Metcalf would be the last of our Grand Masters to serve more than one term when he held that position in 1869 and 1870. The leadership of Grand Lodge has basically been “running the line” ever since, entering the line at an introductory position and progressing onward each term until they take on that pinnacle role of Grand Master for a single term.
There may be a number of different reasons we see these trends of our leadership transform from the 1800s to today. Technological advancement and availability of Masonic resources may have something to do with it, as well as fraternal growth, need, and expectations. When the Grand Lodge of Michigan was formed in 1826 there were four lodges. By 1871, less than fifty years later and the year Grand Master Metcalf finished his second term, there were almost three hundred lodges in the jurisdiction. Remember, this incredible growth was occurring at a time long before automobiles or common access to railways, so communication and travel were highly restricted. Not only was our Masonic leadership
more stationary, but as expected, the process of that leadership was at a much slower pace.
Today, the Grand Master and his officers spend an astounding amount of time and energy visiting lodges, participating in events, and coordinating decision-making for the benefit of the jurisdiction. This would have been impossible for our leadership of the 1800s before modern technology and development would allow it happening. And unlike our leaders of the past who had the luxury of taking a breather in between postal delivery of paper correspondences, our modern Grand Line is accessible 24/7 via text and email. Frankly, our world has gotten much busier. The reason we saw brothers serving multiple terms as Grand Master or floating in and out of the Grand Line in the past is because even though the positions were as important, there is no way they could have been as busy as the Grand Line positions in these modern times.
Fundamentally, the Grand Line’s responsibility is the same as it has always been – to lead the Craft in its jurisdiction. However, in a practical sense, the modern Grand Line must lead while also contending with accelerated rates of change, communication, and problems that their Masonic forbearers would have never encountered.
So, make sure you thank them for that next time you see them.
Afterthe doldrums of winter and the sometimes-chaotic pace of spring, just hearing the words "summer" and "vacation" is tantalizing to the ear. Something about summer helps us all slow down to soak in the sunshine and enjoy the richness of time away from it all. But for some, this time of the year can become known as the "summer slump." Studies have started to show that people, especially older adults, are more likely to feel lonelier in the summer than during the Christmas holidays. There are a few simple reasons for this shift.
Lodges may go dark, and the regularly scheduled meetings, activities, and events come to a temporary halt. These can provide members with something to look forward to and provide structure in their week with ready companionship, especially for those with few people in their lives. Family and friends may take advantage of school being out during the limited summer months and go on vacations, leaving behind older family and friends. And as in the winter, the heat or the summer may impede ability of some to get outside. The challenge is that isolation and loneliness are linked to unhealthy physical and mental health, as well as early mortality.
Our goal within Outreach and Member Care is to help assure that our membership, including
older Brethren and affiliated members, live their lives safely, with meaning and dignity. Partnering with our lodges to assist our members is a simple thing that makes such big differences for our membership! Maintaining contact through outreach efforts leads to not only maintaining, but strengthening that member's connection to the lodge and the Fraternity. It ensures that our members, especially those who are more likely to be isolated, are aware of the resources that are available to them through the Fraternity. It also makes it easier to recognize those who may need our help.
Taking the time to reach out, especially in the summer, can provide us with rewarding and meaningful opportunities to strengthen our connections with our Masonic family, especially the newer, older, or distressed members and widows. You will be more likely to learn when someone is struggling and respond with support.
Contact our professionally trained staff in the Outreach and Member Care department today to learn how we can partner together this summer to make sure all our members are cared for and supported. For all your Member Care needs and Michigan Masonic Home information, call us at (800) 321-9357.
1200 Wright Ave
Alma, MI 48801
michiganmasons.org
