I attended the Grand Masters Area Meeting (GMAM) at Home Lodge #370 in Pleasant Hill, Iowa last night. The GMAMs are held by the Grand Master to communicate with local lodges as well as give Freemasons from around Iowa the opportunity to learn more about the Grand Master’s program. This year, Most Worshipful Bryce Hildreth has established “The Ties That Bind” as his theme.
The GMAM at Home Lodge was well attended and the program lasted approximately 90 minutes. Lodge Service Committee member Greg Spooner opened the evening and welcomed all to Home Lodge. Kurt Hoffman told the audience about the Grand Lodge’s new program to reach out to those interested in learning more about Freemasonry through a website: Iowa Freemasonry. The site is aimed at those who are not Freemasons and features video as well as crisp, clean graphics related to the Craft. If you haven’t yet seen the page, check it out here. Grand Lodge encourages local lodges to use the site as an introduction for any local men who may be interested in learning more about Freemasonry.
The Grand Master then made a brief presentation on his program and answered questions from the audience in an informal atmosphere. He emphasized that Grand Lodge is here to serve the local lodges; without strong local lodges, Grand Lodge will not be strong. Specific issues discussed included past proposals to end the remission of dues for 50-year Masons, the importance of ritual as a way of teaching good men how to become better men, and one-day classes.
The evening concluded with refreshments served by Home Lodge members. I took several (bad and blurry) pictures below.
No comments:
Post a Comment