As Mason we are taught that before entering into or upon any great or important undertaking to first invoke the blessing of Deity.
So mote it be.
If you recognize the title of this work as a ploy to get your attention you are correct. By the same token this is NOT an appeal for money, so don’t worry.
Let me rephrase that. This is not an appeal for money but perhaps you should worry a little. Welcome to the 21st Century. Robert M. Sirkle 954 is entering the millennium with all the grace of a giraffe stuck sideways in a well.
Let’s not pull any punches. Ninety percent of the work of the lodge is done by ten percent of the people. Common, everyone knows that. The ten percent of the lodge has come to depend upon are tired, very tired. Jim Love is going to retire as treasurer after this year. Rodney Glancy is stepping down as secretary at the end of the year. Craig Ray and Tom McKnight (lecturer, rituals, Past Masters) have passed away. There are a lot of folks who have died, retired, moved, suffering from failing health; folks who should be able to seek their lodge for help, rather than the other way around. Folks who could use a visit by a brother as they convalesce in the hospital or whittle away the time at home.
The enthusiasm of the new blood is crushed by the reality of all the work that needs to be done. Youthful passions must be subdued and guided by wisdom. The lodge lacks wisdom to guide the next generations. This is because you are not around.
Listen, your grandmother really is 954 years old.
One thing Masons tend to dislike is change, but there will be changes, there must be changes. Otherwise the lodge will fall into obscurity or like other lodges in rural communities who have surrendered to attrition or social pressures; become little more than a few men and a charter, or worse, simply a statistic.
Remember Sirkle Lodge? Remember our reputation? Remember our Pride?
This isn’t an appeal for money; it will take care of itself. This is an appeal for you to get yourself to lodge, raise your hand to investigate a new candidate. Do you really want a handful of brothers to decide the vote on bylaws and decide the ballot on new members? When exactly do you plan to fulfill that dream of yours to go through the chairs, complete your MM proficiency and honor your friends, brothers, fathers, grandfathers and those people who inspired you get into Freemasonry to begin with?
The spirit of fellowship and the bond between brothers is still very much alive. Show up and your will recognize your friends and enjoy kinship with new faces.
Your lodge is a reflection of your values. If you don’t value the fellowship, if you don’t practice your stewardship, the lodge will reflect that as well.
Kent McClanahan
Master 2008
Brothers, please bear with us as we update the web site for Robert M. Sirkle #954 F&AM.
The site will be undergoing some changes over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned!