Page 7 - 2018 Spring

Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on your character? That “...good man better.” busi-
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune ness is all aimed at a man’s or Mason’s character.
Masonic Tribune
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Vol Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3e - Page 7 All the rest, the dedication, tolerance, brotherly
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love, faith, hope and charity is just the exercise of
The 3 Legged Stool. these traits of character. Can your character with-
stand self-examination?
You Fathers and Grandfathers understood the
ore and more I hear of the problems and balance of the three legs. Now it’s your turn. This
issues facing Lodges and it seems that is not the responsibility of the Master or Officers or
Mthe first solution is to merge or consolidate anyone else. It is YOURS.
with some other Lodge, which more than likely, is
in as much trouble as the first Lodge. We have not MWB Sam Roberts
spent 300 years running away from our problems. PGM, Grand Secretary
This avoiding the issue seems to be a relatively
recent phenomenon. And it is not restricted to just
Masons.
There are 3 areas that make a Lodge success-
ful… or not. Like a 3 legged stool, they must be Legislative Update: Progress in the
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
equally strong and equivalent to each other in or- 2018 Legislative session
Sam Roberts Finance, Lodge Members and ‘FreeMasonry’. BLegislature will likely be drawing to a close,
der to support the seat (Lodge). They are Lodge
rethren, by the time you read this article,
Those Lodges that are failing will lay the blame
the 2018 Session of our Washington State
on one or all of these ‘legs’. In the simplest terms,
let’s look into each of the Legs.
but not without our notable involvement. Being an
even-numbered year, this session is only 60 days
First, Lodge FINANCE.
long, and the regular session will end in the first
The problem is that the Lodge does not have week of March. This means that deadlines come
Grand SECRETARY
enough money to sustain themselves. The solu- quickly, and those who wish to address bills must
tion is income must equal or exceed expenses. If act quickly.
the Lodge is dipping into savings or investments
(if they have any) and still coming up in the red at And our committee has done exactly that. We
the end of the year, they are on a downhill slide found two bills that will benefit our Veterans if
that can only end with closed doors. If the Lodge passed. HB 2522 would lower the requirements
is closely managing their expenses, then the for a disabled veteran to be eligible for a Disabled
answer is “more money”. The Brethren will talk Veteran license plate from 100% to 75%, and HB
about fund-raisers, but in reality, these typically 2773 would establish a veteran’s service officer
are short term and minimally effective. Three an- in all counties of our state, lowering the traveling
swers: raise dues, assess the members or accept burden of our veterans. As of this writing, both bills
increased risk for a better return on your invest- are making progress in their houses of origin.
ments. Uncomfortable ideas? Your Fathers and This year, we again came to our State Capitol, for
Grandfathers didn’t think so. To them Masonry our second annual FreeMason’s “Day on the Hill.”
was worth it. This event occurred on January 29th, and lasted
Second, Lodge MEMBERS. all day. We visited the Legislators from our respec-
tive Legislative Districts, and were again well re-
The problem is the number of members, the num- ceived. For the Legislators in my own District, the
ber of ACTIVE members and the number of NEW 20th, our visits are now to the point where we are
members (Candidates or Plural). Whatever your not only presenting our Legislators with informa-
current membership situation is, if you are not tion and updates, but also receiving updates and
bringing in new members at a rate that exceeds suggestions from them. We can now take these
your loss by a substantial amount, you will slowly suggestions to our respective Lodges and use
expire and close your doors. If the current mem- them to our benefit. In addition to the visits, we
bership is not active in Lodge offices and activ- also took a photo-op with Senator Maureen Walsh
ities, you have nothing to offer or induce a new and Representative Dave Hayes, who sponsored
man but to join you in your demise. Ask yourself, SB 5346 and HB 1194 respectively, both of which
“If you had to do it all over again, would you join were drafted to establish the Gina Grant Bull Me-
this Lodge? Is your Lodge worth joining?” morial Legislative Page scholarship program, to
Third, FreeMasonry. Ritual is the vehicle that we which we are now contributing $1,000 per year.
use to teach lessons in character. Ritual without Members of the Washington Masonic Charities
intent is just words. Poor ritual is valueless for were also present, as they are also donating
the Brethren and the Candidate. Our actions are $1,000 per year to this program. The following
a mere reflection of our character. If you are ob-
stinate or quarrelsome, what does that say about (Continued in page 10) Table of Contents
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