Page 8 - 2018 Summer

show up to a meeting that lasts until mid-
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r i bune night. They desire knowledge and friend-
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ships that goes beyond the walls of the
Lodge. We ask ourselves why younger
The Challenges as Grand Secretary men don’t stay in our Fraternity and I be-
lieve the answer is simple. We don’t pro-
vide them what we promised them when
have been asked why I filed my statement we made them Masons. It is critical that we
I of availability for the position of Grand take steps to remedy that situation.
Secretary. First, this is the greatest orga-
nization in the world. We have changed The second area that must be addressed
the course of history. I am proud to be a is finances. This is true of Grand Lodge as
part of this wonderful group of Brothers. I well as the constituent Lodges. Many of our
believe the future of Freemasonry is bright. Lodges are in financial trouble. We must
That does not mean we don’t have serious look for new ways to fund our Fraternity.
challenges ahead. What we do as a Fra- We have to think outside the box and look
ternity in the next 10 years will define who for ways to increase revenue. We must
and what we are for the next 100 years. I also look for ways to save money. In the
want to be a part of shaping that future and present climate, every penny counts. We
believe I have the knowledge and skills to must work for creative ways to cut budgets
assist. while continuing to provide the support and
growth of both our Fraternity and our char-
First, what are my qualifica- ities.
tions? I have been a licensed
attorney since 1995 and was Finally, we must develop our leaders. Ma-
a trial lawyer in Texas. I tried sonry is designed to find good men and
many cases and handled com- make them better; to teach them how to
plex litigation. Additionally, I be leaders within the Fraternity. They need
have been a Lodge Secretary, skills to assist them in successfully govern-
District Deputy, Special Deputy ing their Lodge. The Lodge Leadership
and have served on numerous Retreat Committee and Research and Ed-
Grand Lodge committees including the ucation Committee are doing a tremendous
Washington Masonic Grand Lodge Build- job. But I believe that we can do more to
ing Association. I also serve as Assistant give our Lodge officers the leadership tools
Grand Secretary and worked as Grand that they need to succeed.
Secretary pro tem while the current Grand Let me conclude by saying that the office of
Secretary was out of the office last fall. I be- Grand Secretary should serve the will and
lieve I am uniquely qualified to serve as the pleasure of the Grand Master. The Grand
Grand Secretary. Secretary also should oversee the admin-
Some of the issues that we face are declin- istration of the Grand Lodge office. But I
ing membership, financial issues and lead- believe that the office of Grand Secretary
ership development. I believe that Grand should serve more than just an administra-
Lodge and the constituent Lodges must be tive function. The Grand Secretary should
partners in developing a plan to address all work with the Grand Master to support the
three issues. There is no magic bullet or Fraternity, assist in implementing solutions
easy solution. It will require each of us to roll to the problems we face and communicat-
up our sleeves and dedicate ourselves to ing with and assisting our Lodges. The
working together to solve these problems. problems that we face are not unique to
our Jurisdiction. How we address these
First and foremost, I believe the most im- issues is critical to our future success. Ma-
portant issue facing Masonry is member- sonry not withstanding WILL survive. But
ship. It does not appear we have a problem our future success depends on our present
obtaining members, our biggest problem action. Time is of the essence. I believe I
lies in retaining members. I believe the bring unique qualifications to the table that
Grand Lodge must partner with the Lodges can assist the Fraternity in navigating our
to develop programs to assist them in re- future course.
taining members. We must provide mem-
bers with a reason to continue to come to Fraternally,
Lodge. Brothers don’t want to show up to Clint Brown
Lodge just to pay the bills and go home or Assistant Grand Secretary
8 Table of Contents