We held our Masters & Wardens Association meeting last night in downtown St. Petersburg, which is a bit of a drive for me as I live in the northern part of the county (about a 45-60 minute drive depending on traffic). Nonetheless, I happily made the trek as I am a big proponent of the Association which represents all of the Masonic Craft Lodges in our area.
I got involved in the Association early in my Masonic career, shortly after I was raised. The DDGM at the time was a Past Master of my Lodge and he encouraged me to come to a meeting with him where I was quickly recruited to design the Association's web page. I attended Association meetings regularly even as I moved through the chairs of my Lodge. I found this to be a great way of meeting new Brothers and contemporaries in other Lodges.
In 2005 I was elected President of the Association and I like to believe I had a good year. We made money for various charities, and had a lot of fun in the process. This year I am serving as the Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, but I am better known as the sponsor of the annual Trap Shoot Competition which I started years ago. This is our ninth year of holding the Trap Shoot and we have generated quite a bit of money for the scholarship fund as a result. Frankly, it's a no-brainer; the gun club sets it all up, collects the money, runs it, and gives us the money at the end. This sure beats sweating over a pancake breakfast or spaghetti dinner where you make just a couple of bucks. Here, we make money while having fun in the process.
I tend to believe the more dedicated Masons belong to such Associations as they are trying to better themselves and their Lodges. Others refuse to participate. I'm not sure why. I can only speculate they have a rather myopic view of Freemasonry whereby they cannot imagine it beyond the four walls of their own Lodge. Sad, very sad. I tend to see Freemasonry as a universal concept, something that transcends Lodge and Jurisdictional boundaries. I always learn a new trick or two by visiting another Lodge, and I hope visitors do likewise at ours. When I was in college, I learned that "We enjoy life through the help and society of others." And that's what groups like the Masters & Wardens Association are all about.
Until next time.
All the Best,
Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MMBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Dunedin Lodge No. 192 F.& A.M.
http:/www.dunedin192.org/
Dunedin, FL, USA
"For the Good of the Order"
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