Master’s Message for December

Brethren and friends,

 This will be my final Master’s Message to all of you. This Masonic Year is

drawing to a close, and very soon you will have a new Worshipful Master and

corps of Officers leading the Lodge. At the request of the Worshipful Master

Elect, I will once again return to the role of Counselor. I love working with

candidates and members progressing through the Degrees of the Craft, so I’m

looking forward to serving the Lodge in this capacity.

 Like any worthwhile endeavor, this year had a variety of ups & downs,

successes & challenges.

First the positive:

 The Officers and Committee members planned an extremely active

calendar of events this year. We had opportunities to get involved each and

every month in a variety of ways.

 The big event of the year was the Centennial Celebration. This was, by

far, the biggest event I’ve seen McKinley Lodge put together since I’ve

been a member of the Craft. A lot of time & effort went into the planning

& execution of this event and my sincere thanks go out to all of you who

contributed to making it a success!

 We have some really great men that make up the Lodge today. If you

haven’t been to Lodge in a while, please come to a Stated Meeting and meet

them! If you need a ride, we’ll make arrangements to get you here and back

home again.

 McKinley Lodge got out and visited other Lodges more than I’ve ever seen

before. Monthly trips to spread the cement of brotherly love & affection

afforded opportunities for a change of scenery, to meet new Brethren, to see

how other Lodges do things.

 I was also delighted to see the start of a trend for visitations of sick &

shut-in Brethren take place this year. If you would like a visit from your Lodge

Brothers, please let us know!

 The Trustees put together a new Rental Program which includes contracts,

terms and pricing for non-masonic renters, masonic organization members,

and masonic organizations. We owe the Trustees a big “Thank You!” for all

of the hard work that went into this. Rentals represent a big opportunity for

revenue, enabling us to keep the McKinley Masonic Center operating.

 Our monthly Temple Topics expanded to include messages from more than

just the Worshipful Master, which I thought was really great. I’d like to thank

those Brethren who contributed articles each month - it really did make the

Temple Topics a better publication.

And some of the challenges:

 We likely bit off more than we could chew, but that’s something we can all

learn from and apply going forward.

 We did not have many petitions come in this year, so our degree work was

a bit light. It looks as though things are picking up again here at the end of

the year, so that’s good news.

 We saw a decline in participation levels for long-time members and Past

Masters this year. Our Officer line is fairly new to Freemasonry and could

benefit from the support and guidance of long-time members. My Brothers,

one of the appeals that I will make to you is that you come and support

these newer Masons. You have wisdom to impart and we value your active

participation in McKinley Lodge.

 We have some financial hurdles to overcome in the near future. All is

not doom and gloom, but we need to depart from the course we’re on and

establish a plan that provides McKinley Lodge with a sustainable future for

the next 100 years.

It has been a privilege for me to serve McKinley Lodge as Worshipful Master.

I appreciate the support that you’ve given to both me as an individual as well

as to the Lodge during this very special Centennial Year, and encourage you to

find a way to get more involved this next year. I have the utmost confidence

that Brother Chris Goodwin and the other Officers will do a wonderful job and

look forward to seeing their plans for the year take shape!

 In closing, I’d like to end my final Master’s Message with this piece that

really sums up how I feel we should all think about our lives, our time here on

Earth, and the lessons to be learned each and every day:

 I am Yesterday.

 I am gone from you forever.

 I am the last of a long procession of days, streaming behind you,

 away from you, pouring into mist and obscurity, and at last into

 the ocean of oblivion.

 I depart from you, yet I am ever with you.

 Once I was called Tomorrow, and was virgin pure; then I became

 your bride and was named Today; now I am Yesterday, and carry

 upon me the eternal stain of your embrace.

 I am one of the leaves of a growing book. There are many pages

 before me. Some day you shall turn us all over and read us and

 know what you are.

 I am rich, for I have wisdom.

 I bore you a child, and left him with you. His name is Experience.

 I am Yesterday; yet I am the same as Today and Forever; for I AM

 YOU; and you cannot escape yourself.

 I am Yesterday. Learn to look me in the face, to use me, and not to

 be afraid of me.

Sincerely & Fraternally,

Ryan Mayrand, P.: M.: