Page 2 - Sojourner Newsletter- SUMMER 2022 -FINAL

2 THE SOJOURNER

NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It doesn’t seem possible that just a month ago I was elevated to be your National
President. I’ve done a lot of traveling since then and have made some hard decisions
that come along with the job. I’m extremely appreciative for our Past National
Presidents’ assistance, because I’m frequently seeking their advice on issues and
situations that arise. I truly value their experience and expertise.

I visited Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge from 14 to 17, July 2022. It was
incredible to see how much the students transformed from when they first got there and
to see the end results. A lot of information was given to them in a very short time, which
they absorbed very well. There were around 47 students total, and we had JROTC
students from as far away as California. A big thank you goes out to the following
brothers: Max Schell for bringing seven students from California and Frank Harris from
Quantico #44 who brought twelve. These Brothers have set a very high bar for other
Chapters to follow. North Carolina Chapter #97 from Fayetteville, NC also brought
seven students. These brothers and their Chapters have shown exemplary service in
supporting Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.

In June at the Annual National Convention a number of items were acted on by your delegates, the most
important being the approval of our new National Constitutions and Bylaws (CB&L). Each Sojourner, and most
importantly, each Chapter officer needs to read and familiarize themselves with the document. A Policy and
Procedures Manual Committee has been appointed and they are hard at work on preparing this new manual to
accompany the NCB&L. They are working to providing a draft of the manual by December 31, 2022 so that it can
be reviewed by the attendees at the Mid-Winter Meeting in Raleigh, NC in January 2023.

As we all know, inflation is creeping into everything we do, and National Sojourners is no exception. I have also
appointed a committee to review all of the financial accounts the pertain to National Sojourners to determine a
fiscal plan moving forward. They have also been given a suspense date of December 31, 2022 for their draft.

Brother Bill Turner, PNP, LOH, has been given the task of potentially finding a new home for National
Sojourners Headquarters as our current lease is coming up for renewal. We need to be prepared when to make this
important decision when it does. He will be presenting his findings at the mid-winter meeting in Raleigh.

Another committee has been working toward the mid-winter meeting to provide up to date and in depth
information to all Area and Regional Representatives. The class will have breakout sessions to discuss different
st
areas of responsibility. Brothers Chuck Warren, NPE, and Carl Diamond, 1 NVP will be the instructors. It
promises to be very beneficial and all Area and Regional Representatives are encouraged to attend.

Participation within the various National Committees has been extraordinarily lacking so all our committees have
been restructured in order to provide better service to you and your National officers.

One of the biggest and most important positions in National Sojourners is that of Area and Regional
Representative. They ARE the very backbone of our organization. They travel countless miles to ensure their areas
are well represented and they receive very little thanks for their efforts. I want to say that I truly appreciate their
efforts in keeping our Order moving forward. Saying that, we have vacancies in some of our areas and regions. If
you are interested in serving in one of those positions please let me know.

A final reminder: each of us is an ambassador for National Sojourners. Attend your lodges and other Masonic
bodies, carry a “What’s It All About” brochure with you and be a Committee of One to advertise National
Sojourners and its missions, as well as recruit new members.

Bro. Denny Norris