Page 2 - FALL Sojourner Newsletter-11202020

2 THE SOJOURNER

National President’s Message

First and foremost, thank you for annual change of leadership in Chapters and Camps. Thank you
electing me your National President all for your efforts which have truly been appreciated by all of
of this very special Masonic Order. It your national leadership. Pressing forward into July we held a
is a humbling responsibility and one national virtual awards presentation for all who would otherwise
that I have taken on with joy and with have received awards at the Harrisburg ANC. Done with care and
goodwill in my heart. I firmly believe dignity, it cemented the bonds of Fraternal Love and outreach for
that Freemasonry is a way of life. Its so many deserving Sojourners and their spouses.
ritual and modes of meeting and The decision, sorely made, to convert the midwinter meeting
recognition give each of us a gift. into a virtual training and support event was truly a hard decision.
That gift is the right to know that we Scheduled for the evening of Friday, 8 January and the morning
are good men trying to be better. Freemasonry is an individual of Saturday, 9 January, we hope that it will renew your sense of
journey of personal improvement supported by our Lodges and pride and honor in our Order, and help us all get through what
Appendant Bodies, which are groups of Freemasons working to looks like a continuing problem until a reasonably effective vac-
support each other in the work of betterment. cine can be approved, distributed and given to all of us.
What a joy it is then that we have a second tie of brotherhood, While we wait for normal Masonic processes of in person
not Masonic in fact, but very much in our deeds. We are, or have meetings and appropriate travel and visitation to renew, I have a
been, part of a band of brothers in the Armed Forces or the other favor to ask. Could you talk with your Brothers, especially those
Uniformed Services, bound together by honor and courage, in who are Lodge Secretaries, Valley Secretaries and the like, and
defense of this great American experiment in the right of liberty ask them if they know anyone who is a Master Mason Veteran?
we have been so very fortunate to experience as citizens. Tell him that we’d like to introduce ourselves, as the Masonic
National Sojourners is unique in Freemasonry, as the home of Military Veterans’ Order in America, to that Brother Master Ma-
those who have served in Uniform Services, and those very spe- son Veteran so that he might learn of our existence and what we
cial Masonic Brothers who have become Honorary Members do. Tell him simply that as one of the bands of brothers in Free-
because of their deep love of the Craft, and the Nation State we masonry, we’d like to reach out and let those that could be a part
serve. As an Order, we know that we are all “still serving” in our of us become aware of us.
own individual way. So it has been challenging to face a disease There is much more you can do now, if you like, to help
with no known cure, in a time of travel and communications ca- “Grow the Order and have effective generational turn over.”
pabilities like no time in human history. We know that milling Those are our two big missions this year, and given our de-
about in travel, or having that in person meeting, passes the con- mographics, it’s fairly obvious why that is so. Many Lodges are
tagion with merciless efficiency. When those political and social beginning to meet, administratively using teleconferencing, and
decisions were made to have us obey the constrictions placed on some Grand Jurisdictions are having some tiled meetings follow-
movement and meeting, it was hard on all of us. In an Order of ing the strictures of “social distancing.” Any one of you could go
about 8000, where over 5000 of us are aged 70 years or more, the to such a meeting, virtually or in person where allowed, and offer
fact that the disease targets older citizens brutally had to faced the short and simple programs of honoring those that have served
and dealt with. in the Uniformed Services in the Lodge, along with your thanks
So I am deeply impressed and humbled by the speed and ef- and a Toast to the Flag.
fectiveness that was shown in our Order’s pivot from traditional We must grow now, in the middle of this pandemic, and we
modes of meeting and travel to the virtual platform afforded us must stay focused on that mission. Anything that you can do to
by modern technology. It was really amazing to see you all doing bring in new Active members is central to the future of National
this with Masonic love and understanding. My Grand Master Sojourners. Let me thank you in advance for giving this some
recently noted that the Pandemic, if it hasn’t done anything else, thought, and perhaps some personal attention, over these next
has reminded us that nothing is for sure. Life holds no guarantees several months.
other than, as Bro. Franklin observed, “death and taxes.” Hopefully we will have an in person Annual National Conven-
So for me, this initial letter in our Sojourner Magazine to all of tion in Milwaukee Wisconsin, 13 to 19 June 2021. We are cer-
you begins first with my sincere thanks for holding the Order tainly planning to do so. In our midrange assessments, we see that
together during these times of serious health crisis. For Freema- attendance at that ANC could be both in person and by virtual
sonry those concerns forced us to meet as an Order by teleconfer- means. You should be planning and thinking about how you
ence and phone and all things “distant.” That was not an easy might attend. We plan to survey as many of you as we can about
thing for many of us to do. But you did it, and you keep doing it. your choice of attendance in due course. As we have been forced
Where Grand Jurisdictions keep you “locked down,” you obeyed to realize, these next ten to twelve months will not be “normal” in
in cheerful compliance with your Grand Master’s designs on his the way we have conducted ourselves in the past. But we will try
Trestle Board. Where we are hesitatingly “opening up” you have and bring as much normalcy to the process as a pandemic, and all
done so with care for the health of your Brothers and their fami- that it has wrought, can allow.
lies in mind. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We stand
We have learned a few things. You can cancel an Annual Na- together, learn together and grow as Freemasons, in our goodness
tional Convention without freezing the Order in its tracks. You and our love, as we do our Masonic work into the near future.
can install a set of National Officers and Trustees virtually, with
some grace and good will. That first effort had a steep learning It is truly a privilege to serve you,
curve, but with the help of so many, we got that done. Directing Bob Roth
all of you to do your nominations, elections and installations,
turned out to be the right decision, and it allowed our Order to “Freemasonry First, Sojourners Always”
have the regularity and Masonic renewal that comes from the