Page 9 - Sojourner Newsletter-Winter 2025_FINAL

Volume 102, Issue 1 9

BRIDGE OF LIGHT COMMITTEE
Charlie Odorizzi, Chairman

I must confess that it sometimes is a little disheartening to be a Bridge of Light (BOL) member. We have
more than a dozen programs available to deliver to our brethren. Yet for some reason, most Sojourners
seemingly do not care to offer any of them. Of the 114 Chapters that completed and submitted the Chapter
Annual Report (CAR), 54 chapters recorded zero BOL activity. By that, I want to emphasize fully…they
reported doing absolutely nothing at all! If all a chapter were to donate $10 to a Masonic youth group or
simply send one of their newsletters to another Masonic body, they would have earned points. I would be
willing to bet someone in your chapter learned to fold a flag somewhere along the way as a Boy Scout or in the
uniformed services. Demonstrate it at your meeting, you are already there, and you’ve earned 2 points! It takes
the slightest effort. It is incredibly sad to have scored zero points!

We have some great Sojourners programs available, but they do no good gathering dust in a binder on a
shelf. All of us must do a better job of spreading the word. Perhaps our brethren do not like the presentations
for some reason. They might think the topics are not relevant in today’s world. If you feel that way, speak with
someone on the BOL Committee and give us your input. What revisions would you wish to see made? What
topics would you like to see addressed? We are currently working on a presentation about the contributions of
females during the Revolutionary War, as well as developing a presentation about General George
Washington’s spies. Should we develop programs specifically based upon Black or Hispanic contributions?

The Revolutionary War doesn’t float your boat? OK, then…what does? If I could give you a presentation that
you would enjoy presenting to your blue lodge…what topic would you choose? What period of time would
you choose? Remember, when we became Sojourners, we promised to support all patriotic aims and activities
in Masonry, and to develop true patriotism and Americanism throughout the nation. We are not limited to any
one narrow topic in these endeavors

Last year in the Sojourner Magazine, I wrote an article discussing how easy it is to earn sufficient points to
be awarded the Odie Howell award. We pointed out how minor effort could easily lead to the 40 points
required. Yet, despite that explanation, a disappointingly low number of chapters showed an increase in their
reporting for the award, and even those chapters increased but a few points.

It should be unnecessary for me to tell you that if we do not recruit, we will cease to exist as an order. It is
just common sense. BOL activities are, in my opinion, the fastest and easiest method available to recruit new
Sojourners. Despite opening the ranks to lower-ranked enlisted men nearly a decade ago, our total membership
numbers continue to decrease. We bring in far too few members to replace the many Sojourners called to their
eternal rest. Many Sojourners have aged to the point they can no longer do the work required to carry our
order, as they have done so diligently and faithfully for so many years. Though they seem irreplaceable,
replacing them is our joyless task. To do so, we must boost our membership numbers, and the only way we
can significantly do this is through BOL activities. The blue lodges are recruitment central. I am entirely
sincere in asking you to contact me if you have any suggestions for BOL activities…new or improved.

We must either grow stronger or wither and die as an order. The outcome is entirely our decision to make.
Do not sit back and hope the committees stumble upon your ideas. I guarantee you have ideas tucked away
that committees might never consider…ALL committees.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or suggestions about Bridge of Light. Our order
needs you and every other member of National Sojourners to work together.

Charlie Odorizzi
National Chairman, BOL Committee
402-201-3938