Page 4 - 2021 SPRING Sojourner Newsletter

4 THE SOJOURNER

National Secretary’s Desk
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was
the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it
was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it
was the winter of despair…” so says Charles Dickens in his classic A Tale of Two
Cities. Words and meaning as pertinent and poignant today with COVID-19 as it
were 162 years ago when he put ink to paper.

COVID-19 has certainly presented us with a series of challenges; however, adversity is not a new encounter
for us. A wise man (Albert Einstein) once said “Adversity introduces a man to himself”. It provides the op-
portunity to test one’s mettle. Unfortunately, for some, in the face of a perceived insurmountable adversity,
they simply freeze and accept their fate. On the other hand, true leaders see adversity as what they need to
face in order to become successful or achieve greatness.

For example, I am proud to say our National leadership has worked hard this year for the good of National
Sojourners despite the trials and tribulations brought on by issues and restrictions associated with COVID-
19. I appreciate the hard work of the Chapter Secretaries who are maintaining and updating their records in
order to stay in touch with their members since in-person meetings have not always been possible. We have
Area and Regional Representatives working with members to revitalize or open new Chapters. How good
and pleasant it is when brothers live and work together in unity!

Case in point, we have opened two new Chapters so far this year, Zenith Chapter No. 566 and Night Stalkers
Chapter No. 567 with at least two more not far behind. We have updated our network at the National Office
and are currently in the throes of updating our software and hardware. We will be performing data migration
mid-March from the legacy system to the new system now that we have the new server up and running.
Many other technical and strategic milestones have been met, and we continue to make advancements in up-
dating our forms, procedures and tools.

There are a number of items I wish to bring to your attention:

The registration form and information about the Annual National Convention (ANC) are contained within
this publication of the Sojourner. I ask all Secretaries to ensure the word gets out on how and where to find
the ANC forms for their membership. Forms are also located on our website at nationalsojourners.org that
folks can download OR double click the ADOBE icon in the upper left hand corner of the registration form
located in this SOJOURNER. Remember, save it to your computer FIRST, and then use THAT docu-
ment to fill out and send in.

Secretaries you will receive the “Spring Mailing” next month by email – Be On The Lookout.

I will be sending out a revised membership form to everyone. Please DELETE or stop using older forms as
we are collecting new data to compliment the new system and database. The older forms do not have all the
information needed! Use the NEW form to bring in new members.

It is time to be thinking about awards – both local and national. If you, or your committee, are responsible
for making a nomination - the time is getting near.

May 15 is the deadline for end-of-year reports. Send them to hq@nationalsojourners.org

Thought for the day: Dare to live your life to become an expert in dealing with adversity, to triumph over
difficulty, and to rise above the challenges of day-to-day life.

S&F,
Mark W. Underwood,NST (acting)