Page 2 - Sojourner Newsletter-Winter 2024 FINALv2

2 THE SOJOURNER

NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I welcome you to the Winter edition of our Sojourner Magazine. I hope all of you
rely upon this document as well as our National Sojourner website (https://
nationalsojourners.org/) in order to keep informed regarding our organization. Each
of us plays a crucial part in assuring that we continue to exist as an historical entity
celebrating Veterans in Freemasonry and our good works. I suspect many of you are
only aware of the JROTC/ROTC Award program which we have supported for
many years. There are many other programs that our Chapters can and do support.
All the information is available on the website. If you make it a habit to include
checking in to the site as part of your daily web-surfing routine, I think you will find
it most rewarding and informative. Our website is a dynamic entity, changing
frequently, and is a tool for all of us to utilize to ensure we are properly utilizing the
documents that govern our operations.

Speaking of dynamics, I would like to address the atmosphere of change which we all are being subjected to.
It is evident in our everyday activities, and obviously, we are all affected. In my opinion, we have lagged
behind most of other Masonic family organizations in many respects, it being most apparent in the financial
area. We have certainly not kept our financial structure current with the cost of living, and we must expect to
feel the pain for a while as we play “catch up”. I can share with you that many (most?) of our Chapters have
discontinued any semblance of fundraising. We, as Masons, are all aware that fundraising has historically
been a relied upon source of means for sustaining the health and growth of our organizations, from the eager
new DeMolay or the sweet-faced little Jobie or Rainbow to the Grand Master and his Grand Lodge, and all the
family members therein. I believe we should all take another look at how we are conducting our Chapter
business and avoid becoming a mere Dinner Club. Let’s all get to work, My Dear Brothers, and polish up our
image.

Another area where we have lagged behind is in the technology we use to facilitate our operations. It is not
widely known, but our belabored souls in the Headquarters office and our webmaster have struggled for years
(decades) to provide the services we expect but have done so with the most antiquated hodge-podge of
equipment and resources you can imagine! Thankfully, that is rapidly being resolved, new equipment and
servers are in place, technical services have been contracted, and we are getting up to speed with the current
century. I hope to make more inroads in our technology by enabling more virtual participation, but I assure
you that it is an uphill battle. There is a lot of reluctance to change, as is not uncommon, but we will keep
pushing the noodle uphill. We must.

Lastly, but perhaps more importantly, I would like a moment to send out some “Attaboys” to those dear souls
who are the heart of this organization – our Chapter Secretaries. Those individuals are always there, laboring
in the mines, while the other Chapter Officers come and go. They provide the cement that binds the Chapter
together. They are the brains of the Chapter, holding the history, records, and sustaining documentation of the
organization. They take all the Heat from the East (so to speak) when things or members go astray but get
little of the accolades when things go well, and the recognition is doled out. All I can say is – Been There and
Done That. Although we may overlook all you do for us, we recognize that we would not and could not exist
without you. Well done, thou good and faithful servants.

I hope to see many of you at the upcoming Mid-Winter Meeting in Tucson. It is the ideal place to get
involved, see what is going on in National Sojourners, and to be a piece of the action as we strive to improve
and grow. All the information to register is on our website. Come join in the activities.

Charles E. “Chuck” Warren, Sr.
National President (2023-24)