The North Carolina Mason

The Mason Official Publication of e Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina Volume 143 Number 4 Oxford, North Carolina July/August 2018 NORTH CAROLINA ■ see ANNUAL page 2 By Beth Grace Mason Editor It happens once a year. Call it Annual Communication or call it Grand Lodge, the purpose remains the same: keeping Freemasonry in North Carolina strong through fellowship, brotherhood …. and lots and lots of discussion. On Sept. 28, the gavel will fall, opening the 231st official Masonic meetup. Annual Communication will again be held at the Twin City Quarter in Winston-Salem and will open after a day of on-site committee meetings scheduled to discuss last-minute issues and conduct regular business. "Masons sometimes talk about Grand Lodge in us-versus-them terms," Grand Master Speed Hallman said. "e fact is, we are ALL the Grand Lodge, and we gather for a day and a half every year to transact our business." Grand Master Hallman said Annual Communication is a time "to truly come together. We have fellowship and we see folks we Annual Communication 2018 Preview Membership, per capita, reporting + more Weekend pa ed with fun, fellowship, education goes along with important business haven't seen in a long time – and that's wonderful and fun," he said. "But we also have important business before us and decisions to make that could impact the Craft for years to come. It's a true combination of education and delib- eration." Expect to hear some good news – this year's Lion & Pillar Lodge of Excellence honorees will be announced. Also the Grand Master will update brothers on the blood drive under way in part- nership with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of mutual recognition between NC's Grand Lodge and Prince Hall's Grand Lodge. Grand Orator and Past Grand Master Dan Rice will speak this year about our Masonic charities, reflecting on his years growing up at the Masonic Home for Chil- dren and his family's experiences with WhiteStone: A Masonic and Eastern Star Community. Also on the schedule is a presentation by Oscar Alleyne, junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York and a public health expert, speaking about clandestine lodges – who they are and how to recognize them. Book lovers will have a treat on Friday afternoon. Ric Berman, author of From Roanoke to Raleigh: Freemasonry in North Carolina, 1730-1800 will give a reading and sign books after the day's session adjourns. Voting begins Friday and will continue Saturday. Grand Master Hallman has said at district meetings this year that while most voting usually takes place on Saturday, some may be moved up if the schedule gets too tight and more voting time is needed. Code amendments – 10 of them at press time – will be the focus of discussion and discernment. As proposed, the amendments are: 1. To create a new type of membership called Legacy Membership and replace the current Endowed Membership program. 2. To allow a lodge to hold a stated communication at a later date in the event their regular stated communication was cancelled due to inclement weather or hazardous conditions. 3. Restores qualifications inad-

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