The North Carolina Mason

May/June 2020 The North Carolina Mason Page 7 a real conversation because, frankly, they didn't know the brother on the other end of the phone call and may have been a little suspicious of the contact. In other instances, I've heard from widows or the children of widows thanking the fraternity for reaching out to them. I was very pleased to hear about some of the other activities lodges were doing to help local commu- nities get through the isolation imposed by the virus. For example, several lodges are working with their local Red Cross organiza- tions to host much-needed blood drives, as well as offering to feed first responders and other medical professionals who are working so hard to ensure the health and well- being of our communities. I was also pleased to hear from Illustrious Sir Buddy Brown, Poten- tate of the Sudan Shrine Temple, with a request to allow the Dunn Clown unit to visit and perform (in a socially distant way) for one of the local retirement communi- ties. e brethren uploaded a video to Facebook of their outing and it looked like it was a wonderful experience for both the brethren and the residents. Charities – Relief Shortly after early reports that the pandemic had reached the US, both our charities took swift action to ensure the health and safety of their residences. WhiteStone had to take the unprecedented action of closing its gates to outside visitors (with limited exceptions). Given the highly contagious nature of the virus and the vulner- able population of our home, that action was necessary. As of presstime, none of the residents of White Stone have contracted COVID-19 at a time when some retirement communities have been ravaged by the virus. e MHCO took similar action and essentially shut down its campus to outside visitors. ankfully, the administrative team and staff have handled this situation well and the children have continued to receive the same level of care they are accus- tomed to, including tutoring while schools are meeting virtually. Further, the NCMF has stepped up to provide much-needed finan- cial guidance to the other two charities and a commitment to assist them as much as possible while they assess and eventually recover from the impact of the virus on their fundraising activities. In addition to assisting the charities, the NCMF through the MESH LLC Outreach program continues to provide financial assis- tance to our brethren and widows who are having financial difficul- ties. If you need assistance or know of a brother, sister or widow who may need assistance please contact Outreach Program Coordinator Rebecca Gallimore, who can assess the needs and determine eligibility for services. Rebecca can be reached at 336-601-5593 or at 833-853- 1449. Masonic Education One of the greatest impacts to the fraternity has been the almost immediate proliferation of online resources for Masonic Education. As some of you have already seen, in anticipation of a likely shutdown, I was able to work with the brethren of Phoenix #8 in Fayetteville to make a video of my district meeting speech, which I adjusted so it could be given in an untyled setting. We were able to upload that video to the Grand Lodge's YouTube channel just a few days later and, the last time I checked, it had been viewed approximately 3,100 times. If by chance you haven't had a chance to view the talk and would like to go to YouTube and search for Grand Master Shaun Bradshaw GLNC and it should show up in the search results. For those of you who are active on Facebook, a new group called Refracted Light has also quickly come up on the scene to fill the void of access to Masonic Educa- tion. is group is administered by a small group of Freemasons from across the US and includes a few members from our own jurisdiction. is group endeavors to provide Masonic Education programs on a near nightly basis. I even heard one brother mention that he's probably attended more Masonic education programs in the last few weeks as a result of his work with that group as he had in his entire Masonic career. I've also heard several brethren comment that they have taken this time to do more "inner work" with the Masonic symbols. at is, they are beginning to be more delib- erate in practicing meditation or quiet contemplation, during which they consider the meanings of the symbols, their personal feelings about the fraternity, and how they intend to act, change, and transform themselves as a result of the ideas that come from those times of reflection. Brethren, this is what Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth look like outside the lodge. I hope, once we reconvene in our lodges, we remember this experi- ence and continue 1) engaging in the outreach programs the lodges have begun, 2) remembering and supporting our charities, and 3) reflecting on the ritual and symbols of our fraternity and how those reflections transform who we are as men inside and outside lodges. Virtual Annual Communication One last item I'd like to bring to your attention. Given the current state of the pandemic and the very real possibility that there may still be some restrictions on group sizes, the Grand Lodge officers are already beginning to review how we might handle conducting Annual Commu- nication – including the possibility of having most of the delegates participate virtually. We are still in the early stages of our review, which includes iden- tifying requirements in our Code, technological platforms available, and communications necessary to keep all our brethren informed. We will update the lodges and delegates as we get closer to Annual Commu- nication to ensure the smoothest possible event. Of course, our hope is that we will be able to meet as we have in the past, but we think it's important to be prepared just in case. Finally, brethren, I've heard from several of you about how you have been touched by the kindness of others or have worked to ensure that others are taken care of during this unprecedented pandemic. As always, I encourage you to share your story and if you would like to contact me about your story, please don't hesitate to do so. I thoroughly enjoy hearing from each of you. Just email me at sbradshaw@ glnc.us, or if you prefer, send a letter to me at the Grand Lodge. ey'll get it to me. Brethren, keep the light and tell your story! BRADSHAW, from page 5 One of these days, we'll all be outside, shaking hands and spending time face to face again. Until then, there's a way to keep up with all the news in the NC Mason Masonic news online. If you want to help us save money (our printing budget will be smaller in the new year and we'd love your help!), just send a note to ncmason@glnc.us with these words in the subject line: OPT OUT, and in the body of the email, include your full name and mailing address. We'll take it from there. If you want to subscribe to the online version by email, it's easy …. Just head to this page: http://www.epageflip.net/t/5206-the-north-carolina- mason Then hit the blue "Subscribe" tab on the right-hand side of the page. Fill in the info, and you're done! No need for trails of Post-It notes reminding you to go and hunt for the paper every other month, no reason to scribble a reminder on napkins or the back of envelopes. Questions? Email us at ncmason@glnc.us!

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