The North Carolina Mason

The BoTTom Line By Dalton W. Mayo Grand Master Where Did He Go? One of the problems facing our grand jurisdiction is the large number of our members who fall into the category of "unfinished work." By this is meant that they petition the lodge, begin their degree work, and disappear off the radar. Another large group completes all the degree work and then at some point seems to lose interest. Why does this happen? ere are different theories as to why this happens but it's obvious that something is wrong. Of course, some petitioners decide early in the process that Masonry is not for them. It's understandable that this can account for a percentage of those we lose along the way. But, what about the other, larger group? Here is a story (author unknown) about the guy who never came back: I'm the guy who asked to join Freemasonry. I'm the guy who paid his initiation fee to join. I'm the guy who promised to follow all the tenets of Masonry. I'm the guy who came to the meetings, and no one paid any attention to. I tried several times to be friend- ly to some of the brothers, but they all had their own buddies to talk to and sit next to. I sat down by myself several times, but no one paid any attention to me. I hoped very much that someone would have asked me to take part in a fund-raising project or something, but no one ever did. I missed a few meetings after joining because I was sick and couldn't be there. No one asked me at the next meeting where I had been. I guess it didn't matter very much to the others whether I was there or not. e next meeting I decided to stay at home and watch TV. e following meeting I attended no one asked me where I was when the last meeting was held. You might say I'm a good guy, a good family man who holds a responsible job, loves his community and his country. You know who else I am? I'm the guy who never came back. It amuses me when I think back on how the heads of the organization and the members were discussing why the organization was losing members. It amuses me now to think that they spent so much time looking for new members when I was there all the time. All they needed to do was make me feel needed, wanted, and welcome. Brethren, what happened to the guy who never came back that caused him to just give up and disappear? I contend that he never found his place in the lodge and that he was waiting for someone else to show him the way. Some members are outgoing and have never met a stranger. ey find their own way. Others, like the brother in this story are more passive, and require intervention. Your lodge most likely has a copy of the booklet "Program for Progress." If not, the Grand Lodge can send you one. It is also available for download from the Grand Lodge web page under Center for Members/Publications and Literature/Educational Materials. It is a tremendous resource of information and ideas that will help lodges in their efforts to attract and keep men who will make good Masons. e Masonic Renewal Committee of North America's mentor program is carefully laid out in detail in this booklet. Four pre- cepts are enumerated, and precept number two gives a good idea of the purpose of the mentor program. It states, "When a man be- comes a Mason, his satisfaction, interest, and retention are directly related to the relationships he builds with other men, the quality of the programs in the lodge, and the realization that his original expectations have been met or exceeded." Not surprisingly, you will find that the mentoring continues even after the third degree. Please find some time to read "Program for Progress." It will be time well spent and will give you a better understanding of how to deal with brothers like the one in the above narrative. e title of this article "where did he go?" gives me a perfect opening to tell you about some of your grand master's recent travels. December 21 saw me traveling to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for the annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. is is a fundraiser for the Shriner's Hospitals for Children. It was a great weekend, and I was treated royally. e North Carolina team lost again, but that matters less because the children won. On December 28 Deputy Grand Master Doug Caudle and I drove to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take part in the observance of the 200 th anniversary of the Tennessee Grand Lodge. Orig- inally, the North Carolina Grand Lodge had jurisdiction over the lodges in Tennessee. This was not a convenient arrange- ment for those lodges or for us, so in 1813 we entered into a compact that relinquished our jurisdiction. Just as you would expect, we were received by our Tennessee brothers with true southern hospitality. By the time you read the paper edition, our district meetings will have already begun. We should be coming to a location near you, so please plan to attend the meeting that you find convenient. I want to meet you and personally thank you for all you have done to support Masonry in your lodge and district and for all you'll be doing in 2014. see CENTER, page 4 see RIDE, page 4 The Mason NORTH CAROLINA Official Publication of e Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina Volume 139 Number 1 Oxford, North Carolina January/February 2014 WINSTON-SALEM — e new Win- ston-Salem Masonic Center got its official launch November 4. About 150 people were on hand to see the cornerstone set for the new home of most of Winston-Salem's Masonic lodges and several appendant groups. e up- to-date facility will be at 4537 Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. e Grand Lodge opening for the event was held at the nearby New Philadelphia Moravian Church's old parish house. Opening the Grand Lodge and performing the ceremony were: Grand Master Dewey Preslar Jr., David Carmi- chael as deputy grand master, Tory Carr as se- nior grand warden, Sandy Erin as junior grand warden, Frank Collins as grand treasurer, Cliff Pranke as grand secretary, Joe Manning as mas- ter of ceremonies, Gary Elkins as senior grand By Ric Carter OXFORD — On September 14, the Ride again gathered motorcycles from all over the state assembled here and visited the Masonic Home for Children. Now known by most simply as the Ride, its real name is the Charity Ride to the Masonic Home for Children in Ox- ford. It was first and remains organized by Eureka 283 in China Grove. Dur- ing its history, the Ride has raised about $350,000 for the Home. is year alone, they brought in more than $21,000. In addition to the entry fees from each rider, they sell company sponsorships be- ginning at $250. Many sponsors also pro- vide products for door prizes for which Riding for the kids New center expected within a year Cornerstone dedicated in Winston-Salem By Ric Carter deacon, Stan Peeples as junior grand deacon, Winfield Beroth and David Grubbs as grand stewards, Phil Johnson as grand chaplain, and Billy Baker as grand tyler. e officers then marched to the building site where they were greeted by a crowd including a Moravian band. A lodge was set up there on the grounds where a lift moved the engraved cornerstone plaque into position for the ancient ceremony of cornerstone dedication. Featured speaker Past Grand Master Gra- ham Pervier spoke of the memories those pres- ent would carry forever from the previous build- ing. "If you take a moment to remember where you knelt — what was asked of you — the ob- ligations you undertook — a word shared with you — you will also bring to mind the faces of Ric Car ter photos Ric Car ter photos

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