The North Carolina Mason

Page 2 The North Carolina Mason March/April 2017 MEETINGS, from page 1 Attend one of these upcoming District meetings with the GM: Date District Lodge Names and No. Location Apr 19 7 Zion 81 108 E. Lakeview Dr, Trenton Apr 20 15 Vandora 745 1120 Benson Rd, Garner Apr 24 19 Person 113 219 Leasburg Rd, Roxboro Apr 25 8 Royal White Hart 2 Hen & Hog, 16 S. King St. Halifax May 1 1 Eureka 317 218 S. Hughes Blvd, Elizabeth City May 2 2 Manteo 521 101 Hwy 64/264, Manteo May 3 3 Washington 675 1115 West 5th St., Washington May 16 24 Blackmer 127 109 S. School St., Mt. Gilead May 17 31 Long Creek 205 8500 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd, Huntersville Brother David Quick of Columbus #102 poses a grievous threat to the Grand Master's ice cream, while Grand Secretary Walt Clapp stands as witness at Buffalo #172. Sisters from the Order of the Eastern Star get special thanks for cooking up a grand meal for the district meeting at Mingo #206. John Cozzie, right, Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, visiting the District 25 meeting in Mount Airy, presents Grand Master Gene Cobb with a snow globe filled with tiny replicas of famous Masonic buildings in the Chicagoland area. District 11 DDGM Earl Wells, left, and District 11 DDGL Timmy Hairr catch up on the latest after the meeting at Mingo Lodge. Photos by Melody McBride before each meeting. e meetings are informative and fun, but make no mistake. ere's real business being done. e Grand Master has outlined the Lion and Pillar Lodge of Excellence program in detail at every session and invited all lodges to participate. He has added a bit of fundraising to the mix, taking up a collection at each meeting to collect funds for our three charities. "I'm a Methodist minister," he says with a smile. "I am going to take up a collection." As of presstime at the end of March, about $3,000 had been collected. He reminded brothers that more than 31,000 people were fed from the canned food drive at the last Annual Communication. "What if 370 lodges were to take a weekend and do something like that? Can you imagine the roar?" He speaks of family, brotherhood and charity in his message of unity and friendship, and urges lodges to spread the word of the good works Masons do by sharing that news with e Mason and their communities. "Why do we light our light and then hide it? We do not want people to not know who we are," he said. "We need to protect our degree work, of course, but we need the world to know who we are and what we do. Let's make the family of Masonry in North Carolina better than it has ever been." If you haven't been to a district meeting, or if you haven't been to one in years, now's the time. Check the list of meetings at right. Details of the Lion & Pillar program, and updates on our charities and publica- tions make for a full agenda as MWGM Gene Cobb addresses the crowd at the Buffalo #172 district meeting.

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