The North Carolina Mason

January/February 2018 The North Carolina Mason Page 5 W orshipful Brother Ben Wallace, one of my best and smartest Masonic buddies, likes to say, only partly in jest, that Beth Grace is his favorite Mason. I agree. Beth, editor of the NC Mason, came to us with no exposure to Masonry, and she checked us out before applying for the editor's job. Fortunately, she liked what she saw, and she wanted to work with us and help advance Masonry. Beth is a Mason in spirit, and the warm reception she has received from brethren across the state has cemented her bonds with us. Be sure to read her column in this issue. Beth tells a heartwarming story of a 4-year-old boy meeting the real Santa in a Masonic lodge. It sweetly and deftly drives home a point that I like to make about the first impressions we create as lodges and as Masons. First impressions are critical in attracting potential Masons who, like Beth, are interested in us but want to know more before taking the first step. My pitch starts like this: Have you looked at your lodge lately? Can you see it with fresh eyes, like a newcomer? is is a lesson I learned years ago when my wife accompanied me to the lodge on an errand. Susan, who always sees the bright side of anyone or anything, shocked me by saying "is place is a dump." I realized she was right. We brothers had let the place go. We had become complacent with peeling paint, cracked plaster, worn carpet and faded curtains. It's not that we were slouches, necessarily. e lodge was our happy and comfortable place, brimming with brotherly love and fellowship, and its blemishes were invisible to us. We were already bought, in and couldn't see it like first- time visitors, also known as the next generation of Masons we hope will replace us. Susan's comment enlightened me. In the years since then, through good leadership, a renewed feeling of pride and the labor of lots of Masons, our lodge has become a showplace. Take a look at your lodge with new eyes, starting with a web search. at's where your potential Mason will start. What turns up? Old news, or a fresh and vibrant website? Is there a link with the lodge's contact information? Is your potential Mason's email query answered promptly? en do a drive-by. If the lodge were a house, would you want to live in it, or would you want to join the group that inhabits it? Park and walk up to the door for a closer look, and go inside. ink about what you'd replace, repair or repaint if it were your home. at's the easy part. Now look below the surface and consider how the community interacts with your lodge. Are your doors open to friends, neighbors, total strangers? Can they see any of the light that shines within? If so, good things will happen. Beth's column describes Waxhaw Lodge #562's annual "Pancakes with Santa" breakfast for kids. While the event was under way, a Waxhaw Mason spotted a family outside in the cold and invited them into the lodge. ey came inside, and their skeptical son met the real Santa. Magic. at family didn't know anything about Masonry but they do now. Beth's column is a story of human kindness, generosity and brotherly love. It also contains common sense. Open those doors and see who's out there. Welcome a stranger in for warmth, friendship, education or a bowl of Brunswick stew. Give your neighbors a reason to come in and look around, ask questions and see Masonry in action. e Masons in spirit will find you. I've adopted the hourglass as a symbol for this year. It represents the passage of time that ere long will cease for each of us. Freemasonry – the greatest fraternity in the world – is in our care for a brief time before we hand it off to a new generation. Who's going to take the handoff ? Good people near you are curious about Masonry, Googling your lodge and doing the drive-by. ere are others who aren't curious – yet – because they haven't noticed you. Let both groups see a bit of your light and get ready to meet some new favorite Masons. From the Grand master What is your curb appeal? By Speed Hallman Grand Master need to go in there. e real Santa Claus is in there!" Now, the McKenzies have no Masonic connections and knew very little about that building they pass by all the time. "We had always kind of wondered what went on in there, what the people inside were like, what they do," she said. "Now we know. And I will forever love that man for picking right up where I left off on that letter. He couldn't possibly have known what was in it but he just ran with it. So adorable!" is story will, no doubt, become a McKenzie family legend. And John Lawson will never pass by a building marked with the square and compass without remembering the kind- ness of a brother in a red suit. Sharing the Masonic story in real time, in the light of love and friendship - even in the form of pancakes and a jolly old elf - is the very best gift this Craft can give the world. Let your light shine! SANTA from page 4 The North Carolina Masonic Founda- tion welcomed a new board member, appointed two emeritus members and elected officers at its first meeting of 2018. Past Grand Master Dan Rice was elected to replace PGM William G. Mathis. Mathis, King Solomon #138, was then unanimously elected an emeritus member of the board he has served on since 2003. Joining Mathis as an emeritus member is David Wilson, Oak Island #758, who served on the NCMF board for some 35 years until his retirement in 2016. Elected were: Mike Faulkenbury, president PGM Bob Gresham, vice president PGM Lew Ledford, treasurer Grand Secretary Walt Clapp, secretary Also serving on the board are Brother Guy Cline, and PGMs Leonard Y. Safrit and Dan Rice. Foundation elects officers

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