The North Carolina Mason

Page 8 The North Carolina Mason September/October 2016 Ric Carter GRAND LODGE, from page 1 e opening was more easily heard this year thanks to the officers being wirelessly microphoned. After the ritual opening, the first order of business was hearing the keynote address from the grand orator. is year, that was Judge David Sentelle, a member of Excelsior 261 and senior United States circuit judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Cir- cuit. Sentelle spoke about his experience of having his membership in the fraternity challenged as he went through the confirmation process in the US Senate after his 1987 appointment to the Court of Appeals by Ronald Reagan. e questions arose because of our fraternity's white-only membership at that time. A number of official reports were received and formally entered on the record of the communica- tion which will be published next year. ey were also available in the Reports booklet at the meeting and on personal digital devices by way of QR codes posted in the hall (an innovation offered the past few years). Past Grand Master Douglas Caudle presented his final re- port on his year in the East. Just before lunch, Grand Master Webster had Mont- fort medalists who were at the Communication assemble around the altar. He then had WhiteStone Administra- tor Mark Kolada presented at the East where he was pre- sented the Joseph Montfort Medal in honor of his service to the Craft. WhiteStone Board Chairman Gene Jerni- gan (PGM) pinned the medal on Kolada's chest. A few non-Masons spoke before labor was resumed after lunch. Most newsworthy among those speakers was Jeffery Hensley, the newly hired chief development officer for the North Carolina Masonic Foundation. After guest speakers concluded, labor was resumed, and the Necrology Service honored our members who died since our last annual meeting. Grand Master Bryant Webster made the most strik- ing Grand Master's interim report we have seen in many years. Webster walked virtually the entire hall talking to the more than 1,200+ Masons gathered there. He spoke not to a mass, but the men he walked among within less than arm's length. He played the cheerleader for many of the good works performed by Masons this year in North Carolina. He recognized lodges and individu- als, having them stand for applause and appreciation of their accomplishments. He reiterated his mantra this year that, "You are the most important Mason in North Carolina." He even joined in singing as part of a quartet. Two lodges operating under dispensation this year applied for charters as official lodges. Both were grant- ed charters after positive reports from the Committee on Charters and Dispensations. Our newest lodges are State College 770 and MESH 771. State College Lodge is Raleigh's newest lodge and is an affinity lodge with an interest in North Carolina State University, its history, students, and future. ey celebrate especially the strong tie between Freemasons and the founding and development of that university. ey meet monthly on third Wednesdays. MESH 771 is North Carolina's only daylight lodge. ey are based at WhiteStone: A Masonic and East- ern Star Community in Greensboro. e lodge allows our Masonic Brothers in our retirement home to at- tend lodge more frequently and with much less dif- ficulty. It also offers opportunities to Masons from around the state to enjoy the fellowship of the Home. MESH Lodge meets monthly on second Saturdays. Both lodges are open for application across the state, with no special restrictions. e Committee on Appeals reported on all the cases heard on charges of un-Masonic behavior during the past year. e members of Grand Lodge approved the decisions of all 19 cases heard this year. No restora- tions were granted among the four applications. e Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Juris- prudence presented six Grand Masters' orders (two from GM Caudle and four from GM Webster) made since our last meeting. All but one were technical mat- ters involving lodge procedures. One involved disre- gard for an order of Lodge Service Commission on complying with local fire codes in a lodge. All six were approved by vote of Grand Lodge. All action on the proposed amendment to e Code for this year was taken on Friday afternoon. Group 1 was approved. It clarified residency re- quirements for District Deputy Grand Masters. A DDGM must be a member of a lodge of his district but may reside outside the district. Group 2 would have allowed men who live outside the state to serve on Grand Lodge boards, commis- sions, and committees. It was defeated. Group 3 and its substitute, concerning minimum fees for the degrees, were withdrawn so not voted on. Group 4 was approved. After recent guidance for the Internal Revenue Service, we added selling lodge property and renting by the lodge of commercial/office property to the list of actions which must be approved by the Lodge Service Commission. Group 5 was approved. It made sure that the chap- lain of a blue lodge is not required to hold proficiency in the Master Mason Degree. Group 6, which would have allowed a Mason in good standing to purchase previous years of service he missed due to nonpayment of dues in the past, was defeated. Group 7 was approved to allow Masonic ceremo- nies at churches on Sundays with permission of the grand master. Group 8 would have ended the endowed member- ship program. It was defeated. Group 9 passed expanding the Grand Lodge Com- mittees on the Masonic Homes. e committees have no authority other than reporting to the membership on the operations at the Homes. e committees may now have between five and nine members. A little before 5:00 p.m., the Grand lodge was called from labor to refreshment. e fellowship became less structured as Masons from around the state explored downtown and various hospitality rooms, formed their own pods of friends to get supper together, and bumped into friends they never knew before. e grand master even hosted a pizza party for the mem- bership in his room. At 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, labor was resumed. Grand Master Webster this year has been promot- ing Masons Can, a drive to collect food for the Food Bank. Delegates were asked to bring ten cans of food or ten dollars. Several lodges and a district or two decided to pad the results by pushing to bring much more to the meeting. ere were collection points in the hotel lobby and a trailer was parked outside to di- rect pack larger amounts delivered. In the end, we got about 7,000 pounds of food and nearly $4,000. All to- gether, we collected 32,000 meals for the hungry. Re- member, this is a worthy cause that does not need to be dropped now that Annual Communication is con- cluded. ere are organizations who feed the hungry everywhere, and the cause is deserving. Keep up these drives when you get home. During the morning, North Carolina Mason Editor Luncheon Back apron for a service dog. The grand master enters the hall under Knights Templar arch.

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