Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Grand Master in 2013. From the Grand Lodge officers, Grand Lodge office and I, we wish you to have a happy and fruitful year. Going forward, whether our numbers grow or decline, whether in ten years we have 200 lodges or 20 lodges, the future of our organization depends upon the quality of the experience each mason has as a mason. We must commit to improving the masonic experience for all brothers – and that includes ourselves!

Too often we experience dull meetings, unproductive arguments and petty quarrels in our lodges. These are all the effects of boredom - not the cause. The cause is lodges and masons drifting along, without focus or goal.

As a Mason - what can you do? First and foremost, you have to set some goals. Even if you do not take advantage of a single program offered through the Grand Lodge, if you set goals for yourself and your lodge, you have a much greater chance of having a successful year.

Goals need not be complex to be significant, but they should be meaningful enough to help you direct your path through the year.

To this end, I have developed a theme based on the importance of Craft, Community and Commitment in Masonry and built this into my logo and pin design.

Craft

Masonry is a craft: we have to work at it just as the craftsman works at self-improvement. Learn to be a better man and mason. The ongoing effort to become a better man is at the root of our being masons.

Community

Community is what we create between each other. Where community exists, it confers upon its member's identity, a sense of belonging and a measure of security. Community describes not only participation in your town or region (would your town miss you if your lodge were not there?), but also the relations among brothers in the lodge (what are you doing to develop a better community among brothers?). Enjoy a stronger communal bond within your community and among brothers in lodge and you will enjoy a better masonic experience.

Commitment

Being committed to something means sticking with it, even if it is difficult. We seem to live in a society and time that does not value commitment; in this, Masonry's values are opposed to society's values. Becoming a mason requires ongoing commitment to becoming a better man. If you are committed to being better, you will work to make us all have a better masonic experience.

Taken together, Craft, Community, and Commitment may serve us as a guide for setting goals which will improve the masonic experience.

Success for the Grand Lodge can only occur if local lodges and their members are successful. Remember, YOU are the Grand Lodge.