Grand Master’s Message – June 2022

Where Do We Go From Here?

     That’s a good question! My term as your Grand Master is coming to an end.  But Masonry in Wisconsin is moving forward!  In my opinion it is alive and well!

     First and foremost, I would love to see you continue to Spread the Cement of Brotherly Love! This is an important part of our Masonic Brotherhood. Love is the cement that binds us together as Brothers! Love is what makes the world go around. Without love, we would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have faith, hope and all knowledge but don’t have love, I am nothing. Keep love growing in your family, lodge, community and on.

     I also want to thank you for the opportunity of serving the Brethren of this great fraternity.  t is now time for new leadership to move us even more. I wish RWDGM Brother Paul Tourville the very best (if tradition holds).

     We need to continue to work on increasing our membership in our fraternity.  We have some great momentum starting, but now we have to keep it going!How do you do that? First, when you receive a lead from your district membership representative (DMR), take immediate action and give him a call, text and email to make that initial contact with him. Talk to him when he’s interested, not days or weeks later. Make sure that he is a good man and has Masonry in his heart.  Remember that we are looking for GOOD men. Please call his references asking the three important questions. He’s shown an interest NOW! So, talk to him NOW! Get to know him, find out why he wants to be a Mason, find out what he wants out of the fraternity. Find out what he knows about Masonry already. Keep in contact with him until he submits a petition. Continue to keep in contact with him until he is accepted into the fraternity. Assign a mentor, help him learn his parts for the EA, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. The mentor should continue to work with him for a couple years to help him learn new things from the wonderful posting materials.

     With your candidate/new mason, find out what interests him and channel his interests into areas in your lodge but also challenge him to try new things. Don’t push him into a lodge position right away. Give him time to grow and for the lodge Brothers to learn his strengths. These common-sense ideas will help you develop a good Mason in your lodge and it will strengthen your lodge and the Brothers.

     Continuing Education in your lodge and individually is so important for growth on a personal level and growth in membership. We have exceptional posting books that have great questions for discussion that should be used frequently for an educational session after a lodge business meeting. This has opened excellent discussion among the Brothers and all learn from it, including me! Individuals can also review these questions and it may stir up questions to ask at a lodge meeting, with a mentor, or of a fellow Brother. Sometimes your educational program can be something that is not related to Masonry such as, a school board member or a city council person to talk on an issue, or someone to speak on a historical aspect in your community/city.

     Our website (wimasons.org/login/) provides a plethora of education for members. There are two specific areas I’d like to point out: 1-Masonic Education Courses and 2-Resource Library – Documents & Info. Check out the website and see what it has to offer you! What do you want to learn more about? History of Masonry? Lodge planning and programming? Officer responsibilities? The list goes on and on. Set a goal for yourself. Learn just one new thing each month.  These items will help “make good men better”.

     These have been areas that we have stressed throughout this past year. We’ve made steps in the right direction but we need to keep moving forward! It takes each and every Mason to make a commitment to move the needle. What are you doing to make Masonry great!

     I want to thank each and every Brother in this state for what you are doing and will continue to do for Wisconsin Masonry! My travels have brought me in contact with so many of you – some I knew, some I just finally got to meet and know! It has been a great pleasure of mine to spend time with you, break bread with you, and hear your concerns and dreams!

     I wish I had a chance to visit every lodge because it means so much to all of us. I hope you all will start or continue to travel to other lodges and enjoy the gift of brotherly love. I am not going away so maybe in some of my travels I will make it to your lodge. Thanks again for being my Brother and for the kindness you have shown my Grand Marshal, Scott Paulson, and me this year. 

And as always, my Brothers, love you all! 

Gary Stang

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