WE BUILD PASSION!
Driving back home from our quarterly full leadership team meeting in Green Bay, I couldn’t help but reflect on all the effort and passionate commitment from our team so far this Masonic year. Success is a team effort, and we’ve got a lot to be proud of in Wisconsin. The passion and commitment of our Masonic family is something I’d like to take a moment to recognize. Let’s start with the selfless act of brotherly love by Grand Orator, Jan Talaga. Br. Blaine’s transplant story has touched our hearts and hearing Br. Talaga tell it with his unique flare & humor made for a great start to our quarterly team meeting. Certainly, a great example of Freemasons living the values taught in our craft.
Brothers and ladies from all over district 4 joined our leadership team in our next round of community service projects. Nothing seems to bring a team together like shared service! It was so great to see all the smiles, laughs and passionate effort working toward a common goal and providing a positive impact. We brought about 80 volunteers to three different non-profit organizations around Green Bay. Our volunteers at The Community Giving Tree were able to show off their organizational skills and proved that many hands make light work. Our team also went above and beyond at the N.E.W Zoo and have the scrapes and bruises to prove it! Spending the morning clearing trees and making some nice mountains of brush & debris led to a spike in Advil sales the next day. Our leadership team ladies working at Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay deserve a special shout out. Due to the unexpected volume of families seeking need, they committed to skip lunch and stay all day to provide services until all families (over 300!) were served. I’m most excited to hear that area lodges will be adopting service outreach projects going forward. We can’t wait to see what unfolds the next outreach day in Eau Claire on April 26th.
As we got down to business, our team heard project team updates stemming from our strategic planning process. I’d like to highlight a few initiatives which will be released in the very near future. Some of these efforts will modernize processes, save time & costs, and improve overall efficiency. Others will offer opportunities to spread the cement of brotherly love through travel.
- Electronic Dues Cards – new electronic dues cards are already live in the Groupable Connect app. Download the app, register using your member ID # and you’ll have your card ready for the Tiler’s inspection.
- Statewide Traveling Passport – I’d like to provide credit where due on the idea and the framework for this program. Brother Bryan Morearty was raised in West Allis #291 about 1 year ago (Happy Masonic Anniversary Br. Bryan!) He quickly recognized the importance of Masonic travel. Our leadership team agreed and went to work establishing this new program. Watch the journal for more information on how to participate.
- Electronic Petition – our petition process was reviewed and streamlined as we plan to roll out a new electronic petition & background checks. This effort will save time, improve record accuracy, and mitigate risks. We’ll be asking a few lodges to participate in additional testing leading up to a full launch at our Secretaries’ Conference on April 5th.
You’ll also see more membership videos, service & assistance programs, and education offerings in the coming months. Follow the WI Freemasonry Facebook page for updates.
Our success here in Wisconsin has deservingly caught attention on the national stage as Wisconsin Freemasonry continues to be a leader for jurisdictions across North America. Our team will host the Midwest Conference of Grand Masters and has been asked to feature our FST Program at the North American Conference in mid-February. I want to thank each and every member, lodge, and family for sharing their time & passion to build the greatest fraternity the world has ever seen!
