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Finding new paths toward Masonic revival

      Willpower, alternative approaches could ensure the future of lodges


      Beth Grace, Editor, North Carolina Mason magazine



      It’s not easy being a Freemason in North Carolina these    “It’s OK to close if you need to, but make sure you’re
     days.                                                      ‰‘‘† ƒ† ”‡ƒ†› ƒ† Šƒ˜‡ –”‹‡† ƒ ˆ‡™ ƒŽ–‡”ƒ–‹˜‡• Ƥ ”•–Ǥdz
                                                                 For example, try meeting fewer times a year and make
      The chatter is everywhere: membership is down, lodges     –Š‘•‡  ‡‡–‹‰•     ǡ  ƒ  ”‡ƒŽ ‡˜‡–Ǥ   ”›  …Šƒ‰‹‰  ›‘—”
     are merging or closing, brethren are aging out, and new  mission. Be an observant lodge.
     „Ž‘‘† ‹• ‘– ƪ‘™‹‰ ‹ ƒ• ˆƒ•– ƒ• ‹– ‘…‡ †‹†Ǥ
                                                                 One lodge – Royal White Hart #2 in Halifax – changed
      That sounds like bad news. But depending on how you       –Š‡ ’Žƒ›‹‰ Ƥ‡Ž† ™Š‡ ‡„‡”•Š‹’ †™‹†Ž‡† •‘ Ž‘™ ‹–
     crunch the numbers and your view of what will fuel the     threatened the future of the historic lodge located just
     ˆ—–—”‡ ‘ˆ  ƒ•‘”›ǡ –Š‡”‡ ƒ› „‡ ƒ ‡–‹”‡Ž› †‹ơ ‡”‡–      yards away from Joseph Montfort’s burial site.
     interpretation.
                                                                  ”ƒ†  ‡…”‡–ƒ”›   ‘ƒ–Šƒ   †‡”™‘‘† ™ƒ• ƒ‘‰
      First, some numbers. In the last 12 months, 10 lodges     about 20 Masons who joined the lodge last year to
     have merged or surrendered charters (one charter           ensure it would live on. None of the new members live
     ™ƒ• ƒ””‡•–‡†ȌǤ  Šƒ–ǯ• ƒ Ž‘•• ‘ˆ ͛ ’‡”…‡– ‘ˆ Ž‘†‰‡• ‹ ƒ   in Halifax, but all of them care about preserving such a
     ›‡ƒ”Ǥ  —””‡–Ž›ǡ –Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ ͛͞͝ Ž‘†‰‡• ‹  ‘”–Š  ƒ”‘Ž‹ƒǡ   major site in Masonic history.
     ƒŽ–Š‘—‰Š –Šƒ– —„‡” …Šƒ‰‡• ˆ”‡“—‡–Ž›Ǥ  ‘” ‡šƒ’Ž‡ǡ
     two new lodges have sought dispensation or opened in        “Royal White Hart retooled how and when they met,
     that time.                                                 and who its constituents are,” he said. “They are
                                                                reinventing who they are.”
      The number of brethren is dropping, as it has for many
     years. North Carolina logged its highest number of          Some lodges in the course of life run out of steam.
     Ž‘†‰‡• ‹ –Š‡ ͙͚͘͡•Ǥ  Šƒ– —„‡” ”‘•‡ •‹‰‹Ƥ …ƒ–Ž› ƒˆ–‡”   ”‘–Š‡”• ™Š‘ ‘…‡ Ž‘˜‡† –Š‡ Ž‘†‰‡ Ƥ† –Š‡› †‘ǯ– ”‡ƒŽŽ›
     World War I, dropped again during the great Depression     get along as well, or don’t do things they all enjoy. In
     and bumped upward post World War II.                       some cases, MW Thompson said, those lodges are right
                                                                to close.
      The number of lodges in North Carolina has remained
     relatively constant since the 1980s, while the number       “The ultimate goal of any lodge is to be close to one
     of Freemasons last peaked in the 1980s and has never another and enjoy being in each other’s company and
     rebounded. The current membership in North Carolina – doing the things that they do. We don’t talk about lodge
     ƒ”‘—† ͛͜ǡ͘͘͘  ƒ•‘• Ȃ ‹• ‘™ ‡“—ƒŽ –‘ –Š‡ —„‡” ‘ˆ       culture all that often, but maybe we should – sometimes
     memberships recorded in the post WWI era.                  lodge culture just changes over time. Too many lodges
                                                                stick together because they have a charter. But they’re
        ‘–Š‡” ™‘”†•ǡ •ƒ›•  ”ƒ†  ƒ•–‡”  ƒ””›  Ǥ  Š‘’•‘       not friends anymore.”
     Jr., the numbers tell a bigger story.
      Dz ‹•–‘”› –‡ŽŽ• —• –Š‹• ‹• –Š‡ ƒ–—”ƒŽ ‡„„ ƒ† ƪ ‘™ ‘ˆ      Some suggest that capping membership in lodges is
     things,” he said in a recent interview. “And I think, with  •‘‡–Š‹‰ –‘ …‘•‹†‡”Ǥ  ‘” ‡šƒ’Ž‡ǡ –Š‡  ‹–‡†  ”ƒ†
     •‘‡ ‡ơ‘”– ƒ† …ƒ”‡ǡ Š‹•–‘”› –‡ŽŽ• —• ™‡ǯ”‡ ‰‘‹‰ –‘ „‡     ‘†‰‡ ‘ˆ  ‰Žƒ† Š‹– ͙͘ǡ͘͘͘ Ž‘†‰‡• ƒ• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‡† ‘ˆ
     Œ—•– Ƥ ‡Ǥdz                                                2021. The culture there is to limit lodge numbers to a
      Dz Šƒ– ™‡ †‘ ƒ† ‘ơ‡” ƒ•  ƒ•‘• ‹• ƒ ˜ƒŽ—‡ –Šƒ– ‹• ‡˜‡”   size that supports close friendships and fellowship.
     going anywhere but forward,” he said.
                                                                 Newer observant lodges are capping membership at
      That said, it’s a sad day when a lodge closes or merges. 50, as a way to make lodge meetings more collegial and
     Inevitably, some brothers won’t attend the new lodge       transformative.
     ƒ† ƒ”‡ ‘– Ž‹‡Ž› –‘ Œ‘‹ ƒ †‹ơ‡”‡– Ž‘†‰‡Ǥ  Š‡› „‡…‘‡
     lost to the Masonry they once loved.                        Entering such a lodge, MW Thompson says, “you
                                                                …Šƒ‰‡ –Š‡ ™ƒ› ›‘— ƒ…–Ǥ  ‹‡ ›‘— ™‘—Ž† ‹ ƒ —•‡— ‘”
      “It’s a hard thing,” MW Thompson said. “Some lodges       ƒ …‘—”–Š‘—•‡Ǥ  ‘—ǯ”‡ ‡–‡”‹‰ ƒ ’Žƒ…‡ ‘ˆ ”‡ƪ ‡…–‹‘Ǥdz
     just get to the point where membership is down, or
     brothers are simply not coming to lodge, and they don’t     A lodge shouldn’t be a social club or just another man
     know what to do next. They may not know that it’s OK to    cave, they say.
     †‘ •‘‡–Š‹‰ …‘’Ž‡–‡Ž› †‹ơ ‡”‡–Ǥ
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