As my last message I want to convey a call to action; but first, a little background. I have been thinking and acting a lot in the last five years about ways to build up the membership of our lodge. It has been an enjoyable, but largely fruitless endeavor. It is frustrating because I think we offer a lot of the values that are missing and needed by the men in our country. Why are men not interested in joining groups that encourage and support the values that made our country so great? I know these men exist. Why is there so little interest among them to belong to Freemasonry? How can we change that?
Because I am so often thinking about how to get men interested in Masonry, I can’t help but wonder about what changes in our society made our group obsolete? Recently I was reacquainted with a national address that was given to our country in 1979:
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.*
At Union #7 do we provide meaning? Do we support hard work, family, community? These are universal themes that we strengthen and support at Union Lodge #7.
How can we, as Masons, create change? Can we remember in our hearts the meetings with like-minded men and remind ourselves through ritual of the important goals of our lives? Can we talk it up with our neighbors, with the men we meet at work, at church, on the boards we serve, among our community? Can we can inquire, especially with the younger men in our lives how satisfied they are with their endeavors? We offer what is missing in these lives, and only the few know about it. We have been trying to create a fun lodge, a lodge where men look forward to each meeting. In the last year at Union #7 we have provided wonderful events to celebrate Masonry. These events have been great successes for those who participated, but they have been underattended. If we can continue the momentum, we will be there when worthy men arrive.
It was my honor and pleasure to serve Union Lodge #7 in the last year. I wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Mark Costello, Worshipful Master
*Jimmy Carter, 1979 “Malaise Speech”, that many historians think cost him the 1980 election.