Good day my brothers.
Let me start by saying how honored I am to be trusted with the responsibility and duties of Worshipful Master for the upcoming term. It has been a truly humbling experience learning from our Past Masters both in degree work and the administrative requirements. There never seems to be an end to the lesson in these regards, I would almost say they’re more plentiful than pomegranate seeds.
Many of you do not know me, which brings some sadness into this message, as I honestly and truly wish to get to know each member of our lodge. We all have a story to tell and I would invite you to share it with our lodge and myself.
My masonic journey to the East started many years ago, long before I knew anything about Masonry or even what a fraternity was. I was a preacher’s kid, and some of the most influential people of my young life were from Back River United Methodist Church. No, this isn’t going down the religion path, this is about being taught how to be a good, honest and morally upright man at every church dinner, community events, work party around the property, veterans day event, Essex day, and so many more moments in life growing up. At this particular church there was a group of older men, most of whom were WWII veterans that seemed to do everything together, but between them they could fix anything, make Santa appear for the joy of all, or cook enough turkey to feed half of Essex. During those days they were always pointed out as the kind of man you should grow up to be. They were always willing to help anyone, they worked hard, both in their vocations and social circles.
Fast forward many years and I decided I wanted to know more about Masonry. I searched for almost two years for a sponsor with little success. Then I had a free day and went to a turkey dinner and ran into Al Classing Sr. who is the grandfather of my best friend from childhood, and one of the crowd of WWII vets that just got things done. I hadn’t seen him in 4 or 5 years, but he had a very distinct ring that I now recognized, and with the simple “Mr. Al I’d really like to know more about that ring” it really started with a laugh and smile. He informed me just how many Masons have been around me, how many thousands of times I have seen that ring and what it meant to him to be a Mason.
My takeaway is this fraternity isn’t just rings, hats, t-shirts or car decals. It’s the well-informed brethren who, in day to day life, meet on the level, act upon the plum and part upon the square. These brethren are some of the best part of our fraternity and we have many. But I would like to ask you to come back to lodge and share your story with the younger Masons, and maybe reconnect with some of your long-lost brothers. At the very least there will be some good food.
Fraternally,
Luke M. Thomas-Azud, Worshipful Master Elect