At the Officer’s Installation in December, I delivered a few remarks about how I am approaching this year in the East. Since not all of you were able to be there, I thought it prudent to make a similar address today.
The purpose of Freemasonry is often summed up as “making good men better.” Freemasons undertake our work of character formation by drawing upon the symbols and allegorical teachings found in the craft of stonemasonry. We learn lessons in philosophy, spirituality, morality, and more. This makes us “speculative” masons, in that the work we do is not for the purpose of literally building structures, but for the purpose of building ourselves into the kind of men whose lives leave the world and those around them better.
The work of Masons is undertaken within the unit of the local lodge, the definition of which we just heard from the Code, Section 201. Though guided by the same overarching principles, teaching the same lessons, and observing the same ritual, each lodge has its own special characteristics that reflect its unique combination of membership, history, and community context.
Over the 133 years of the Lodge’s existence, Beaverton has grown into one of the most populous cities in the state as well as one of its most diverse cities. For some of that time, Beaverton Masonic Lodge kept pace. As the city grew, so did our membership.
But Masonic membership in the U.S. peaked in the late-1950s and has been in decline ever since, part of a macro trend of membership decline in civic and community organizations across the U.S. And yet, each year we see new faces coming through our doors to inquire about Masonry. Each year we see some of those faces submit petitions. Each year some of those petitioners become initiates.
There is still a draw to Freemasonry. People are seeking connection. They want to be connected to ideas bigger than themselves. They want to be connected to communities that will make them better. They want to have the opportunity to make themselves better. They want to lead a life that makes a difference. They want their life to have meant something to those around them.
Freemasonry offers men a way to do all those things, but so do many other organizations. What makes Freemasonry unique? What makes Beaverton Masonic Lodge special? Why should a man give his time to this group, rather than any of the other options?
These are hard questions to answer.
Without a compelling vision for how Beaverton Masonic Lodge makes good men better, we will continue to struggle to attract and retain good men. We will struggle to make a measurable difference in the lives of our own members. We will struggle to find meaningful ways to be involved in the broader Beaverton community, in whose midst we live and work.
I am inviting you to join me in a season of reflection and renewal. Reflection on why we became Masons, what we hoped to gain from our involvement and what we wanted to give of ourselves to the craft. Renewal of those guiding principles of Masonry that are written on these walls and the unique ways in which this group of men can embody them in this time and this place. The goal is to become the best version of Beaverton Masonic Lodge, given our history, our members, and our community.
To guide us in this season, I will be drawing inspiration from Brother Daniel Hrinko’s book The Craft Driven Lodge. Brother Hrinko is a Mason in the Grand Jurisdiction of Ohio. His book chronicles the practices and processes that he and some of his brothers used to address some of the same questions we face, and find workable answers.
He identifies four key principles core to the Craft Driven Lodge:
- Everyone has a voice
- Everyone sees the vision
- Everyone has a job
- Leaders let the workers work
Over the course of this year, we will be engaging in a series of conversations to discuss the goals and desires of the members of this Lodge. We will reflect on things like why we joined Masonry in the first place, what we’d like to see more of, what things we do that are a poor use of our time, the ways in which we want to be involved in the greater Beaverton community. We will articulate a shared vision for the future of the Lodge. We will create actionable steps to make that vision a reality. We will, each of us, work together to complete those steps.
These Craft-driven conversations will take place here at the Lodge on the second Thursday of each month at 7pm. The first of these will be next week, on Thursday, January 9, and we will explore in more detail the principles of the Craft Driven Lodge. We will discuss some of our preliminary thoughts on what might make Beaverton Masonry better.
As Master of the Lodge, my role is not to create the vision, it’s to help us articulate it. My role is not to determine where we are headed, it’s to have my hand to the tiller, guiding us along the course we chart together. I will perform those duties, guided by three commitments that are important to me as a leader: be just, be kind, and be humble. As the prophet Micah says in the Judeo-Christian scriptures: “The Divine has shown you what is good: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” I charge us to turn their attention to these commitments in 2025 as well:
First, be just. When we speak of justice, what we often bring to mind are ideas and images connected to our legal system. There is a different connotation to justice. To be just means to be fair, to create balance, to act in a manner that is moral and upright.
There are a trio of Masonic images found in our teachings that represent this kind of justice well: they are a sword, a heart, and the Eye of Providence. As Masons the sword and the heart reminds us that in the end, justice prevails. The Eye of Providence reminds us that nothing escapes the gaze of the Divine— the sun, the moon, the stars, and everything that was, is, or shall be are held in Its care.
These symbols call us to live with integrity, knowing that our actions, thoughts, and intentions matter, and that they are never truly hidden. As a gift to my officers, I had a lapel pin created with those three Masonic images. It was designed by a tattoo artist friend, who did most of the tattoos that cover my arms. As we go throughout the upcoming year, it is my hope that it reminds you of our shared call to walk moral and upright before God and before the world. You, too, can have a pin by making a donation of any amount to the Solomon Trust. See Brother Secretary for more.
Second, be kind. One of the first lessons we are taught in Freemasonry is a lesson in Masonic charity. Throughout our degrees and our teachings, this lesson is expounded and expanded upon. One of our fundamental tenets is Brotherly Love. We are taught to be men of compassion, empathy, community, and support. We are taught to be men marked by kindness.
Third, be humble. As Masons we all meet “on the level.” This means that within the bounds of our fraternity, social status or position makes no difference. In our fraternity are politicians, celebrities, men of industry and power who, upon donning the Masonic apron and entering into the Lodge room drop their accolades and titles for the simple moniker, Brother. In the Lodge, we are all equal and we all interact with one another as equals. This is only possible through a deep commitment to humility.
These ideas—justice, kindness, humility—will be the hallmark of my year as presiding officer of the Lodge.
Flowing from these three ideas, there are two commitments I charge us to each make: radical ownership and personal responsibility.
First, radical ownership:
Remember that this is YOUR masonic journey, your brotherhood, your Lodge building. We are all co-owners in Masonry. Like many things in life, what you get out of Masonry is proportional to what you are willing to put into Masonry. Masonry isn’t something that happens TO you; it is something you must actively create. There are no true sideliners, we all are laborers. That means that we show up, and when we show up, we speak up, and when we speak up we help out, and by helping out we take pride in our craft and in our brotherhood and in our Lodge.
Second, personal responsibility:
This follows from radical ownership. Because this Lodge, these brothers, and this journey is yours, then the responsibility to care for them is yours. “Someone” and “Somebody” aren’t members of this Lodge. We can never assign them any work. They can never take any responsibility.
But I am a member. You are a member. Nothing gets done here except what you and I choose to do. From the mundane tasks like dishes, the state of our library room, ensuring the doors to the building are closed and locked when you leave, to the abstract like ritual work, learning and sharing esoteric knowledge, and participating in leadership, you are responsible. I am responsible. We are responsible.
Freemasonry will be what we make of it. It will be a direct reflection of collective commitment and effort that this group of men chooses to make.
I am honored to have been elected by the members of Beaverton Masonic Lodge to serve as the Worshipful Master for its 134th year, and to be the 114th consecutive non-repeating Master of the Lodge. You can see the men who came before me pictured on that wall to my left.
That’s a lot of shoes to fill, but also a lot of shoulders upon which I stand. As we undertake our conversations about the future shape of Freemasonry in Beaverton, it is my hope that the conversations and the outcomes are steeped in the same justice, kindness, and humility that was demonstrated here this evening. If they are, then I have little doubt that we will be putting Beaverton Masonic Lodge on a course that will move it towards its next 134 years.