“Our Best Is The Least We Owe Each Other”
Steven D. Hames
Grand Master
Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina |
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GRAND MASTER’S MESSAGE rothers, I hope that all is well with each of you. I am pleased to report to you that your Grand Lodge is moving in the right direction and that I could not be prouder to be a Mason in South Carolina! I have received several emails from Worshipful Masters letting me know of the outstanding work that their Lodges are doing. The reports are that Community Services are being performed with a great number of Brothers participating and that those Brothers are looking to do more. We are having many degrees that have been well attended, and the fellowship was wonderful. Brothers, with all the positive activities going on in our Grand Jurisdiction, we should all stop and reflect on the Brothers that are not including themselves in those activities. We should consider reaching out to any Brother that is in arears in his dues this year and communicate with him to find a solution to getting him current with his dues. We must not allow these Brothers to drop from the rolls of Free Masonry without speaking with them in a Brotherly matter and helping if needed. We have successfully completed this year’s District Instructional Meetings and these were well attended, but as always, we could do better with attendance. The instructions provided were presented in a very professional matter and well received. Opportunities were given for questions, and it was very interesting and engaging to be able to have the chance to field those questions and answers. Thank you for not trying to stump the Grand Master! The Worshipful Masters Workshop was held Feb. 3 at the Scottish Rite Center in Columbia, SC and I would like to say thank you again to the Brothers of the Columbia Valley and our Deputy to the Supreme Council for South Carolina, Illustrious Brother, Michael Broom, for allowing us to use the building. We had 357 total in attendance and a great number of Worshipful Masters totaling 205 of 265. I hope each Master was able to return to his Lodge with something that would help him in his duties as Master to better serve the Craft in his leadership role. Always, Worshipful Sirs, if at any time your Grand Lodge Officers can assist you, please let us know and we will do our best to assist. I look forward to seeing each of you at the upcoming events that are posted on the Grand Lodge Website Calendar. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Annual Communication of your Grand Lodge to be held in North Charleston on April 25th and 26th, 2024. Brothers, it has been a great honor to serve you as Grand Master this year. Time flies when you enjoy what you are doing. I would like to say thank you for your support and warm welcome everywhere that I have been. Brothers, keep up the great job each of you are doing and continue to be the Masons we should be working to be, a better man each day. “Our Best Is The Least We Owe Each Other” Steven D. Hames Grand Master
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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we all have a great 2024. Brothers, as we move into the new year, I hope we can say we did our best to be better men in 2023 and we will do more to be even better men in 2024. Congratulations to each of the new Lodge Officers. Thank you for your service and as we move into the roles of leadership, may we be found worthy in our duties. We should not take lightly the duties that we have obligated ourselves under. We all promised that we would fulfill all the duties appertaining to the office to the best of our ability. If there is anything we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our Instructional Meetings will start in January, and I hope to see you at these meetings. These meetings will be the best place to get the information needed to help you with the station or place you are serving in. There will be a Q&A section in the meetings, so please write your questions down so that you do not forget them and if you desire, give the list to your MEC or DDGM where he will read those out and have the answer ready. We also have the Masters Workshop on Feb 3, 2024 at the Scottish Rite Center in Columbia, SC starting at 8am. We should finish up around 12 noon. The Grand Masters Perpetual Life Membership Raffle has been completed. The Lodge that was the lucky Lodge to be drawn out was Taylors Lodge 345 and the Brother who was drawn was Brother Richard Kirby from Benton Lodge 26 in Timmonsville, SC. Thank you for supporting the First Annual Perpetual Life Raffle. We are working on the next raffle to be bigger and better so stay tuned in for coming information on details. Lady Toni and I were honored to represent our Grand Lodge, December 16, 2023 at the 87th Annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas (South Carolina won the game 24 to 0). Congratulations to all the young men that represented their state in the game. “Our Best Is The Least We Owe Each Other” Steven D. Hames Grand Master My Brothers, First, I would like to thank you for electing and installing me as your Grand Master for the ensuing year. Never in a million years would I have believed that I would be serving you the Craft of South Carolina as Grand Master once again. As all of you know, this has been a most difficult two years… with the lack of communication from the Grand East the first nine (9) months after the installation of our Past Grand Master and then the Pandemic comes along causing all Lodges to close by order of the Governor. I believe that during this period of time, the Craft has lost faith and trust in our Grand Lodge. My Brothers, that is now in the past. I know it will be hard to forget all that happened during those two years, but in order for us to go forward, let’s just say “This is day one in a new era; we will be “OK.” I pledge to you there will be open communication from the Grand Master’s Office. I will meet you on the level and listen to you. We may not agree on everything, but we will agree to disagree at the end. I remember just as all of you something we hear every time we meet. “Harmony is the chief strength and support of all regular institutions, but more especially this of ours.” Brothers, without harmony in our Lodges and Grand Lodge, nothing is going to change. I feel that you, the Craft, have lost trust in your Grand Lodge and the Elected Line. We want to earn that trust back. As Most Worshipful Jack Marler, PGM has said over and over in the past, it is important to be a TEAM. Your new TEAM is going to work extremely hard to earn your trust back, therefore we need to know what you need from us. Call, text, email or just catch us as we travel around. TRUST! You will hear that word often over the next year. You may be wondering about my Grand Master’s Pins. I could not order them until after the election at Grand Lodge. They should be delivered during the middle of June. I will make sure that your District Deputy Grand Master gets them as soon as they arrive. The message on the pin reads, “Working Together – Making A Difference.” My Brothers, I am asking you to work with us as we work to make the future of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, AFM better not only for ourselves, but for all of those that will be coming after us. Fraternally, Ronald C. Mitchum Grand Master Grand Master Announcement about Coronavirus COVID-19
March 14, 2020 To our Brethren in South Carolina, This “NOTICE” is in response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 in our Grand Jurisdiction. Until further notice, our Grand Lodge Communication scheduled for April 23rd and 24th 2020 in Myrtle Beach HAS NOT BEEN CANCELLED. Please stay tuned to the Grand Lodge System (Grandview ) Postings, Emails and the Grand Lodge Web-Site for future updates. Please do not cancel any room reservations at this time. You will have plenty of notice if the Annual Communication has to be rescheduled and the Grand Lodge Office will assist in cancelations at that time. Our Grand Lodge Officers and Committees are looking for future alternatives for our annual communication if such issue should need to be addressed. We are recommending that you follow all guidelines and mandates issued by the President, Governor of South Carolina, CDC –Atlanta, South Carolina Emergency Management Division, and Local Governments in your particular area. All Brethren that are considered at-risk, elderly, or are currently ill should refrain from Masonic gatherings. Until Federal, State, and Local mandates are issued, we recommend the act of “social distancing”, limited contact, proper hand washing, and refraining from shaking hands. As of this date, any Subordinate Lodge unable to open will not be penalized until established government mandates in your area are discontinued, if your area has been affected. Please report this to our Grand Secretary for recordkeeping purposes. Please stay in touch with local elderly Brethren, any Brother living alone, or any Brother with chronic health issues. I have included health links below for information. We are taught the lessons of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Now is the time and Here is the place for our world to know “Who We Are.” Lady Laura and I are praying for the health and safety of each of you, our state, and our country. May God continue to Bless our Craft, the state of South Carolina, and the United States of America. Respectfully, Walter C. Disher II – Grand Master SCDHEC Information https://scdhec.gov/health/infectious-diseases/viruses/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19 CDC Information https://www.cdc.gov/ South Carolina Emergency Management Division https://www.scemd.org/ Happy Holidays from Laura and I to our Masonic families, wherever dispersed. We wish everyone a season filled with peace, love, and harmony. Enjoy this time of year with your family, recharging those batteries for the upcoming year. To all those elected and appointed in our subordinate Lodges, we extend congratulations and look forward to working with you in the ensuing year. To the many in the “Masonic Family” that are practicing the true teachings of Masonry, we thank you for what you do. You are a beacon of light and inspiration to us during our travels. The outpouring of your friendship and hospitality are never forgotten. A true builder has the ability to proficiently construct. My topic, “The Most Important Part of a House” is a topic of much needed discussion in our times. It may seem like a simple part of the overall construction process, but your foundation is the most important part of your entire project. The biggest reason for this is any mistakes made in the foundation will only get worse as you go up. It’s referred to as “compounding defects,” and it means that mistakes grow. An example: You notice that your slab foundation is 3/4” out of square when you start framing. It’s also 1/2” out of level across the total building. You figure, “well, I can handle that. I’ll just adjust it in the framing.” As you complete the framing, you get up to the roof (if only one story) and notice that the building is now 1” out of square and 3/4” out of level. Well, you figure you can capture it in the roof framing. By the time your metal roofing arrives, the square panels don’t fit on your “out of square” roof and you have “to make it work.” In the end, everyone can see that the roof is out of square, and the simple mistakes in your foundation have ruined the look of the house. Not only has it ruined the look, any future repairs being made will then require custom individual cuts, which require a huge amount of extra work for the Craftsman. This in turn will be very costly to the owner. Remember, it was a “simple” mistake, and it just got worse and worse as he went up in the construction process. You have circumvented the building standard, and everything must be adjusted to compensate. Here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it! A True Builder requires a house be plumb, square, and level with a firm and adequate foundation. Anything less will prove that structure to be inferior. Likewise, on the speculative side, it is considered treasonous to the Craft. If a candidate is allowed to move up before he is truly ready, it is a Masonic Offense. By promoting an unworthy or uneducated candidate, you not only cheat and wrong the candidate, but your Lodge of its future, every other Ancient Craft Lodge, and every Appendant Masonic Organization. These organizations rely on our individual Lodges to vouch for good men with good work, true work, and square work to build those organizations. An Ancient Craft Lodge assumes a huge responsibility not only for the future of Freemasonry, but the future for all other affiliated organizations. This means our candidates MUST be investigated properly. This means our three grades of workmen should be proficient in the work before being allowed to move up to the next degree. If candidates are proficient in the work, they are ready to fill the chairs in the Lodge when the time comes. They will not be overwhelmed with learning so much information and performing their duties. They will have a “firm foundation.” When they have finished the Ancient Craft chairs, they will be ready for future leadership in other appendant bodies because they have learned proper protocol in our Ancient Craft Lodges. Again, here’s another reason that your foundation deserves the highest focus and attention to detail: your entire house sits on top of it! For our appendant bodies to be successful, we MUST support our local Ancient Craft Lodges. We MUST support our Grand Lodge and Grand Master. Not just in words, but in actions and deeds. As long as Masonic Affiliation is a prerequisite for that membership, our appendant organizations RELY SOLELY on the Ancient Craft for membership. Until things are different, our Ancient Craft Lodges are the ONLY training ground for the future leadership in our appendant organizations. If the Ancient Craft Lodge is the “Foundation of Masonry,” the walls and roof cannot outgrow the foundation without it being detrimental to the entire structure. My Grandfather use to say; “It’s not always what you say, but it is always what you do that makes the difference.” As Ancient Craft Lodge members, officers, and leaders of the Craft, let us not forget the importance of “The Foundation.” Serve, Protect, and Support your Blue Lodge! Our future depends on it! May the Grand Architect of the Universe be with you and keep you safe until we meet again. Respectfully, Walter C. Disher II Grand Master GRAND MASTERS MESSAGE Whether your Lodge is dark or not, Laura and I hope that you are enjoying the summer with friends and family, going on vacation, grilling, gardening, camping, or just soaking up some sun and making Vitamin D. Have you ever taken something apart and been unable to get it back together? Have you ever taken a break and come back to what you were working on and have everything fall right into place? When you do this, you are using the other hemisphere of your brain, which gives a short break to the hemisphere that was previously working. Many great minds in the arts and sciences throughout history have used this as a way of expanding the efficiency of their brain. Genesis 2:2 of our Great Light explains that on the seventh day, God rested from his work. Most successful people choose to take time to make memories with their friends and family. They avoid burn out and afterwards come back to work and Lodge feeling rested and refreshed, ready for fellowship and degree work. It is not about how fast you are running around, but how many things you have completed accurately. As you read this article, I have visited Grand Lodges in Florida, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana. Our Grand Lodge Officers have completed the first phase of training for the District Deputy Grand Masters and the Appointed Subordinate Grand Lodge Officers and Committeemen. This will hopefully make us more efficient from a Grand Lodge standpoint for our Lodges. South Carolina will be hosting the Southeastern Masonic Conference in August in Charleston, followed by the District Inspirational Meetings in the fall and District Instructional Meetings in January. We ask that you consider some topics of interest that you feel should be covered at future training sessions. You can voice and share this through the surveys taken at the District Instructional Meetings. Your attendance at each of these events is crucial for the future success of your Lodge and District. I am asking the Worshipful Master of each Lodge to compile a list of charities or community projects that have been completed in 2019 by the end of the calendar year, listing time and money donated. I personally feel that this is a great selling and informational tool that our Lodges have to influence the community in a positive light concerning our Fraternity. Your compiled list will help us with the assessment of our worth and community commitment and impact at the local level in our state. It can be as simple as Lodge X donated $300.00 to the X homeless shelter. Please take time to collect this information and share a copy of it with your District Deputy. We have information that will be coming out in the following months about our Grand Lodge Building and Library and Museum Fund. If you haven’t been to our Grand Lodge to see the historic Masonic artifacts in our museum, please take the time to do so in the near future. If you give our Grand Secretary advanced notice, he can schedule time to give a personal or group tour of our building. I want to mention something that is of great concern to me in our Fraternity today. On the evening that I took my first degree, a Past Master that I knew congratulated me on taking my first step in Freemasonry. He reminded me of the questions that we are asked and the answers I gave before being initiated (Re: 2015 Ahiman Rezon, page 60). First, I came here because I wanted to be here, it was my choice. Second, I was here because I was impressed with the positive things that Freemasonry had done for mankind, AND I desired knowledge. Third, I would CHEERFULLY CONFORM to all the ancient usages and established customs. He reminded me that our Lodge is a HAVEN from the world of chaos. We are NEVER to bring divisive countenance, religious intolerance, or political correctness into our walls. As your Grand Master, I encourage you to take the lesson that Worshipful Brother Bill Swicegood gave me that evening and let it resonate with you. Often times, a majority of my time and that of Grand Officers and Worshipful Masters is spent on issues that stem from people that only want their way no matter the cost to their Lodge, District or our State. They refuse to CHEERFULLY CONFORM to our rules. This robs our Fraternity of harmony, causes dissention, membership loss, and is mentally draining to productive members. Question yourself; Do I still: Want Masonry to be viewed in a positive light Desire knowledge Agree to cheerfully conform to our order Remember that most of us joined this group because we realized that we are not average. We do not like doing the bare minimum, like the rest of the outside world. You are special Brethren, so be special! Finally Brethren, thank you for what you do on a daily basis to make your community, state, and nation be the best that it can be. May our Grand Architect bless and keep you until we meet again. Respectfully and Fraternally, Walter “Cal” Disher II Grand Master |
Grand Master
Messages from our Grand Master Archives
March 2024
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