The 277th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina will be held April 24th and 25th, 2014, in the Florence Civic Center, 3300 West Radio Drive, Florence, SC 29501.

The Religious Service will commence at 9:00 AM, conducted by The Reverend Jerry L. Phillips, Grand Chaplain.

The Grand Lodge will be officially opened at 10:00 am by the Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother David J. DeChant, Sr. assisted by the other Grand Lodge Officers and Brethren.

The Annual Banquet will be held Thursday night, April 24, at 7:00 pm at the Florence Civic Center.

The Hilton Garden Inn, 2671 Hospitality Blvd., Florence, SC 29501 will be the headquarters hotel.
Those desiring rooms there should get their reservations in early as rooms will be assigned on a first come-first serve basis. Each person, including Grand Lodge Officers, will be responsible for making his own reservations.

Rates at the hotel are $94.00 plus tax. Identify yourself as attending the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons to get this special rate. It is not likely that every­one will be able to stay at the hotel as there are a limited number of rooms. It is desirable, if at all possible, that all Grand Lodge Officers, including Past Grand Masters, District Deputy Grand Masters and Committee Members, stay at the headquarters hotel. The telephone number of the hotel is 843-432-3001.

Listed below are other nearby motels for your convenience.

Hampton Inn Suites
3000 West Radio Drive
Florence, SC 29501
Phone 843-629-9900

Red Roof Inn
2690 David McCloud Blvd
Florence, SC 29501
Phone 843-678-9000

Spring Hill Suites
2670 Hospitality Blvd
Florence, SC 29501
Phone 843-317-9050

Residence Inn
555 Bingo Blvd
Florence, SC 29501
Phone 843-468-2800

Special Grand Lodge Communication:  Feb 22, 2014

To dedicate a Past Grand Master Grave Marker at the grave of Most Worshipful Brother Jesse Clyde Branham.
Lunch at Fellowship Lodge No. 400 AFM at 11:30 AM

Grand Lodge, Fellowship 400 AFM, and Mariner 2 AFM will open at 12:30 PM.

After opening, the craft and visitors will proceed to Live Oak Cemetery in Charleston for the dedication ceremony at 2:00 PM.
The ceremony is open to the public.

Fellowship Lodge No. 400 AFM is located at:
1085 E Montague Ave, North Charleston, SC

MWB David J DeChant
Grand Master

Brethren;
By now every Lodge has had their first meeting; I hope everything is going well. I know that the newly installed Masters and their officers are excited and want to do a good job. It is my suggestion to be yourself and try to do that which is right for your Lodge and the Fraternity. You cannot satisfy the needs or wants of every member. When you make a decision ensure you think it through and weigh the pro's and con's of that decision, pray about it and then stand by that decision.

This past month (January) has been a very busy month for your Lodges and your Grand Lodge Officers. I hope that our attendance at your Instructional Meetings was helpful for you and your members. Brethren, as I went to these Instructionals, I was impressed at how encouraged the Brethren were with their new positions in their Lodges, also the number of young men who are taking leadership roles in their Lodges. Brethren, as I and your Grand Lodge Officers travel throughout our Grand Jurisdiction we see many Lodges doing a lot of degree work and it is being done in a very proficient manner, the pride in our Lodges continues to impress me, your dedication to ensure that our ritual does not change is how and why our Fraternity in this State has continued to be the example for other Grand Lodges to emulate.

Brethren, I have had many requests to start a Lodge web page for the Lodges. The procedure for establishing that web page is when you get it the way you want it for your Lodge, you need to submit it to the Grand Lodge Web Master, and then when he reviews it and makes any suggestions, the Lodge has to send a letter to the Grand Lodge for approval.

Brethren, in the past I have talked about rumors and what it can do to the Lodge and this great Fraternity. Unfortunately, we are still having these challenges throughout not only in the Blue Lodges but in our appendant bodies, as it has been said throughout history this is a cancer and can destroy any and all friendships and more especially our Great Fraternity. The only way we can overcome this challenge is to educate and communicate with each other and if we have a concern with a Brother then we need to go to that Brother and talk to him face to face without involving those who are not familiar with that situation.

Brethren, our Fraternity has not lasted for so many centuries without friendship, morality and Brotherly love. This is the Greatest and oldest Fraternity in the world. We set ourselves apart from others not because we think that we are better than others, but because we set our standard a little bit higher so we can be the leaders of our community and of our state. When we are seen by others, they will know that it is our purpose as a Fraternity to be good and true men with the love of our fellowman and to be faithful to our God.

Brethren, if there is anything I or your Grand Lodge can do for you or your Lodge, please call on us; we are here to help in any way we can. May God Bless and keep you until we meet again.

Fraternally,
David J. DeChant Sr.
Grand Master

"A Gift To Your Lodge"

In 1970, Willard Faroe Bond, Jr. published a book entitled "The First Hundred Years." It was a history of Aiken Lodge No. 156, Ancient Free Masons of which he was currently serving as Senior Deacon. During his information search, I had the privilege to ask him about his task which I think resulted in a gift of an autographed copy of his book from him and Aiken Lodge. As noted in the introduction, Brother Bond admitted that it was no easy task and lamented that the first four minute books of Aiken Lodge had not been seen in the last thirty-five years.

The book has other special meanings to me as I remember the encouragement the members of that Lodge gave me as I became more involved in the various branches of Masonry. That encourage­ment has increased over the years and I still cherish the friendships and encouragement that comes my way from Aiken Lodge.

I intended this article to be about writing a Lodge history and the importance of such an endeavor. As usual, I went to my "library" in search of information. To my surprise, I found a Short Talk Bulletin written by our own Past Grand Master WC. Wylie, Jr. entitled "The Lodge Historian", (Vol.73, Nov. 1995, No II). This STB was originally published as a paper in the 1994 Transactions of the South Carolina Research Society. The MSA thought it was a good article and printed it as a Short Talk Bulletin. It is an excellent guide for a Lodge Historian.

How would you like to give your Lodge a gift that would last for ages? I know there are many Brothers that have the patience, deter­mination, enthusiasm and curiosity to undertake such a task. One of the statements Brother Bond made in his introduction "The first four minute books of Aiken Lodge have not been seen in thirty-five years," causes me to reflect on where my own Lodge's minute books are located. Do you know where your Lodge's minute books are and their condition?

The sources of information to one writing a Lodge history are almost limitless. Old minute books are the natural starting place for a Lodge Historian. They give a factual record of not only who received what degrees and when, but show a record of visitors, why they were there and what they said. There are many other events which will be recorded in the minutes that will make a good record and an enjoy­able read. If minute books are lost, one can rely only on the Grand Lodge figures and facts reported in the Annual Report.

In addition to the minute books, there are many other sources of information for the Historian. The visitor's register, old newspaper clippings, Grand Lodge Proceedings, the older members in our Lodges and the list is endless. But, let us return to the earlier question of the location and condition of our old minute books.

Even if you say doing a history of my Lodge is above my pay grade, there is one thing you can do; That is, to locate all your old minute books and list them in order of dates used and make a report to the Lodge of what you have done and the condition of the books. Then, make arrangements for them to be stored in a safe and secure place such as a fireproof safe and have this information stated in the current minutes. At this point, a challenge to write your Lodge's history may seem a little less intimidating. Think about it. A history of your Lodge would be a great gift for years to come.

Fraternally Submitted,

William R. Logan
Senior Grand Warden
Chairman Masonic Education Committee