First published in
Freemason, February 2008.
Moving Forwards
Former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson once said, ‘A week is a long time in politics.’ Confucius said, ‘It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.’
The former quote seems to imply that, in politics at least, things occur with great speed, while the latter, perhaps, implies a proper out come takes as long as it takes.
You may ask in what way are these quotes relevant to masoniCare or Freemasonry? Harold Wilson was not known to have been a Freemason and although the American writer, editor and journalist, Ambrose Bierce (1842 – 1914), expounded that Confucius may have been it is unlikely that he was. Bierce certainly was not.
Nevertheless, the Confucian quote is relevant in as much as during the last five years or so that masoniCare has been in operation it has evolved into a charity that is very much worthy of respect. It may have been slow but nobody stopped.
You will have read in the previous issue of
Freemason that the amount of money given to various charitable organisations by masoniCare since it came into being, equates to $170 per head of our Masonic population. This is fact. The motto of masoniCare is, ‘Freemasons in Action’.
Also you will have read in the past that masoniCare’s Vision Statement is, ‘To promote and uphold the masonic principle of charity and heighten public awareness of Freemasonry’s commitment to the community.’
These are bold not hollow words and inculcate a principle we as Freemasons hold dear. Similarly the masoniCare Mission Statement is just as bold:
To develop and deliver a range of charitable activities designed to improve the lives of those in our community, enrich an individual’s experience in Freemasonry and publicly demonstrate ‘Freemasons in Action’.
The burning question, of course, is how does masoniCare propose to progress to greater achievements? The answer is quite simple. It will do so by following an updated Procedures Manual, achievable Strategic and Business Plans and a realistic Operations Guide. The Procedures Manual will issue soon. The Strategic Plan, drawn up by RW Bro David Redfern, PAGM, Deputy Chairman of masoniCare, has been in operation for two years and the Business Plan and Operations Guide, written by MW Bro Ron Johnson, AM, PGM, CMH, Chairman of masoniCare, have been approved in their entirety by the Executive Council.
In order to progress there must be a major vehicle on which to do so. The vehicle is the masoniCare Regional Representatives’ (mRRs) scheme which has now been extended to incorporate masoniCare District Representatives (mDRs). The mRRs are already important members of the Regional Grand Counsellors’ (RGCs) teams just as mDRs will be become so at District level. With appropriate resources, guidance and training each mRR and mDR will become the focal point on all matters relating to charity and benevolence. The mRR Convenor of masoniCare, RW Bro Peter Eden, PAGM, has devised a series of topics that are given as presentations by individual mRRs at quarterly conferences. Thus far these presentations have been of the highest quality. Also, it is gratifying to know that the Grand Master, his Deputy and Assistant take a very keen interest in the scheme and all RGCs are committed to it.
The title of this piece is ‘Moving Forward,’ which is also an agenda item at monthly masoniCare Board meetings. Thus there is a commitment by masoniCare to ensure that Charity and Benevolence never stop and whilst Confucius may have been content to see things moving slowly, masoniCare is picking up the pace.