Lodge Budgets
Do they reflect our Masonic values?
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.
These are what we are supposed to be doing in Lodge. The Masonic formula if you will.
Does our Lodge budget reflect that?
Does it include funds for events and similar things that will help to build the bonds of Brotherhood between the men of our Lodge?
If it does not, is that not proof that the Lodge doesn’t value Brotherly Love?
Does our budget include funds for Masonic Relief?
I don’t mean scholarships for young people unrelated to the Masons of the Lodge. I don’t mean bicycles for children unrelated to the Masons of the Lodge. I don’t mean money sent to a Grand Lodge charitable endeavor.
I very specifically mean, does the Lodge budget include moneys that the Lodge could directly hand to a Mason of the Lodge who has fallen on hard times? Or his widow? Or his children?
If it doesn’t, is that not proof that our Lodge has badly confused institutional charity for Masonic Relief?
Is there money in our Lodge budget for teaching, programing, discussions, and the like?
If there isn’t, doesn’t that prove that our Lodge places no importance on Truth?
I ask these questions, inspired by the recent series of essays by Brother Rob, not to be ornery, or to make anyone feel badly.
But, because I think that in a lot of ways we have forgotten what Freemasonry is. I’m not against whatever a Lodge might decide to spend money on. I’m certainly not against giving money to charity or to community programs.
I do say though, that we can’t forget to fund Freemasonry while we make our financial spending decisions.
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth must be in our Budget, or whatever our Lodge may be doing, it isn’t really doing Freemasonry. Or at the very least, it is missing really vast parts of Freemasonry.
Ultimately we must make financial provision for these things, if we hope to remind ourselves what is important, and if we hope to see our Lodge thrive into the future.
MW Brother Bailey, I had a very similar discussion yesterday with a Brother at the Gala. He mentioned that it was nice to see something being done to the Brethren’s benefit as the selected charity for the year.
I know I also brought up this question in conversation with another Brother regarding medical support for those in challenging circumstances.
I think the points you raise are excellent ones. Though at times it seems they are met with contention. This is the part I don’t quite understand, especially when reviewing our catechism and our obligations. When following our obligations becomes a radical concept, I wonder how we might address it without causing further disharmony.