TO WHAT END

Recently I had the privilege of attending the Order of DeMolay's Executive Officer Conference in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. To my surprise and delight we did not whine, cry or complain about declining membership or our financial wows. Rather, incredibly, we discussed whether we had a legitimate public service purpose and how that affected the vitality of our fraternity. Bingo! I was reminded of those words I regularly heard as a DeMolay: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good work and glorify your Father who is in heaven".

After some thoughtful discussion, we reached the following conclusion - if the Order of DeMolay is going to survive and thrive for another 75 years, we must find a way for our fraternity to make a meaningful contribution to the world we live in; clearly we have been self-absorbed for too long, and what we have done recently is not attracting new members, money or public acclaim. Likewise, I believe if we are going to restore Masonry, we must begin making legitimate, visible and meaningful contributions in our respective communities.

Presently, I believe Masonry has failed to convince the public that we are capable of much beyond building million dollar parade floats or tossing money at our favorite respectable charity. Though well intentioned, I believe the public's perception is that we are elitist, well-heeled and somewhat alienated from the world at large. Our Masonic Forefather's left us a legacy of an extraordinary civil society - so far unmatched in the annals of human history. That society, that temple if your will, is crumbling as surely as our numbers are diminishing. This however begs the question: "Did our Masonic Forefather's wring their hands over membership and money; or were they too busy putting Masonry's ideals to work?"

Needless to say, we are now responsible for the temple our Forefathers built; its complete ruination or its restoration will be our legacy. This restoration will of course not be easy; however, if we are not willing, who will be? Thus mindful, we must find a solid and sincere reason for existing that is truly meaningful in today's world - a unifying purpose beyond self-interest. In this spirit, perhaps a new beginning could include a real, meaningful commitment to our youth and, of course, our Masonic youth groups.

Bradley Almen, Jr. Deacon
Chairman, Lincoln DeMolay