I want to begin by extending my deepest and most sincere gratitude for your continued dedication and support for our Council. We are in a period of discussion and change, and your steadfast commitment to the principles of Cryptic Masonry is the foundation upon which our future success will be built.
It has often been said that we cannot remain the same and expect a different result. This is a truth in life, and it is a truth in our fraternity. In our Select Master’s degree, we learn a powerful lesson about foresight and preparation. Our ancient Grand Masters did not simply continue their daily labor and hope for the best; they understood that new circumstances would arise. They enacted a significant change—the construction of the Secret Vault—to proactively preserve the invaluable treasures of the Craft for a future they could not yet see.
Like them, we must have the wisdom to see when change is necessary to preserve what we hold dear and to ensure our Council thrives for generations to come.
To this end, our committees have been working diligently, much like the select craftsmen of old, laboring faithfully to prepare valuable proposals for the good of our Council. Their hard work has been brought to light for your consideration. At our next stated meeting, we will have the important duty to vote on several of these proposals.
My fervent prayer as we approach this meeting is that we all reflect on the profound lesson of humility from our Royal Master’s degree. We are reminded that even the most zealous and skilled among us must sometimes subordinate personal desires to the greater plan. As we deliberate and cast our votes, let us each humble ourselves, set aside our own preferences, and earnestly seek what is truly and best for the future of Council #183.
I am confident that if we proceed with open hearts and a singular focus on the good of our Council, we will make the right decisions together.
I look forward to sitting in Council with you all.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
James Arthur Clark
Thrice Illustrious Master
Lubbock Council No. 183