Ill. Ralph C. Shelton II, 33°
Brethren –
I hope that you are as excited as your leadership about the advancements of our Valley. Over the past year, we have initiated more than three times as many members as we had in the three preceding years combined, which alone is quite a step. We recently amended our bylaws to move our meeting day to the Second Monday of the Month and the location to Orange Masonic Center, 71 Plaza Square in Orange, another important step. We have brought back the Ladies/partners activities at our meetings, which we feel is critical to our continued growth. Next we will begin reaching out to the 13 Orange County lodges to keep them regularly informed about the Valley, and we plan to host a dinner welcoming all the newly raised Master Masons in the area. We will also be actively participating in the All Orient Reunion coming up, where all 29 degrees will be presented. Hon. James McCallion and Hon. James Olivier will be presenting for our Valley, and I will be joining them to represent Orange County.
I encourage you to bring your partner to our meetings. We have Erin McKinley and my wife Jackie Shelton there to welcome the partners, and their activities are whatever will drive engagement. They have had group crafting events several times, and at the April 8 meeting will add a “Bring Your Own Beverage”. To date, everyone who has joined in these events has had positive reactions. As more partners join, every one of them will have a very real voice in what the partners will do while the members meet. One good example is the partner who passed on attending because she watches Monday Night Football. Once we learned of that, I purchased a big screen and we are planning to have MNF viewing once the season comes around again. We really do listen!
I look forward to seeing you all at our new meeting place on April 8.
