Are there any Masons in the group, or does anyone know anything about the Lodges in the area? A friend of mine is interested in learning more and possibly joining, thru a family connection. Thnx!
there is one located on rt.50 going towards garner, i dont know anything about them i just know I have seen it in passing.
Try the link below to find one or call one of them: http://www.local.com/results.aspx?k...&gid=US_-_NC&gclid=CKP4y-KchZECFQlxOAod01BNFg Looks like the second person Posting might be a Mason. Most males in our family are/were Masons and most women in our family are/were Eastern Star (not me). I have both of my grandfather's Masonic Bibles. Grace
There is a lodge on Hwy 50 in Garner, in Benson, and on 1010 Road about 2 miles off of 50 hwy (before you get to Garner). Those are the three local ones I know about.
As you can tell from my avatar, I am a Mason. I have been for 20 years. There is a lodge in Clayton up behind the Burger King. Granite Lodge 191. They meet the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays. It is not my lodge but I know a couple members.
I had not even really payed closed attention to your Avatar until now and, yes, I see it. I remember my mother telling me that when she was very young she and her family went to visit relatives, on a hot day. Back then they dressed up so my grandfather had a shirt and tie on and all of the women/girls had on dresses and the car windows were crank. While driving along a country road, in Alabama, they got a flat tire. My grandfather usually kept everything needed for emergencies in the trunk but for some reason he did not have everything this time. He stood outside the car and positioned himself in a certain manner, my mother was never told exactly what he was doing, and sure enough the second car that passed by stopped. The driver in the car was a Mason and understood the signal my grandfather was giving him and Masons always help all but especially Masons. Pretty cool. One more story...when I moved from Alabama to attend SF State Univ. in San Francisco my family was concerned about me moving across country with no support family or friends. My grandfather called a Masonic Lodge in San Francisco and they checked on me for some time. I never felt alone. They kept him updated for many years. Needless to say, after a while I dodged them as I wanted to become my own person and in San Francisco during those years it was the BEST (still is in my opinion but different than then), except for our wonderful county. Grace
If your friend has a family connection, they should be able to tell your friend everything they need to know in order to inquire about joining. If you didn't understand cvfd's answer, it was "to be one, ask one". which means a potential member has to figuratively "Knock upon the door" of the fraternity, in other words, to seek membership one should ask one who is a member. No one is ever asked (or not supposed to be asked) to be a Mason. It is something a man should learn what he can about, inquire of other Masons of their experience, and if it is truly something he desires, should take the appropriate steps. Unlike other memberships, you don't just "join" the Masons. There is a process which can be trying, and thus, should not be entered into lightly. Masonry, very simply put, is about making good men better. If he is a good man to begin with, the Masonic degrees will only enhance his character and his standing among men.
Thank you, I really appreciate the answers! He has some contacts in other parts of the country, but none here in NC yet .. so I figured I'd start getting some feelers out for where the lodges are so he can start finding people locally to talk to, learn from.
One thing that I did not mention... In order to apply for membership, one must "petition" the lodge. He can obtain a petition from any Master Mason in NC, but the petition must be made to the lodge closest to his residence. You mentioned he had not made any "contacts" here. Depending on how much he gets out, and where, I'll bet he probably knows several Masons. We can be found in all walks of life, from the CEOs of our nation's (and international) companies, to the man who sweeps the floors of their offices. Master Masons have, on regular occasions, resided in the White House (first and foremost, the father of our country, George Washington), You could just as easily find one living in the house next door to you. Masonry does not regard a man for his material worth, but rather looks at a man for who he is morally and ethically. He may not think he knows any Masons, because they don't all wear rings or belt buckles or have bumper stickers on their vehicles. Most Masons do not go around "shouting out" our masonry, but rather go about our lives with little fanfare, supporting our charities and dealing with others as we would ourselves like to be dealt with, in other words, living our Masonic teachings rather than espousing them. There is a common misconception of the Masons as being a "secret society", which we are not, but rather a "society with secrets". Many Masons do not know how to respond to an inquiry, afraid to divulge some of our "secrets." However, there is so much more to tell about the Fraternity than that which we cannot , and if your friend were to ask a Mason about our Fraternity, I would hope he would receive as much information as to form a favorable impression and leave him wanting more. The more he knows before he asks, the better for him and for Masonry .
Way back when there was a Lodge here at Cleveland. My GGFather was a Mason here. The lodge was at the corner of McLemore, Raleigh & Polenta Roads. The building is long gone. It was also used as a school a school.
I second everything dgsatman has said. My dad and grand-dad were Masons. My association with Freemasonry is one of the most important and meaningful things in my life. The men I have met(thus far) have been decent, honorable men, Men I am proud to call Brother and to be thought of as a Brother by them.
Is there an age limit? My Grampa is a Freemason, I think DS would be interested. My Gramma (RIP) was an Eastern Star.
No upper limit. Minimum used to be 21, but I think it was changed a few years back to 18. I'll check!
