“Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”— Joel 11:28

Dear Brethren:

As we look at “Our Lodge” and the milestone of our being in existence for 75 years, one can only think about the various organizations that have come and gone over the years. What makes our organization so special? We must look at the membership and the leadership of “Our Lodge” to find the true reason for our longevity.

In 1928, the founding father s of North Arlington Lodge Number 271 entered into a pact that they would spread “Masonic Light” and keep the principles of the fraternity alive as long as possible. Today, we see a number of Lodges merging or going out of existence. What are we doing that these unfortunate Lodges are not doing? Let’s face it, we have members who are willing to come to the front and become officers. Members who become leaders keep the Lodge alive. Most lodges that are closing their doors are doing so not because of finances, they are closing because their membership no longer wishes nor wants to be a leader.

So what must we at North Arlington Lodge do? The answer is very simple. We need to continually have our membership grow. We need members who want to become not only Masons – we need members who wish to become leaders in “Our Lodge.” How difficult is it to become a leader? It is not as hard as some may think. We are lucky that in our lodge we have Past Masters who are willing to help with degree work and who are willing to help our new officers in learning what they must do to sit in the various chairs of the Lodge.

Is it ever “to late” to become an Officer/Master of the Lodge? Absolutely not! Many of you have the ability to become the Master of the Lodge – I know that we have brothers with all the tools to become the Master but just never pursued the position. If you have ever thought about being the Master, now might be the time to get into the line and put the process in motion. I know that our secretary, our treasurer, and I would be willing to help you with your goal – as a matter of fact, everyone will do what must be done to help you with your quest.

So is another 75 years of Masonry possible at North Arlington Lodge? Only you can answer that question. If you do not come forward to become an officer, we too might end up like so many other Lodges who are leaderless and closing their doors. My challenge to you is to please help by becoming an officer. My challenge to you is to look for new brothers who will take on the leadership of the Lodge.

We will be in existence as long as we spread the “Light”, have our old men dream dreams and have our young men see visions. It can be done. It must be done. So mote it be.

Fraternally,
John Lacki, Jr.
Worshipful Master