The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland
William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason
Brethren
The Update is being circulated a day earlier this week due to the fact that the entire IT system in Grand Lodge will be closed down from Thursday night until Monday to accommodate preparations for the new fibre optic cable being brought into the building and the resultant upgrades that will be required on all devices in Grand Lodge being implemented. This has been a long time coming but at last we are working towards wi-fi throughout the building which will enable improved functionality to our communication applications such as Zoom. It will also mark the beginning of various hardware and software changes being implemented under the direction of our IT manager, Willie Rice.
The Strategy Group met on Tuesday. It was a very productive meeting with four out of five reports ready to go to the Administration Committee for their consideration. The fifth report was only received minutes before the meeting, but it will be forwarded as soon as the Strategy Group have a chance to go through it. The members of the five focus groups have worked well and have produced excellent final reports – I extend my grateful thanks to all those Brethren who have been involved.
The Group saw its membership rise to 5142 Brethren from not only the Scottish Constitution but from many of our Sister Constitutions throughout the world.
This week saw the total examples of charitable giving recorded within the group rise to 792, submitted by 286 of its members.
These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 319 Lodges, from within all 32 Provincial Grand Lodges, 23 of its District Grand Lodges, Superintendencies and Lodges abroad under the direct supervision of Grand Lodge.
During the week posts were submitted by group members representing the Provinces of Edinburgh, Midlothian and Perthshire West.
The total identifiable monetary value of the contributions now recorded has risen to £1,258,495.
SCFS Overseas Report
- As a result of new members joining from Lodges in Lebanon, Malawi, Mauritius, Middle East (Singapore), Sierra Leone and The Gambia, and also Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada, our Overseas Membership has now risen to 1458
- The largest increase in membership was jointly from the District of Sierra Leone and The Gambia and the District of Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada. Interestingly, no two Brethren who joined from those Districts came from the same lodge.
- Our membership of Brethren belonging to Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS continues to grow. With the addition of 25 new International Constitution Members (ICMs) this week, we now have 586 Brethren spreading news of the wonderful support, featured in the posts on the main SCFS page and on the new SCFS-Showcase, throughout their constitutions.We look forward to welcoming our 600th ICM next week.
- This week Brethren joined from 13 different Masonic constitutions, namely: GL of Norway, UGLE(England, Trinidad & Tobago, Bombay, Eastern Archipelago), GL of Chile, GL of India, United GL of New South Wales and ACT, GL of British Columbia and Yukon, GL of California, GL of Norway, GL of Spain, MWGL of the Philippines, GL of Japan, GL of Victoria.
- In addition to the above, the list of Grand Lodges represented by Brethren within them joining as ICMs had the Grand Lodge of New Zealand added to it.
- A very special welcome to the SCFS group is extended to Brother Sanjiv Chhibber,who is a Past Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India.
- A most interesting post was received from Brother Charles Stewart, in his capacity as HM and Proxy WJW of Lodge Civil and Military, No. 726, in Bermuda, showing the continuing charitable support from that Lodge and our other 2 Lodges in Bermuda.
My sincere thanks to the Brethren of the Province of Fife and Kinross for their kind invitation to be with them on Wednesday night to discuss the way forward.
Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other
Ramsay McGhee
Grand Master Mason