Covid -19 Update 25th June 2021 GMM Bro William Ramsay McGhee


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The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason

Brethren

I was very much heartened by a story that Brother Jim Ellis related to me. He received a message from one of our brethren in Cape Town stating that one of the positive things to come out of Covid is the fact that it has, through the weekly updates and Zoom meetings, brought the Brethren in the Districts much closer to Grand Lodge and to other Scottish Brethren than in the past. It has indeed been good to witness zoom meetings between Proxy Masters and their Lodges, meetings with the District Grand Masters and the ability to join in meetings throughout the world. Tomorrow, I’ll have the privilege of joining our Brethren in South Africa when they meet for their District Communication. Zoom is here to stay, and I have no doubt that it will continue to enable us to forge stronger links with our Lodges scattered throughout the globe.

On Monday evening I had the pleasure of giving a presentation to the Young Masons in the Province of Renfrewshire East and have asked them to make contact with another thriving Young Masons group here in the Province of Ross and Cromarty. There are no doubt similar groups in other Provinces and Districts – how good it would be to have greater inter Province and District meetings between such groups who are, after all, the future of our Craft. If those Brethren who organise Young Mason Groups drop Grand Secretary a line with their contact details he’ll happily arrange to have a list compiled and circulated to all the groups.

 
SCFS
 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Scottish.Constitution.Freemasonry.Supports/
 
 
  • The Group saw its membership rise to 5316 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 849, submitted by 295 of its members.
  • These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 322 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 Dumfriesshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh and Linlithgowshire.
  • The total identifiable monetary value of the contributions now recorded has risen to £1,347,091.
 

SCFS Overseas Report  

  • Our Overseas Membership has now risen to 1496 This is thanks to new members joining us from Lodges in the Bahamas along with Sierra Leone and The Gambia. 
  • Our membership of Brethren who belong to Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with the GLoS (International Constitution Members) continues to grow ... we now have 678 Brethren spreading news of the wonderful support featured in the posts on the main SCFS page and on the increasingly popular SCFS-Showcase,throughout their constitutions.
  • This week Brethren joined from 8different Masonic Constitutions, namely: GL of Ireland, Most Worshipful GL of the PhilippinesUGLE(England, South America, Bombay), GL of Canada in the Province of Ontario, GL of Pennsylvania, National GL of Romania, Most Serene GL of the Republic of San Marino, Worshipful GL of Japan
  • A very special welcome was extended to Brother Massimo Tumiettowho is the Grand Chaplainof the Most Serene Grand Lodge of the Republic of San Marino. 
  • A most interesting post was received from Brother Horace Gock, JD, on behalf of Lodge Polynesia, No. 562, Suva, Fiji, sharing the Lodge’s remarkable, ongoing active support in assisting those families in the local community who have been most severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. 

My grateful thanks to the members of the Young Masons Group in the Province of Renfrewshire East for their very warm welcome to their meeting last Monday.

Finally, as always, please stay safe and look after each other

Ramsay McGhee

Grand Master Mason