Covid -19 Update 17th September 2021 GMM Bro William Ramsay McGhee

The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland

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

Brethren

Last weekend was another very productive one with a further two Provincial Installations taking place. On Friday night there was an excellent turnout of Brethren in the Tait Hall in Kelso to see the new PGM of the Scottish Borders, Brother Drew Forsyth and his Commission being installed. The Tait Hall is a very spacious building which accommodated all present safely and comfortably.

The following day we travelled north from Kelso to Fauldhouse where Brother Ronnie Gemmill and his Commission were installed in the Province of Linlithgowshire. Again, we were fortunate to have a large number of Brethren present.

Like the previous week, I was well impressed with all the arrangements that had been made to ensure the safety of all present and compliance with the Government regulations.

I have been delighted, over the past couple of months, to receive a goodly number of Annual Reports from both District and Provincial Grand Masters. It is so enjoyable to read about all that has happened, and all that continues to happen, at home and abroad despite the difficulties we have all had to cope with in terms of Coronavirus.

Lodges are opening up again both within the Provinces and the Districts and I am receiving very encouraging reports on the initial meetings. I am also delighted to hear that the Lodge Members are being totally sympathetic to those brethren who, for medical or other reasons, do not feel the time is right to return. Let me once again reiterate that while I am keen to encourage Lodges to reopen, there must be no pressure whatsoever placed on individuals to return if they are uncomfortable doing so – we will make them very welcome when they do feel that they can return to their Lodges.

SCFS

SCFS Overseas Report  

• As a result of new members joining us from Lodges in the Districts of North Island New Zealand, Eastern Province of the Cape of Good Hope, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, Western Province of the Cape of Good Hope, Jamaica, Middle East (Malaysia, Thailand), and Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada, our Overseas Membership has increased to 1587 Brethren and we look forward to welcoming our 1600th Overseas Member. 
• The largest increase in membership was from the District of the Middle East, and it was encouraging to see a wide spread of Lodges being represented by our other Overseas Brethren who joined this week. 
• We welcomed Brethren who joined as International Constitution Members (ICMs) from 7different Masonic Constitutions, including: GL of Ireland(Antrim, South East Asia), GL of Russia (Belarus), United GL of Queensland, MWGL of the Philippines, GL of California, UGLE and the GL of Japan.
• As a result we now have 868 Brethren, who belong to Lodges whose Grand Lodges are in amity with GLoS, 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.
• We would encourage all Lodges in our Districts, under Grand Superintendents and under the supervision of Grand Lodge, to advise us of the examples of the excellent support in which they are involved and we look forward, in turn, to sharing it with all our Brethren.