In almost every broadcast from The Prime Minister, First Minister and every other politician and clinician there are words which are heard time and time again. Can you think what they might be? How about “light at the end of the tunnel” or “we are beginning to see the light”? Words which remind us that we are getting there slowly but surely making our way through this pandemic. There is light they tell us. We within the Craft have always known that of course because, if I recall the ritual correctly, light is what we most desire!

This time of year for many of the religions of the world is the period of light. Diwali for our Asian brothers,Hanukkah for our Jewish brethren and Enlightenment is what those in the East most desire. Light is part of the whole religious framework of the lives of millions. In the Christian life it is of course central and this Advent time points us towards the time when we recall that great prophecy of Isaiah that “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”(Isaiah 9:2). The Light comes into the world in the form of the Christ child and you and I celebrate the coming by lights around our house, in the streets, on Christmas trees. They should remind us too that there is light at the end of the tunnel and the people of faith have always believed it to be so. That light permeates our lives and we are asked to be beacons of faith taking an ember of light from the Great Light and shining for the faith.

A little Church was being built in the hills and glens of Scotland. It was ready for use except for the electricity connected. The Minister made an odd request (strange people sometimes the clergy!). He asked that no electricity be put in! Instead every time a person came to this Sanctuary they had to bring a candle. The more that came the brighter it would be..the less that came the darker. There was some wisdom in the clerics idea. Together the light shone brighter.

In this holy season I hope and pray that you will indeed be blessed with that shaft of light that penetrates your hearts. I pray that you will be strong in the faith and strong in each other. I pray that the Christ child who brings light into the world will be real to you. I pray that it will not be too long until we are able to meet together again and share the things we enjoy together.

“May the blessing of the Light be upon you---light without and light within,

And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle set in the window of a house..May the Lord bless you and bless you kindly.”

May it be for all of you and I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am,

Yours fraternally,

Angus Kerr

The Revd Dr Angus Kerr, B.D.,Cert.Min,Th.M.,D.Min

The Senior Grand Chaplain

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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 think at this time of year when the Installations should be getting into full swing that many of us are missing our meetings more than ever – I certainly missed having the Grand Lodge Installation yesterday and I’m sure many of you did likewise. However, it was not to be and that is the situation we find ourselves in. What we can do at present is use our time to good effect contacting those in our Lodges who are maybe a bit more vulnerable than others to make sure they are OK and not wanting for anything. Having regular zoom meetings to keep in touch with each other, use zoom for other activities such as lodge quiz nights or a couple of weeks ago I got involved in a Lodge whisky tasting night – by zoom. We were all sent 12 whiskies to guess where they came from and so on – it was great fun and really enjoyable. We need to be creative and imaginative in our use of zoom. But now is also a good time to contact those who have drifted away from the Lodge – invite them to zoom meetings to meet up with old friends, let them be aware that to get back in good standing, now is as good a time as any with the availability of paying only the current year’s fee. If we can encourage those lapsed members, (and I am aware from reports that a significant number are already attending zoom meetings), to come back when we can finally open the doors again, how encouraging and motivating would that be. Keep up the good work and on your Installation Day, have a zoom, toast each other and start planning for a super, all singing Installation season next year

SCFS

During the week the membership of the group rose to 4062.

This week saw the total examples of charitable giving recorded within the group rise to 491, submitted by 211 group members.

These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 264 Lodges, from within 31 Provincial Grand Lodges, 20 District Grand Lodges, Superintendence’s and Lodges under the direct supervision of Grand Lodge.

The identifiable monetary value of contributions rose to £378,969 during the course of last week. This represents an average of £12,632 per week over the last 30 weeks. (Tremendous achievement Brethren)

Each post within the group is regularly viewed by between 2500 and 3000 of the group membership.

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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 have been asked lately about Lodge social clubs who are having issues with business interruption policies that insurance companies are failing to pay out on. The following was on the BBC news on Monday and may help clarify the current situation –

“A hotly contested case about insurance pay outs for small businesses who were unable to trade owing to lockdown was taken to the Supreme Court on Monday. A host of businesses closed or faced significant losses, so made claims on their business interruption insurance.

But many insurers disputed the claims, arguing policies were never meant to cover such unprecedented restrictions. Supreme Court judges will make a final judgement after the hearing, which is expected to last four days. The issue will have had implications for 370,000 - mostly small - businesses and involves potential pay outs of £1.2bn.

High Court judges earlier found mostly in favour of insurers having to pay out to policyholders regarding a selection of policy types. Some of these decisions are now being appealed against at the Supreme Court”.

SCFS

During the week the group was delighted to welcome Bro. Alan Duck Past Master and Secretary of Lodge Neptune, No. 375 in the Province of Aberdeen City as its 4000^th member.

An additional 61 new members joined the group which now has a membership of 4025 Brethren from all 4 quarters of the globe.

This week saw the total examples of charitable giving recorded within the group rise to 479, submitted by 206 of its members.

These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 247 Lodges, from within 31 Provincial Grand Lodges, 18 District Grand Lodges, Superintendence’s and Lodges under the direct supervision of Grand Lodge.

The total identifiable monetary value of the contributions now recorded has risen to £361,054.

There have been 64,873 individual comments likes, and other reactions to the group since its inception.

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Brethren, firstly I hope that you and your families are all well. In normal circumstances, at this time we would be in the middle of the Installation season, but unfortunately that is not the case this year.

Although we have not been able to attend our Lodges over the last few months, we, as members of those lodges, must ensure that our Test Fees continue to paid on time to maintain our “good standing” status. A new Grand Secretary has recently been appointed by Grand Lodge and one of his first duties will be to issue the Daughter Lodges with their Annual Account for Fees. The Lodges in the Province have all advised their members on the various methods by which their Test Fees can be paid in these unusual times.

In recent weeks the Commission Team has held an informal zoom meeting with the Secretaries or representatives of the Daughter Lodges, and I was pleased to be advised that all the Lodges confirmed that they were all doing their best to keep the Brethren updated of all that was happening within and outwith the Province of Renfrewshire West. During the meeting I advised that I or one of the Commission Team, would be delighted to join any digital meetings that are being held would be happy to try and answer any questions that the Lodges or the Brethren have at this time.

Going forward, we would normally be starting the Annual Visitations of PG Lodge in January. Although it is extremely unlikely that any of the early visitations will take place, the inspection of the Secretarial records and the Lodge Accounts, must still be undertaken by PG Secretary and PG Treasurer in the normal manner (subject to Covid restrictions of course). I am aware that the Balance Sheets of the Lodges will not have been approved by the Brethren of the Daughter Lodges, however the Inspection of the Accounts can still place as a preliminary action which would be subject to the Accounts being approved at a later date.

I would encourage all the Daughter Lodges to keep in touch with their Brethren, especially their new Initiates, and also the older and more vulnerable members of the Lodge.   A couple of the Lodges in the Province are having regular zoom meetings. Lodge Greenock Kilwinning No XII, have invited numerous speakers to present various papers to the Brethren on a range of subjects. Lodge Crawfurdsburn No 1121 have also had regular zoom meetings featuring Lockdown Delights, their version of Desert Island Discs. I was invited to attend the most recent one, which featured a very enjoyable and varied selection of music.

Brethren, with the recent good news on vaccines, there is a small glimmer of light appearing and with that light there is a hope that as we approach the festive period, we will be able to meet up more regularly with families and friends.

In the meantime, please to continue to follow the government guidelines and stay safe.

At this time, I am pleased to send my regards and best wishes to you and your families. I sincerely hope that we will all be able to meet once more in the not too distant future.

Robin

Bro Robin McIntyre

Provincial Grand Master.  

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Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8

1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Well, 2020 has certainly been a very different year so far. As the Chinese say, “May you live in interesting times!” We are certainly doing that this year!

Sadly it has been a year where A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing has been predominately the latter.

As in all years, 2020 has brought A time to be born, and a time to die. With many of the deaths being due to Covid 19 and with the restrictions on funerals services, this has been particularly profound and sad for us. A time to weep and a time to heal. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. I hope many of you have had the cause to dance and the time to laugh over the year. Whilst, sadly we have lost brethren, I know that many have been healed by our wonderful NHS. I am also sure that some of you

may have been lucky enough to have seen new life come into your families and witnessed the joys of a new born child.

Now, we are in November, and the seasons have moved towards winter, and I don’t know about you, but for me, it tends to be a time for thought, and for reflection on the past, and on plans for the future, especially with Christmas and the New Year not so far away. The days are becoming shorter and the weather, (along with the pandemic restrictions), keep us indoors; but hopefully keeping safe, well and warm.

This month we have had many Remembrance events when we have thought of and thanked those who have given their lives for our liberty in war over the years. Whilst we have not been able to attend Memorial Services this year, it has been heart-warming to witness the representatives from Lodges within the Province, lay wreaths at War Memorials across Inverclyde. A time for war and a time for peace.

Normally we would be well into the Installation Season and enjoying our Freemasonry. We may not be able to physically meet up but I know Lodges are keeping in touch with their members in other ways. My own Mother Lodge for example has introduced a monthly newsletter. This month it also introduced the start of 1121 Lockdown Delights. For those with the technology, this is a Zoom meeting in the style of Desert Island Discs. Members of the Lodge select 4 favourite songs or pieces of music to be played, and then explain why they chose them. They also chose a book which they would want to take with them to the desert island, as well as a luxury item. This is obviously a fun way to keep in touch, but it is also an excellent way of getting to know the brethren taking part, just that little bit better. A time to keep silence and a time to speak. A time to laugh.

In sharing my thoughts with you over the past months, I have mentioned the garden which we have building up this year. Well, October and November has seen some more planting … but it has also seen much harvesting. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. It is wonderful to plant seeds and see life grow out of them.

The USA is fighting over A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away, but we pray that the nation will find A time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up. We have to embrace change. We need to bend with the wind. If we do not, then it is we who may break. It is we who may be hurt. We must accept that there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. This has been a year of tumultuous change, but I dearly hope it has been kind to you and to your family and loved ones.

I pray that God’s Love and Light may shine upon you throughout all the seasons.

With warm fraternal regards,

George

George J Carson

Provincial Grand Chaplain

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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

A few weeks ago, I put out an appeal after the gardens at Marcus Humphrey House were vandalised. Delighted to be able to give you an update on the situation –

A GRATEFUL THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR SUPPORT IN RESPONSE TO THE VANDALISATION OF THE GARDEN GROUNDS AT MARCUS HUMPHREY HOUSE

On behalf of the Chairman and Members of the Benevolence and Care Committee; and the Residents and Staff at the Marcus Humphrey House, I wanted to acknowledge the wonderful support which has been given in response to the destruction which was caused by vandals in the grounds at the Marcus Humphrey House.   It has, quite honestly, been overwhelming and has come not only in the form of monetary donations totalling almost £1,500, but also via the gifting of garden ornaments and planters, an assortment of beautiful, mature plants and other practical materials.   Brother John Muir raised funds by inviting sponsorship for his 28 mile walk from Troon to the Home – when the Staff welcomed him at the end of his journey he was still smiling despite having been caught in a few showers en route!

The support we have received has also taken the form of hard work and effort from the Members of the Widows Sons West who have  restored the benches, provided and planted lots of tubs and generally given the grounds a makeover.  They have also donated a CCTV system which will be installed shortly.   The gardens have been returned to, and in fact, because of all the hard work and donations, have surpassed their original condition – I know that next year the Residents will be enjoying a myriad of lovely flowers, some of which have been chosen for their sensory benefits.       A highlight which has already come into its own and given immense pleasure to the Residents is the new bird table – I don’t think I could give a description which would do this bird table justice, it is definitely the equivalent of a five star hotel for birds and attracts all sorts of feathered visitors to the garden.

 Sincere thank you to all, your donations and hard work are very much appreciated! Dawn Oliff

Latest news from the Scottish Constitution Freemasonry Supports Facebook page is as follows –

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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

Mrs Dawn Oliff has kindly passed on the following received from Adam Gaines of Prostate Cancer Scotland

‘I thought you might be pleased to hear that we have recently launched some new services (called COMPASS) for men with prostate cancer and their families to help them navigate prostate cancer. These services include a new Living Well with Prostate Cancer course, which is a free seven week online course for men in Scotland diagnosed with or living with prostate cancer and is available to men across Scotland. The course is run in partnership with Maggie’s Edinburgh.  The second group of services are free one to one support sessions/appointments for men with prostate cancer, who might wish to talk with a cancer support specialist with specialist knowledge of prostate cancer about their treatment, symptoms, side effects, or the impact that prostate cancer has had/is having on their life. All sessions are confidential and are available by phone, online/video, or socially distanced face to face. These one to one services are in partnership with Maggie’s Highlands and Maggie’s Edinburgh and are available for men in the Highlands and in the Lothians. We hope soon to also develop a similar service in the West of Scotland. Information about the COMPASS services and how to book on the course, or a one to one appointment are to be found at https://www.prostatescotland.org.uk/help-and-support-  I would be most grateful if in due course you might be able be to let Lodges know about these services, in case they might be useful for members of the craft, or family members and friends. Also, we know Lodges have such important roles in their communities and we should be grateful if Lodges might also be able to help us spread the word about these new services’.

 Brethren – as Adam Gaines requests, please make this information as widely known as you can – thank you.

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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

Thanks to Grand Treasurer, we have moved forward in the quest to get a definitive answer to the taxation question. Direct requests to HMRC have resulted in advice that each Lodge should contact them individually as each case could be different. However, Brother Bell has suggested that the following may be of assistance to the Lodges –

I have finally found an answer to the tax question re the Coronavirus Small Business Support Grant of £10,000 (I think!).

Schedule 16, Paragraph 4 (1) of the Finance Act 2020 states:

“An amount of a coronavirus support payment that relates only to mutual activities of a business that carries on a mutual trade is to be treated as if it were income arising from those activities (and accordingly the amount is not taxable).”

This would appear to cover our Lodges although when I am submitting the Company Tax Return to HMRC I will be advising that the Lodge / Club has taken advantage of the above exemption (quoting the full reference) in calculating the taxable income. Each Lodge / Club should take advice before submitting a Company Tax Return as it is their responsibility to ensure that the return is correct.

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