FREE two-hour coffee mornings at the Scunthorpe Masonic Centre are already proving a huge success, but there’s alway room for more members of any Lodge to come along, bringing partners, friends, carers, and family members to share in conversation and conviviality.
Not only are the events fast becoming an important social gathering, with about 30 attending each of the first three – but they also offer visitors the chance to see the Lodge room and learn something of Freemasonry.
At the latest event we were pleased to welcome Ron Sims, who was WM of St Lawrence Lodge in 1989, and had re-arranged his carer’s hours so she could being him along, and Norman Howes, long-serving Lodge secretary, who resigned to spend more time caring for his wife. “Those are exactly the kind of people these coffee mornings are designed to reach,” said St Lawrence Lodge Almoner Rob Lang. “The ones who are no longer able to attend meetings in the evening for whatever reason shouldn’t be forgotten. They’re still part of the family of Freemasonry, and we should do what we can to keep them involved.”
And that gives us all something to think about, he says. “It’s often mobility issues that stop people coming to Lodge meetings, so perhaps younger, fitter brethren could take the time to seek out a member who might be lonely and potentially vulnerable, and bring them along. Looking forward to getting out and back into familiar surroundings would be a great help to break up potentially long and boring days alone.”
Amongst the visitors so far have been the PGM Dave Wheeler, who came all the way from Lincoln, APGM David Bird from Grimsby, and Provincial Almoner Charlie Jackson from Cleethorpes. “They were all please to have seen what we’re doing, and we were pleased they took the time out to join us,” said Rob.
PLEASE NOTE: Although our scheduled coffee morning days are the first and third Tuesdays of every month, there will be NO meeting on January 2nd, so the next time we gather will be on Tuesday January 16th between 10am and noon at the Scunthorpe Masonic Centre.
Remember, there is no charge: This whole project is being funded through the Province thanks to the generosity of the Trustees of the Old Fund, who recognise its welfare value, with the help of the Scunthorpe building management board and caterers Debs and Shelley.