Ill. Ralph C. Shelton II, 33°
“May you live in interesting times” is a complex blessing, and we have lived in very interesting times of late. As of this writing, we await the announcement of the appointment of the Scottish Rite Mason who will lead our Orient, while the individual Valleys report directly to the Grand Commander, and are afforded the support of on-call leadership in other Orients and the support of our Supreme Council staff. Orange County Valley has been unaffected during this time, continuing to grow engagement and membership, and we all have our leadership to thank for that – our Heads of Bodies, General Secretary, Directors, Officers, Knights… Well, everyone. Orange County is a unique place, and Orange County Valley is also one-of-a-kind, in all the best ways.
Recently, adding to the ways these times have been “interesting”, Supreme posed the question of whether the Orient of California, which has more Valleys than any other by a significant margin (the closest has thirteen, some have as few as one) should be divided in two, one North and one South. The Personal Representatives met twice on this issue with Illustrious Cole, SGC, and after the matter was considered, it has been decided that the Orient of California will remain one Orient.
Another interesting matter is our dues. We have previously published the plan to address the financial health of the Valley with an increase on a five year plan. At the June stated meeting, the Valley will consider a resolution to raise our dues from the current $120 first to $150, then $20 each year for three years, with a final increase of $30, so that at the end of that five year period our dues will be $240. At the same time, we will be introducing a monthly payment option, so members can spread out the cost of dues. As a result, your Scottish Rite membership will still cost less than the gym membership or streaming subscriptions you don’t use.
Those of you who do not attend regularly are missing out on quality programs, great food and exceptional fellowship – our Valley really has become the gathering place for Orange County Freemasonry, and also for their partners – the Blue Slipper Club has grown, and I encourage you to bring your spouse or significant other to our meetings where I am sure they’ll be pleased with the company.
I look forward to seeing you at any of our upcoming events, and you will be glad you came. As one Master of the Royal Secret recently told me, the experience really is more informative, entertaining and fulfilling than what’s on Netflix.
