Ill. Ralph C. Shelton II, 33°
It’s a busy time for the Scottish Rite, and especially for our Valley. As I write this we are preparing for upcoming events and developments, as we also work to improve the Valley infrastructure. We have completed the transition of our internal communications, converting from one platform to another, which will provide significantly better communication. Outwardly, there will not be an apparent difference, but behind the scenes, this was a necessary though complicated task, and we owe thanks to Bros. Barry McKinley and Russ Hennings for their hard work.
In a couple of weeks, Hon. Jamie Hopkins, our General Secretary, and I will travel to Washington D.C. where Hon. Jamie will be coroneted a 33° Inspector General Honorary. We will join our new Deputy, Ill. Arthur L. Salazar, for the Biennial along with Venerable Master Russ Hennings, 32°, so rest assured that Orange County Valley will have a presence at the Biennial.
As I have mentioned many times, I firmly believe that while the PR is responsible to the Deputy for the proper operation of the Valley, it is the Heads of Bodies and executive staff who run the show. One issue we have dealt with has been conflicts with other organizations that impact our attendance and engagement. When we met on the first Monday of the Month, we conflicted with the El Bekal Shrine monthly Divan meeting, as well as lodges that held stated meetings on the first Monday. The second Monday has worked fairly well, but we now find that once each quarter we conflict with the Shrine’s stated meeting, and with the two organizations sharing several officers, this has been a problem. Your Heads of Bodies have proposed that we consider moving our monthly meeting to the fourth Monday, which would not conflict with any Masonic organizations at all, and I endorse this decision. So, we will consider a resolution to amend the bylaws, moving our meeting night to the fourth Monday of each month, commencing with the October meeting. Reminders will be provided in future editions of this newsletter as well as email reminders.
I thank you all for your continued support of the Valley and the efforts of your leadership to continue improving and evolving Orange County Valley Scottish Rite, and, as always, look forward to seeing you at the next gathering.
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE CHANGE
Our Valley has some of the strongest leaders in Orange County Masonry, and naturally, several are leaders of other Masonic organizations. It is in the best interest of the Valley to meet on a day that is not in conflict with any other organization, and the Heads of Bodies have recommended moving our meeting night to the fourth Monday of the month. So, at the September stated meeting, we will consider the adoption of a resolution by which our bylaws will be amended to reflect a meeting date that is the fourth Monday each month. If you have questions or wish to express your thoughts in advance, please reach out to Ill. Ralph Shelton at rshelton@ocscottishrite.org.
