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Today, I received a call from Kenny, the Master of the lodge. He said that my Entered Apprentice initiation is scheduled for 7:00PM on Tuesday, June 12.

Last week, the investigating committee contacted me, and Kenny was on the committee. We had a very nice talk that was informal and low-key, and was far from my original impression of the investigation process. It was more like a job interview than anything else, but job interviews impose more pressure. We discussed some of my beliefs, who I am, what I do for a living, how I learned about Freemasonry, etc. And the fact that Kenny was nice, polite, and far from intimidating, made our discussion so much easier. Yet at the same time, he spoke with an authority and a knowledge that echoed and confirmed with great precision those things I have been reading over the past two months. I was impressed.

Kenny told me a bit about the lodge, what the next steps were, and what to expect. The lodge is the "Divver" lodge #349 in Anderson, South Carolina. It is one of three lodges in the area. Interestingly, it is not the lodge that my friend Roger is a member of. (Roger is the Masonic friend from church who I asked about joining.) But a number of church members that I know attend Divver, so I won't feel like a complete outsider.

I found it interesting to learn that the Divver lodge is not "older leaning". Kenny said that though there are older gentlemen who are active in the lodge, the majority tend to be younger--mid 30s or so. I'm 41, so it's great to see that kind of mix. I read so many stories on the 'net of doom and gloom about the future of Freemasonry, yet locally, I see three very active lodges bringing in new members all the time. Maybe it's regional, or maybe I'm just lucky, but I'm pleased to know that Freemasonry is active in my town.

So, the investigating committee reported favorably, the lodge voted to accept me, and on June 12, I go to the lodge by 6:30pm to go over some preliminary things. Then, at 7:00PM, the Entered Apprentice degree work begins. It's been a couple months since I turned in my petition, and the wait has been long, but very rewarding. I've learned a lot about Freemasonry, and can't wait to make the next step to become an Entered Apprentice.

I'll post a follow-up article after the initiation.

This is my ninth article about my experience in Freemasonry.