Today, I received a call from the Master of the lodge, and he said that my Entered Apprentice initiation is scheduled for 7:00PM on Tuesday, June 12.
Last week, the investigating committee contacted me. 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 really 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 they were so nice, polite, and far from intimidating, made our discussion so much easier. Yet at the same time, they 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.
They told me a bit about the lodge, what the next steps were, and what to expect. The lodge is “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 from church is a member of. (He 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”. Though there are older gentlemen who are active in the lodge, the majority tend to be younger–mid 30’s 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 quite 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 to go over some preliminary things. Then, 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.