REPORT OF THE GRAND SECRETARY
March 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024
It is my pleasure and duty to present the annual report of the Grand Secretary for the fiscal year ending February 29, 2024.
PROCEEDINGS, COMMUNICATIONS, COMMISSIONS, ETC.
The link for the Annual Proceedings of the 170th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota have been distributed by e-mail and made available through Grand View.
Commissions have been issued as necessary since the last Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge with the direction of M.W. Brother Dayton L. Berg.
There were three Occasional Communications of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota this past year:
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- September 30, 2023, Underwood – Corner Stone Lodge No. 99, Lodge Hall Dedication
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RETURNS
There were 124 Chartered Lodges on the rolls March 1, 2023. There were eight lodge mergers over the course of the past year: Preston Lodge No. 36 merged into Meridian Lodge No. 25 on June 14, 2023; Bethel Lodge No. 103 merged into Mankato Lodge No. 12 on August 1, 2023; Eureka Lodge No. 75 merged into Fidelity Lodge No. 39 on October 11, 2023; Palestine Lodge No. 79 merged into Ionic Lodge No. 186 on November 14, 2023; Phoenix Daylight Lodge No. 350 merged into Minnesota River Valley Lodge No. 6 on December 1, 2023; Crescent Lodge No. 207 merged into Aurora Lodge No. 100 on December 28, 2023; Hematite Lodge No. 274 merged into Mesaba Lodge No. 255 on January 11, 2024; and Walker Lodge No. 302 merged into Shell Lodge No. 184 on January 23, 2024. There are presently 116 Chartered Lodges on the rolls as of February 29, 2024.
Annual Returns were received from all Chartered Lodges on time or within a reasonable period thereafter with the exception of the following fourteen Lodges who still have not sent in the report for 2023: St. Paul Lodge No. 3, St. Paul; Chain Lake Lodge No. 64, Fairmont; Mystic Star Lodge No. 69, Rushford; Constellation Lodge No. 81, Alexandria; Golden Fleece Lodge No. 89, Litchfield; Antiquity Lodge No. 91, Redwood Falls; Fraternal Lodge No. 92, Princeton; Libanus Lodge No. 96, St. James; Fraternity Lodge No. 101, Worthington; Canby Lodge No. 147, Canby; Jasper Lodge No. 164, Rush City; Arcana Lodge No. 187, Minneapolis; Mystic Lodge No. 213, Aitkin; Red River Lodge No. 292, E. Grand Forks.
We have a relatively short period of time between the end of the Grand Lodge fiscal year on February 29th and the Annual Communication to prepare for the Annual Communication. It can create a serious burden on the Grand Lodge office when the Annual Returns (which are due annually on January 15th) are late and/or incomplete. Much more importantly, we appreciate and sincerely thank those Lodges and Secretaries who, year-in and year-out, file their returns promptly as required by the Minnesota Masonic Code.
MEMBERSHIP RECAPITULATION
Membership as of December 31, 2022 8,867
Raised……183
Joined…….420
Restored…….26
Total Gains 629
Subtotal 9,496
Withdrawn526
Stricken185
Susp./Exp..1
Deceased311
Total Losses 1,023
Net Membership December 31, 2023 (unadjusted) 8,473
The membership figures show a 4.4% net loss for the year, 394 Freemasons.
BOND AND INSURANCE
The Grand Lodge has arranged through the West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, to provide Property, Liability, Medical Payment, Employee Dishonesty, Paraphernalia, the Grand Master’s jewel and Contents Coverages for the Grand Lodge. This group policy is issued in the name of the Grand Lodge and the Constituent Lodges as scheduled. The liability limit of the underlying policy is $1,000,000 and that amount is increased to $5,000,000 through an excess liability umbrella policy. Our group policy (excluding property coverage) is open to any Constituent Lodge wishing to participate and share in the group coverage expense. In addition to the above coverages, there is in effect coverage for Worker’s Compensation through the SFM Companies and a new Cyber liability policy ($2,000,000) through BCS Insurance Company. Directors and Officers liability coverage ($3,000,000) is under a policy issued by the Selective Insurance Company and covers Grand Lodge Directors and Officers, as well as Constituent Lodge Officers.
FINANCIAL
In the interest of time, I shall not review the entire financial schedule in detail. Detailed numerical reports of income and expense items and expenditures and income versus budgeted amounts can be viewed on the following pages. The Grand Treasurer’s Report covers the fund balances, and we are in agreement as to the asset values. The annual certified audit of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota takes place every May and the auditor’s report will be available for the asking from the Grand Lodge office and a summary printed in the Grand Lodge Proceedings. You can be assured that the general operating expenses of your Grand Lodge are watched very carefully. We are here to manage the funds and other assets of the Grand Lodge that have been entrusted to our care, and we hope that we have been of the best possible service to Minnesota’s Freemasons.
GRAND LODGE OFFICE
The office of Grand Secretary administers the day-to-day activities of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, in addition to providing support to the officers and brethren of constituent lodges, the Grand Master, Grand Lodge Officers, Committees and Boards, District Representatives, Custodians, other Jurisdictions, and Appendant Bodies.
As you will read in the report of the Office Management Committee, there have been several important changes at the Grand Lodge Office over the past year. On April 1st, we welcomed W. Bro. Reed Endersbe to the Grand Lodge staff. Reed is the newly appointed Director of Membership Engagement and has been hard at work managing the growing pipeline of new prospects, as well as assisting lodges to more effectively engage with members to improve retention. He has been doing fine work for the Grand Lodge these past eleven months and Minnesota Freemasonry is fortunate to have him.
In June, the office underwent a restructuring – the position of Assistant Grand Secretary was eliminated, and residual administrative tasks were outsourced to Minnesota Masonic Charities. I extend my sincere thanks to Assistant Grand Secretary, W. Brother Peter Van Osdol, for his many years of service to the Grand Lodge and best wishes on his retirement.
We continue to strengthen our close working relationship with Minnesota Masonic Charities in areas of mutual benefit and shared services. Lauren Hauter, Director of Communications and Marketing for MMC has helped us immensely with our external messaging, marketing materials and campaigns. Jennifer Harrison has provided administrative support for the FST program and other Grand Lodge tasks, which has proven invaluable to the ongoing efficiency of the Grand Lodge office. I thank Lauren, Jennifer, and the other staff of Minnesota Masonic Charities for their excellent work and continued assistance to the Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
I would also like to thank the Area Deputies, District Representatives, and Lodge Secretaries for their hard work and dedication. It is largely through your volunteer efforts that our fraternity continues running, and it would be nearly impossible for the Grand Lodge office to function smoothly and efficiently without your assistance.
The Grand Lodge office plays an important role in the fabric of Minnesota Freemasonry. To the more than 8,000 members of Minnesota Lodges, it has been my distinct pleasure to serve as your Grand Secretary this past year and I thank you for the confidence you have shown in me by electing me to this office.
Fraternally submitted,
Keith W. Reierson, Grand Secretary