| Introduction |
A
great deal of misinformation exists regarding the nature and history of
Freemasonry as well as our work within our lodges and in our
communities. The purpose of this web site is to introduce Evans
Lodge in particular, Masonry in general, and to reveal the degree to
which Masonry offers valuable and practical wisdom as guidelines in a
man’s life and consequently contributes to the well-being of both
individual men and the societies in which they live.
If, after reading this short section, you feel that
you would like to further investigate Masonry or you find that this is
an organization with which you would like to be associated, you are encouraged to
contact any Mason whom you know regarding questions or a petition for membership. If you do not know anyone who is a
Mason you may contact Evans Lodge directly. They will be happy to help you or connect you with the proper person.
We hope you find this page informational and enlightning. Enjoy! |
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| What is Masonry? |
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Masonry (or Freemasonry) is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one
knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in
time. Most probably, it arose from the professional guilds of stonemasons who built the
castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly, they were
influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks
formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims on their journey to the Holy Land.
In
1717 four lodges in England met to create a formal organization, the first
Grand Lodge. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in
charge of Masonry in some geographical area. In the United States,
there is a Grand Lodge in each state and the District of Columbia. In
Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each province. Local assemblies
of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large
cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the
United States.
Many
believe that the practical lessons and notions of equality, tolerance
and freedom taught and applied in Masonic lodges for centuries may well
have been the source of inspiration in the foundation of the United States of
America. And many other nations have followed in those benevolent
footsteps. |
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| What is a Lodge |
The
word "lodge" is a reference to both, a group of Masons meeting in some
place and
the room or building in which they meet. Masonic buildings are
also
sometimes called "temples" because much of the symbolism Masonry uses
to teach its lessons is derived from the building of King Solomon's
Temple
in the Holy Land. Masonry however, considers its goal to be the
building of the spiritual temple of each man. The term "lodge" itself
originates with the temporary structures
which the stonemasons built against the sides of the cathedrals during
construction. In winter, when construction came to a stop,
they lived in
those lodges and worked at carving stone and educating one
another. While there is some
variation in detail from state to state and country to country, lodge
rooms today are designed and furnished very much as you see in the
image on the right.
If you've ever watched
C-SPAN's coverage of the House of Commons in London, you'll notice that
the layout is about the same. Since Masonry came to America from
England, we still use the English floor plan and English titles for the
officers. The Worshipful Master of the lodge sits in the East and presides over meetings.
"Worshipful" is an English term of respect which means the same thing
as "Honorable." He is called the Master of the lodge for the same
reason that the leader of an orchestra is called the "Concert Master."
It's simply an older term for "Leader." In other organizations, he
would be called "President." The Senior and Junior Wardens are the
First and Second Vice-Presidents. The Deacons are messengers, and the
Stewards have charge of refreshments.
Every
lodge maintains an altar at its center which bears a "Volume of
the Sacred Law." In the United States and Canada, that is almost always
a Bible, but may include a multitude of books representing the several
religions of men present.
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| We will be happy to schedule an appointment with you to discuss masonry in greater depth. We invite you to contact us via email or to come visit us and have dinner with us the days we meet. Our calendar
provides the monthly dates and times we meet. We encourage you to come
and discover the oldest and greatest fraternity mankind has ever had! |
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