Masons reach out to Big Bear

KATHY PORTIE/Big Bear Grizzly Big Bear Mason Jim Weyant takes visitors on a tour of the Masonic Lodge. The Masons don’t have anything to hide. The Big Bear Masonic Lodge hosted an open house Sept. 12 to prove it. John Wells, junior warden with the Big Bear Masonic Lodge, introduced guest speaker Mark Gibson, a past master of the Palm Springs Lodge, to a crowd of about 25 people at the lodge in Big Bear Lake. Gibson gave a brief history of the organization, which has its roots in the medieval stone mason guilds of England and Scotland. “They formed lodges or guilds where they could meet, receive their pay and train apprentices,” Gibson said. Guild members used handshakes and passwords as a form of identification, serving the same purpose as a modern I.D. card, he said. In modern times, the Masons’ ancient rituals and symbols take on metaphorical significance. “It is an intricate brotherhood accepting every religion, creed and ethnicity,” Gibson said. “The symbols are not designed to conceal secrets, they are designed in a way to reveal meaning in a person’s life.” As a Fraternal organization, the Masons do not accept women as members, but other organizations under the Masonic umbrella do, including Job’s Daughters, Rainbow for Girls and the Eastern Star. There is a short list of requirements for membership—observe rules and regulations, regularly attend meetings and functions, and belief in a Supreme being and life after death. Worship is left to each individual. The Masons believe in building a foundation of values including ethics, truth, integrity and honor. Following Gibson’s presentation, local member Jim Weyant gave the visitors a tour of the facility including the meeting room. The furniture used for meetings was built by one of the founding members, Bill Knickerbocker. Members are not recruited. Prospective members must approach the Masons and ask to join the group. Big Bear’s Masonic Lodge 617 is the oldest fraternal organization in the Valley. The Big Bear Masonic Lodge is at 385 S. Summit Blvd., Big Bear Lake. For more information, visit the website www.bigbearmasons.com. For full article & Pix go to http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/news/article_49624460-de80-11e0-8912-001cc4c03286.html