Chairs
After a man has completed
these three degrees he is eligible to work through the “chairs”
(or offices) in the Lodge, the more junior of which are appointed,
and the more senior of which are elected by the whole membership
at a Lodge meeting. In working through the chairs he is starting
on a journey to become the Master of the Lodge, usually sitting in
a different chair each year, until he reached the Master's chair.
Prior to this (and even after it) there are also other duties a
man may perform in the lodge which are not formally considered as
chairs, but as with all organizations, all men at every level are
vital to the smooth running of the Lodge.
There is a logic to the
order of progression through the chairs, though there can be
exceptions due to people moving in or out of the area due to work,
etc, or to an individual not being available due to health, work
or other reasons. Working through the chairs is completely
optional, and a member may decline a chair.
Since few men these days
have musical skills, the Organist position is often not filled.
The Master of Kempenfeldt
Lodge, may also choose to have a Webmaster and a Photographer,
though they are not formal offices at this time.
It should be noted that the
Chaplain chair is not an “ordained church minister” type of
position, despite the fancy title, (though an ordained Church
Minister who is a Master Mason could certainly fill it). The chair
though comfortable and having a nice view of the proceedings of
the Lodge, entails little but a reciting a few very brief prayers
the contents of which are unlikely to raise the eyebrows of any
Church going person.
As the Lodge room is a
shared facility, a key duty of the Stewards and the Deacons is to
set up the Lodge each night (prior to the start of the meeting),
and put the Lodge property away in its proper place after the
meeting. It is the responsibility of the Senior Deacon in
Kempenfeldt Lodge to ensure that this is occurs, and that the
others assist with this task, so he does not end up doing it by
himself!
Generally the Assistant
Secretary helps the secretary, and fills in for the Secretary when
absent. In this Lodge he also prepare and sends out the Lodge
Summons (Agenda of the next meeting) by e-mail each month, on
behalf of the Secretary, (and after review by the Master) and
provides paper copies for the Secretary to mail to the remainder
of the Lodge members who are not on e-mail.
The Junior Warden is in
charge of all arranging all social events, including booking of
the hall and the caterer, and arranging for a “Light Repast”
(food, pop, water, coffee, etc) after the Lodge meetings.
The Wardens Association is a local organization which any Mason
may belong to. Membership is optional, but very much encouraged
for the Wardens
