Thank you for Opportunity to lead our Grand Chapter. I shall do my utmost as I indicated in my Obligation to be diligent, respectful, and demanding - all at the same time. As Grand King, I asked for a 10% increase in membership; well, that bid will go out again; and I ask for your support for that. Most organizations are failing in membership recruitment and more noticeably in retention. I want us to thwart that trend. We may not be able to do anything about out those who pass to the Grand Chapter Above; but I am convinced that we can do better at keeping those we have, and at bringing new Companions into the fold. We all know the glories we see as new candidates are brought through our 4 degrees. Our Chapters contain the most personally rewarding experiences that a Mason can witness; and it is up to us to see that more and more get to participate in that very positive growth as a Mason.

For this upcoming Capitular year, let me emphasize 3 simple words that are so vital to our very existence as Royal Arch Masons. We cannot survive without them, and they are: Fellowship, Leadership, and Membership – these 3 words are not new to us, but form the 3 keystones for having a successful Chapter.

Let us remember to share in our Chapter fellowship and make it grow; by having dinners and/or socials prior to, or afterwards, on Chapter Nights; by inviting our wives and widows to our formal and social activities; by creating a bond between older and newer Companions; by participating in Divine Worship ceremonies; by offering more “Light” during regular meetings.

Let us remember to assist our leaders in seeking bold initiatives beyond simple meetings; by encouraging new ways for doing things; by trying adventurous activities; by creating a succession plan with training for new Companions.

Let us help one another in increasing our membership so that we are meaningful in our collective futures by asking for an annual increase in numbers and planning for that successful outcome; by actively maintaining existing members; by presenting information to our Lodges; by keeping membership in the forefront at all times.

These 3 “Ships” of Fellowship, Leadership, and Membership are important to us and demand our attention, on an ongoing basis.

Some of you may remember parts of my talks as I went around the Chapters over the past 2 years. I spent some time describing my focus for a vision of what being a Companion could mean. I used the acronym “TRIPLE C FACE”. The triple C stood for Commitment, Community, and Compassion as these are overall threads that we build our Chapters on. The FACE encloses the aspects of how we create our sense of belonging. F stands for FUN, A for ACTIVITY, C for CARING, and E for EDUCATION. The Triple C FACE can describe how we give attention to matters within, and outside of, our regular Chapter meetings.

I would like now to unveil what I have proposed as My theme for this year:

“Actiones secundum fidei – ad lucem”

“Action follows Belief – to the Light”

We act according to what we believe. Action conforms to our Faith. We live by what we keep as our truths. We are true to our beliefs in what we do. We pursue our continuous objectives for seeking more light. Light embodies our evolving pursuit of enlightened knowledge. Each new revelation of more brilliance offers a deeper understanding of what we view as our reason for being involved in our beloved Royal Arch Masonry Chapters. Light can easily be perceived as a representative of the highest human good.

We have beliefs – as Chapters and as Companions – we need to take action in order to follow those beliefs. We have lots of opportunities to seek more light with respect to our Chapters – more ways to find “lustre’. We just need to focus a bit more on those aspects beyond the mandatory meeting dimensions. Time is our most precious commodity; so let’s use it wisely in the context of being a better Royal Arch Mason.

Plans for the coming year

Given that the next Grand Convocation will be our 25^th or Silver Anniversary, I would like to see something extra special next May. I will be calling upon some of the Past GHP’s to seek their input for what should be a memorable event. In fact, I will be setting up a Past GHP Advisory ad hoc committee to make recommendations on such matters.

“Holiness to the Lord

M.Ex. Comp. Jim Davis

Grand High Priest