Greetings Brethren,
Let me start the year off right by thanking each member of Medford Lodge who has placed their utmost confidence and trust in my ability to lead us this year. It is a true honor to wield the gavel of Medford Lodge. It is also a huge responsibility. It will be my duty to continue adding to the most excellent examples of leadership Medford has seen. As Isaac Newton stated, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
During the 2023 Masonic Leadership Conference I remember the keynote speaker RW Yasser Al-Khatib, DDGM of Pennsylvania’s 6th District, say the difference between a manager and a leader is a manager lights a fire under you while a leader lights a fire within you. Ever since that moment I have been trying to inspire everyone around me, not only freemasons but family, friends and even patients. It is truly amazing and satisfying to see how a little investment from yourself can yield such huge dividends to others. This results, I believe, in a more energetic, vibrant and involved lodge.
On my journey to the Oriental chair my eyes have been ever so slightly opened wider and wider with every successive chair, every DLI, and every event attended, until, finally arriving in the East. Standing here at the pinnacle in our Lodge that, what some brethren see as the most powerful and important role in our lodge as the leader, means nothing without the brethren believing in you, your visions, and your missions.
Being a successful leader is the byproduct of not only your hard work and dedication as a leader but also the members’ efforts toward the craft. So, this masonic year I ask all my brethren, not just the lodge officers, to help me lead this lodge to another successful year! Let team work make light work for this ensuing masonic year.
Fraternally,
WM Rudy Hatala