More than 110 members of the Durham Cornerstone community, members of the Provincial team and distinguished visitors filled Gateshead Masonic Hall for today’s sellout Cornerstone Light Blues Conference.
Head of Durham Freemasons John Watts was joined by two distinguished guests, Assistant Grand Master John Thompson of the United Grand Lodge of England and Assistant Grand Master Jean Briggs of the Order of Women Freemasons, who brought fellow members of the Order.
The programme celebrated the people, opportunities and connections that make Cornerstone such an important part of our Province. Scott Butler, lead for the Cornerstone community, shared what Cornerstone is all about. Gavin Rowell spoke about the Durham 2032 Festival and how members can get involved, while John Watts highlighted the importance of our Light Blue Cornerstone community.
Shaun Butler from UGLE brought fresh perspectives on membership and communications, including UGLE’s National Digital Marketing Campaign, “Why Freemasonry?”. He encouraged members to lead with their own “why”, proactively tell our story and help prospective new members discover Freemasonry.
Using a narrated playlet, members of the Royal Arch team brought the fourth step in Freemasonry to life. Their presentation showed how the Royal Arch builds on the three Craft ceremonies, completes the journey in Pure Antient Masonry and invites members to continue their voyage of discovery. It also reinforced Durham Freemasonry’s message of One Journey, One Organisation.
During the meeting, John Watts also invested Wayne Rumley as Provincial Grand Mentor for Craft, Dean Anderson as Provincial Grand Mentor for Royal Arch, and Keith Blundy as Provincial Grand Communications Officer for Craft.
After a buffet lunch, members got involved in a lively carousel of activities presented by Provincial groups, special interest Lodges and Cornerstone teams. It was a great opportunity to meet others, ask questions and discover more about what Durham Freemasonry has to offer.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the conference such a memorable celebration of our Cornerstone community.
mire pictures on our Facebook page and more to follow
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